Sectors 
Client: Municipal Association of Victoria, and Local Government Spatial Reference Group
The management of spatial data has become an important issue for Local Government Authorities (LGAs) as they implement increasingly integrated asset, planning and service management systems.
A datum is a mathematical surface on which a mapping and coordinate system is based. In a move to bring the nation’s spatial coordinate system into alignment with international systems, a new datum, the Geocentric Datum of Australia (GDA), was officially adopted in Australia on the 1st January 2000. This new datum supersedes the Australian Geodetic Datum 1966 (AGD66) that has until now been widely used in Victoria and NSW. As organisations and data users make the transition to GDA, the risk of confusion is significant. A coordinate given in Australian Map Grid (AMG - based on AGD66) is approximately 200 metres different to the same coordinate in Map Grid of Australia (MGA - based on GDA).
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) contracted Spatial Vision to develop a sector-wide strategy to support the move of Councils in Victoria to GDA in the most effective manner. Whilst conducting the consultancy, Spatial Vision liaised extensively with representatives of key government agencies, several Councils and other related organisations.
Spatial Vision’s report provides Councils with the necessary information to make informed decisions regarding why and when they should make the transition to GDA, the sorts of issues that need to be considered in making their plans, and how to estimate the approximate cost of the transition.
While the move to GDA for LGAs is inevitable, the report concludes that deferring conversion will generally increase the eventual cost. The Victorian State Government has recently advised that they will supply their statewide VicMap and planning scheme data only in GDA format as of 30th June 2005. In addition, the Victorian Surveyor-General has directed the use of GDA for all surveying purposes in Victoria.
The report also highlights the advantages of sector-wide collaboration in making this transition.
Demonstrated Capabilities
- Identification of business activities impacted by GDA.
- Comprehensive knowledge of datum conversion issues and processes.
- Identification of key strategic issues and options available to address them.
- Effective consultation with stakeholders through interviews.
- Determination of a clear implementation path.
Resources
Stephen Farrell and Ben Johnson were the primary Spatial Vision staff for this project.
