A new direction for spatial maintenance systems at Land and Property Information NSW.

Land and Property Information, a part of the N.S.W. Department of Lands, is currently updating and redeveloping its Spatial Maintenance Systems. The project team was established in December, 2001. The team is made up LPI staff and suitably qualified contractors. Its general objectives are:

* to enhance the ability to maintain data;

* to improve access to data both internally and externally; and

* to take advantage of new technologies.

The scope of the project entails the creation of geodatabases of spatial and aspatial information including Digital Cadastral Database (DCDB) and Digital Topographic Database (DTDB). It will also replace the existing operating Genamap maintenance system, which has been in use for over a decade. In addition, there will be a requirement to replace the existing maintenance system for Crown Land of the former Department of Land and Water Conservation. A number of other components will also be enacted by this project.

The TopoWeb was also established (completed August 2002) utilising the current data held within the DTDB and is accessible from the LPI website.

Though at the outset the creation of the Delivery Database was not a part of the project it has now been included in the project. There will of course be the ability to disseminate data in a number of standard formats.

Maintenance of raster data is also being considered as a part of this project. For example, the orthophotomap information is essential for the updating of the topographic database, and the topographic elevation information is critical for the generation of the orthophotomap.

The project includes the ability to generate and maps both in hardcopy and digitally. Part of the criteria for this development will be the capture and maintenance of feature level metadata.

TOPOGRAPHIC DATA MODEL

The topographic data model is made up of a number of themes including but not restricted to hydrography (water), transportation, cultural features, major utilities, built up areas, and vegetation, some with fuzzy extents. The model can be viewed at http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/publications/proced ural.html Select item 12 for the Topographic Data Model. See also figure 1.

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The current topographic map series (1:25 000 and 1:50 000) has a line map on one side and an orthophoto map on the reverse side of each sheet. To date, 317 of a total of 1119 sheets have been completed in this program. Examples of the two sides of sheet 9640-3-N Ballina are shown in figure 2.

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CADASTRAL DATA MODEL

The cadastral model covers lots, roads, railways, water features, crown land, administration boundaries and major community easements. The model can be viewed at http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/publications/proced ural.html Select item 13 for the Cadastral Data Model. See also figure 3.

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AD HOC PRODUCTS

The generation of ad hoc products, for example cadastral orthophoto maps, will be possible by combining and integrating various datasets within the new environment.

MAINTENANCE STATUS REPORTS

These can be extracted directly from the database in terms of production outputs. This will also enable the generation of graphs.

TOPO WEB

TopoWeb is a snapshot of the topographic data as it existed in 2002 and has been set up using an interim geodatabase while the final database was being developed. It is freely accessible on the internet at http://topoweb.lpi.nsw.gov.au/LPIdisclaim.htm It enables the data to be searched in a number of ways including by shire, town, suburb and map sheet. A number of tools are also supplied to increase utility and ease of use. See figure 4.

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SUBSEQUENT PHASES

In subsequent phases the following will be included:

1) Address Database

2) Processes between DCDB and DTDB.

3) Survey dimensions and adjustment techniques.

4) Electronic Plan Lodgement for inclusion of data into the DCDB.

TIMEFRAMES

2002 August, Topographic Internet Display (TopoWeb).

2003 March/April, Topographic Maintenance Database Deployed.

2003 December, Cadastral Maintenance Database Deployed.

2004 June, Stage 3 Application Toolsets deployed, including the Crown Land Editor.

Ian Paxton, SMS Project Manager, Land and Property Information, NSW Dept of Lands [e-mail]