Methodology & data sources

What the export tool does

The GIS Export tool automates a workflow that many engineers, planners, and GIS users otherwise do manually: locate a parcel, query multiple government spatial sources, clip the relevant layers, convert them into usable formats, and package everything for download.

The result is a site-focused export package for early-stage design, CAD setup, GIS review, and desktop due diligence. It is designed to reduce repetitive data gathering, not to replace professional validation of the underlying datasets.

How the export workflow works

1. The user enters a supported QLD, NSW or VIC street address.
2. The system identifies the parcel and associated spatial context.
3. Selected datasets are fetched from the relevant state or government source.
4. The data is clipped to the parcel or an appropriate surrounding buffer.
5. The selected layers are converted into the requested formats and bundled into a ZIP file.

Typical data sources

Exports rely on public spatial services and government datasets. Exact sources vary by state and dataset, but commonly include:

• QLD spatial services and cadastral layers for parcel and mapping context
• NSW parcel and mapping services for address and lot context
• Vicmap and DataVic layers for Victorian parcel, geology, soils, contour and hydrology context
• State geology datasets including NSW Seamless Geology where applicable
• State soils and acid sulfate soil datasets
• Government elevation and terrain datasets (LiDAR-derived where the state has captured it, coarser satellite-derived elevation elsewhere)
• Government hydrology and road network datasets for watercourses and roads
• State and local planning datasets for zoning, flood, bushfire, geohazard and heritage overlays
• State digital cadastral databases for registered easement mapping where published

What the export can include

• Property Boundary - Cadastral lot boundaries with lot/plan attributes.
• Geology - Surface geology polygons with unit name, lithology and age.
• Soils - Australian Soil Classification orders and soil landscape units.
• Acid Sulphate Soils - Acid sulphate soil risk and occurrence mapping.
• Contours - Elevation contour lines, Z embedded on each vertex.
• Elevation Points - 3D spot heights sampled from the state DEM.
• Elevation Raster - Float32 DEM in metres AHD, clipped to the extent.
• TIN Surface - Delaunay triangulated surface over the DEM, as DXF 3DFACE entities.
• Watercourses - Mapped streams, creeks and drainage lines.
• Roads - Road centrelines with names, for site context and setout.
• Aerial Imagery - Current aerial photography as a georeferenced JPG, plus a KMZ overlay. NSW and QLD addresses only.
• Flood Overlays - Flood planning areas, AEP extents, overland flow paths, storm tide and mapped historic flood events.
• Bushfire Overlays - Bushfire prone areas, bushfire management overlays and hazard buffers.
• Geohazard Overlays - Landslide risk, mine subsidence, underground coal mining, erosion management and salinity.
• Planning Zones - Planning scheme zones and region scheme zones.
• Heritage Overlays - State and local heritage places, heritage overlays and registers.
• Easements - Registered easements over the cadastre, from the state digital cadastral database.

Coverage honesty

Every export carries a DATASETS.txt manifest listing each dataset you ordered and what happened to it. Where a layer comes back empty, the manifest distinguishes between assessed - no features in this extent (we hold mapping covering your site and there is nothing of that type on it) and not assessed here (no dataset covering your location has been published for that layer, so its absence is not evidence of absence). Datasets we deliberately do not ship for a state, and datasets missed because an upstream government service was down, are reported separately again - only the last of those is worth re-running.

Formats and intended use

Depending on the selection, the export package can include Shapefile, DXF, GeoPackage, KMZ, raster files, and derived surfaces. The outputs are intended to drop into GIS and CAD workflows more quickly than collecting the source data by hand.

Coverage and variability

Coverage is currently limited to Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Dataset availability and quality vary by location, and the live catalogue identifies the states supported by each layer. Urban areas usually have stronger coverage than remote areas, while elevation quality depends on the source program and capture extent. Aerial imagery is available for Queensland and NSW only; Victorian aerial imagery is not included because its licence does not permit redistribution.

Important limitations

• The export reflects the quality and currency of the upstream source data.
• Not every dataset is available in every area or every format.
• Regional mapping may not match on-ground conditions at fine detail.
• Exports should be validated before being used for design, construction, or regulatory submissions.
• Coordinate system selection matters and should be checked against your downstream workflow.

How to evaluate the output

To see the step-by-step user flow, visit How It Works. Browse the GIS Export use cases, inspect the current 17-dataset sample ZIP, follow the worked example from address to an 80-file CAD and GIS ZIP, or review the live dataset catalogue before starting an export.