AURIN has secured access to national-scale aerial imagery and spatial data from Nearmap for researchers.  

Nearmap delivers high-resolution aerial imagery and rich location intelligence that provides a clear, current view of the world on the ground. Nearmap empowers researchers and professionals to make confident decisions backed by reliable, real-world evidence.  

See patterns, progress, and change that others miss. Whether you’re embarking on infrastructure projects or envisioning the cities of tomorrow, Nearmap data advances your work with accuracy and consistency

— because the truth is in the details. 

• Vertical imagery 30cm resolution, ortho-rectified natural-colour (RGB) imagery, providing the underlying continuous-tone photographic record.
• 3D products Digital Surface Model (DSM) and Digital Terrain Model (DTM) elevation rasters, representing surface heights with and without above-ground features respectively; True Ortho imagery providing orthorectified, distortion-minimised aerial imagery suitable for accurate measurement; and 3D point-cloud and textured-mesh datasets giving detailed representations of terrain and built form for visualisation and three-dimensional analysis.
• AI-derived datasets Machine-learning-derived feature layers that convert high-resolution imagery into discrete, classified vector features with descriptive attributes and confidence measures. Available layers include Building Footprints (building-perimeter polygons), Building Characteristics (building and roof attributes such as height, number of storeys, roof pitch and ground height), Vegetation (height-based vegetation groupings), Surfaces (ground-surface classification, e.g. asphalt, concrete, driveway, road and natural surfaces), Pavement Condition (pavement defect classification, e.g. cracked, repaired, stained and disintegrated pavement) and Surface Permeability (pervious versus impervious surface classification).

Detailed information on content offerings, including spatial resolution, accuracy, capture methodology, coverage, and known artefacts, is available via Nearmap product documentation.

To support early exploration and feasibility assessment, Australian academic researchers can access sample Nearmap data layers covering a small defined area of metropolitan Adelaide (~10sqkm) for a single time period. 

To enable advanced research and proof-of-concept development, Australian academics can submit an expression of interest to gain more in-depth access to Nearmap products covering much larger defined areas over Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth (~250sqkm per city, see below) for a single time period.  

If you are in need of additional data spanning other areas or temporal periods, we recommend still submitting an expression of interest and we can work with you to try to find a solution. 

Nearmap data products can support a broad range of research activities, including (but not limited to):

• Urban and regional planning analysis

• Transport and mobility infrastructure assessment

• Built-environment and land-use change detection

• Environmental and landscape analysis

• Scenario modelling and three-dimensional visualisation

While highly detailed, Nearmap products are designed primarily for property-scale and neighbourhood-scale analysis, and may not be suitable for all large-area or long-term temporal studies.