A Local-State Government Spatial Data Sharing Partnership

Chapter 6 – Results of Partnership Case Studies at Local Government Level
whilst approximately 65% of Queensland LGAs more commonly charge data at the cost of
provision or to generate some income. This may be partially explained by the fact that true
sharing of spatial data between local and state governments is still relatively new in
Queensland (less than 18 months). A number of LGAs were still being charged for state
data sets, such as the digital cadastral mapbase, at the time of the survey. This finding
indicates that LGAs are likely to adopt or copy the state government’s application of
policy.
When LGAs were asked if they charge the state government for the provision of data,
almost all local governments (92%) indicated that they do not. The remaining 8% of
LGAs were from Queensland which again supports the proposition that being charged for
data can encourage a “tit for tat” approach to charging.
Privacy, Legal Liability and Copyright
Although the issues of privacy, legal liability and copyright were identified as having an
impact on the LGA’s decision to share their data externally, the overall influence of these
issues on the LGAs policies was inconclusive. Most LGAs commented that they could
manage privacy and copyright issues, but had a greater concern regarding the potential
misuse of their data, and therefore their consequential liability.
6.2.4 Accessing and Locating Spatial Data
Part 3 of the questionnaire explored the methods used by LGAs for making their spatial
data accessible to both internal and external users.
Accessing Spatial Data for Internal Users
On the question of how internal users access and find the spatial information they require,
86% of respondents indicated that their internal users find and access the organisation’s
spatial data through the in-house GIS or intranet. A further 14% of LGAs identified that
direct telephone contact was the next most common means for internal users to find the
spatial data they require. GIS is now used widely across most LGAs with approximately
30-40% of staff in LGAs having access to GIS at their desktops..
Accessing Spatial Data for External Users
For external clients seeking to access spatial information, the situation was almost
reversed. Approximately 84% of external clients locate the spatial data they require by
telephoning the GIS officer in the LGA. Only 13% of LGAs indicated that external clients
used the internet to find data, whilst another 3% of LGAs indicated that their data could be
located by external clients through an external data directory such as the Australian Spatial
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