How to open GIS export files: Google Earth, CAD and QGIS

You do not need special software to look at a GIS export. If you ordered KMZ, install Google Earth (free) and open a file from the zip's kmz folder. Where your order includes the block boundary, that is the ProjectLot file, and the boundary appears over the aerial photo. Any other formats you chose hold the same data in the file types surveyors, drafters and designers use, so you can pass them straight on.

What is in the zip

The files in your zip depend on the formats and layers you chose when you ordered, so not every export has everything below. Each format holds the same site data for a different kind of program, and you only need one of them. 00_START_HERE.txt in the zip lists the files you actually received.

• 00_START_HERE.txt - a short list of what each file is and what opens it.
• kmz folder - for Google Earth. The easiest way to look at the data.
• Imagery .jpg and solar folder - the aerial photo and the sun path PDF. These open with a double-click.
• .gpkg file - every vector layer in one file, for QGIS or ArcGIS.
• shp folder - the same layers as shapefiles, for older GIS programs.
• dxf folder - for AutoCAD, Civil 3D, 12d and other CAD programs.
• .tif file - the elevation grid (a GeoTIFF), for GIS and CAD.
• obj and dae folders - a 3D surface of the ground, for SketchUp or Blender.
• DATASETS.txt - every layer you ordered, and whether it held data, was checked and came back empty, or is not mapped at that address.

First save the zip somewhere you can find it, then unzip it. On Windows, right-click the zip and choose Extract All. On a Mac, double-click it.

Seeing your block in Google Earth

Google Earth Pro is the desktop version and is free. Get it from google.com/earth under Versions.

1. Open Google Earth Pro and choose File > Open.
2. Go to the unzipped kmz folder and open a file. If your order includes the block boundary, open the file that starts with ProjectLot, and Google Earth flies to the block and draws its boundary.
3. Open the other files in the kmz folder the same way. Depending on what you ordered, Cadastre adds the neighbouring lots, Contours the ground levels, Roads the street centrelines, and PlanningZones, Geology and SoilsASC the zone, rock and soil type.
4. Each layer appears in the Places panel on the left. Tick or untick it to show or hide it, and click a line or shape to read its details.

No install? Google Earth also runs in a browser at earth.google.com. File > Open is only in the desktop app. In the browser, click New, choose Local KML file and then Import, and pick the same files.

The photo and the sun path

The Imagery .jpg is the aerial photo of the site, and opens in any photo viewer. The SunPath PDF in the solar folder shows where the sun sits through the day in summer, winter and the equinoxes, which helps with placing windows, solar panels or a shed. The two CSV files beside it hold the same figures for a spreadsheet.

For designers and drafters: CAD

Open the files in the dxf folder in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, BricsCAD or 12d. They are drawn in real-world coordinates, in metres, on the MGA zone shown in the .prj files, so the drawing can sit far from the origin. Use Zoom Extents if the screen looks empty. The TIN file is a 3D surface of the ground, and the elevation points are spot heights across the block.

Because every file shares the same coordinates, the layers line up with each other and with a survey drawn on the same zone.

For GIS users: QGIS

QGIS is free from qgis.org. Drag the .gpkg file onto the QGIS window and choose Add Layers to load every vector layer at once. To see a background map, open the Browser panel, expand XYZ Tiles and double-click OpenStreetMap. The .tif drops in the same way and shows the ground levels as shading.

What the boundary is, and what it is not

The boundary in the export comes from the state government's property map, the digital cadastre. It is the same line you see on your state's online map, and it can be out by a metre or more. It is a good guide for planning a fence, a shed or a garden, but it is not a survey. Only a registered surveyor can mark the legal boundary on the ground. Why the online boundary often misses the fence.

Have not ordered yet? Export site data for any address or see a sample export.

Sources

• Google - Google Earth versions. google.com
• QGIS - Download QGIS. qgis.org

About this article. Published by LayeredGeo and written from the published research cited in the Sources section above. It is general information about how property and ground conditions are assessed in Australia, not engineering, planning, legal or financial advice, and it is not specific to any property. Check anything that matters against the source dataset or a suitably qualified professional before you rely on it. If you spot something wrong, tell us at hello@layeredgeo.com.au and we will fix it.

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