NationalMap
Last updated:2 November 2023
About NationalMap
What is NationalMap?
NationalMap is an online map-based tool that allows easy access to location-based data from Australian government agencies.
NationalMap...
- provides easy access to over 13,000 datasets for use by government, business and the public
- allows federal, state and local government bodies to make their data open and available
Data that you access through NationalMap is made available through data.gov.au. Most of the data is accessed directly from the government department or agency that owns and manages the data, so you are getting the data straight from the source.
To see what data is available on NationalMap, refer to the Data Catalogue in the NationalMap itself. Click the Explore Map Data button and expand a dataset’s group name to find out more about that dataset. Or you can click on the Help button to get a tour through the map and a user guide.
Overlay one dataset over another
Use case: Public transport
You can use data from the ABS Census to show how people travel to get to work, broken down by suburb. You can then correlate that data with locations of railway stations.
Compare two variables from the same dataset
Use case: Age and care needs
You can compare different datasets from the ABS census data to show where people in the 70-74 age group live, compared to people of all ages who have identified that they need assistance in their day to day lives, in self-care, mobility or communication.
Compare the same data at different times
Use case: Water in our landscape
The slider tool lets you show variation over time. This map slider shows water availability in 2019 compared to 2021 at Lake George, NSW, presented as annual summary.
NationalMap connects to data automatically from data.gov.au. Any spatial data set that uses supported data formats and protocols (such as WMS) will automatically be included in NationalMap.
NationalMap does not store the data itself, but refers to the servers of the data contributors, directly harvesting that data and presenting it in the map. Agencies provide the data directly via an online server using a standard protocol, which allows them to maintain control and oversight of their data holdings.
You can seek more information about contributing data sets to NationalMap through support@data.gov.au.
NationalMap was launched in 2014 and is an important part of the Australian Government’s Public Data Policy. This policy supports open data publication, discovery and consumption by government, industry, research, community organisations and the general public.
Since the launch of NationalMap, over 13,000 datasets have been made accessible, from more than 50 data custodians at all levels of government across Australia.
In 2021, NationalMap reached more than 30,000 user sessions per month, representing a significant benefit to Australians and the Australian economy.
NationalMap has grown and evolved since its origins with the Department of Communications and the Arts, the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet and the Digital Transformation Agency. Today, NationalMap is managed by Geoscience Australia in collaboration with CSIRO’s Data61 for software development and data management.
Data Attribution
The content presented in NationalMap is sourced from a wide range of organisations.
Data in the Catalogue
The datasets in the NationalMap application catalogue are sourced from Commonwealth Government Departments and Agencies, State, Territory and Local Governments and other organisations. Details about each data custodian and their contact details can be found in the catalogue, usually under "Data Custodian" or "Description".
Base Maps:
- Australian National Base Map - © Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2020. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
- Bing Maps - From Microsoft Corporation. Commercial Licence.
- Natural Earth II - From Natural Earth. Public Domain.
- Black Marble - From NASA's Earth Observatory. Use Policy.
- Positron (Light) and Dark Matter - From Carto. Commercial Licence.
Terrain:
- Cesium World Terrain - From Cesium Ion. Commercial License.
Geocoders:
- Bing Maps - From Microsoft Corporation.
NationalMap Software
The core components of NationalMap are Open Source Software (OSS) libraries available as Github projects. The core platform, TerriaJS, is available to assist with the development of other spatial data viewing applications. The platform was initially developed by Data61 for NationalMap, but has subsequently been used for other projects.
The core software components of NationalMap are licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use the source code files except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0. Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.
Additional Open Source Software Used
In developing NationalMap, Data61 has used open source software and contributed back to it. NationalMap leverages these excellent open source libraries:
The complete list is available with the NationalMap source code.
The information displayed on NationalMap is for general informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide any commercial, financial, or legal advice. Any information in connection with NationalMap may not be appropriate to your individual needs. You must exercise your own independent skill, care and judgment with respect to how you use the information displayed on NationalMap.
As a condition of using NationalMap, you must comply with all applicable laws, regulations and third party rights (including, without limitation, laws regarding the import or export of data or software, privacy and local laws). You must not use NationalMap to encourage or promote illegal activity or violation of third party rights. Some parts of NationalMap (like the URL shortening function) rely upon third party APIs.
In any important matter, you should seek professional advice relevant to your own circumstances.
Geoscience Australia and CSIRO’s Data61 (“We”) make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of any content or the product in connection with NationalMap. We disclaim all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence, for errors or omissions) for all expenses, loss, damage and costs which you might incur as a result of the information displayed on NationalMap and your use of it.
NationalMap must not be used for navigation or precise spatial analysis or for any activities where the use or failure of NationalMap could lead to death, personal injury, or environmental damage (such as the operation of nuclear facilities, air traffic control, or life support systems).
Access to data
Any information provided by data custodians displayed on NationalMap is provided as is and on the understanding that the respective data custodian is not responsible for, nor guarantees the timeliness, accuracy or completeness of that information. If you intend to rely on any information displayed on NationalMap or data.gov.au, then you must apply in writing to the respective data custodian for further authorisation.
You acknowledge that your use of NationalMap or data.gov.au means that you have provided your acceptance of these terms and conditions.
You must consider the usage rights and restrictions of the basemap and each activated dataset when using the output of NationalMap in broadcast, print, or other distribution. The terms of use of the default Bing Maps basemap may be found here: https://www.microsoft.com/maps/product/terms.html.
Geoscience Australia is covered by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (‘the Privacy Act’). The Privacy Act contains 13 Australian Privacy Principles (‘the APPs’) which governs how Australian Government agencies should collect, use, store and disclose personal information (including sensitive information), and how individuals can access records containing their personal information. General information about the Privacy Act and the APPs can be found on the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Geoscience Australia defines “personal information” the same way as the Privacy Act. Generally, it is any information that can be used to identify you, whether or not the information is true.
We respect your right to privacy under the Privacy Act and comply with Privacy Act requirements about how we collect and manage your personal information in order to protect your privacy. Our Privacy Policy can be accessed via this link: https://www.ga.gov.au/privacy. The NationalMap website (this website) complies with the Australian Information Commissioner’s APP Guidelines and with our APP Privacy Policy.
You are reminded that there are risks involved in sending information over the internet.
Use and disclosure
We only use personal information that we collect through this website for the purposes for which it was given to us or for related purposes, such as the maintenance, upgrade or improvements of this website or any policy development associated with this website.
We do not share personal information about any individual which we collect through this website to any third party, such as other Australian Government agencies or organisations unless one of the following applies:
- the individual has consented;
- the individual would reasonably expect, or has been told that information of that kind is usually passed to those other individuals, agencies, organisations;
- is required or authorised by law;
- a Permitted General Situation (as defined under section 16A of the Privacy Act) exists (for example, it will prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to somebody’s life or health); or
- the disclosure is reasonably necessary for the enforcement of the criminal law or of a law imposing a pecuniary penalty, or for the protection of public revenue.
Information logged when browsing the NationalMap website
We do not collect personal information about you if you only browse this website.
When you browse this website, our server logs the following information:
- the type of browser and operating system you are using;
- the address of the referring site (for example, the previous site that you visited); and
- your IP (Internet Protocol) address, which is a number unique to the machine on which you connect to the internet.
Our server also logs the following information:
- the date and time of your visit; and
- the address of the pages accessed and the documents downloaded.
We use the information we collect from your browsing of this website for statistical analysis, system administration, monitoring of this website’s security, customisation of this website to users’ needs, and the evaluation, research and development of this website.
In order to give you a better experience, we use a URL shortening service provided by a third party. That service may also track the clicks and referrers (sharers) of NationalMap.
No attempt will be made to identify users due to their browsing activities on this website, except in the event of an investigation, for example, where a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant or subpoena. The information we collect from your browsing of this website will only be disclosed to a third party if it is required or authorised by law.
Cookies
A cookie is an electronic token that is passed to your browser and your browser passes it back to the server whenever a page is sent to you.
For this website, our server creates a cookie that is used to keep track of the pages you have accessed. This cookie allows you to page back and forward through this website and return to pages you have already visited. This cookie exists only for the time that you are accessing our server.
Please note that some browsers can be configured to allow cookies to be accessed by servers other than the originating server. Most browsers can also be configured to notify the user when a cookie is received, allowing you to either accept or reject it. You do not need to have configured your browser to enable the accepting or sending of cookies in order to use this website.
Cookies are not used for any other purposes on this website, for example, we do not use cookies on this website to collect your personal information.
Online forms, email address and contact us
When using this website (for example, the online forms or contact us function), you may provide us with your personal information, for example, your name and email address etc. When you do this, you agree to provide us with your consent to disclose your personal information to other areas of Geoscience Australia, CSIRO’s Data61, Australian Bureau of Statistics and data.gov.au etc. so that we can appropriately respond to your request or query. You also agree to provide us with your consent to disclose your personal information for the administration, regulation and evaluation processes associated with this website or for related purposes such as any policy development associated with this website.
You have the right not to identify yourself or to use an alias (pseudonym) when you contact us or use online forms in relation to this website. However, where it is impractical for us to deal with your request in that way, or the law requires or authorises us to collect your personal information, then we may require you to identify yourself.
Searches
The search terms that you enter when using this website’s search engine are collected so that we can find out what users are looking for on this website.
Links
This website contains links to other websites for the attribution of the data source or may use social media sites to make it easy to share information. These other sites may use web measurement tools, customisation technologies and persistent cookies to inform the services that they provide to their users. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of other sites. This website does not use, maintain or share Personally Identifiable Information made through the other websites, such as, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube etc.