Spatial Data

The use of spatial information (data that has been connected with a geographic location) is a powerful way to enhance the delivery of a range of information and services.

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What is spatial data used for?

People use spatial data every day to provide answers to questions and to aid decision making. This can range from simple questions like "How can I get to a particular shop in the next suburb?" to complex ones like "How can I predict the potential impact of climate change on the distribution of the Mountain Pygmy Possum?". Spatial data can be very effective in supporting a vast array of decisions by governments and the wider community.

Governments hold, or have access to, massive stores of spatial data. Increasingly, they are making this data accessible to others through spatial data products and services. Not only are they seeking to make basic data more available, but they are also packaging data in a wide variety of ways to assist decision making in both the public and private sectors.

Delivering spatial data online involves three distinct areas for consideration:

  • the spatial data
  • the information technology
  • the output form.

A variety of services use spatial data. These include:

  • Maps. Map services include the provision of maps that can be manipulated online. The user can zoom in and out, recentre the map and use other features. An example is the Australian Natural Resources Atlas.
  • Routing information. This is information that gives the user directions about how to get from point A to point B, which may or may not include a map (for example, National Public Toilet Map).
  • Geocoding / Reverse geocoding. This is the generation of a coordinate given an address or, alternatively, of an address given a coordinate (for example, whereis.com).
  • Web services. These provide access to data, which can be distributed across multiple agencies so that other applications can use this data for their own purposes. In the case of spatial data, web services may provide data for presentation in a map. The NSW Natural Resources Atlas relies heavily on web services to provide the spatial data requested.

Why Must I?

There are no mandatory requirements for this topic.

How Do I?

Who Can Help?

For queries and assistance contact:

Better Practice
Australian Government Information Management Office
Department of Finance and Deregulation
better.practice@finance.gov.au