TechnicalGIS

LiDAR and elevation data for Australia

Partial open LiDAR Openly licensed LiDAR exists, but only for limited areas such as states, provinces, cities or project sites.

Australia has no single national LiDAR programme; Geoscience Australia publishes a 5 m LiDAR-derived DEM compiled from 236 surveys (2001–2015) and the ELVIS portal distributes state and territory LiDAR, much of it under Creative Commons Attribution. Openness varies by jurisdiction: NSW, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT release LiDAR openly, Queensland releases data older than three years, and Victoria and Western Australia license their data with fees.

Best open resolution
1 m
Open LiDAR coverage
–
Datasets
9 · 6 open · 6 free
Region
Oceania
Last reviewed

By state, province or region

LiDAR status by subnational area in Australia
Area Status Summary Datasets
New South Wales Partial open LiDAR NSW Spatial Services publishes LiDAR-derived DEMs at 1 m and 2 m and statewide 50 cm aerial imagery under Creative Commons Attribution; elevation is distributed through ELVIS. NSW Foundation Spatial Data Framework – Elevation and Depth – Digital Elevation Model
Queensland Partial open LiDAR Queensland LiDAR more than three years old is free through ELVIS, while the latest capture must be purchased; state-program aerial imagery three years or older is published under CC BY 4.0. Queensland LiDAR and elevation data
Victoria Restricted Vicmap Elevation LiDAR (0.5–5 m, 2007 to present) covers about 60% of the state but is licensed with fees; some project datasets are CC BY-NC. Vicmap Elevation
South Australia Partial open LiDAR South Australian LiDAR point clouds and DTMs are distributed through ELVIS under Creative Commons Attribution; 1949 Greater Adelaide aerial imagery is also open. ELVIS – Digital Elevation Model and Imagery catalogue (South Australia)
Western Australia Restricted Landgate LiDAR (including the 2021–22 Perth metropolitan capture) and regional aerial mosaics are supplied under Personal Use or subscription licences rather than open terms. Perth Metro LiDAR
Tasmania Partial open LiDAR The Tasmanian 2 m DEM is about 65% LiDAR-derived (178 surveys, 2008–2020) and is released under CC BY 3.0 AU. Tasmania 2 m Digital Elevation Model
Australian Capital Territory National open LiDAR ACT-wide LiDAR was captured in 2015 and 2020 (12 points/m² in 2020) and is released under CC BY 4.0 through ELVIS. ACT LiDAR data

Datasets 9

Free is not the same as open. Cost is what you pay to get the data; the licence says what you may do with it. How cost and licence are defined

  • Tasmania 2 m Digital Elevation Model (opens in a new tab)

    Land Tasmania

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • DTM
    Resolution
    2 m
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    2008–2020
    Coverage
    Tasmania; about 65% LiDAR-derived (178 surveys), 10 m elsewhere
    Licence
    CC BY 3.0 AU
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    –
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • ACT LiDAR data (opens in a new tab)

    ACT Government

    Cost Free Licence Open
    • Point cloud
    Resolution
    –
    Point density
    12 pts/m²
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    2015, 2020
    Coverage
    Whole of the Australian Capital Territory
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0
    Access
    Direct download
    Formats
    LAS 1.4
    Link check
    HTTP 403,

  • Queensland LiDAR and elevation data (opens in a new tab)

    Queensland Department of Resources

    Cost Mixed Licence Open
    • Point cloud
    • DTM
    Resolution
    –
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    –
    Coverage
    Queensland project areas
    Licence
    CC BY 4.0 for data more than three years old; latest captures sold
    Access
    Portal
    Formats
    –
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • Vicmap Elevation (opens in a new tab)

    Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (Victoria)

    Cost Paid Licence Not open
    • Point cloud
    • DTM
    Resolution
    0.5 m
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    2007–present
    Coverage
    About 60% of Victoria
    Licence
    Vicmap licence with fees; some project data CC BY-NC
    Access
    Commercial
    Formats
    –
    Link check
    HTTP 403,

  • ELVIS – Elevation and Depth – Foundation Spatial Data (opens in a new tab)

    Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping / Geoscience Australia

    Cost Free Licence Not open
    • Point cloud
    • DTM
    • DSM
    Resolution
    –
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    –
    Coverage
    National portal for Commonwealth, state and territory LiDAR and DEM holdings
    Licence
    Varies by data custodian
    Access
    Portal
    Formats
    –
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

  • Perth Metro LiDAR (opens in a new tab)

    Landgate

    Cost Paid Licence Not open
    • Point cloud
    Resolution
    –
    Point density
    –
    Vertical accuracy
    –
    Acquired
    2021–2022
    Coverage
    Built-up areas of the Perth metropolitan area
    Licence
    Landgate Personal Use Licence
    Access
    Commercial
    Formats
    –
    Link check
    Link OK (HTTP 200),

Elsewhere in Oceania