Dataset TITLE
Population Centres (National Geoscience Dataset)

Dataset AUTHOR(S)
Lawford, G.
Stanley, S.
Kilgour, B.

Dataset CUSTODIAN
Geoscience Australia

Dataset JURISDICTION
Australia

Description ABSTRACT
Population centres such as major centres (associated with political 
DCW dataset (polys) for built up areas), populated places and villages 
(dataset derived from the Digital Chart of the World (DCW)). For more 
information on the Digital Chart of the World data please browse the 
DCW Internet Site http://www.maproom.psu.edu/dcw/ . Data can be 
downloaded from here in vpf format.

NOTE : For more accurate and detailed data covering continental 
Australia only please obtain the Global Map Data 1M at 
http://www.auslig.gov.au/download/

Generic information on DCW datasets :-

The primary source for DCW is the US Defence Mapping Agency (DMA)
Operational Navigation Chart (ONC) series produced by the United 
States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The ONCs have 
a scale of 1:1,000,000, where 1 inch equals approximately 16 miles. 
The charts were designed to meet the needs of pilots and air crews 
in medium and low altitude en route navigation and to support 
military operational planning, intelligence briefings, and other 
needs. Therefore, the selection of ground features is based on 
the requirement for rapid visual recognition of significant details 
seen from a low perspective angle. The DCW database was originally 
published in 1992. Data currency varies from place to place 
depending on the currency of the ONC charts. Chart currency ranges 
from the mid 1960s to the early 1990s. Compilation dates for every 
ONC chart are included in the database.

Description SEARCH WORD(S)
HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

Description GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT NAME(S): CODE(S)
Australia including external territories: 

Description GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDING BOX
N_LAT: 0
S_LAT: -90
E_LONG: 180
W_LONG: 0

Description GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT POLYGON(S)
0 0, 0 -90,180 -90, 180 0, 0 0

Data Currency BEGINNING DATE
NOT KNOWN

Data Currency ENDING DATE
01JAN1993

Dataset Status PROGRESS
Complete

Dataset Status MAINTENANCE AND UPDATE FREQUENCY
Not Planned

Access STORED FORMATS
Digital/Non-Digital	Description
DIGITAL			ARC/INFO vector coverages. Geographic projection,
                        WGS84 Spheroid, WGS84 Datum

Access AVAILABLE FORMATS
Digital/Non-Digital	Description
DIGITAL			ARCVIEW vector coverages. Geographic projection, 
                        WGS84 Spheroid, WGS84 Datum
DIGITAL			Mapinfo tables, Geographic Projection, WGS84 
                        Spheroid, WGS84 Datum

Access ACCESS CONSTRAINT
Licence required

Data Quality LINEAGE
This dataset was compiled by Geoscience Australia staff from the original 
Digital Chart of the World VPF format dataset downloaded from the DCW website 
listed in the abstract. For information on the lineage of the original DCW 
(VPF format) datasets please view the Digital Chart of the World website 
listed in the abstract.

Post-DCW lineage

The seperate DCW tiles NA11, UA11, QC32-33, QD31-33, QE31-33, QF31-33 
and all the RC, RD, RE, RF, SC, SD, SE, SF, TC, TD, TE, TF, UC, UD, UE, UF, 
VC, VD, VE, VF, WC, WD, WE, WF, XC, XD, XE, XF, YC, YD, YE, YF, ZC, ZD, ZE 
and ZF were compiled into single covers based upon the separate DCW themes. 
The vegetation layer was not available for the Australian area.  
<p>The data was then attributed fully as the existing datasets were attributed 
in code which only made sense with the DCW Data Dictionary.  The field names 
were changed to be clearer for example the field AEPTVAl was changed to 
Elevation. No cleaning of the data was necessary exept for the place names 
coverages where upper and mixed case place names existed in the DCW data 
these were all changed to mixed case.

Geoscience Australia compliant fields were added to the data at this 
stage: UFI and FEATURE with AGSO_CODE and DESC added to non-polygon themes.  

This dataset was comprised of the original DCW populated place point dataset.

Data Quality POSITIONAL ACCURACY
Nominal Scale 1:1,000,000

Low to moderate accuracy due to highly variable source data and the 
vintage of this dataset.


Data Quality ATTRIBUTE ACCURACY
Low to moderate accuracy due to highly variable source data and the 
vintage of this dataset.

Data Quality LOGICAL CONSISTENCY
Tests are carried out on these data for data completeness, correct 
spatial representation, attribute accuracy, logical consistency and 
correctness, and where appropriate for compliance with Geoscience 
Australia's GIS data dictionary.

Data Quality COMPLETENESS
The dataset coverage is complete for the Australian Jurisdictional Area.

Contact Information CONTACT ORGANISATION
Geoscience Australia

Contact Information CONTACT POSITION
Manager, Information Management Branch

Contact Information MAIL ADDRESS 1
GPO Box 378

Contact Information MAIL ADDRESS 2


Contact Information SUBURB/PLACE/LOCALITY
Canberra City

Contact Information STATE/LOCALITY 2
ACT

Contact Information COUNTRY
Australia

Contact Information POSTCODE
2601

Contact Information TELEPHONE
02 6249 9496

Contact Information FACSIMILE
02 6249 9984

Contact Information ELECTRONIC MAIL ADDRESS
ian.odonnell@ga.gov.au

Metadata Date METADATA DATE
13NOV1998

Additional Metadata ADDITIONAL METADATA
point items (popcen) :-

feature   this items defines the broad feature type that the item falls into
UFI       a unique feature identifier
agso_code an identification number assigned to features of specific types.  
          Only those features that correspond to AGSO_CODE entries 
          have been given an AGSO code. (Geoscience Australia added attribute)
desc      a description of the feature in terms of its specific AGSO code
          (Geoscience Australia added attribute)
name      name of the feature (population centre)
type      a more specific explanation of what the feature is
status    this field is not always filled in but where it is it gives
          and even more specific categorisation to the feature in question

