From:
Gavin Treadgold
Date:
2009 Jun 17 10:08 NZST
Short link
On 2009-06-16, at 1558, Mark Harris wrote:
> Andrew Watkins wrote:
>> I think suburbs is one of those data sets you want open access to.
>
> The problem Gavin refers to is the lack of standardization on what
> constitutes a suburb.
Yep :) Another nice example I experienced a couple of days ago when
producing some H1N1 maps. The data that is exported from EpiSurv (the
surveillance software used nationally run by ESR) has a suburb field.
But it turns out there were poorly geocoded suburbs as when I overlaid
the points on the NZ Localities dataset, they were actually in quite
different suburbs. After phonecalls to ESR and the National Health Co-
ordinating Centre, I found I was doing it the right way, and that the
EpiSurv suburbs should be ignored.
One agencies use of suburb != another's! Definitely a political
problem as Mark pointed out.
> Rough consensus and working code doesn't wash at the
> regulatory level. Complicate that with many different varieties of GIS
> systems...
Yes, and this is a big problem that is being faced with the current
tender out for the Walking Access Commission. They have requested
capabilities in their proposed mapping system that current spatial
data, and organisational wills, are not yet capable of providing. The
technology is certainly willing and able...
Cheers Gav