Digital Atlas of Australia

The Digital Atlas of Australia is a ground-breaking geospatial platform that is transforming the way essential data is accessed and used. It is being developed and delivered by Geoscience Australia on behalf of the Australian Government.

By bringing together hundreds of curated, trusted national datasets in a single location, the Digital Atlas provides access to data on Australia’s geography, people, economy and the environment. Users can explore, analyse and visualise data by location using interactive maps and tools.

The Digital Atlas is more than just a mapping interface. It is Australia’s first Integrated Geospatial Infrastructure that connects data across borders, systems and technologies. The platform also provides a separate, secure environment for authenticated government users, enabling:  

• near real-time, cross-agency collaboration for information to be used and shared efficiently
• co-design of geospatial applications using a suite of readily accessible tools and advanced analytical capabilities.
   

The Digital Atlas of Australia brings together trusted national data in a central platform.

Image: Geosciences Australia

Working together

One collaborative partnership enhancing the Digital Atlas is between Geoscience Australia, Social Services and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This partnership is improving the availability, transparency and use of socio-economic data to inform tailored place-based policies.

This partnership is leveraging the advanced geospatial capabilities in the Digital Atlas. It is helping to inform place-based policy, program and service delivery by improving the availability, transparency and use of socio-economic data.

The expertise and experiences of national geospatial and statistical institutions are being leveraged with the policy responsibilities of the Social Services Portfolio. The partnership has made income support recipient data available in the Digital Atlas, integrating it with demographic and socio-economic information in interactive applications.

Dashboards and interactive maps enable users to explore and analyse income support data at the local level. By integrating data on disability, education, employment, and family support, these tools provide policymakers and stakeholders with crucial insights to inform targeted policy interventions.

Benefits for the community

Data and applications delivered through the Digital Atlas offer benefits for user groups:

• Policymakers and analysts can use data and applications to inform and assess policies tailored to the needs and opportunities of specific communities and regions.
• Researchers and academics can leverage the latest data and applications for studies on socio-economic and demographic trends.
• Community groups, media and the general public can engage with the applications to understand Australia's diverse population and participate in public discussions.

The Digital Atlas has attracted significant attention and has been widely used since its beta release in June 2023 (following its official launch in May 2024).

As of 31 August 2024, more than 170 datasets were available and approximately 59,000 unique users had accessed the platform. More than 700 registered users from 52 Australian Government, and state and territory government, entities were using the secure government environment.

Geoscience Australia continues to work closely with its government partners to connect more data and create interactive maps and tools. This is putting location-based insights at your fingertips.

Find out more

Australian Government (n.d.) Welcome to the Digital Atlas of Australia, Digital Atlas of Australia website, accessed 4 September 2024.