Australian Topographic Base Map With Integrated OpenStreetMap Data

2000 to 2020 data provides seamless topographic colour mapping for all of Australia, its external territories, and the Australian Antarctic Territory. The service integrates data from Geoscience Australia, the Australian Antarctic Division, OpenStreetMap, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Topographic information was checked in 2008-2009, with suburb data from 2018 and 2020.

Use Cases

• Create detailed transport network maps using integrated OpenStreetMap road data.
• Analyze land cover and vegetation patterns using the aggregated ACLUMP vegetation layer.
• Generate relief and elevation visualizations using SRTM-derived DEM data processed for stripe removal and void filling.
• Map marine and coastal features for the outer islands using bathymetry data sourced from Natural Earth.
• Study suburban development and boundaries using the Suburb 2018 and 2020 data layers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Strengths

• Covers the entire Australian continent, external territories, and Antarctic territory.
• Integrates data from multiple authoritative sources including Geoscience Australia and OpenStreetMap.
• Includes detailed feature themes: cultural, hydrography, marine, transport, vegetation, and relief.

Limitations

• Limited field checking was undertaken, so some topographic information may not be accurate.
• Core topographic information was validated in 2008-2009 and may be stale for some applications.
• SRTM elevation data is from February 2000 and contains inherent radar measurement noise.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, Australian Antarctic Division, OpenStreetMap, Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Collection Method

Aggregated from multiple national mapping programs and open-source contributions.

Time Range

2000 to 2020

Freshness

Suburb data current to 2020; base topographic data largely from 2008-2009.

Geography

Australia, external territories (e.g., Christmas Island, Cocos Islands), Australian Antarctic Territory.