Ausgeo News  September 2006   Issue No. 83

Product news section banner

GEODATA TOPO 250K

Series 3 released

Fig 1. Extract from Hema Maps 1: 1 250 000 scale.

The recently released Series 3 of Geoscience Australia’s 1:250,000 scale vector data has so far proved popular with map producers and GIS professionals.

GEODATA TOPO 250K Series 3 is a vector GIS representation of the major topographic features appearing on 1:250 000 scale NATMAP topographic maps. Series 3 data is no more than five years old for the majority of locations and compliments the popular NATMAP Raster products and data released in 2005.

Significantly, map producers, emergency managers and the spatial industry now have access to low cost, high quality data that has been extensively updated since the release of Series 2. GEODATA TOPO 250K Series 3 includes additional cartographic layers and symbology that allows production of high quality maps for minimal effort.

Series 3 data unlike its predecessor is provided as a seamless coverage of Australia arranged in ten themes – cartography, elevation, framework, habitation, hydrography, infrastructure, terrain, transport, utility and vegetation.

Customised 1:250 000 Scale (250K) GEODATA is also available where requirements are not met by these packaged products. The price will be determined after assessing individual client needs. Alternatively, requests for customised data may also be referred to a third party supplier.

Geoscience Australia is currently deploying MapConnect, an online mapping solution where users will be able to seamlessly extract and download data for selected areas (subject to download parameters), and in a number of different delivery formats.

GEODATA TOPO 250K Series 3 is available on DVD in Personal Geodatabase, ArcView Shapefile or MapInfo TAB file formats for only $99 (including GST) per package. Alternatively, individual map tiles can be accessed from the Free Downloads link on the Geoscience Australia website.

GEO DATA TOPO 250K Series 3 Specifications

Themes:

Coverage National (power lines not available in South Australia)
Currency Data currency is generally less than five years
Coordinates Geographical
Datum Geocentric Datum of Australia (GDA94)
Format Personal Geodatabase, ArcView Shapefile and MapInfo TAB
Medium Packaged DVD ROM ($99 per package)
Previous Version Replaces GEODATA TOPO 250K Series 2
Release Date 26 June 2006

For more information phone Andrew Beer on+61 2 6249 9034 (email andrew.beer@ga.gov.au)

Alternative satellite imagery for Australia

Fig 1. The first image from the China-Brazil Resources Satellite.

Geoscience Australia has successfully received a test downlink of satellite images from the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS2) at its Alice Springs ground station. CBERS2 provides images with a spatial resolution of approximately 20 metres with repeat coverage every 26 days. This test downlink is part of the contingency planning Geoscience Australia has been undertaking with the local user community and international satellite operators to secure access to alternative sources of data in case of a continuity gap in Landsat data.

Geoscience Australia is also evaluating data from the SPOT (Système Pour l’Observation de la Terre) satellites and investigating the potential for downlinks of ResourceSat-1 (also known as Indian Remote Sensing Satellite P6). Geoscience Australia’s consultations aim to identify alternative sources of imagery for applications that require access to images spanning a period of time.

Figure 1. The first image from the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS-2) acquired by Geoscience Australia on 7 April 2006 in cooperation with the China Center for Resource Satellite Data and Applications (CRESDA). The image area is located approximately 100 kilometres east of Alice Springs and the swath width is around 100 kilometres (Image centre: S 24:09:20 E 135:36:30). (Larger image [JPG 468.8kb])

The Australian Centre for Remote Sensing (ACRES) has been acquiring images from the Landsat series of satellites since 1979. Landsat data have proved invaluable to government and industry for a range of applications including environmental monitoring, agriculture, mapping and emergency management. As the current Landsat satellites age, Australian users have become concerned about the continuing availability of reliable and cost effective satellite imagery.

This test downlink also demonstrates the flexibility provided by the multi-satellite capability of Geoscience Australia’s receiving station in Alice Springs. The receiving station can easily be reconfigured to enable quick and easy access to new sources of satellite remote sensing data

For more information phone Stuart Barr on +61 2 6249 9131 (email stuart.barr@ga.gov.au)

MapConnect: online delivery of maps and spatial information

MapConnect website applications.

Geoscience Australia’s National Mapping & Information Group is deploying the next generation of online mapping applications. ‘MapConnect’ enables users to select and download maps and spatial datasets from a standard web browser without the need for any additional software. Its map-based interface accesses the most recent available data using areas, themes and formats determined by the user thus enabling mainstream access to spatial data and maps by the wider community.

MapConnect will be useful for a wide range of applications including tourism, business, emergency management, education, agriculture, and public administration. It is a user-friendly way to directly access the most current data and maps. After locating an area of interest by entering its name and zooming in, users can then download a PDF version of a map covering that area for printing on a standard printer, as well as digital data in a variety of formats, to create a customised map.

The available formats include:

All downloads are registered and licensed with the Office of Spatial Data Management (OSDM) before being downloaded from the Geoscience Australia website.

For more information phone Tony Hunter on +61 2 6249 9362 (email tony.hunter@ga.gov.au or MapConnect@ga.gov.au)

New geophysical datasets for Mount Isa, Paterson, East Arunta and Bowen-Surat regions

Fig 1. Mount Isa Area A gravity.

Datasets from seven new geophysical surveys which will be a valuable tool in assessing the mineral potential of their respective regions were released in August 2006. They included four new airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys in the Mount Isa and Bowen-Surat regions in Queensland and Paterson Province in Western Australia as well as new gravity surveys covering the East Arunta region in the Northern Territory and Queensland’s Mt Isa and Bowen-Surat region.

Figure 1. Mount Isa Area A gravity. (Larger image [JPG 269.5kb])

The data were acquired in surveys conducted in 2005 and 2006 which were managed by Geoscience Australia on behalf of the Geological Surveys of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

The datasets have been incorporated into the national geophysical databases. The point-located and gridded data for the seven surveys can be obtained free online using the GADDS download facility.

Table 1. Details of the gravity surveys

Name Type Date 1:250 000 Map Sheets Station spacing/ orientation Stations Contractor
East Arunta (NT) Gravity Jun– Jul 2006 Huckitta, Tobermory, Illogwa Creek, Hay River 2.0 x 2.0 km
east – west		 5 500 Daishsat Geodetic Surveyors
Mount Isa Area A (Qld) Gravity Apr– Jun 2006 Cloncurry, Mount Isa 2.0 x 2.0 km
east – west		 6 700 Daishsat Geodetic Surveyors
Bowen – Surat (Qld) Gravity Nov 2005 – Apr 2006 Taroom, Roma, Surat, Baralaba, Springsure, Eddystone, Mitchell, Homeboin, Dirranbandi, St George 4.0 x 4.0 km 5 200 Daishsat Geodetic Surveyors

Table 2. Details of the airborne surveys

Name Type Date 1:250 000 Map Sheets Line Spacing/ terrain clearance/ orientation Line km Contractor
Bowen–Surat South (Qld) Magnetic, Radiometric Jan– Apr 2006 Homeboin, Surat, Dalby, Ipswich, St George and Goondiwindi 400 m, 80 m, east – west 154 000 Fugro Airborne Surveys
Mount Isa West (Qld) Magnetic, Radiometric Feb– Apr 2006 Mount Isa (western 20%), Urandangi (western 20%), Glenormiston (two-thirds), Mount Whelan (northern 20%) 400 m, 80 m,
east – west and north – south (north of -21.56°)		 63 000 Fugro Airborne Surveys
Paterson Central Magnetic, Radiometric June 2005 – April 2006 Nullagine, Paterson Range, Rudall 400 m, 60 m,
east – west		 94 300 UTS Geophysics
Paterson South - East Magnetic, Radiometric April – June 2006 Rudall, Tabletop 400 m, 60 m,
east – west		 28 400 UTS Geophysics

For more information phone Murray Richardson on +61 2 6249 9229 (email murray.richardson@ga.gov.au)

Related websites/articles

SMART exploration gets Geoscience Australia support (AusGeo News 81)

2006 East Arunta Gravity Survey

Geological Survey of Western Australia

Unless otherwise noted, all Geoscience Australia material on this website is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence.