NatureMaps Help - Upload Tools

Users can quickly and easily view GPS points they have collected on NatureMaps, so they can assess their data in relation to other NatureMaps datasets and create map outputs for reports. See the Add GPS Points User Guide from the NatureMaps website for step-by-step instructions.

Are my GPS points available on NatureMaps for other users to see?

Your GPS points are only available temporarily, and are not uploaded onto NatureMaps as a permanent layer for other users to view. However, you can save a session file after you have uploaded your points and you will be able to see your GPS points the next time you open your session file within 2 months of creating the session file. This session file could also be sent to a colleague.

What format does my GPS points file need to be in?

Your GPS points need to be in CSV (Comma Separated Value) format. This file should be a standard CSV file, either without a header line, or where the first line is a header line containing the field names.

What Coordinate System can the file be in?

While NatureMaps is displayed in GDA94 SA Lambert Conformal Conic, a GPS file can be in 5 different coordinate systems:

GDA94 SA Lamberts Conformal Conic

GDA94 Geographic (Longitude / Latitude decimal degrees)

Map Grid of Australia 1994 coordinate systems (used on Topographic Maps)

MGA Zone 52

MGA Zone 53

MGA Zone 54

Geographic coordinates need to use a negative sign for latitude coordinates and not "S". If MGA coordinates are used the entire file must be in the same zone.

What are the minimum or maximum number of fields my file can have?

The file must contain a minimum of 3 fields eg Point No, X Coordinate (or Longitude), and Y coordinate (or Latitude), but there is no maximum number of fields. However, the more fields there are the larger the file, and therefore the less number of points that can be added (refer below).

How many points can be added to my map or how large can the GPS file be?

Each GPS file can be 10,485,760 bytes (10mb) in size. The size of a GPS file will depend on the number of fields present, therefore any unnecessary fields should be dropped to minimise the size of the file. There is no limit to the number of GPS files a user can upload in any one session, or the number of GPS points, however performance is degraded as more points are added. As a guide it is recommended that no more than 10,000 points are added in one session.

Add a Shapefile

What format does my Shapefile need to be in?

Your Shapefile needs to contain the following file extentions: .dbf, .prj, .shp and .shx.

Declaring the coordinate system

The Shapefile upload tool automatically re-projects your data into the same coordinate system as existing data on NatureMaps thus no user intervention is required.

What functionality does the Shapefile upload tool provide?

The upload Shapefile tool allows users to:

Select the initial colour of the data to be uploaded.
Choose a name for your layer.
Use the identify tool to view the attributes of uploaded features.

Use the Select tool to select the uploaded features.

Use the 'Select by Buffer' tool to buffer the uploaded layer.

Change the layer symbology .

Toggle visibility.
Include the uploaded layers on the map or legend when printing.

Please note that when using the Select Select tool to select uploaded features, the default selection method is Select by Point. This allows only one feature to be selected at a time. To select multiple features, please use the 'Select by Polygon' or 'Select by Rectangle' options, found under the the select tab tab.

SA Central, Government of South Australia