Methodology & data sources

What LayeredGeo does

LayeredGeo automates a standard geotechnical desktop-study workflow for Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian properties. Instead of manually searching multiple government portals, downloading layers, preparing maps, and assembling a PDF, the platform takes a street address and compiles the report automatically.

For a simpler overview of the use case itself, see geotechnical desktop study reports.

The geotechnical report is one of three address-based products built on the same spatial database. Planning Reports cover the statutory planning overlays that sit over a site, and GIS Data Export delivers the underlying layers as raw files for your own GIS or CAD work. Each has its own methodology page: planning methodology and export methodology.

The goal is speed and consistency for early-stage site review. Reports are intended to support screening, scoping, due diligence, and preliminary engineering context. They are not a replacement for a site investigation, drilling program, or advice from a qualified geotechnical engineer.

How the workflow works

1. The user enters a supported QLD, NSW or VIC street address.
2. The address is geocoded and associated with the correct state-specific data sources.
3. Relevant datasets are fetched from public spatial services and government databases.
4. Maps are rendered automatically for the site and surrounding area.
5. Reference tables, maps, and summary content are assembled into a standardised PDF report.

Primary data sources

Reports are built from publicly available government and regulatory datasets. Sources vary by state and by layer, but commonly include:

• QSpatial and the Queensland Government spatial services for mapping layers and property context
• NSW Six Maps and related NSW spatial services for address and parcel context
• NSW Seamless Geology for geological mapping
• Vicmap, DataVic and DEECA spatial services for Victorian address, parcel, geology and soil mapping
• State soil and acid sulfate soil datasets where available
• Government elevation and terrain datasets (LiDAR-derived where the state has captured it, coarser satellite-derived elevation elsewhere)
• National Groundwater Information System (NGIS) and related bore datasets for groundwater context
• Government imagery services for current and historical aerial or satellite views

What is typically included in a report

• Site location and broader context mapping
• Geology and soil mapping around the site
• Topography and elevation context
• Groundwater and nearby bore information where available
• Current and historical imagery
• Reference metadata and source notes

What sits outside this report

The geotechnical report deliberately stops at physical site conditions. Two related things are handled by separate products rather than being folded in:

• Statutory planning overlays - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage, vegetation, environmental and character overlays come from council and state planning instruments rather than geoscience datasets, and are compiled in a Planning Report. See the planning methodology for those sources.
• Raw spatial layers - if you need the geology, soils, contours, DEM, watercourses or cadastre as editable files rather than a PDF, GIS Data Export delivers them clipped to your site as Shapefile, DXF, GeoPackage, KMZ or GeoTIFF. See the export methodology.

Coverage and variability

Coverage is currently limited to Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian street addresses. Even within those states, dataset quality varies by location. Urban sites often have denser surrounding information than remote rural areas, and some layers update much more frequently than others.

Elevation resolution, imagery currency, bore availability, and local mapping completeness all depend on what the upstream source provides for that area.

Important limitations

• The report is a desktop-study aid, not a field investigation.
• Government datasets may contain omissions, lagging updates, or local inaccuracies.
• Groundwater information is indicative and may vary seasonally and spatially.
• Geological and soil mapping is regional in nature and should not be treated as a substitute for subsurface testing.
• Engineering, regulatory, or construction decisions should be checked by a suitably qualified professional.

How to evaluate the output

If you want to see the report format before purchasing, start with the sample report page. To see how its mapped findings become an investigation brief, follow the geotechnical desktop study worked example. If you want a live site-specific output, go straight to generate a report.