At the Federal Government level a core set of fundamental datasets have been identified. At this stage information is available from the various agencies involved in the production of the data. All nodes are linked to the Internet. The system uses the same architecture as the FGDC system. In Australia, most spatial data are subject to copyright restrictions.
Custodians are responsible for defining access arrangements.
In general, government data is available at cost of distribution, which in most cases involves more than simply the cost of the transfer media. Fundamental datasets in the ASDI are mostly the responsibility of government agencies at the Federal, State, Territory and Local Government levels. As in the US, the ASDI vision is to ensure that data captured by the many custodians will form an integral part of the ASDI by conforming to ASDI principles and being ASDI compliant. This means that metadata is published on the ASDD, national standards are adopted and that the data is available for distribution and use according to nationally consistent policies, some of which are yet to be developed. As outlined in the previous section, most government datasets are subject to copyright and licensing conditions exist.