Submission of spatial information

Spatial Information refers to geographic location data (spatial data), maps, metadata and any information related to project infrastructure and activities such as land disturbance and rehabilitation. Spatial data represents the locations and shapes of geographic features and the relationships between them, usually stored as coordinates.

Activities or infrastructures located within the boundary of an environmental authority (EA) may be considered spatial information. Examples include, but are not limited to the location of:

  • Physical structures such as buildings, holding tanks, pipelines, and boundary fencing.
  • Exclusion zones, storage and sorting areas, and monitoring points.
  • Exploration or groundwater bores, excavations, and wells.
  • Rehabilitation and disturbance areas, and locations of sensitive receptors.

Several application and approval processes under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (the EP Act) require submission of spatial information to the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation. The required spatial information for each process is outlined in the relevant approved form and master schema for each process. EA holders are required to familiarise themselves with the spatial information obligations required for their relevant process. The approved forms for estimated rehabilitation cost (ERC), plan of operations (PoO) and progressive rehabilitation and closure plan (PRC plan) are available at Business Queensland.

Spatial Information Guideline

Detailed information on the procedures or submitting spatial information to the department can be found in the Spatial Information Submission Guideline. Details of the individual schema fields are also available in the relevant approved forms.

Master schema

The master schema outlines the format and content requirements for spatial data to assist in populating the shapefile templates. Each tab represents the application or submission types, including Annual Returns for resource activities, ERC, Plan of Operations, Plan of Operations (Lease) and PRC plans. The activities are combined by resource type with compulsory fields for each type identified in the Mandatory/Optional columns.

Important update

Spatial schemas and templates have been updated as part of a Spatial Data Review project to version 3 (v3) to allow more streamlined spatial data requirements. The below Master Schema (v2) and templates should be used until the 30 April 2024. After this date, all submitted spatial data is required to conform with the new v3 schema fields. New templates have been uploaded to support this transition.

Master Schema (v2) – for all submissions made on or before 30 April 2024.

Master Schema (v3) – for all submissions made on or after 1 May 2024.

  • Annual returns – The annual return for resource activities requires environmental authority holders to submit GIS spatial information which represent the onsite disturbance, rehabilitation and, if there is an approved PRC plan, improvement information.
  • Estimated Rehabilitation Cost – Any applications or amendments to the ERC process requires the submission of spatial data, as directed in the approved form.
  • Plan of Operations – The submission of a plan of operations must also include spatial information, as outlined in the approved form.
  • Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plan – The submission of a PRC plan or amendment to the final site design in a PRCP schedule requires the submission of spatial data, as directed in the approved form.

Shapefile Templates

Shapefile templates are provided for each relevant process to ensure proponents are providing shapefiles that comply with the requirements of the spatial guideline. It is strongly recommended that you populate the shapefile templates with the required features and spatial information as stated in the relevant schema.

Note: Please ensure template versions match the schema version being used.

Template (v2)

For all submissions made on or before 30 April 2024:

Template (v3)

For all submissions made on or after 1 May 2024:

Validation of spatial data (shapefiles)

Spatial data submitted to the department is validated using FME scripts in accordance with the ESRI Arc GIS Online topology rules for geodatabases. Refer to section 4 of the spatial information guideline for specific data and file naming conventions required to ensure successful validation.

Please ensure your geometry is valid before submitting data. Common types of invalid geometry are (but not limited to);

  • No geometry. A record in the attribute table is unable to retrieve geometry information.
  • Empty geometry. A geometry does not contain geometric information, represented by no information of SHAPE_LEN and SHAPE_AREA fields.
  • Mixed geometries. Points, lines, and polygons must be separated. Any geometry mixed with lines, points, and polygons is invalid.
  • Contains discontinuous parts. One of the geometry's parts is composed of disconnected or discontinuous parts.
  • Contains self-intersecting polygons. A polygon must not intersect itself, including a polygon on top of another polygon.

All GIS software has Geometry checking and handling/repair tools used to validate and repair spatial geometry. Please ensure all geometry is valid and geometry errors are repaired before submitting. Files containing Invalid geometry will be returned for repair.

Note: If you are resubmitting data that did not pass validation on the first attempt, please use the current date when resubmitting the new file. Do not use the previous date in the filename.

Submission and contact information

To submit spatial information, or for any other queries relating submission of spatial files, please email spatialsubmit@des.qld.gov.au.

Note: Files size limit for submission via email is 50MB per email.