Because the software developed by the Commonwealth did not fit into the Territory s existing GIS environment,it was agreed a local solution would be developed to provide services consistent with the Commonwealth system. Meanwhile,the department coordinated the compilation of all of the geographical data to be incorporated into the system. This facility,called the Northern Territory Atlas,was launched at the NT Expo 2000 in July. It illustrates what can be achieved by partnerships between government and the private sector. The Atlas provides a wide range of mapping information across the Territory through the Internet.
Users can select different data sets and create their own maps on-line.
The Atlas also links directly to the NT Spatial Data Directory which provides information on the data and how to obtain it. The Atlas has been well received interstate and is considered leading edge GIS technology. It shows that,though small,the Territory s spatial information industry is at the forefront of national and international developments in this field. The Commonwealth agency that initiated the original project is greatly impressed with the NT solution,which is generally considered the best in Australia. The Atlas is just one of a number of GIS initiatives being developed by the local spatial information industry in partnership with Government agencies,designed to provide access to government services and information for decision making through the Internet.