Spatial Datasets and Products

• What is spatial information?
• What is Geographical Information System (GIS)?
• Contact us
• Australian Spatial Data Directory (ASDD)
• Links

What is spatial information?

Spatial information is information that can be related to a position on the earth's surface, often by an address, post-code or geographic coordinate. It is used to define, for example, land and property ownership, demographic detail from census results, areas of native vegetation or the location of gas, electricity and water supply networks.

What is Geographical Information System (GIS)?

GIS is a particular form of Information System applied to geographical data. GIS uses geographically referenced data as well as non-spatial data and includes operations which support spatial analysis,

• in GIS, the common purpose is decision-making, for managing use of land, resources, transportation, retailing, oceans or any spatially distributed entities
• the connection between the elements of the system is geography, eg location, proximity, spatial distribution.

In this context GIS can be seen as a system of hardware, software and procedures designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display of spatially-referenced data for solving complex planning and management problems. Although many other computer programs can use spatial data, GIS include the additional ability to perform spatial operations.

Contact us

Spatial data inquiries

Lou Panico
Supervisor
Ph: (61 8) 8463 3859
Email: panico.lou@saugov.sa.gov.au

Australian Spatial Data Directory (ASDD)

For all South Australian and Federal spatial datasets please refer to the entries listed in the Australian Spatial Data Directory (new window).

Links

Software companies

ESRI
http://www.esri.com (new window)

ESRI Australia
http://www.esriaustralia.com.au (new window)

MapInfo
http://www.mapinfo.com.au (new window)

ER Mapper
http://www.ermapper.com (new window)

Publications

GIS User
http://www.gisuser.com.au (new window)

Institutions

Adelaide University
http://www.adelaide.edu.au (new window)

Flinders University
http://www.flinders.edu.au (new window)

University of South Australia
http://www.unisa.edu.au (new window)

GISCA Key Centre
http://www.gisca.adelaide.edu.au/ (new window)

Other

GeoScience Australia - Australian Government
http://www.ga.gov.au/ (new window)