The Tasmanian Imagery Program was established in 2013 to coordinate the acquisition and distribution of remotely sensed imagery and elevation data across all tiers of government within Tasmania.
A number of reasons precipitated this move including:
- advances in technology;
- cost of operating a flying program;
- client demand for digital imagery products;
- need for improved elevation data; and
- quality assurance for the captured information.
The program also includes the development of a sustainable strategy for the ongoing acquisition and delivery of remotely sensed data for Tasmania and a centralised repository for the data.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE), has established a Multi Use List (MUL) of pre-qualified data providers. The MUL facilitates the process for competitive quotations from providers of Remotely Sensed Data, (Elevation and Imagery) that are capable of acquiring and providing this data to the required specifications.
Any government organisation or business requiring imagery of Tasmania is encouraged to utilise the Tasmanian Imagery Program. This will ensure that duplication of effort in the acquisition of data is avoided, data capture specifications can best meet the needs of users, and a competitive price can be negotiated through the quotation process.
Mole Creek School illustrating 10cm (left) and 25cm (right) resolution imagery
Coordination
The Location Services Branch of NRE undertakes this coordinating role and, with stakeholder support, will facilitate the delivery of an ongoing, state-wide program of data capture, with regional and urban coverage at resolutions and frequencies in line with stakeholder requirements aiming to:
- coordinate data procurement across all tiers of government
- standardise data capture specifications, where possible, to ensure consistency and spatial accuracy
- deliver data through the LIST (Land Information System Tasmania) infrastructure
- centralise the storage and distribution of data acquired
- reduce the cost to individual stakeholders, through coordination of capture and cost-sharing.
Distribution
Remotely Sensed Data obtained through the Tasmanian Imagery Program will be provided at no additional cost to contributors to the project for which the data was acquired. Non-contributors will be required to pay an appropriate amount for new data they require. Contributors to a
capture project are free to distribute data as they wish.
Access and IP
All contributors to a capture project have joint IP in that data. If the Department contributes towards data capture then the resultant data will be available to the public as a LISTmap data layer. Imagery can be accessed from the LIST State Aerial Photo base map.
Metadata
All remotely sensed data provided by the panel members are required to have appropriate metadata information provided with it. This metadata provides vital information regarding the type of data, the instrument/sensor used for the capture, the date of capture, how the data was controlled, and how accurately it fits to the ground.