Researchers have for the first time created a 3D digital map of the entire Great Barrier Reef using satellites.
The high-resolution map, unveiled on Tuesday, charts an area of 350,000 square kilometres, from the Torres Strait south along the Queensland coast.
Until now, only about half of the reef's coral had been mapped digitally as traditional survey methods, such as using boats, couldn't navigate some of the shallow waters of the reef.
EOMAP, a German aquatic remote-sensing company, used satellites to overcome these hurdles and map all offshore coral to a depth of about 30 metres.
Dr Robin Beaman, a marine geologist at James Cook University in Cairns, says the data provides a complete picture of the world's largest coral reef ecosystem.
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"It's like a terrain map," he told AAP.
"Google Earth is a good example, but in the ocean it's much harder to do.
"We use satellite images to look into the sea floor to about a 30-metre depth.
"Digital data is what's really critical in this day and age."
Dr Beaman says the data could provide policy makers and researchers with vital information needed to combat threats to the reef.
This includes measuring the impact of rising sea levels and helping to measure water quality and ocean currents.
It could also be used to model crown of thorn starfish larval trajectories to determine where they are next likely to inhabit the Great Barrier Reef.
A major study released in October 2012 found coral cover had been halved since the mid-1980s due to cyclones, bleaching and the crown of thorns starfish.
