A Local-State Government Spatial Data Sharing Partnership

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Chapter 2 – Spatial Data and SDI in Context
In the 1970s, two main operational federal government surveying and mapping agencies
existed: the Australian Survey Office and the Division of National Mapping. The task of
the Division of National Mapping was to support national development of Australia
through a comprehensive national mapping program at 1:250,000 scale and later at
1:100,000 and 1:50,000 scales in cooperation with the state governments. In 1987, the
two agencies were merged to form the Australian Surveying and Land Information Group
(AUSLIG). In September 2001, AUSLIG was replaced by the National Mapping Division
(NMD) within Geoscience Australia. Like its state counterparts, AUSLIG experienced a
gradual process of downsizing and outsourced a number of operational functions,
particularly the traditional survey processes. AUSLIG was one of the first Commonwealth
Government agencies directed to move to a cost recovery model through the sale of digital
topographic mapping (Hart 1991).
The coordination of state land information efforts was recognised as a critical activity and
in 1986, the Australian Land Information Council (ALIC) was formed. The council was
renamed to the Australian New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC) in 1991
after New Zealand, which was represented on the council from 1987, became a full
member (ANZLIC 2005). Although the language and terminology which describe
ANZLIC’s activities have changed, it is clear from its objectives that ANZLIC was
developing the Australian Spatial Data Infrastructure (Clarke et al. 2003). Since 2005,
ANZLIC has been referred to as the Spatial Information Council to better reflect its current
mission and vision.
The Council comprises representatives from each of the state and territory leading spatial
data agencies and the federal government spatial information agency, Geosciences
Australia. It also has strategic linkages with a number of committees and associations
including the Australian Emergency Management Committee, Natural Resource
Management Ministerial Committee and the Australian Local Government Association.
ANZLIC has two Standing Committees, one on SDI and the other on Land Administration
(See Figure 2.1). There is also an Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and
Mapping (ICSM) which is responsible for the development of national geodetic,
topographic and cadastral standards.
ANZLIC has worked effectively as a national coordination body for the development of
standards and policy, however with the declining operational capacity of the national
mapping agency and the growing demand for national spatial data sets, it realised that
other interventions were required (Clarke et al. 2003). In 1993, the Public Sector Mapping
Agencies Australia (PSMA) was formed as an unincorporated joint venture between the