AGY-7261 | Spatial Services

Full description

On 1 July 2016, Land and Property Information (LPI) was separated into four business units within the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation. The functions of Spatial Services were moved from LPI and into Government and Corporate Services division as a new business unit. Spatial Services was then moved into the ICT and Digital Government division. (1)

As the official source of spatial and land information for NSW, Spatial Services was responsible for maintaining cadastral boundaries and topographic data for the State. It provided imagery, elevation and depth, hydrography, transport, administrative boundaries, place names and addressing information, and comprehensive spatial modelling services which tailor spatial information to meet specific needs. Spatial Services also implemented and monitored standards for the survey industry in NSW through conducting examination surveys in known areas of unreliable survey data and audit surveys of recently lodged plans. (2)

Spatial Services worked closely with the Board of Surveying and Spatial Information and the Geographical Names Board, both statutory bodies. Spatial Services provided a registrar and other officers to enable the Boards to exercise their functions. Spatial Services also provides further administrative and technical support to assist the Boards in their day-to-day operations. The Office of the Surveyor-General (OSG) was part of Spatial Services and was the government’s principal advisor on surveying and spatial information. (3)

Spatial Services was responsible for the Emergency Information Coordination Unit (EICU) which was established in 2002 and ensured the emergency management sector had the best spatial and related data available to deal with multi-agency emergencies, such as terrorism and natural disasters. The EICU aimed to implement and maintain a collaborative data sharing system known as the Emergency Services Spatial Information Library on behalf of emergency service organisations and the emergency management sector in general. (4)

From 1 July 2019 Spatial Services was transferred from the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation into the Digital NSW division of the Department of Customer Service. (5)

Endnotes
1. Department of Finance, Services and Innovation Annual Report, 2015-2016, pp.13-14, 37, 75-76, 215-216; Department of Finance, Services and Innovation Website, 'DFSI Organisational Chart as at 11 January 2017', https://www.finance.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/policy-documents/DFSI-organisational-structure_1_0_0.pdf (accessed 31 January 2017).
2. Spatial Services website, What we do, https://www.spatial.nsw.gov.au/what_we_do (accessed 17 April 2023).
3. Department of Finance, Services and Innovation, Annual Report, 2017-2018, p.47, p.55.; Department of Customer Service, Annual Report, 2019-2020, p.85.
4. Spatial Services website, ‘Discover Spatial Services’ Critical Role in Emergency Management’, February 2020, https://www.spatial.nsw.gov.au/news/discover_spatial_services_critical_role_in_emergency_management (accessed 17 April 2023).
5. Administrative Arrangements (Administrative Changes - Public Service Agencies) Order 2019 (2019 No 159), cls. 7 (a), 18, 22, 30, and 31 respectively; NSW Legislation Website 2 April 2019.; Department of Customer Service, Annual Report 2019-2020, p.180.