Sourcing Spatial Data from Local Government Getting the Data Right The Supplier s Perspective Presenter: Kenneth Melchert (Senior Statistician - Regional Liaison Officer) Information Products and Services - Regional Office of Economic and Statistical Research
Background Worked for 7 years at Townsville City Council Land Information Unit Established and Coordinated Council s GIS in Schools Program Providing spatial data to local schools Providing technical support Assisting with training Coordinating involvement of other Council staff Current role - Office of Economic and Statistical Research Provide demographic and statistical data to Schools Provide training on how to access data from OESR and ABS websites Queensland Spatial Information Office Spatial Technologies in Schools Assist Schools with contacting local data providers (eg: Councils) Assist with training were appropriate Provide demographic data spatially Happy to provide any advice on accessing spatial data
Why Source Data from Local Government? Local Government data is one of the best sources of data for your local community Can be used for investigating local issues Graffiti Mapping and Crime Water Quality Monitoring Mosquito and Vector Control Recreational Facilities and Shading
Why Source Data from Local Government? Resolution of data is very good Property Boundaries (+/- 0.1m in urban areas) Digital Aerial Photography (0.25m pixel resolution) Contours (0.2m contour intervals) Infrastructure (+/- 0.5m) As well as sourcing data from Local Government you also have access to a range of professionals from a range of disciplines Community Environmental Social Town planning
Possible Datasets that may be available Roads and Road Names Property Boundaries Aerial Photography (often at high resolution) Great for creating your own datasets and overlaying on top of aerial photography Contours Town Planning layers Infrastructure layers (water, sewerage, stormwater) Community Infrastructure Disaster Management (flooding, storm surge)
When Seeking the Assistance of Local Councils consider the following: Identify the best person to speak to Check with other local Schools to see who they deal with at Council Sometimes Councils have a contact person for Education/School requests Generally the person who provides the data will be based in the GIS Unit or look after the GIS function of Council find out who this person is Utilise the local Spatial Sciences Institute (SSI) Group to help you in approaching Council SSI Young Professionals also willing to help Try and choose a project related to Council business that will provide a tangible benefit back to Council (eg: Graffiti Mapping)
When Seeking the Assistance of Local Councils consider the following: What do I really want from Council Hardcopy Map(s) what size (A4-A0) Digital Map(s) jpeg, pdf Digital Data Data Format ArcGIS or MapInfo Access to Online Mapping Product Assistance with using data and analysis Training
When Seeking the Assistance of Local Councils consider the following: Cost and Time Many Local Councils will provide you with data at no cost as part of their support of the Community Some Councils may charge for their time to extract the data or even a commercial fee. For hardcopy maps Council may want you to cover costs of printing Remember that this is not core Council business and staff have other priorities don t get frustrated with delays Work out what you need before you approach Council A well thought out request will be looked upon favorably as it saves time
When Seeking the Assistance of Local Councils consider the following: Licence Agreements Many Councils will require you to sign a licence agreement for provision of data This protects the Council from inappropriate use of the data Most agreements as a minimum require you as the user to only use it for educational purposes not to use it for commercial gain not to pass it on to a third party
When Seeking the Assistance of Local Councils consider the following: Define your area and the data you are interested in Define the geographic area you are interested in (eg: School, Suburb, entire Local Government Area) Define what data you are interested in A request for all of Council s data for the entire Local Government Area is probably not a good idea
When Seeking the Assistance of Local Councils consider the following: Consider the best way to access the data Some Councils have a standard data CD which they will provide Some Councils will provide data on a request basis this is when you need to be able to provide a definite geographic area and required data Some Councils will provide you with a link to their online mapping Some Councils do not have a GIS/Mapping capability
When Seeking the Assistance of Local Councils consider the following: The best advice I can give you is to identify a key person or group in your Local Council who is willing to support you. Work on building your relationship with them. Benefits for both Local Councils and Schools. The students you teach today are the future workforce for Council.
Townsville City Council
Townsville City Council
Townsville City Council
Townsville City Council
Townsville City Council