About topographic mapping
Topographic maps have been critical to the development of Australia and will continue to be important to our future development. They depict natural and constructed features of the Earth's surface including landforms (represented by contours and spot heights), streams, lakes, dams, swamps, roads and tracks, localities, built-up areas, vegetation, conservation, defence and forestry reserves and Aboriginal lands.
Topographic mapping is a vital resource for a wide range of applications including:
- emergency and disaster response,
- national defence,
- asset and facilities management,
- demographics analysis,
- environmental monitoring,
- mineral and energy exploration,
- fleet and logistics management,
- graphic presentation of thematic data,
- infrastructure planning,
- other map production,
- market analysis, navigation and positioning,
- route planning,
- risk assessment,
- surveillance, and
- teaching.
People who use topographic maps range from recreational users such as bushwalkers and 4WD clubs through to various government, resource and environmental agencies.
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Many Australians know about our range of printed topographic map products. For more than 40 years, the NATMAP paper topographic maps have provided Australians with the information they need to explore and develop our vast continent.
Geoscience Australia produces a topographic map series of the entire country at a scale of 1:250 000. Other scales include 1:100 000 and 1:1 million, and various general reference products at scales of 1:2.5 million, 1:5 million, and 1:10 million and smaller.
Geoscience Australia's topographic products now extend well beyond the printed map. As computers are now more commonly used to make maps, the resultant digital topographic data, more often referred to as 'spatial data', can also be delivered to customers and used in many innovative ways, such as in geographic information systems (GIS) and terrain visualisation applications. Computers store the data efficiently and allow it to be easily revised and integrated with other spatial datasets.
GEODATA TOPO-250K Series 2
At this time Geoscience Australia's 'flagship' topographic mapping program is the GEODATA TOPO-250K Series 2 and associated hard copy maps. This Series entails the production of 513 map tiles at a scale of 1:250,000 (1 cm on the map represents 2.5 kms on the ground) covering Australia. The program is scheduled for completion in 2003.
The companion paper maps (NATMAPS) and digital versions (GEODATA) have wide-spread application for defence, immigration, customs and emergency management, exploration investment, land-use assessment and planning and general public use.
This Series is being produced with the aid of the latest satellite imagery, information sourced from local and state authorities, as well as other informed sources. We also incorporate feedback received from NATMAP and GEODATA users.
The NATMAP Raster 250K makes the same data available as raster images.
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New developments
Geoscience Australia has a commitment to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers. In this regard we are undertaking various developmental projects to improve and innovate our products and our services. For example, we are currently developing an object-oriented, 'seamless' spatial database of topographic data. Customers will be able to access and interact online with the spatial database for their immediate and personalised use.
Initially, this project is focused on providing GEODATA TOPO-250K in this form. We have plans to complement this with existing 1:100 000 scale data, together with 1:1 million and atlas and thematic maps. Our longer-term intention is to provide access to several other themes of spatial data such as imagery and elevation models.
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