Statement: Queensland maps at the touch of a button

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Minister for Natural Resources and Mines
The Honourable Andrew Cripps
Thursday, August 28, 2014

Queensland maps at the touch of a button

Town planners, emergency services and even the Girl Guides are among those expected to take advantage of a new, free Queensland Government initiative which can deliver topographical maps straight to an email inbox.

The new QTopo online service allows anyone to create and then download their own topographical map via the Department of Natural Resources and Mines website.

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Andrew Cripps said the applications of the service, which is a key element of the Newman Government's Open Data initiative, were endless.

Residents can download maps of their own street or property, emergency services can use the service to co-ordinate live or training operations and businesses can create new maps to enhance their products and services for their clients.     

Minister Cripps joined Assistant Minister for Natural Resources and Mines and Member for Pine Rivers Seath Holswich at the Lawnton Girl Guides and Lawnton Scouts Group to see the youngsters take part in a scavenger hunt using local maps downloaded from QTopo.

"Our free QTopo program allows Scouts and Guides to have fun today but the maps will also be valuable to anyone who enjoys mountain biking, four-wheel driving or hiking," Mr Cripps said.

"Industry will find it to be a powerful tool for professional applications such as urban planning, mining, emergency management, education and investigating boundaries and land ownership."

Previously, the Department of Natural Resources and Mines only updated maps periodically, but now it is hoped thousands of people will go online and create custom-made maps for their own use.

"We want to unlock as many data sets for public use as we can," said Mr Cripps.

"This is just one of the many ways we're helping to support business and grow the tourism pillar of the Queensland economy."

The new application provides a high level of detail, including the location of water features, roads, urban development, railways, property boundaries and National Parks.

Users can select their own scale and custom define their coverage, including centring the map at their point of interest. Maps can be saved to a computer or tablet and then printed or emailed to others.

The application can be accessed through the Department of Natural Resources and Mines website or at qtopo.dnrm.qld.gov.au or as a web map service for a geographic information system (GIS)  package.

[ENDS] 28 August 2014

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Media Release
Premier
The Honourable Campbell Newman

Award winners making data accessible to all

A new web application, which has the potential to help residents get a real time snapshot of damage and disruption during cyclones, floods or bushfires, has won two prestigious Premier's Awards for Open Data.

The Wiki Queensland big-data fusion system, created by a six-person team from the University of Queensland, won the Best Use of Open Data award and Microsoft StartUp Q Award at tonight's event.

Premier Campbell Newman congratulated the UQ team and all winners and praised the entries for the innovation and maturity they showed in using data being released by government.

"Open data is about creating awareness about the open access the public has to Queensland Government data and helping people to understand that data can be valuable," Mr Newman said.

"An application like Wiki Queensland could have enormous benefits for all Queenslanders in everyday situations but especially during natural disasters like the freak storm we had last week in Brisbane.

"It could help keep Queenslanders safer by allowing them to find out in real time where the major flooding and storm damage is, if there are fallen power lines in their area or where the worst traffic problems are.

"It could also help house-hunters gather information to inform their buying choice and find an area that offers all the lifestyle and services they want, or assist health care providers to plan facilities in areas based on demographics.

"This is another way in which the Government's strong plan is creating a brighter future for all Queenslanders."

Mr Newman said open data was big business with a recent study by Lateral Economics estimating it was worth an additional $25 billion a year to the Australian economy.

"Data is becoming the currency of our society and by making government data available to the public we will allow Queenslanders to develop innovative services and solutions," he said.

"It's another way in which we are ensuring that we have a government that is open, accountable and delivers the results Queenslanders expect."

The UQ team of Xue Li, Xiaofang Zhou, Sayan Unankard, Shazia Sadiq, Ling Chen and Weicheng Tong won $5000 and the opportunity to work with the new Open Data Institute of Queensland to commercialise their product.

The Premier also announced the launch of a consultation process to receive feedback on Queensland's proposed Open Data Bill – the first in Australia.

The evening also showcased Queensland as a leader in open data with the official launch of the Open Data Institute (ODI) Queensland – also an Australian first.

Maree Adshead, the inaugural CEO of ODI Queensland, said she was excited about the opportunities open data could bring to Queensland.

"Queensland is leading the way by taking Australia's first official seat at the table of the Open Data Institute's international community," Ms Adshead said.

Read more at data.qld.gov.au

2014 Premier's Awards for Open Data winners

Best use of open data award and Microsoft StartUp Q award

Winner: WikiQueensland—a big data fusion system by Xue Li, Xiaofang Zhou, Sayan Unankard, Shazia Sadiq, Ling Chen and Weicheng Tong

Best community app

Winner: Derivative maps of Queensland by Dru Taylor and David Uhlmann

Best commercial app

Winner: Truii.com—big data concepts for small business by Nick Marsh and Sylvain Arene

Best Queensland public servant entry

Winner: Pulse by Paul Carr