This talk will be a jargon free zone.

“Every profession is a conspiracy against the laity.”

George Bernard Shaw. (1856 – 1950)

“Location Intelligence” is out.

“Geographic Information” is in.
 The NLC

• is the conduit between those wanting to conduct

business on Aboriginal Land and those who live on
the land.

• deals with Mining Interests, Tourism, Government

and Infrastructure.

• promotes and organises Sustainable Conservation

projects through Caring for Country and affiliations
with NAILSMAA and other organisations.
 The Northern Land Council acts as a representative body for
Aboriginal people in its area under both the Aboriginal Land Rights
(Northern Territory) Act 1976 and the Native Title Act 1993.

• 30,000 Aboriginal People

• 200 communities (many are outstations)
• 560,000 sq km
• 5,000 km of coastline
• Staff of 120 people throughout the Top End
• Eight Regional Offices
 GIS at
the NLC

• Legal
• Anthropological
• Land and Sea
• Infrastructure Projects (allocation of Royalties)
• NLC internal (anthro and voting precincts)
• Administrative
 GIS at
the NLC
• Legal
– Lease areas
– Land Use Agreements
– Land Information Reference

• Anthropological maps
– Clan and Estate Boundaries
– Dreaming tracks
– Language groups
– Sacred sites (in cooperation with AAPA)
 GIS at
the NLC
• NLC Internal & Administrative
– Anthropology regions
– Administrative regions
– Land Council boundaries
– Cadastre
– Indigenous Protected Areas
– Ranger Groups
– Pastoral Properties
 GIS at
the NLC
• NLC Internal & Administrative
– Anthropology regions
– Administrative regions
– Land Council boundaries
– Cadastre
– Indigenous Protected Areas
– Ranger Groups
– Pastoral Properties
 GIS at
the NLC
• Business
– Crocodile Eggs
– Buffalo meat
– Safaris hunting
– Trepang farming
– Mining exploration licences (non consent areas)
– Tourism ventures

• Infrastructure
– Gas Pipelines
– Fibre Optics
– Roads
– Mines
GIS team
 GIS at
the NLC
• LIR Records are in paper format
– anthropologists’ reports.
– 25,000 mostly paper maps and/or reports
– A few dating back to late 1800s
– Most dating from 1960s
– Categorized by 100K map
– Scanning process in progress
– Filed by a Lotus Notes system.
Julie Stokes LIR (Land
Information Reference)
Archivist
 How to annoy the GIS staff..
• “you know that map you made for me last month?”

• “I’ve want you to make changes to a map..”

– it won’t take you long

– they’re really simple changes

Spending money and getting into
debt is like going down in an
elevator. Paying it back is like
walking up the stairs.

John Howard.
No metadata.

Many map have been made outside our system

by former consultants.

No cartographic standards

No GIS manual

Staff must be given time to catch up, learn new

skills and teach others in the organisation about
mapping.
 How are maps filed?

• By year, then sequentially, then page size then

orientation.
• Format: 2011_0042_A0L
• Folder: 2011_0042_Croc_Eggs_NT
• Sub folders:
– Maps
– Projects
– Data