Fundamental datasets and themes

New Zealand fundamental
geospatial datasets and themes
Fundamental Data Guidance Series #01
Spatial Data Infrastructure
30 July 2015
Table of Contents
1
Introduction .............................................................................. 4
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
Purpose of document .................................................................... 4
Intended use of document ............................................................ 4
References .................................................................................. 4
Terminology ................................................................................ 4
Contact ....................................................................................... 4
2
Rationale................................................................................... 5
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.3.1
New Zealand Geospatial Strategy ................................................... 5
Context ...................................................................................... 5
Spatial data infrastructure ............................................................. 5
Steward and custodian framework ................................................. 6
3
Fundamental data themes......................................................... 7
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.4.1.1
Why have themes? ....................................................................... 7
Development ............................................................................... 7
What are the themes? .................................................................. 8
Theme narratives ......................................................................... 8
Dataset Profiles ........................................................................... 9
4
Fundamental datasets ............................................................. 10
4.1
4.2
4.2.1
4.2.1.1
4.2.1.2
4.2.1.3
4.2.2
4.2.2.1
4.3
Identify.....................................................................................
Evaluate ...................................................................................
Assessment against criteria .........................................................
Limitations ................................................................................
Development of the criteria .........................................................
Criteria .....................................................................................
Classification .............................................................................
Methodology..............................................................................
Measure....................................................................................
5
Current state of fundamental datasets and themes ................ 14
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
Fundamental core reference datasets ...........................................
Nationally fundamental datasets ..................................................
Foundational Datasets ................................................................
Not Fundamental or Foundational Datasets ...................................
Not Determined .........................................................................
6
Theme narratives .................................................................... 20
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.4.1
6.5
6.6
Address ....................................................................................
Place Names..............................................................................
Imagery....................................................................................
Administrative Boundaries ...........................................................
NZ Localities..............................................................................
Elevation and Depth ...................................................................
Cadastre and Property ................................................................
10
10
10
11
11
11
12
13
13
15
16
17
18
19
21
23
26
29
32
34
37
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6.7
6.8
6.9
6.10
Transport ..................................................................................
Positioning ................................................................................
Water .......................................................................................
Land Use and Land Cover............................................................
40
43
45
48
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1
Introduction
1.1
Purpose of document
The purpose of this document is to:
 document the identified fundamental data themes,
 set out a process for determining whether a dataset is considered fundamental, and
 list candidates for fundamental datasets.
1.2
Intended use of document
This document is intended for use by any agency that is interested in, or has committed to,
some level of accountability for one or more fundamental geospatial datasets.
1.3
References
This document should be read in conjunction with the following documents;
 NZGO 2012, Steward and custodian framework for New Zealand fundamental geospatial
themes and datasets, LINZ, Wellington
 New Zealand Government 2011, CAB Min (11) 29/1
1.4
Terminology
The terms steward and custodian, when used in this document, refer to the agency taking on a
role of stewardship or custodianship.
The terms stewardship and custodianship encompass a broader view of all components and
aspects related to the role of steward or custodian, including the point of contact for the
stewardship, the functions, and responsibilities.
1.5
Contact
Michael Judd
SDI Technical Leader
New Zealand Geospatial Office
Land Information New Zealand
[email protected]
Level 7, Radio New Zealand House, 155 The Terrace
PO Box 5501, Wellington 6145, New Zealand
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2
Rationale
2.1
New Zealand Geospatial Strategy
In January 2007 the Government released the New Zealand Geospatial Strategy:
Understanding our Geographic Information Landscape 1. The strategy identified the four
strategic goals of Governance, Data, Access, and Interoperability.
The New Zealand Geospatial Strategy's key data goal is to:
ensure the capture, preservation, and maintenance of fundamental (Priority) geospatial
datasets, and set guidelines for non-fundamental geospatial data.
Fundamental geospatial datasets are datasets that provide the minimum core set of nationallysignificant data that are critical to the effective running of New Zealand, and work together to
help support growth in the economy.
2.2
Context
An evaluation methodology has been developed in order to unambiguously determine which
geospatial datasets can be considered fundamental.
In conjunction with other government and non-government agencies, the New Zealand
Geospatial Office (NZGO) has identified ten data themes. Themes provide a way of organising
fundamental geospatial datasets for spatial data infrastructure purposes, in particular creating
communities of interest in, and allowing holistic management of, thematically related datasets.
Fundamental geospatial datasets may be either Crown-owned or held in the private sector.
2.3
Spatial data infrastructure
On 8 December 2010, the Cabinet Economic Growth and Infrastructure Committee directed
LINZ and the NZGO to undertake further work on the design and implementation details of a
spatial data infrastructure.2
A spatial data infrastructure (SDI) can be broadly defined as a network of components that
allows people to find, share and use spatial data.
The fundamental data and steward and custodian frameworks are part of the work programme
to implement the NZ SDI.
1
A New Zealand Geospatial Strategy: Understanding our Geographic Information Landscape. Land Information New
Zealand. January 2007
2
Capturing Economic Benefits from Location-Based Information, approved by Cabinet on 8 December 2010 (EGI Min
(10) 30/14 refers)
(http://www.linz.govt.nz/sites/default/files/docs/geospatial-office/cabinet-minute-capturingbenefits-of-location-based-information.pdf)
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2.3.1
Steward and custodian framework
Three primary roles and a number of secondary roles have been identified to ensure that New
Zealand's interest in its information assets is not compromised and to ensure accountability for
geospatial data management.
The three primary roles are:
 spatial data infrastructure leadership,
 steward of a fundamental data theme, and
 custodian of a fundamental geospatial dataset.
Custodians are divided into two roles with distinct responsibilities:
 dataset leadership, and
 dataset delivery.
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3
Fundamental data themes
3.1
Why have themes?
Fundamental data themes provide a way of organising and managing fundamental geospatial
datasets for spatial data infrastructure purposes, in particular creating communities of interest
in, and allowing holistic management of, thematically related datasets.
A theme may include any number of specific datasets. Some datasets may fall across several
themes.
While themes are the chosen way of organising and managing datasets for spatial data
infrastructure purposes, they are not the only way datasets can be classified or grouped.
Alternative ways may be appropriate for other non-SDI purposes.
An example of another way of grouping datasets is the Multinational Geospatial Co-production
Program (MGCP) datasets. MGCP data consists of topographic vector data at 1:50,000
captured from imagery, and is managed as a complete set of data. However, the individual
datasets (the feature types, and the imagery) would fall within a number of different themes.
Another example is a solutions-based point of view, where multiple datasets create more value
when used together than when used individually. A property management solution will draw
datasets from a number of different themes (address, transport, administrative boundaries) in
order to provide a solution for identifying, finding, and managing property information.
3.2
Development
Work undertaken by a committee of the Geospatial Advisory Committee in 2007 identified ten
fundamental data themes, later expanded to thirteen.
In 2011 the thirteen fundamental data themes were approved by the Geospatial Steering
Committee (the successor to the Geospatial Advisory Committee).
In August 2012, in order to align with the Australia and New Zealand Land Information Council
(ANZLIC) National Spatial Data Framework, the Geospatial Steering Committee approved the
consolidation of thirteen themes to eleven. Further work with ANZLIC between August and
November 2012 resulted in the eleven themes reducing to ten.
Some themes have been split further into sub-themes. These sub-themes further refine the
grouping of like datasets within the theme.
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3.3
What are the themes?
The ten fundamental data themes (with sub-themes) are:
3.4
Theme narratives
In June 2012 ANZLIC, as part of the Australian Foundation Spatial Data Framework (FSDF),
released a draft set of theme description documents for Australia, one for each theme, based
on a standard template.
A theme description document outlines basic information about a theme, including a list of
datasets in the theme, purpose of those datasets, current and desired future status of the
datasets, and applicable standards.
At the August 2012 meeting, the Geospatial Steering Committee agreed that the New Zealand
Geospatial Office should create, using the same standard template, a set of theme description
documents for New Zealand.
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The FSDF theme descriptions for both Australia and New Zealand were revised in April 2014
and republished as theme narratives.
The New Zealand theme narratives are attached to this document in section 6.
3.4.1.1
Dataset Profiles
As part of the process for assigning a custodian for a dataset, a summary of the dataset will be
written. Dataset profiles (where available) can be found alongside the theme narratives in
section 6.
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4
Fundamental datasets
Fundamental geospatial datasets are nationally-significant geospatial data that are critical to the
effective running of New Zealand, and work together to help support growth in the economy.
The New Zealand Geospatial Strategy specifies “Data” as one of its four strategic goals, and
identifies five actions, including:
a. In consultation with the principal geospatial information stewards and customers,
confirm/determine the fundamental geospatial datasets that New Zealanders need
c. Evaluate each fundamental geospatial dataset against an agreed standard/quality, and
define it’s base data or the starting point for collection
d. Ensure fundamental geospatial datasets meet the ongoing collective needs of New
Zealanders
These three actions form the basis of “Identify, Evaluate, Measure”.
4.1
Identify
An open approach has been adopted for identifying geospatial datasets that may potentially be
fundamental.
Any geospatial datasets suggested to NZGO as potentially fundamental are captured. Any
person or agency may suggest a geospatial dataset to the NZGO.
These potentially fundamental datasets are placed within a theme, and are recorded as being
“not determined”. They are not considered fundamental until they have been evaluated and
have met the requirements.
Fundamental geospatial datasets may be either Crown-owned or held in the private sector.
4.2
Evaluate
Once identified, the dataset is evaluated. Evaluation of a dataset gathers together information
from a variety of sources to determine an overall classification. Sources include:

Assessment against a defined set of criteria,

Direct consultation with stakeholders, users, stewards, and custodians, and

Community and industry views gathered through events such as conferences and
meetings. NZGO may solicit views through exhibition booth, presentation, workshops or
networking.
A dataset does not necessarily need to currently exist in order to be evaluated, nor does it
need to be in its ideal state to be evaluated.
The ideal state of a dataset is evaluated. Evaluating the ideal state assists in justifying a work
programme for stewards and custodians to improve or create that dataset. Evaluating the
current state of a dataset may result in a highly important but low quality dataset erroneously
evaluating as not fundamental.
4.2.1
Assessment against criteria
The ideal dataset is assessed against a set of criteria, using a questionnaire. The result is a
determination that the dataset either meets the requirements or does not meet the
requirements to be a fundamental dataset, and a score that can be used to indicate a level of
importance and assist with prioritisation of dataset.
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To meet the requirements, a broad representation of criteria across all of the five
characteristics must be found to apply to the dataset.
All assessed datasets are given a score based on the total number of criteria found to apply to
the dataset. The score does not directly relate to whether a dataset meets requirements or
not, but is derived from the overall assessment and can be used to prioritise fundamental
geospatial datasets.
A dataset can be assessed multiple times by different groups and individuals. Responses for a
dataset with multiple evaluations will be aggregated to provide an overall assessment.
4.2.1.1
Limitations
It is recognised that there are limitations to the assessment against criteria methodology.
However, to resolve these limitations requires an expenditure of resource that is not justified
given the scope of the exercise.
4.2.1.2
Development of the criteria
Work undertaken by a committee of the Geospatial Advisory Committee in 2007 identified
criteria under which a dataset could be evaluated to see if it could be considered as
fundamental.
The criteria were updated in 2012 in response to unsuccessful attempts to use the criteria to
assess whether datasets were fundamental. Minor revisions have continued since 2012 as the
number of evaluated datasets increases.
The current criteria are designed to unambiguously determine whether a dataset is
fundamental using a robust and defined process.
4.2.1.3
Criteria
Five common characteristics of fundamental geospatial datasets have been identified, within
which the criteria have been grouped.
Use/Re-use

Geospatial: is commonly used as a component dataset in geospatial analysis,

Products: is commonly used as a layer in geospatial products,

Foundational Building Block: is a foundational dataset upon which other geospatial
datasets rely or are built.

Multiple Use: supports activities across multiple agencies and organisations.
“Commonly used” should be interpreted as either pervasive across the broader geospatial
community, or essential within a sector grouping or user community.
An example of a foundational dataset is meshblocks, from which Territorial Authority, Regional
Council, and other administrative boundaries are derived.
National Interest

Public Safety: is essential for emergency response or public safety,

Government Function: is critical for government function,

Contribution to Society: contributes significantly to government strategies, cultural
outcomes, or environmental sustainability,

Innovation: enables innovation by government, industry, research, or academic
sectors.
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Coverage

National Coverage: is of national coverage, or is a local/regional dataset that can be
aggregated with other datasets to form a dataset of national coverage,

Within New Zealand: falls within the Realm of New Zealand3, or New Zealand’s
extended continental shelf.
Significance

Obligations: meets (or supports other datasets in meeting) regulatory functions, the
constitutional framework or international obligations,

Physical Infrastructure: is essential for the maintenance of critical infrastructure,

Crown: is funded, owned, or held by the Crown,

Local Government: is funded, owned, or held by a territorial authority or regional
council,

Navigation: ensures the safety of navigation (land, sea, or air),
Economy

Openly Available: can be licensed in accordance with NZGOAL4,

Outcomes: supports business outcomes, strategic results areas, economic growth,
or land purchase and ownership requirements.
4.2.2
Classification
Potentially fundamental datasets, once evaluated, are classified as follows:
Fundamental core reference datasets
Fundamental core reference datasets underpin activities across the breadth of the
geospatial industry and New Zealand’s economy. They are a relatively small group of the
highest value datasets essential for linking and integrating other geospatial information and
providing key contextual information.
Nationally fundamental
Nationally fundamental datasets underpin activities in the New Zealand economy,
predominantly by supporting a nationally important sector (e.g. natural resources,
emergency services), but are not core reference datasets.
A high proportion of these datasets that are nationally fundamental but not core reference
datasets are related to the natural resources sector, possibly reflecting the high level of
involvement of geospatial professionals and the high use of geospatial information in this
sector, and the importance to the economy of this sector.
Foundational
Foundational datasets do not in and of themselves have high re-use potential, or do not in
and of themselves underpin the New Zealand economy, but they are essential in order for
fundamental datasets to exist.
3
The Realm of New Zealand comprises New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, and the Ross Dependency in
Antarctica. http://gg.govt.nz/role/constofnz.htm
4
New Zealand Government Open Access and Licensing. http://ict.govt.nz/guidance-and-resources/information-anddata/nzgoal
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Also foundational is information that is not necessarily definable as a dataset (for example,
models, datums, and projections). Such information is essential in order for fundamental
datasets (or in some cases, any geospatial data) to exist.
Not fundamental or foundational
Datasets that have not met any of the requirements to be fundamental or foundational are
classified as not fundamental or foundational.
Not determined
It has not been possible to classify some datasets for this report. The datasets may not be
defined well enough, or the dataset may be fundamental but it is not clear based on the
information available.
Classifying datasets more clearly defines the role and scope of a national SDI, and assists in
defining the role of potential sector-based or regional SDI development. These infrastructures
should complement each other and not duplicate or overlap with each other.
4.2.2.1
Methodology
Where evaluations have been completed for a dataset, classification has been based on:

The aggregated evaluation result,

The aggregated score,

Notes and comments from user conferences,

Conversations and discussions with stakeholders and users,

Identification and prioritisation work prior to March 2012.
In the absence of any evaluations, a dataset has been classified based on:

Notes and comments from the user conferences,

Conversations and discussions with stakeholders and users,

Identification and prioritisation work prior to March 2012.
Datasets that have not:

generated any discussion, conversation, or interest,

been previously been identified as a priority dataset, or

been evaluated,
have been classified as not fundamental or foundational unless:

the dataset is newly suggested as potentially fundamental,

the dataset is not well defined,

the dataset as identified is just a placeholder for a possible dataset or datasets,

the dataset forms part of a solution along with fundamental datasets, or

the dataset has potentially high significance that needs further evaluation,
in which case the dataset is not determined pending further investigation.
4.3
Measure
To ensure fundamental geospatial datasets meet the ongoing collective needs of New
Zealanders, NZGO will measure, monitor and review fundamental themes and datasets.
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5
Current state of fundamental
datasets and themes
As at the end of December 2014 a total of 114 datasets have been identified as potentially
fundamental. Classification of those 114 potentially fundamental datasets resulted in:
Fundamental core reference
datasets
44
Nationally fundamental
23
foundational
15
Not fundamental or foundational
17
Not determined
14
Removed
1
The current state of New Zealand’s fundamental datasets and themes, and the custodians and
stewards of those datasets and themes, changes periodically. Please update this document
regularly to ensure you have the most recent version.
Legend
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5.1
Fundamental core reference datasets
Datasets that underpin activities across the breadth of the geospatial industry and New Zealand’s economy.
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5.2
Nationally fundamental datasets
Datasets that underpin activities in the New Zealand economy, predominantly by supporting a nationally important sector.
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5.3
Foundational Datasets
Geospatial information that is essential in order for other fundamental datasets to exist.
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5.4
Not Fundamental or Foundational Datasets
Datasets that have not met any requirements to be fundamental.
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5.5
Not Determined
Datasets that are not defined well enough, or that may be fundamental but it is not clear based on the information available.
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6
Theme narratives
In June 2012 ANZLIC, as part of the Australian Foundation Spatial Data Framework, released a
draft set of theme description documents for Australia, one for each theme, based on a
standard template.
A theme description document outlines basic information about a theme, including a list of
datasets in the theme, purpose of those datasets, current and desired future status of the
datasets, and applicable standards.
At the August 2012 meeting, the Geospatial Steering Committee agreed that the New Zealand
Geospatial Office should create, using the same standard template, a set of theme description
documents for New Zealand.
In April 2014 ANZLIC released the 2nd edition of their theme description documents, now called
‘theme narratives’, along with a logo for each theme. This document has been updated to
match.
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6.1
Address
WHAT IS ADDRESS DATA?
An address is a structured label –
usually containing a property number,
a road name and a locality name –
used to identify a plot of land, a
building or part of a building, or some
other construction. It may be further
embellished with the inclusion of other valuable attributes
including geocodes and delivery point identifiers.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE ADDRESS THEME?
New Zealand does not have an authoritative, widely endorsed, address dataset. The major
address datasets currently are:

Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) street address (electoral), stored in
LandOnline

Territorial Authority (TA) allocated address datasets

Geocoded Postal Address File (GeoPAF), and the National Postal Address Dataset
(NPAD)

Commercial physical (in-use) address datasets
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ADDRESS THEME?
Addressing data provides users with unique and unambiguous identification of an address site
within the context of the desired outcome (the physical location or the delivery location) of
every address site. Addressing is used for:

Communication

Address validation at point of entry

Socio-economic and demographic analysis

Emergency services and public safety

Delivery of products and services

Personal navigation

Fraud prevention

Innovation in business
CURRENT STATUS
Responsibility for assigning and allocating addresses in New Zealand lies with TA’s under
section 319B of the Local Government Act (1974). Each TA maintains its own dataset of
addresses (including point geocodes).
TA’s are required to pass address information to LINZ, who maintains a national address
dataset for electoral purposes (with a point geocode). The dataset generally meets electoral
requirements, however, limitations in LandOnline mean the dataset is not complete or
authoritative, and lacks robust data integrity. The dataset contains approximately 1.7 million
addresses.
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The Geocoded Postal Address File (GeoPAF) and National Postal Address Dataset (NPAD) are
maintained by New Zealand Post. Data is sourced from New Zealand Post’s mail delivery
operations, and incorporates LINZ’s electoral address dataset, along with unofficial and in-use
addresses. The geocoded location is intended to represent the delivery point of mail, but does
not reliably do so. The GeoPAF contains approximately 1.9 million addresses.
Physical address datasets are held in the private sector. Most were initially based on the LINZ
Electoral address dataset, but have diverged due to commercially-driven maintenance
programmes and now contain significant unofficial and in-use addresses. Physical address
datasets incorporate data from the LINZ electoral address dataset, data sourced directly from
territorial authorities, independently sourced data from customers, and crowd-sourced data.
The geocode is predominantly (although not consistently) located inside the building footprint.
Commercial datasets contain approximately 2.2 million addresses.
FUTURE STATUS
A recorded address is required for every property.
LINZ will work with territorial authorities and other agencies (e.g. Statistics New Zealand) to
improve the consistency and completeness of address allocation.
An authoritative, nationally complete and consistent, allocated address dataset will be
available, including support for complex addresses and addresses within gated communities,
motor camps, and similar facilities. Potentially the dataset will incorporate postal address data.
Future developments may include informal addresses sourced from the private sector,
although it is expected that improving the quality of allocated addresses will reduce the use of
informal addresses.
Private sector providers will be able to trust the authoritative allocated address data, and focus
on using their commercial client base to capture informal addresses, and provide value added
addressing solutions.
STANDARDS

AS/NZS 4819:2011 Rural and Urban Addressing

New Zealand OASIS Customer Information Quality (CIQ) Standard Profile

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015
Fundamentals

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic Information – Data product specifications.

ISO 19160-1 Addressing — Part 1: Conceptual model

OGC Compliant Web Feature and Web Map Services

AS/NZS ISO 19157:2015 Geographic information - Data quality
Geographic
information
-
Metadata
-
Part
1:
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6.2
Place Names
WHAT IS PLACE NAMES DATA?
Place Names are the names of cultural
and physical features and their
associated spatial identifiers, location
and extent.
Place Names constitute the most
commonly used spatial references and can be approved,
unapproved, commonly used, alternate or historical.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE PLACE NAMES THEME?

New Zealand Gazetteer

New Zealand Place Names

Commercial Points of Interest
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE PLACE NAMES THEME?
Place Names are used to identify and record the official and/or commonly-used names for the
location of places and features and the gazetted or historical information associated with those
names.
Place Names are integral to:

Emergency response.

Economic, social and environmental analysis.

Cultural identity and heritage.

Mapping and navigation.
CURRENT STATUS
The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) assigns, approves,
alters or discontinues the use of names for geographic features (e.g. place names), undersea
features and Crown protected areas in New Zealand, its offshore islands and its continental
shelf and the Ross Sea region of Antarctica
The NZGB is a statutory body of government operating under the New Zealand Geographic
Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008.
The NZGB Secretariat maintains and publishes the New Zealand Gazetteer of Official
Geographic Names. The Gazetteer was recently migrated to a PostGrSQL database, enabling
geographic names to be searched using a web based mapping tool, or the Gazetteer can be
downloaded via the LINZ Data Service. The Gazetteer currently contains approximately 15,000
names, most with a point location.
Many general-use names are not currently included in the Gazetteer as they are not official or
recorded. The New Zealand Place Names dataset contains approximately 50,000 names as
shown on the NZTopo50 map series, and includes many common-use names for cities and
towns that are not in the Gazetteer. The dataset is now not maintained, and the Gazetteer
should be preferentially used for official names.
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Suburb and locality names, with boundaries, are not yet found in the Gazetteer, as most
Territorial Authorities have not yet officially defined them. However, the NZ Localities dataset
maintained by the New Zealand Fire Service currently fulfils this need.
Thematic-specific public information such as schools is usually maintained by the appropriate
national authority (e.g. the Ministry of Education for school names and locations).
A number of commercial providers maintain datasets of commercial points of interest. These
datasets contain high maintenance data that changes frequently. These datasets vary in size,
but are typically contains many tens of thousands of names. Examples are banks, petrol
stations, ATM locations, fast food restaurants, etc.
The various datasets listed above have several things in common, they generally:

utilise text based search and download systems;

are not delivered through standards based web services

are not machine to machine enabled;

do not meet international standards and guidelines for gazetteers
FUTURE STATUS
The Gazetteer will expand to include the following enhancements:

Line geometry for features like rivers, and polygon geometry for features like
placenames.

Full capture of unofficial town and city placenames.

Full capture of suburb and locality names, with an associated polygon. Achieving
this will rely on Territorial Authorities completing the definition of suburbs and
localities within their territorial area.

Incorporation of other unofficial government placename information such as schools.
The Gazetteer will comply with the all national and international Placename standards and best
practice, including application of relevant standards.
The Gazetteer will deliver these data through a variety of standards compliant services
including Web Feature, Web Map and Web Feature – Gazetteer services.
Online feedback tools will allow users of the data to provide information on perceived errors,
omissions or other issues.
The Gazetteer will be so constituted that it will be readily integrated into the United Nations
Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (UNGSDI) network of international gazetteers.
STANDARDS

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015
Fundamentals
Geographic
information
-
Metadata
-
Part
1:

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic Information – Data product specifications

Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Feature Service (WFS) Implementation
Specification 1.1.0 (OGC Document No. 04-094)
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
Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Service (WMS) Implementation
Specification 1.3.0 (OGC Document No. 06-042)

AS/NZS ISO 19157:2015 Geographic information - Data quality
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6.3
Imagery
WHAT IS IMAGERY DATA?
Imagery is derived from sensor
technologies used to detect, locate,
classify and record objects relative to
the surface of the Earth. This includes
data sourced from satellite, airborne
sensors and terrestrial cameras. It
includes but is not limited to orthorectified multispectral,
hyperspectral and panchromatic sensors. Raw data is
collected from satellite or airborne missions and then
processed and orthorectified to remove tilt, terrain,
atmospheric and other distortions.
The imagery theme provides accurately georeferenced
imagery for decision making and a contextual background
layer for a large number of applications.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE IMAGERY THEME?

Territorial Authority (TA) and Regional Council (RC) rural and urban aerial imagery

KiwImage

Ministry for the Environment SPOT5 multispectral (LUCAS), and natural colour 2.5
m, satellite imagery (both national coverage).

Various central government acquisitions for particular projects

National Imagery archive of historical imagery

Private sector high resolution imagery archives
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE IMAGERY THEME?
High resolution imagery is an essential and authoritative source of information for research,
civil and social planning, environmental monitoring and hazard reduction and management.
This data is used to improve operational decision making and policy implementation. High
resolution imagery is used for many diverse reasons, such as:

Monitoring active and/or recent fires, floods, storms, and subsidence;

Estimating biomass for carbon accounting, native vegetation mapping, and
agriculture;

Managing conservation areas (land and marine), environmental resources, estuaries
and coastal waterways, marine jurisdiction, electoral boundaries, floodplains, and
dryland salinity;

Mapping geoscience resources, topographic features, shallow water bathymetry,
wetlands, and plant stress; and

Auditing environmental compliance, urban water use, and urban development.

Feature extraction for creation of other fundamental datasets
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CURRENT STATUS
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has accepted the stewardship role for imagery, and has
established a project team.
A report commissioned by the project in 2012 concluded that while there were some benefits
to be gained by better co-ordination of procurement of imagery, particularly at a central
government level, most benefit would be achieved by improving access to imagery.
The KiwImage project, commenced in 2007, aimed to collect complete nationwide coverage of
0.6 m gsd natural colour and near infrared satellite imagery. The project ended in 2012,
having achieved over 70% coverage. While originally only available to consortium members,
the imagery is now available to all-of-government, and is managed by LINZ under the imagery
stewardship.
Most aerial imagery in New Zealand is procured for TAs and RCs. Imagery at 5 to 25 cm gsd is
captured over major towns and cities, often on a 2 to 3 year cycle. There is much wider rural
coverage at 0.4 to 0.7 m gsd, captured less frequently. Many TAs/RCs co-ordinate
procurement under regional consortiums that loosely follow RC boundaries. Access is mixed.
Some TAs/RCs make imagery openly available, while others charge on a full cost recovery
basis. However, efforts by the LINZ Imagery project have resulted in imagery over all of the
North Island (except Northland) now being available on an open licence.
Central Government is not a big procurer of imagery, although it is a big user. The Ministry for
the Environment has acquired, under an all-of-government licence, near infrared and natural
colour satellite imagery from SPOT, for the LUCAS, LUM and LCDB projects. Imagery has been
acquired in 2001, 2008, and 2012, however, no further commitment has yet been made. The
New Zealand Defence Force (through GeoInt New Zealand) acquires imagery for intelligence
purposes, and for topographic mapping in the South Pacific under the MGCP programme, with
some imagery available under limited access provisions.
FUTURE STATUS
It is expected that the LINZ imagery project will effectively improve the co-ordination of the
procurement of aerial imagery, and, by working collaboratively with procurers, increase the
amount of imagery openly licenced under creative commons. A more consistent recapture
cycle of 3 to 4 years over all of New Zealand is expected.
TAs and RCs will strengthen and increase procurement through regional consortium, resulting
in better coverage and potentially more frequent re-flying (for example, every year for urban
imagery). It is expected that urban imagery will predominantly be captured at about 5 to 10cm
gsd. As technology improves, it is expected that rural imagery resolution will reduce.
Purchase of satellite imagery, especially by territorial authorities, may be limited by the
licensing models used by the satellite providers. However, the improving “all-you-can-eat” web
solutions, combined with daily capture, increasing resolution, and large image libraries, are
likely to become more attractive and competitively priced. Such a service may be more
attractive to central government agencies, although appropriate funding models would need to
be determined.
STANDARDS

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015
Fundamentals
Geographic
information
-
Metadata
-
Part
1:

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003

AS/NZS ISO 19115.2:2011 Geographic information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions
for imagery and gridded data

OGC compliant web map and coverage services (WMS & WCS)
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
AS/NZS ISO 19157:2015 Geographic information - Data quality

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic information - Data product specifications
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6.4
Administrative Boundaries
WHAT ARE ADMINISTRATIVE
BOUNDARIES?
Administrative Boundaries define the
spatial extent of legislative, regulatory,
electoral,
statistical
and
maritime
geographic areas.
The datasets depict national, regional and local
boundaries that can be used in visualising geospatial
information within the areas defined by the relevant
boundaries. In addition, Administrative Boundaries can
also be used to aggregate information for analytical
purposes that support planning and reporting.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARIES THEME?
Statistics New Zealand:






Meshblocks
Area Units
Territorial Authority (TA) and Regional Council (RC) boundaries
General and Maori Electoral boundaries
Community Boards and Wards
Health Boards
NZ Localities:



NZ Localities
Major Localities
Administrative Coastline
NZ Post:

Postcodes
Ministry for Primary Industries


Fisheries quota management boundaries
CCAMLR (Antarctica) management boundaries
Emergency Services:



Administrative boundaries (Police, Fire, Ambulance Regions and Districts)
Response boundaries (Fire and Ambulance)
Fire Jurisdiction
Natural Resources Sector:

Environmental management and monitoring boundaries
Public Service Agencies:


Agency specific administrative boundaries
International and offshore boundaries
Emergency Services :



Administrative boundaries (Police, Fire, Ambulance Regions and Districts)
Response boundaries (Fire and Ambulance)
Fire Jurisdiction
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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARIES THEME?
The Administrative Boundaries theme is used to visualise administrative areas that represent
voting districts, redistributions, zoning, socio-economic analysis, regional planning, service
distribution and local and state government boundaries.
In addition, Administrative Boundaries can also be used to aggregate information for analytical
purposes and geographically stable boundaries (over time) can be used to establish and
analyse time series trends. Administrative boundary data in combination with geo-coded
address data, demographic information and agency specific business information underpins the
ability to perform high quality spatial analysis.
The aggregation and analysis of data includes:

Evidence-based development and assessment of government policy.

Providing the ability to undertake spatial accounting.

Regional analysis for government, health, education, business and a range of other
purposes.

Support for emergency management.

Market catchment
segmentation.
analysis,
micromarketing,
customer
analysis
and
market
CURRENT STATUS
Statistics New Zealand are the steward of Meshblocks, from which a number of other datasets
are derived. A meshblock is the smallest geographic area at which statistical data can be
aggregated and released, in order to protect identification of individuals. Meshblocks are
maintained in LandOnline by LINZ, although Statistics NZ are investigating options to take
over the custodianship. The meshblock dataset is released annually.
The New Zealand Fire Service, in conjunction with New Zealand Post and Quotable Value,
maintains the NZ Localities dataset. The dataset conforms to a set of business rules based
around identifying common communities of interest, in order to enable unique identification of
address for postal, geocoding, and emergency service uses.
Boundaries are generally
coincident with either cadastral parcel boundaries or topographic features such as ridgelines.
The dataset has become the default suburbs dataset for New Zealand. The dataset is not
openly available under Creative Commons licensing, but is available for free on request, and is
updated frequently.
Postcodes are maintained by NZ Post and designed to improve bulk mail efficiencies. They are
loosely built on the NZ Localities dataset, but purposely do not relate to communities of
interest. NZ Post sell the dataset under an annual licence.
International boundaries, including the territorial sea baseline, 12 mile limit, Exclusive
Economic Zone, and negotiated boundaries, are maintained by LINZ, however, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for any negotiations and treaties.
Many other agencies maintain boundary datasets specific to their own requirements, generally
independently from other boundary datasets. Some may be based on other datasets like
cadastral boundaries or meshblocks, while others may follow topographic features. Some are
roughly drawn and do not relate to any feature or dataset.
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FUTURE STATUS
Meshblocks continue to be well maintained and openly available to support statistical uses.
Territorial Authorities officially define suburb names and suburb boundaries (but not using
meshblocks as a base. Meshblocks often follow road centrelines making them unsuitable for
defining communities of interest), and these are incorporated into the NZ Localities dataset to
provide an authoritative suburb and locality boundaries dataset to support geocoding and
addressing purposes.
Derived administrative boundaries datasets are built on an appropriate base dataset, and align
vertically (vertical topology) with all other datasets built off the same base dataset.
Identify and capture/add new administrative boundary information as identified and based on
a prioritised list.
STANDARDS

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015
Fundamentals
Geographic
information
-
Metadata
-
Part
1:

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic Information – Data product specifications

Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Feature Service (WFS) Implementation
Specification 1.1.0 (OGC Document No. 04-094)

Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Service (WMS) Implementation
Specification 1.3.0 (OGC Document No. 06-042)

AS/NZS ISO 19157:2015 Geographic information - Data quality
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6.4.1
NZ Localities
ALTERNATIVE NAME
NZ Suburbs
ABSTRACT
New Zealand Localities is a collection of GIS layers and auxiliary tables which includes a layer
of suburbs (urban area) or localities (rural area) for all of New Zealand. The dataset has been
developed by the New Zealand Fire Service as part of a consortium of agencies to provide
support for enhanced emergency response, postal addressing and property information. NZ
Localities uses in-use geographical names and alias names, as well as names gazette by the
New Zealand Geographic Board.
The consortium, which includes Quotable Value New Zealand (QV), New Zealand Post, LINZ
and representatives from territorial authorities (TAs), meet regularly to provide updates and
maintenance of the NZ Localities dataset, with quality control from changes provided and
requested by the public and agencies. The consortium works closely with TAs to agree to
changes and maintenance of the suburb boundary definitions and naming conventions.
NZ Localities are generally used when locating or describing addresses or locations in New
Zealand.
At present the dataset covers the North and South islands and all islands offshore of these
areas. Coverage includes named lakes and bays (both coastal and lake).
PURPOSE
The New Zealand Localities dataset can be used to verify location information for anywhere in
New Zealand, free of ambiguity or confusion. A NZ Locality area does not contain duplicate
roads of the same name, nor duplicate address numbers along the same named road.
The geographic subdivisions in New Zealand Localities are also useful as building blocks for
larger subdivisions such as cities and towns. Rural mail delivery town boundaries are also built
using NZ Localities.
Emergency Services such as the New Zealand Police, St John Ambulance, and the New Zealand
Fire Service require one single localities dataset that can be used:

in communication centres for location, verification, and dispatch

in each organisation for reporting, evaluation and planning, particularly for medium
term deployment planning

as a common layer to be used when exchanging information with other agencies, and

to assist in the development of a common operating picture.
RESPONSIBLE PARTY
Manager Data and Spatial Intelligence, Information Communication and Technology Services
(ICTS), New Zealand Fire Service.
[email protected].
EXTENT
Covers the New Zealand landmass, including the Chatham Islands.
Projected coordinate system: New Zealand Transverse Mercator (NZTM)
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Bounding box (NZTM grid coordinates):
Top: 6223164
Left: 1089971
Right: 2470566
Bottom: 4747979
FORMAT
Geospatial files as esri Shape files, with auxiliary tables in Microsoft Excel.
METADATA
ANZLIC (profile of ISO19115) compliant metadata is available at www.geodata.govt.nz
STANDARDS

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic Information – Data Product Specifications

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015 Geographic information - Metadata - Part 1: Fundamentals

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003
ACCESS
Available free of charge.
[email protected].
A
signed
licence
agreement
is
required.
Contact
DSI-
DISTRIBUTION
By ftp download to all licenced users.
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6.5
Elevation and Depth
WHAT IS ELEVATION AND DEPTH?
Elevation is the measurement of the
Earth’s surface (wet or dry) above or
below a vertical datum to obtain either
the height of the land or a bathymetric
depth. Elevation and Depth data is
collected using a range of sensors; including laser, sound
navigation and ranging (sonar), radio detection and
ranging (radar), optical remote sensing and survey
techniques to derive spot heights, raster surfaces,
contours and digital models of terrain.
Digital surface models (DSMs) are derived from source
survey data represent 3D representation of the Earth
showing all features in the landscape, including buildings
and vegetation. DSMs are used for telecommunications
management, air safety, forest management and 3D
modelling and simulation. Digital elevation models (DEMs)
are a 3D representation of the Earth’s surface, devoid of
all natural, vegetation and man-made above ground
features, which is usually derived from a DSM.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE ELEVATION AND DEPTH THEME?
Elevation:
Nationally there are a several DEMs available, mostly derived from one or more of the
following source datasets:

3 second (~90 metre) Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM1) and 1 second (~30 metre) Shuttle Radar
Topography Mission (SRTM2) derived: DEM

20 m DEM derived from LINZ Topographic mapping data using contours and spot height data sourced from aerial
imagery
Some examples are:

Geographx DEM 2.1 with a cell resolution of 8m.

Landcare Research New Zealand 25 m DEM
Locally, Territorial Authorities (TAs) and Regional Councils (RCs) acquire high resolution
elevation data, usually using Lidar, and usually in parallel with aerial photography acquisition.
Related derived datasets, of variable availability, coverage, and accuracy, include break lines,
point cloud, and contours.
Depth:
Level 1 datasets include:

Sea Level Information (observations),

Bathymetric Soundings (Spot Heights),

Base points (Lat, Lon)
Level 2 datasets are derived from Level 1 datasets and include:

Bathymetric Grid (DEM),

Bathymetric Contours
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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ELEVATION AND DEPTH THEME?
Elevation and Depth provides an authoritative digital representation of the Earth’s surface
enabling evidence based decision making, policy development and an essential reference to
other foundation datasets.
Elevation and Depth underpins:

Safe hydrographic, aeronautical and road navigation.

Climate Science, including Climate Change Adaptation.

Emergency management and natural hazard risk assessment.

Environmental, including water management.

Engineering projects and infrastructure development.

Definition of maritime and administrative boundaries.

Defence and national security.

Natural resource exploration and exploitation.
CURRENT STATUS
Elevation:
The LINZ 20m contours are currently the most reliable coherent elevation dataset in New
Zealand. These contours were created during the 1970s-1990s as part of the production of the
NZMS 260 topographical map series with minimal maintenance since.
The New Zealand Defence Force is the custodian in New Zealand of the Shuttle Radar
Topography Mission datasets. Level 1 (3 second, 90 m) is freely available. Availability of Level
2 (1 second, 30m) is restricted but may be provided on a case by case basis.
Many organisations have created elevation datasets derived from the either or both of the
above sources. Some are freely available (e.g. Landcare). Some are commercially owned and
are charged for (e.g. Geographx). All derived datasets display the limitations inherent in the
source datasets, although some have been supplemented by additional data and/or
reprocessed.
There are a number of higher accuracy disparate elevation datasets that have been collected
by individual agencies (mainly TAs and RC’s) in pockets across New Zealand but these are not
collected to common standards and are not easily interoperable.
Depth:
Within LINZ, bathymetry data is of varied coverage and resolution, is collected to disparate
standards and specifications, and is stored in hard copy and/or digital format. The fundamental
products available through the LINZ Data Service are:

Paper charts

Raster Navigation Charts (RNCs)

Electronic Navigation Charts (ENCs)
Across New Zealand (outside of LINZ), the current status of bathymetry data is generally
unclear.
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FUTURE STATUS
Elevation:
Continued availability of existing national coverage datasets at existing or similar resolutions
and accuracy.
In addition, the development of an open, fit-for-purpose coherent national DEM with a
minimum accuracy of 1m in populated areas and coastal zones and 5m in unpopulated areas.
To achieve this, the following will need to be determined:

a stock take of existing datasets,

economic analysis and justification,

funding secured.
Depth:
LINZ is committed to building a hydrographic data infrastructure (HDI). The HDI will ensure
bathymetry data is discoverable, available and usable, and also supports LINZ’s international
obligations for the creation of ENC’s.
LINZ will take a wider role in ensuring that future NZ bathymetry acquisition is coordinated
and bathymetry DEM products are openly available.
A stocktake of bathymetry data is necessary, as it is not currently known what bathymetry
data exists across New Zealand.
Investigate a common vertical datum for both land and sea elevation data, with the aim of
better defining the coastal zone.
STANDARDS
Metadata:

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015
Fundamentals
Geographic
information
-
Metadata

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003
-
Part
1:
Elevation:

OGC Compliant Web: Map; Feature; and Coverage Services (WMS, WFS, WCS).

Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) LiDAR
Specification and Tender Template and ICSM Guidelines for Digital Elevation Data.
Bathymetry:

IHO S44 Standards for Hydrographic Surveys Special Publication No. 44.

IHO S57 Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data Special Publication No. 57.

IHO S100 Universal Hydrographic Data Model.

S102 – IHO Geospatial Standard for Hydrographic Data Special Publication No. 102.
Bathymetric Surface Product Specification.
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6.6
Cadastre and Property
WHAT IS CADASTRE AND
PROPERTY?
A property is something that is capable
of being owned, either in the form of
real property (land) or personal
property (chattels). The interest can
involve physical aspects, such as the
use of land, or conceptual rights, such as a right to use
the land in the future.
The cadastre is an up to date parcel based land information system which contains a record of
interests in land (i.e. rights, restrictions and responsibilities).
The cadastre includes a
geometric description of land parcels linked to other records describing the nature of the
interests, the ownership or control of those interests, and often the value of the parcel and its
improvements.
A land parcel is an area of land with defined boundaries, under unique ownership for specific
real property rights.
A cadastral product or service visualises the boundaries of land parcels, often buildings on
land, the parcel identifier, basic topographic features and sometimes boundary corner
monumentation.
The cadastre and property theme provides the basic fabric of land ownership. It consists of
the national cadastral database and associated parcel and property information.
Descriptive data includes the identifier, tenure, ownership type, size, value, land use and legal
rights or restrictions associated with each separate land object.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE CADASTRE AND PROPERTY THEME?
LandOnline, which contains:

Land parcels

Survey definition

Land transfer registered ownership and interests

Land ownership and interests (non land transfer)

District Valuation Rolls

Other government-administered property rights, restrictions, and responsibilities.
Quotable Value Valuation datasets
Territorial Authority (TA) datasets for Rating Unit
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CADASTRE AND PROPERTY THEME?
Land and property data underpins the economic, social and environmental fabric of New
Zealand and is used, amongst other things, to:

Secure tenure for access to capital.

Define allowable use of land.

Manage Title and Tenure, Nature Conservation, Heritage Protection, Defence, and
Disaster Management.

Improve infrastructure and property development planning.
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
Inform water and carbon accounting programs.
CURRENT STATUS
New Zealand has a robust legal framework for property rights and our Landonline survey and
title system is, by world standards, very advanced.
While LandOnline and the cadastre contain all the necessary measurements and survey data to
accurately define parcel boundaries, the digital parcel boundary dataset in LandOnline is not
consistently to survey accurate standard. This reflects the source of the dataset, which was
originally captured in the 1990’s by scanning the NZMS262 series of paper cadastral maps.
Most data in urban areas has now been upgraded to survey accuracy, however inaccuracies of
up to 100m remain for areas of rural NZ.
New Zealand uses the Torrens system of land title. Titles are held as a computer register in
LandOnline. Not all parcels of land have a title, and in particular, Crown land may not be well
identified.
LandOnline is managed by LINZ, and updated in real-time, via online lodgement processes and
quality assurance mechanisms.
All digital survey and parcel information (including road centreline and address) are available
either free (via the LINZ Data Service) or for the cost of dissemination (bulk data extract
delivered on physical media).
Rating Units (and other elements of property management data, for example, building
footprints) are not available as a geospatial dataset. Some TA’s are able to derive such a
dataset from parcel and title information. Quotable Value maintain a non-spatial table linking
land parcels to certificates of title that enables a nationwide geospatial dataset of “property
boundaries” to be built. The dataset is available for a commercial fee.
FUTURE STATUS
LINZ is currently consulting with the cadastral industry to gain consensus on building a
cadastre fit for purpose for emerging and future needs.
LINZ’s Spatial Parcel Improvement project will assess the options for improving the accuracy
of the land parcel boundary dataset in LandOnline to full survey accuracy. The major constraint
is not technical, but the level of resource required to complete the task in an acceptable
timeframe.
LINZ’s Conveyancing 2020 and Future-proofing of property rights work has identified a strong
need to better aggregate location-based property data and deliver it to consumers in a more
consistent user centric way.
A property management framework being developed for Canterbury in support of the postearthquake rebuild is intended to provide a template from which a national property
management framework can be developed.
STANDARDS
Standards for the cadastre are set the Surveyor-General in terms of the Cadastral Survey Act

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015
Fundamentals
Geographic
information
-
Metadata
-
Part

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic Information – Data product specifications
1:
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
AS/NZS ISO 19152:2012 Geographic information - Land Administration Domain
Model

OGC compliant web services (WMS).

AS/NZS ISO 19157:2015 Geographic information - Data quality
New Zealand fundamental geospatial datasets and themes v2.x3
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6.7
Transport
WHAT IS TRANSPORT DATA?
The Transport network provides the
means for moving people, goods and
freight, and other services from one
location to another.
In countries as remote and relatively
sparsely populated such as Australia and New Zealand,
having effective transport systems is crucial for
maintaining competitive and sustainable trade, business
and recreation activities.
Australia’s transport network dataset covers the 813,000 km of public roads and several
thousand kilometres of private road networks, 44,800 km of rail, 58 marine ports and 330
certified or registered airports. Australia relies on sea transport for 99 percent of its exports
and a substantial proportion of domestic freight also depends on coastal shipping. New
Zealand has over 83,000 km of public roads, 4,000 km of operating rail lines, 16 major marine
ports and 82 airports. Ninety-two percent of freight (by weight) in New Zealand is moved by
road and 800 million by rail. Of the 389 billion kilometres travelled by passengers in 2009-10,
264 billion kilometres were travelled by passenger car.
Maintaining and protecting our transport systems requires significant investment. In 2009, the
governments of Australia invested $15.8 billion in road maintenance alone. In 2013, central
government funding for roading projects in New Zealand was $3.6 billion, with additional
funding from local government. This investment relies upon detailed and accurate spatial
datasets.
In New Zealand, the theme is divided into four sub-themes, one for each of the separate
modes of transport: road, rail, air, and water.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE TRANSPORT THEME?
Road:

NZTopo vector road centreline and associated feature classes (tunnel, bridge, etc)

NZTopo500, NZTopo250, NZTopo50 raster

Cadastral road centreline and road parcel

Private sector physical road centreline datasets and associated feature classes (intersection points, turn
restrictions, etc)

TA road centreline datasets and RAMM linear referenced datasets

NZTA State Highway centreline
Rail:

KiwiRail rail centreline and associated crossing and station datasets

Private sector rail centreline and associated datasets

NZTopo50 Rail centreline and associated feature classes (railway stations, level crossings, tracks, etc)
Sea:

Maritime NZ Shipping Routes
Air:

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)/Airways Corp flight paths, air routes and obstructions datasets
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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE TRANSPORT THEME?
Transport data are used for:

Delivering emergency services.

Mapping, charting and navigation.

Planning for and delivering resources and services.

Asset management and monitoring.

Defining boundaries.

Tracking logistics.

Infrastructure planning and development.
CURRENT STATUS
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has agreed to take on the stewardship of a
national physical road centreline dataset. Funding was gained in July 2012 to facilitate the
development of a business case.
The private sector currently maintains fully attributed physical road centreline data and
ancillary network information. These datasets are commercially available under varying licence
conditions. The cost varies depending on the datasets and services purchased.
Openly available topographic and cadastral road datasets are available from Land Information
New Zealand (LINZ), however, these datasets reflect their origins. The cadastral centreline
does not depict a physical or formed road network. The topographic centreline is generalised
and designed for 1:50,000 scale maps, with an accuracy of +/- 22m. Neither dataset is fully
attributed with network information.
Territorial Authorities (TAs) have the statutory responsibility for maintaining public roads in
New Zealand (other than State Highways). Maintenance information held in their linearreferenced RAMM (Road Asset Management and Maintenance) databases provides a source of
road network information, although this information is not widely available.
The Airways Corporation and the CAA maintain the datasets required for the safe operation of
air services, and produce visual navigation charts (VNCs) at four scales. There is no nationally
consistent dataset that meets user requirements for aerial obstructions, particularly those less
than 60m high.
New Zealand does not have mandatory, defined shipping lanes. A dataset of shipping routes
and restricted areas is maintained by Maritime New Zealand.
Data relating to other transport datasets such as ports, ferry terminals, are generally sourced
from existing topographic databases, or heads-up digitised by the user to meet a specific need.
FUTURE STATUS
NZTA will develop a spatially accurate road centreline dataset, utilising RAMM data, imagery
data, and other data as available. The dataset will not be a full navigation-capable dataset, but
will support uses such as address geocoding.
Development of an aerial obstructions dataset has been requested, and will be progressed with
the Defence Force (on behalf of the Air Force) and the CAA as resources allow.
In the long term, the transport theme will develop into a more comprehensive multi-modal and
integrated transport network data model, potentially including other forms such as pedestrian
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and cycling. This will form a critical input for development of achieving sustainable transport
systems that will assist the national economic productivity while minimising social and
environmental impacts.
STANDARDS

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015
Fundamentals
Geographic
information
-
Metadata
-
Part
1:

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic Information – Data product specifications.

ISO 14825:2011 Intelligent transport systems — Geographic Data Files (GDF) —
GDF5.0

AS/NZS ISO 19156:2012 Geographic information - Observations and measurement

OGC compliant web services (WMS).

AS/NZS ISO 19157:2015 Geographic information - Data quality
New Zealand fundamental geospatial datasets and themes v2.x3
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6.8
Positioning
WHAT IS POSITIONING?
The national geodetic system and the
national survey control system gain
statutory authority from section 7 of
the Cadastral Survey Act 2002. The
Surveyor-General has a duty to
maintain these systems. The datasets
that define these systems make up the positioning theme.
The theme includes the coordinates and their uncertainty
of all location based data promulgated from, or related to,
the New Zealand geodetic network (including CORS), the
defining New Zealand Vertical Datum, and tide gauge
stations.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE POSITIONING THEME?

Geodetic Network Datasets:

Geodetic Datums and Projections

Geodetic Control Marks

Geodetic Observations

Geoid Model

Gravity

Velocity/Deformation Model
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE POSITIONING THEME?
The national geodetic system and the national survey control system together are New
Zealand’s authoritative, reliable, high accuracy spatial referencing system and provides a
common reference for all geospatial data.
Services are used by specialists and non-specialists alike, for a growing number of applications
(e.g. surveying, construction, mining, precision agriculture, asset capture, tracking, navigation,
emergency response, law enforcement, insurance, security, climate/weather forecast and
recreation). In order to maximise the benefits of positioning and the enabling infrastructure,
and to provide assurance to users of the fitness for purpose of the position outputs, guiding
principles are required to enable the consistent and reliable determination and use of position
information.
CURRENT STATUS
Land Information New Zealand maintains the national geodetic system and the national survey
control system. The systems cover New Zealand, its offshore islands and the Ross Dependency
in Antarctica.
The network has been developed over 150 years. Through the advent of enhanced satellite
based positioning systems and improved absolute positioning accuracies, we are seeing a
move away from the use of traditional survey marks in the ground to the development and use
of real time CORS networks. This is necessitating the provision of new data sets such as real
time GNSS data-streams.
LINZ carries out the following activities as part of its daily business:

Physical maintenance of trig beacons and other protective structures

Horizontal and vertical datum definition and development.
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
Provision and maintenance of the survey control network

Operation and maintenance of the PositioNZ network of continuous GPS stations - network of approximately 35
permanent GPS stations throughout New Zealand

Survey Mark Protection Advisory Service and urgent works
The New Zealand Vertical Datum 2009 currently has an accuracy of 8-10cm across New
Zealand.
PositioNZ is LINZ's Global Positioning System Active Control Network. The website allows users
to download GPS 30 second RINEX files from the active control stations which can be used with
remote GPS station data to determine precise positions in terms of New Zealand Geodetic
Datum 2000.
FUTURE STATUS
With the rapid increase in the development of accurate location based services there is a need
to provide a geodetic system that is accurate and will meet the needs of many new users and
uses over the next 5-10 years. These users will be non expert and there will be a need to
provide a geodetic system that is accurate and managed in a way that complexities in the
system are invisible to users.
It is probable that by about 2020 (or before then) the current geodetic datum will need
updating and it is highly likely that this will be more of a global datum in nature.
It is important that a geodetic strategy be developed so that there is a clear direction for
ongoing development of the geodetic system.
STANDARDS

International
Earth
Rotation
Service
(IERS)
http://tai.bipm.org/iers/conv2010/conv2010.html
Conventions
(2010),
see

Real time GNSS data: RTCM 3.0, see http://www.rtcm.org

Static GNSS data: RINEX format, see ftp://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/pub/data/format/

Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, corrected and reprinted,
1995, International Organisation for Standardization, ISBN 92 67-10188-9

Standard for the New Zealand survey control system (LINZS25003)

Standard for the geospatial accuracy framework (LINZS25005)

New Zealand standards defining datums and projections

AS/NZS ISO 19157:2015 Geographic information - Data quality

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic information - Data product specifications
New Zealand fundamental geospatial datasets and themes v2.x3
Spatial Data Infrastructure | Land Information New Zealand © Crown Copyright | 30 July 2015 | 44
6.9
Water
WHAT IS WATER DATA?
Water can be described by hydrology;
the study of movement, distribution
and quality of water, including the
hydrologic cycles, water resources,
environmental watershed sustainability
and groundwater systems.
Hydrology includes surface hydrology, hydrogeology,
drainage basin management and water quality where
water plays the central role.
In New Zealand, the hydrology elements that this theme includes are grouped into sub-themes
and described as:
Surface Water

Water in a watercourse, lake or wetland; and

Any water flowing over or lying on land:
o
after having precipitated naturally; or
o
after having risen to the surface naturally from underground.
Groundwater

Water occurring naturally below ground level (whether in an aquifer or otherwise);
or

Water occurring at a place below ground that has been pumped, diverted or
released to that place for the purpose of being stored there.

Does not include water held in underground tanks, pipes or other works.
Offshore

Marine environment classifications

Offshore exploration data (seismic line locations, etc) but not including sub-seafloor
geological data.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE WATER THEME?
Ministry for the Environment, in conjunction with NIWA, have developed the:

Marine Environment Classifications (MEC)

River Environments Classifications (REC)

Estuarine Environments Classification
The NZTopo dataset contains a number of object classes for depicting water related objects on
the NZTopo50 and NZTopo250 map series. Object classes include:

River and stream centreline and polygons

Lake polygons

Canal, drain and water-race centrelines
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Various groundwater datasets are available, including river flow monitoring data and water
quality monitoring data.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE WATER THEME?
Water information supports the government in addressing issues such as:

Climate change.

Water and natural resource management, including coal seam gas extraction.

Emergency management.

Hazard mitigation or disaster risk reduction.

Environmental planning and monitoring.

Urban development and agriculture.

Insurance, engineering and mining.
CURRENT STATUS
The Marine Environments Classification dataset is managed by NIWA on behalf of the Ministry
for the Environment. The MEC is an environmental classification of the marine environment of
the New Zealand region, an ecosystem-based spatial framework designed for marine
management purposes. The dataset was last updated in 2011.
Similarly to the MEC, is the River Environments Classifications dataset, a network of 'sections'
that are associated with their upstream catchments. The mapped classification appears as a
linear mosaic showing longitudinal spatial patterns that are typical of patterns of many
properties of river ecosystems. The dataset was published in 2010.
Also similarly to the MEC, The Estuarine Environments Classification provides a framework for
classifying New Zealand's estuaries. The dataset was published in 2011. A Coastal
Environments Classification focuses on mapping the open coast unconsolidated shores and
beaches
NZTopo data is maintained by LINZ and is made available in common GIS formats under
Creative Common licencing through the LINZ DATA Service. The data is regularly updated
primarily using imagery.
Groundwater datasets, including flow monitoring, are the responsibility of Regional Councils
(RCs), or the Territorial Authority (TA) if they are a unitary council. Datasets tend to be
regionally focused, with little consistency on a national basis.
Other water monitoring datasets, such as water quality, are maintained by NIWA.
FUTURE STATUS
Datasets maintained by NIWA for the Ministry for the Environment will continue to be updated
and available.
Datasets collected by RCs and TAs will be maintained to consistent national standards, and
consolidated and made available as national datasets.
STANDARDS

NZ Topo Data Dictionary v4.2. Land Information New Zealand.

OGC compliant Web Map Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS).
New Zealand fundamental geospatial datasets and themes v2.x3
Spatial Data Infrastructure | Land Information New Zealand © Crown Copyright | 30 July 2015 | 46

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015
Fundamentals
Geographic
information
-
Metadata
-
Part
1:

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003

AS/NZS ISO 19156:2012 Geographic information - Observations and measurement

OGC Sensor Observation Service Interface Standard

AS/NZS ISO 19144.1:2011 Geographic information - Classification systems - Part 1:
Classification system structure"

AS/NZS ISO 19144.2:2012 Geographic information - Classification systems - Part 2:
Land Cover Meta Language

AS/NZS ISO 19157:2015 Geographic information - Data quality

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic information - Data product specifications
New Zealand fundamental geospatial datasets and themes v2.x3
Spatial Data Infrastructure | Land Information New Zealand © Crown Copyright | 30 July 2015 | 47
6.10
Land Use and Land Cover
WHAT IS LAND USE AND LAND
COVER?
Land cover is the observed biophysical
cover on the Earth’s surface including
trees, shrubs, grasses, soils, exposed
rocks and water bodies; as well as
anthropogenic
elements
such
as
plantations, crops and incorporates land use, built
environments and utility infrastructure. Land cover
changes for many reasons, including seasonal weather,
severe weather events such as cyclones, floods and fires,
and human activities such as mining, agriculture and
urbanisation.
A significant component of the value of land cover data
comes from the capacity to use land cover dynamics to
track change over time and in combination with the
appropriate ancillary sources, map changes in land use
and land management practice.
WHAT DATASETS MAKE UP THE LAND USE AND LAND COVER THEME?

Landcover Database (LCDB) version 3

NZTopo land cover and land use object classes

Territorial Authority (TA) built environment datasets including building footprints

Utility Infrastructure datasets (e.g. electricity networks).
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LAND USE AND LAND COVER THEME?
The land use and land cover theme is an essential and authoritative source of information that
can provide insight into the response of land cover to a wide variety of drivers, both natural
and anthropogenic.
This provides natural resource managers with the capacity to identify emerging patterns of
land cover change and provides a broad spatial and historical context within which to interpret
that land cover change. This can be combined with ancillary information to assess what, if any,
on-ground or policy interventions are required to mitigate the emerging behaviour.
Information about land cover dynamics is essential to understanding and addressing a range of
national challenges such as drought, salinity, water availability and ecosystem health:

Mapping and monitoring land use, natural resources, biodiversity, water usage,
drought, pollution, minerals, water quality, wetlands, groundwater dependent
ecosystems, land clearing, floodplains, crop acreage and growth, remnant
vegetation, land degradation, irrigation, dryland salinity, and vegetation dynamics;

Management of forests, rivers, fisheries, catchments and agriculture;

National inventories of forests, greenhouse gases, endangered species, land cover,
topography, and carbon sinks;

Emergency management of floods, bushfires and landslides;
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CURRENT STATUS
The LCDB is a thematic classification of land cover and land use classes. It is currently
maintained by Landcare Research Ltd under a Public Good Science Fund grant. The grant ends
in mid 2014, with the delivery of LCDB version 4. Derived from multispectral photography, the
LCDB 3 was released in June 2012 and divides land into 33 classes. It is freely available under
a creative commons licence.
The NZTopo dataset maintained by LINZ contains a number of object classes related to land
cover and land use. The NZTopo dataset is the only data available (either locally or nationally)
for many of these classes (e.g. Fences, building points, and natural features like glaciers and
sinkholes, etc). The data often reflects the cartographic limitations of the NZTopo50 map
series. While extremely widely and commonly used, this may be due more to the lack of any
other available dataset rather than these datasets necessarily meeting the needs of the user.
NZTopo data is freely available under a creative commons license.
Most TAs maintain built environment datasets for their own internal use. These datasets are
not generally available, however they may be provided on a case by case basis on request.
Datasets commonly include building footprints, and utility networks.
FUTURE STATUS
LINZ is currently conducting a strategic review of the topographic service. Technology
changes, particularly with regard to 3D mapping and automated generalisation, will open up
potential for new ways of capturing, maintaining and presenting topographic information.
The future of the Landcover Database is assured with a custodian, and funding in place.
Built environment datasets of national and consistent coverage are available and maintained.
STANDARDS

AS/NZS ISO 19115.1:2015
Fundamentals
Geographic
information
-
Metadata
-
Part
1:

ANZLIC Metadata Profile Version 1.1 of AS/NZS ISO 19115:2003

Geographic Information – Classification systems: Part 2: Land Cover Meta Language
(LCML) - ISO 19144-2:2012

AS/NZS ISO 19144.1:2011 Geographic information - Classification systems - Part 1:
Classification system structure

AS/NZS ISO 19157:2015 Geographic information - Data quality

AS/NZS ISO 19131:2008 Geographic information - Data product specifications
New Zealand fundamental geospatial datasets and themes v2.x3
Spatial Data Infrastructure | Land Information New Zealand © Crown Copyright | 30 July 2015 | 49