NATMAP 2003 information
and changes from V3

In 2003 two versions of NATMAP Raster were released. The differences are outlined below.

bulletMapsheets: all 513 1:250,000 scale NATMAPs plus three map insets are included as separate ECW files. The 1:250,000 scale maps use the Map Grid of Australia as their projection, meaning that the coordinates of the maps are measured in metres and the maps can be used for measuring distances and areas. Pixel size is 31.75m.
bulletMosaic: all 513 1:250,000 scale NATMAPs plus three map insets are joined together in one ECW file. The coordinates are latitude/longitude, which are ideal for interfacing with GPS software, but are not suitable for measuring distances or areas. The pixel size in metres varies depending where you are in Australia - click here for more information. Mosaic also includes a single map image of all 1:1,000,000 NATMAPs and a Landsat Satellite Image Mosaic of Australia, both of which use latitude/longitude coordinates.

More information on coordinate systems and why the different products are suited to different applications is found in the Coordinate Systems.

Why are there are two versions?

Two versions of NATMAP Raster were released in 2003 to meet the different needs of digital map users. The main difference is the map projection used for the map images. A map projection is a mathematical formula used to convert a position on the earth (a latitude and longitude) to a coordinate on a flat piece of paper.

A map projection is not perfect however (think of trying to flatten an orange peel – you can’t do it without tearing or stretching part of the peel). The area, shape or distance between points on the earth will become distorted depending upon the type of map projection used. Depending on what you want to use the map for, you can stop distortion for one or some of these properties, but not all.

The Mosaic uses what is known as an Equirectangular map projection. This assumes that one degree of latitude equals one degree of longitude, and uses degrees as the unit of measurement. This is the simplest map projection, and it’s great for using with GPS or computer mapping because it doesn’t need complicated maths to convert positions. You can also easily create one big map of Australia.

However, in reality one degree of latitude does not equal one degree of longitude. This is because latitude is pretty much constant all over the earth, but lines of longitude meet at the poles, meaning they get closer as they near the North or South Pole. Around Darwin, one degree of longitude is about 106 kilometres; around Hobart, one degree of longitude is about 79 kilometres. This also means that map scale varies depending on where you are, and the shape of the southern parts of Australia becomes very stretched and squashed.

Mapsheets uses a map projection called the Map Grid of Australia (MGA), which is basedon an international map projection called UTM. The world is divided into zones, and in each zone you can measure distances accurately and the shapes of features are preserved. As this map projection uses metres rather than degrees, map scale is constant. Therefore these maps are best if you want to measure distances, especially from a print-out.

The disadvantages of this map projection are that the map projection formula is complicated (although you can still use these maps with GPS), and you can’t measure distances accurately beyond about 80km into the next zone. Whilst you could join maps within the same zone, you can’t join maps across zones because of this distortion.

Because you can’t join maps together easily, the maps in Mapsheets remain as individual map images. Whilst you still need to load each map individually, it does make it easier to store maps in different places (such as on your hard drive) to improve performance.

Updated features for 2003

  1. Inclusion of over 150 new maps
  2. All 1:250,000 scale maps are created to the same specification (i.e. have the same look and feel)
  3. Mosaic version - all 1:250,000 scale NATMAPs joined together into one image
  4. Inclusion of 1:1 million and Landsat satellite imagery (Mosaic only)
  5. Popup windows for legend and climate graphs
  6. More comprehensive User Guide, troubleshooting and Basic Help

    Features retained in 2003 from 2002

  1. Updated maps from 2002
  2. Image resolution of 200dpi
  3. Access to grid coordinates
  4. Improved georeferencing
  5. Raster Viewer Configurator tool
  6. Bulk exporting
  7. Available on Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, Me or NT4.
  8. User interface via IEv5.5 or higher.
  9. Map loading via latitude and longitude.
  10. Panning from map to map.
  11. Finding the latitude and longitude coordinates of a point on the map.
  12. Printing the entire map or the current view.
  13. Exporting the entire map or current view; JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF and GeoTIFF image formats are supported.
  14. Online help file that can be read on screen or printed as needed.

All other components in the two products are the same as in previous versions.

Are upgrades available?

At this stage no - if you want updated maps and/or Viewing software, you need to buy the new version.

Copy of on-line help file is here.

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A list of map/sheets and their changes from Version 3 to Version 2003

MAP NAME STATE EDITION RELIABILITY MAP NUMBER Change
from V3
ABMINGA SA ED2 2000 SG53-10  
ADAVALE QLD ED2 1999 SG55-05  
ADELAIDE SPECIAL SA ED1 1998 SI54-09  
AJANA WA ED2 1998 SG50-13  
ALBERGA SA ED2 1998 SG53-09  
ALCOOTA NT ED2 1999 SF53-10  
ALICE SPRINGS NT ED3 1996 SF53-14  
ALLIGATOR RIVER NT ED2 1999 SD53-01  
ALROY NT ED2 1998 SE53-15  
ANA BRANCH NSW ED2 2000 SI54-07 Updated
ANDAMOOKA SA ED2 1997 SH53-12  
ANGLEDOOL NSW ED2 1995 SH55-07  
ANKETELL WA ED2 1996 SF51-02  
ARMIDALE SPECIAL NSW ED2 1999 SH56-10  
ASHTON WA ED2 2001 SD52-13 Updated
ATHERTON QLD ED2 1999 SE55-05  
AUGATHELLA QLD ED2 1998 SG55-06  
AUVERGNE NT ED2 1998 SD52-15  
AVON DOWNS NT ED2 1998 SF53-04  
AYR QLD ED2 1995 SE55-15  
BAIRNSDALE SPECIAL VIC ED1 1994 SJ55-07  
BALFOUR DOWNS WA ED2 2001 SF51-09 Updated
BALLADONIA WA ED3 1998 SI51-03  
BALLARAT VIC ED2 1999 SJ54-08  
BALRANALD NSW/VIC ED2 2001 SI54-12  
BARALABA QLD ED3 1998 SG55-04  
BARKER SA ED2 1998 SI54-13  
BARLEE WA ED2 1997 SH50-08  
BARNATO NSW ED2 1997 SH55-13  
BARROLKA QLD ED3 2002 SG54-11 Updated
BARROW CREEK NT ED2 1998 SF53-06  
BARTON SA ED2 2001 SH53-09 Updated
BATHURST NSW ED2 1996 SI55-08  
BAUHINIA DOWNS NT ED3 1999 SE53-03  
BEDOURIE QLD ED4 2002 SG54-01 Updated
BEETALOO NT ED2 1998 SE53-06  
BEGA NSW/VIC ED3 1995 SJ55-04  
BELELE WA ED2 2001 SG50-11 Updated
BENCUBBIN WA ED2 1997 SH50-11  
BENDIGO VIC/NSW ED2 1999 SJ55-01 Updated
BENTLEY WA ED2 2000 SG52-05  
BETOOTA QLD ED3 1999 SG54-06  
BILLA KALINA SA ED2 2001 SH53-07 Updated
BILLILUNA WA ED2 2002 SE52-14 Updated
BIRDSVILLE QLD ED3 2001 SG54-05 Updated
BIRKSGATE SA ED2 2000 SG52-15  
BIRRINDUDU NT ED2* 2002 SE52-11 Updated
BLACKALL QLD ED2 2001 SG55-01 Updated
BLOODS RANGE NT ED2 2000 SG52-03  
BLUE MUD BAY NT ED2 1998 SD53-07  
BOIGU QLD ED2 1997 SC54-07  
BONNEY WELL NT ED2 1998 SF53-02  
BOOLIGAL NSW ED2 1998 SI55-05  
BOORABBIN WA ED2 1996 SH51-13  
BOULIA QLD ED2 1997 SF54-10  
BOUNTIFUL ISLANDS INSET QLD ED1 1998 SE54-02  
BOURKE NSW ED2 1997 SH55-10  
BOWEN QLD ED2 1998 SF55-03  
BREMER BAY WA ED2 1996 SI50-12  
BRIGHTON DOWNS QLD ED2 2001 SF54-15 Updated
BRISBANE SPECIAL QLD/NSW ED2 2000 SG56-15 Updated
BROKEN HILL NSW ED2 2000 SH54-15  
BROOME WA ED2 2001 SE51-06 Updated
BROWNE WA ED2 2000 SG51-08 Updated
BROWSE ISLAND INSET WA ED1 2001 SD51-11 Updated
BRUNETTE DOWNS NT ED2 2000 SE53-11  
BUCHANAN QLD ED2 1996 SF55-06  
BULLEN WA ED2 2001 SG51-01 Updated
BULLOO QLD ED2 2001 SH54-04  
BUNDABERG QLD ED3 1995 SG56-02  
BURKETOWN QLD ED2 1999 SE54-06  
BURRA SA ED2 1994 SI54-05  
BUSSELTON SPECIAL WA ED1 1996 SI50-05  
BYRO WA ED2 2001 SG50-10 Updated
CAIRNS QLD ED2 1996 SE55-02  
CALLABONNA SA ED2 2001 SH54-06 Updated
CALVERT HILLS NT ED2 2000 SE53-08  
CAMBRIDGE GULF WA ED3 1997 SD52-14  
CAMDEN SOUND SPECIAL WA ED1 2001 SD51-15 Updated
CAMOOWEAL QLD ED2 2001 SE54-13 Updated
CANBERRA NSW ED3 1998 SI55-16  
CANTERBURY QLD ED2 1999 SG54-07  
CAPE MELVILLE QLD ED2 1996 SD55-09  
CAPE SCOTT SPECIAL NT ED1 1995 SD52-07  
CAPE WEYMOUTH QLD ED2 1996 SD54-04  
CAPE YORK QLD ED2 1997 SC54-12  
CARGELLIGO NSW ED2 1995 SI55-06  
CARNAVON SPECIAL WA ED1 2000 SG49-04  
CHARLEVILLE QLD ED2 1999 SG55-10  
CHARNLEY WA ED2 2001 SE51-04  
CHARTERS TOWERS QLD ED2 1999 SF55-02  
CHILDARA SA ED2 1998 SH53-14  
CHINCHILLA QLD ED2 1998 SG56-09  
CHOWILLA SA ED2 1997 SI54-06  
CLARKE RIVER QLD ED2 1997 SE55-13  
CLERMONT QLD ED2 1996 SF55-11  
CLONCURRY QLD ED2 1997 SF54-02  
COBAR NSW ED2 1997 SH55-14  
COBB WA ED2 2000 SG52-01  
COBHAM LAKE NSW ED2 2000 SH54-11 Updated
COBOURG PENINSULA SPECIAL NT ED1 1997 SC53-13  
COEN QLD ED2 1996 SD54-08  
COLAC VIC ED3 1995 SJ54-12  
COLLIE WA ED2 2000 SI50-06  
COLLIER WA ED2 1998 SG50-04  
CONNEMARA QLD ED2 2001 SG54-03 Updated
COOBER PEDY SA ED2 1999 SH53-06  
COOK SA ED2 2001 SH52-11 Updated
COOKTOWN QLD ED2 1996 SD55-13  
COOMPANA SA ED3 2001 SH52-15 Updated
COOPER WA ED2 2001 SG52-10 Updated
COOTAMUNDRA NSW ED2 1994 SI55-11  
COPLEY SA ED2 1998 SH54-09  
CORDILLO SA ED2 1999 SG54-10  
CORNISH WA ED2* 2001 SF52-01 Updated
CORRIGIN WA ED2 1997 SI50-03  
CROSSLAND WA ED2 2001 SE51-16 Updated
CROYDON QLD ED2 2001 SE54-11 Updated
CUE WA ED2 2001 SG50-15 Updated
CULVER WA ED3 1998 SI51-04  
CUNDEELEE WA ED2 2001 SH51-11 Updated
CUNNAMULLA QLD ED2 2001 SH55-02 Updated
CURDIMURKA SA ED2 1997 SH53-08  
CURNAMONA SA ED3 1997 SH54-14  
DALBY QLD ED2 1999 SG56-13 Updated
DALHOUSIE SA ED2 1999 SG53-11  
DALY WATERS NT ED2 1998 SE53-01  
DAMPIER SPECIAL WA ED1 1996 SF50-02  
DARU QLD ED2 1997 SC54-08  
DARWIN NT ED5 1999 SD52-04  
DEAL ISLAND INSET VIC ED1 1998 SJ55-15  
DELAMERE NT ED2 2001 SD52-16 Updated
DENILIQUIN NSW/VIC ED2 1997 SI55-13  
DERBY WA ED3 1999 SE51-07  
DIRRANBANDI QLD ED2 1995 SH55-03  
DIXON RANGE WA ED2 1996 SE52-06  
DOBBYN QLD ED2 2001 SE54-14 Updated
DONGARA WA ED2 1996 SH50-05  
DONORS HILL QLD ED2 1999 SE54-10  
DRYSDALE WA ED2 2001 SD52-09 Updated
DUARINGA QLD ED2 1996 SF55-16  
DUBBO NSW ED2 1997 SI55-04  
DUCHESS QLD ED2 1997 SF54-06  
DUKETON WA ED2 2002 SG51-14 Updated
DUMBLEYUNG WA ED2 1999 SI50-07  
DUMMER WA ED2 2001 SF51-04 Updated
DURHAM DOWNS QLD ED2 1999 SG54-15  
EBAGOOLA QLD ED2 1995 SD54-12  
EDDYSTONE QLD ED2 2001 SG55-07 Updated
EDJUDINA WA ED2 1998 SH51-06  
EDMUND WA ED2 1996 SF50-14  
EINASLEIGH QLD ED3 2002 SE55-09 Updated
ELKEDRA NT ED2 2001 SF53-07 Updated
ELLISTON SA ED2 1999 SI53-06  
EMERALD QLD ED2 2001 SF55-15 Updated
ENNGONIA NSW ED2 1997 SH55-06  
EROMANGA QLD ED2 2001 SG54-12  
ESPERANCE SPECIAL WA ED1 1997 SI51-06  
EUCLA SPECIAL WA ED1 1998 SH52-14  
EULO QLD ED2 2001 SH55-01  
EVERARD SA ED2 1998 SG53-13  
FERGUSSON RIVER NT ED3 2001 SD52-12 Updated
FINKE NT ED2 1999 SG53-06  
FORBES NSW ED2 1997 SI55-07  
FORREST WA ED2* 2001 SH52-10 Updated
FOWLER SA ED3 1998 SH53-13  
FRASER ISLAND SPECIAL QLD ED3 1998 SG56-03  
FREW RIVER NT ED2 1998 SF53-03  
FROME SA ED3 2001 SH54-10 Updated
GAIRDNER SA ED2 1997 SH53-15  
GALBRAITH QLD ED2 2001 SE54-03 Updated
GALILEE QLD ED2 1996 SF55-10  
GALIWINKU SPECIAL NT ED1 1998 SD53-03  
GASON SA ED2 2001 SG54-13 Updated
GEORGETOWN QLD