Developing a common spatial data infrastructure between State and Local Government--an Australian case study

Abstract

Over the last decade a number of countries and states have successfully established complete spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) incorporating core digital map bases such as the cadastre or land parcel layer, topography, hydrology, road networks and administrative boundaries. These have usually been based on the amalgamation of national or state mapping and cadastral or land registration systems. At the same time many cities or Local Governments world-wide have established their own SDIs although they are more commonly referred to as geographical information systems. However in most cases the relationship between the Local Government and the National or State systems is at best poor. The result is that in many cases Local Government does not use the state SDI. This presents many difficulties in establishing state or national data sets, particularly where Local Government is responsible for controlling or maintaining the integrity of specific land related data in the state SDI. This paper describes the successful establishment of a partnership between 78 Local Government authorities and a State Government in Australia. This successful partnership has resulted in the State providing and updating the basic SDI for Local Government and Local Government in turn providing land parcel and property data to the State Government. This has resulted in significant improvements being made to the core map bases in the State SDI (such as the increased integrity of the state street address file), a marked reduction in duplicative mapbase maintenance activity (particularly by Local Government) and increased adoption of GIS technologies by Local Government with the beginnings of considerable flow-on benefits to the community being observed. The authors believe that this is a useful model which facilitates the SDI concept becoming a reality and which has generic application in many countries world-wide.