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This publication has been compiled by Land and Spatial Information, Department Natural Resources and Mines.
© State of Queensland, 2014.
The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of its information. The copyright in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY) licence.
Under this licence you are free, without having to seek our permission, to use this publication in accordance with the licence terms.
You must keep intact the copyright notice and attribute the State of Queensland as the source of the publication.
For more information on this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The Queensland Government shall not be liable for technical or other errors or omissions contained herein. The reader/user accepts all risks and responsibility for losses, damages, costs and other consequences resulting directly or indirectly from using this information.
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Contents
Executive summary 2
Introduction 3
Information responsibilities and governance 4
Key successes 5
Released information resources 5
Linking of Queensland Spatial Catalogue 5
Planned for release datasets 5
Datasets not available for release 6
Intellectual Property or Confidentiality 6
Revenue / Funding Subscription Model 6
Release would breach statutory or legislative requirements 6
Public Safety or Security 6
Alternative source 6
Current technical limitations 6
Statutory authorities or instrumentalities 7
Future Program 7
Appendix A 8
Datasets and Data Resources currently available – June 2014 8
Appendix B 31
Datasets planned for release (with timeline) 31
Appendix C 36
Datasets not planned for release 36
Appendix D 40
Datasets maintained by or collated by the Department from information supplied by statutory authorities or instrumentalities planned for publishing 40
Statutory authority or instrumentality open data strategies 41
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Executive summary
The Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) is an economic development agency that enables the productive and responsible use of our natural resources - water, land, minerals and energy resources to generate wealth and prosperity for current and future generations of Queenslanders.
In delivering this outcome, the department acquires extensive information related to the State’s land, natural resources and mining activities. The information held by the department supports five business objectives:
· A globally competitive mining, petroleum and gas industry;
· A safe and healthy resources industry;
· Productive and responsible use of our natural resources;
· Balance in the access to and use of natural resources;
· Regulatory certainty for communities, industry and investors.
This June 2014 Open Data strategy continues to be focussed on increasing the release of raw data in a machine readable format, under open licensing and where possible for free.
The department has grown the number of datasets available via the Queensland Government Open Data Portal since the release of its first Open Data Strategy in May 2013. At time of publication, DNRM has available 102 Open datasets representing 645 data resources, each an individual data file that can be downloaded or accessed directly via an API or web-service.
For the first time the strategy includes a list of all datasets held by the department not just its openly available data. For those ‘closed’ or restricted data sets the reason(s) why they are not being released openly are given. The department believes this is a significant improvement in transparency and accountability and will help us focus on the task of releasing all of our Open Data as soon as possible.
DNRM remains on track to release all of its Open Data by June 2015. During the previous year the department achieved 96% of its targeted number of datasets for release. DNRM continues to refine its understanding of the data it manages, for example, clarifying its definition of ‘datasets’, determining its rights in data it has acquired and identifying any duplicate datasets. This has and will continue to see minor changes in the number of DNRM’s datasets and their category (‘open’ or ‘closed’). This document represents the department’s most comprehensive assessment of its data holdings to date.
The June 2014 Open Data Strategy for DNRM accounts for its 305 datasets as follows:
· 102 are currently available through the Open Data Portal;
· 62 are planned for release under the department’s Open Data Strategy;
· 141 will not be released by the department as an open dataset.
The following table lists the number of datasets and when they are planned to be released:
Year / Quarter Planned for Release / Number of datasets planned for release2014 / June – September / 49
October – December / 5
2015 / January – March / 7
April - June / 1
The release of open datasets by Queensland government departments is also allowing the department to increase the visibility of those data resources which are spatial through the Queensland Globe, itself an open data set. The department is continuing to make the majority of spatial data resources published on the Open Data portal available through the Queensland Globe as committed in the Queensland Government’s six month action plan (July – December 2013).
The department continues to believe that providing maximum access to information that it holds assists in contributing to an accountable, open and transparent government and assists individuals and businesses to implement streamlined approaches to their interests and activities.
Feedback on this strategy continues to be encouraged. Please contact the department via email:
Introduction
The department published its initial Open Data Strategy in May 2013. This strategy was based on a comprehensive audit of information held by the department (early 2013) and a best assessment of when it was likely the department could assign resources to making data accessible online and available through the Queensland Government Open Data Portal (https://data.qld.gov.au) .
In the ensuing 12 months, the majority of datasets planned for release have been made available, with a few delayed. This document provides detail on the progress made and builds on significant work done previously by the department in making datasets widely available.
This strategy has been restructured and introduces new information to improve the transparency related to information held by the department.
Firstly, datasets released (Appendix A) and datasets planned for release (Appendix B) have been aligned to the definitions used on the Queensland Government Open Data Portal. The Open Data Portal uses a two tier grouping of datasets and data resources. A dataset may consist of one or multiple data resources. Where a dataset has only one data resource, typically the dataset and data resource have the same name. This changed approach results in the department having less datasets than reported in the last strategy. However, the number of data resources reported in this strategy reflects the number of datasets in the strategy previously.
Secondly, a new appendix C has been introduced, listing all the datasets not to be released through the Open Data initiative and the associated criteria as to why Open Data release is not possible. It is important to note that access to these ‘closed’ data resources may still be possible under restricted conditions.
Finally, a list of statutory bodies that report to the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines have been included identifying whether they have published their own open data strategy or requested a dataset to be listed in the department’s open data strategy.
While the Open Data Strategy is focused on provision of raw data, the department is also committed to provisioning its data in additional ways as required for its various customers and stakeholders. This access can be summarised in three ways:
· In online applications or publications (e.g. reports, maps) where the information is presented in easy ways for customers to use, and may include some interpretation (visualisations);
· As datasets which customers load onto their computers (downloads);
· Via direct online connection services (e.g. Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant, Representational state transfer (REST), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) web services) where the customer does not wish or need to store the data (web-services).
The department also remains committed to the provision of meaningful information about the data resource itself (metadata and catalogues). The aim is for users to be better informed so they can make judgements regarding the data’s fitness for their specific purpose. Information provided can include explanations of codes and abbreviations used internally and shown in the data resource, the date of capture, any known accuracy, completeness or quality limitations. It is also important to ensure the dataset or data resource name is informative, particularly where they relate to or are instruments of law.
The information provided in this updated strategy is based on the status of dataset publishing at June 2014.
Information responsibilities and governance
The department collects and manages an extensive and diverse range of information to enable it to deliver its responsibilities. The information consists of statistical analysis related to activity levels, information describing the geography of Queensland, information in registries which secure rights to land and natural resources and mine safety and health records. At the highest level, the information managed by the department is grouped in the following 42 information themes.
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· Administrative boundaries
· Cadastre
· Compliance
· Corporate
· Drainage
· Elevation
· Explosives safety and health
· Extractive resources
· Geoscience and exploration
· Historic mine sites
· Imagery
· Integrated foundation spatial information
· Land registry
· Mine land use planning
· Mine safety and health
· Mine safety and health generalised research
· Mining and exploration investment attraction
· Mining rent and statistics
· Mining safety and health statistics
· Mining tenure administration
· Native title
· Natural resource management programs
· Occupational health and safety
· Petroleum and gas safety and health
· Place names
· Positioning infrastructure
· Products and services
· Property address
· Property sales
· State control survey
· State land
· Strategic cropping land
· Transport
· Underground water impact monitoring
· Valuations
· Vegetation management
· Vegetation permits
· Water billing
· Water entitlements
· Water management
· Water management staff delegations
· Water monitoring
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The department has a long established information asset governance practice, which ensures responsibility for both the access to information, and also the quality of the information. The department manages its information assets through the assignment of the data custodian role to senior level positions in the department – Executive Director or equivalent for each of the 42 information themes. The data custodians have responsibility to:
· Ensure the quality and integrity of the data to appropriate standards;
· Engage with users to understand data improvement and coverage needed;
· Ensure the ongoing capacity to manage and make accessible the data;
· Provide appropriate discovery and access arrangements.
For data acquired from other parties and used by the department, the custodianship approach is applied to ensure accountability continues related to data currency and honouring licence arrangements under which the information is acquired.
This governance framework provides clear accountability for senior executives to consider specific customer and stakeholder feedback resulting from the department’s Open Data Strategy.
The Executive Director, Land and Spatial Information has been assigned the department champion responsibility to coordinate and progress the department’s implementation of the Open Data policy. Progress is monitored on a regular basis and reported regularly to the department’s Renewal Board and Executive Management Group. The department will continue to review the strategy on an annual basis.
Key successes
In the last 12 months there have been many successes supporting easier access to open data from the department. Three in particular have provided significant benefit.
Released information resources
During the last 12 months, 121 data resources have been released, from across 20 of the information themes managed by the department.
The release of the department’s initial Open Data Strategy coincided with a very significant increase in the number of data resources downloaded from the previous year (up to 100% increase in monthly comparisons).
Queensland Globe
The Queensland Globe launched in April 2013 uses a readily available and easy to use application (Google Earth) to view Queensland Government spatial data. The Queensland Globe allows a user to view a wide range of information from the department, and link to previously unavailable or chargeable searches and products for free. Using the Queensland Globe (an open dataset itself), the department has developed numerous themed Globes which add additional content to the base Queensland Globe data. Featured globes to date have focussed on coal seam gas, mining, floods and land valuations for example.
All of the Queensland Government’s spatial data has also been allocated to ‘category’ globes based on the international standard (ISO19115). These category globes contain datasets published by all departments to the open data portal. Over 250 Queensland Government datasets are available presently and this number continues to grow as agencies publish more open data.
The early signs of business transformation using openly released information are coming through in feedback to the department. Users of the Queensland Globe are describing how this is changing the way they are undertaking their business and the efficiencies they are achieving. Examples include the ability to visualise information in one application (property and mining tenure information) and users’ ability to overlay their own information easily over the Queensland Government information. The release of the Queensland Globe has also seen private sector companies decide offer training courses in the use of the Queensland Globe and its data.
The Queensland Globe has seen a 145% increase in usage since January 2014 and in June 2014 will surpass one billion map requests since its launch (April 2013).
Linking of Queensland Spatial Catalogue
The department has hosted for a number of years the Queensland Spatial Catalogue on behalf of Queensland Government. This online catalogue of spatial data is widely used by spatial professionals to identify available spatial data. The information contained in the catalogue is very rich in detail and able to be joined up with other spatial catalogues worldwide as it conforms to international standards.