Land use and mapping tools for agriculture

To undertake new agricultural business or diversify existing projects, refer to mapping to determine:

• suitability of soils and climate
• available infrastructure and land zoning
• natural resource constraints or opportunities.

Land use

• AgTrends Spatial generates maps for existing and potential commodity production areas as well as reports on economic profiles.
• Identify land use patterns and changes to help you manage your natural resources using the Queensland Land Use Mapping Program (QLUMP).
• Find national and catchment land-use data through the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.
• Read agricultural land evaluation schemes and guidelines for Queensland.

Spatial, satellite and imagery tools

• Find mapping, data and imagery services relating to Queensland's natural resources.
• Use Queensland Globe to view and explore Queensland spatial data and imagery.
• View the Queensland spatial catalogue (QSpatial) and download or order data over an area of interest.
• Search Australian Government open data, including mapping (geospatial) and environmental data.
• View or download Queensland topographic maps through QTopo.
• FarmMap4D Spatial Hub allows you to create and share digital farm maps to help improve productivity and sustainability.
• The Queensland Planning System resources shows state planning and development maps.
• Access data on Queensland's terrestrial ecosystem, including soils, terrain, water, satellite images, survey data and species observation records

Weather and climate

• The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) provides detailed climate and weather outlooks for agriculture.
• View climate change and trend maps.
• BOM's MetEye tool is your 'eye on the environment', providing visuals for local weather observations and forecasts.
• The Long Paddock is an Australian-wide database offering high-quality, climate-related decision-support information.
• SILO is a database of Australian climate data from 1889 to the present.
• The Drought and Climate Adaptation Program (DCAP) helps farmers and producers adapt and better manage drought and climate impacts through improved forecast products, tools and extension activities.

Crop suitability

• View groups of crops grown in Queensland's broadacre cropping regions using satellite imagery from the Queensland Crop Monitoring Program.
• Map suitable land and crops and access market data on crops along the Fitzroy River.
• Assess your land for soil suitability for a range of crops, planting seasons and systems for managing irrigation using the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment Explorer (NAWRA-explorer).
• Strategic cropping land (SCL) is land that is, or is likely to be, highly suitable for cropping because of a combination of the land's soil, climate and landscape features.
• AgMargins is a web-based gross margin calculator and reporting tool for broadacre and horticultural crops across Queensland.
• CropARM (formerly WhopperCropper) uses 100 years of rainfall records to predict year-to-year yield and gross margin outcomes to help farmers make critical management decisions before cropping seasons.
• NitrogenARM calculates the required rate for applying nitrogen fertiliser, based on the difference between the demand and supply of nitrogen for cereal crops.
• FallowARM calculates the possible range of soil water and soil nitrogen that is likely to accumulate over specific lengths of fallow, at specific starting times.
• ClimateARM analyses rainfall and other climate variables at individual locations, taking into account seasonal patterns and forecasts.
• The Deep-P calculator determines the best rate of phosphorus to apply at depth, and the economic outcomes for multi-season crop rotation.

Ground cover and vegetation

• Read about monitoring and mapping ground cover to manage land more effectively.
• VegMachine helps land managers monitor changes in their ground cover and landscape health.
• Request a property report and vegetation maps to help you identify clearing requirements and available clearing options.
• Request as protected plants flora survey trigger map showing high-risk areas for protected plants to help determine flora survey and clearing permit requirements.
• Access regional ecosystem descriptions and maps showing pre-clearing as well as remnant vegetation descriptions.

Soils

• View the Queensland soils data, including interpreting soil-mapping data, mapping resources, survey types and land evaluation schemes.
• The Australian Soil Resource Information System includes descriptions of soils and landscapes, and more detailed information one soil thickness, water storage, permeability, salinity, fertility and erodibility.

Water and coastal

• Access surface and groundwater maps, data, models and applications including water monitoring and watercourse identification.
• Use the water entitlement viewer to access details of water allocations, licences and unallocated water reserve volumes across Queensland.
• View flood imagery and data to improve economic and community resilience to extreme weather events.
• Request a coastal hazard property map and learn more about coastal hazards and mapping.
• The Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Atlas is a national dataset used to inform groundwater planning and management.
• The Water Tracking and Electronic Reporting System (WaTERS) lets you submit monitoring and tracking data online, once your business has been approved to release water into the environment.
• The Model for Effluent Disposal using Land Irrigation (MEDLI) software simulates how effluent stream is stored, treated and ultimately disposed of.

Species and biodiversity

• Request a map of a regional ecosystem's biodiversity status or broad vegetation group.
• Use the Australian Government's Protected Matters search tool to determine whether environmentally significant matters protected by the Environment and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 are likely to occur in your area of interest.
• Download matters of state environmental significance reports providing detailed maps and information on specific environmental values by location.
• Find your regional Natural Resource Management group across Queensland.
• Request a species list for properties in Queensland.
• Search for threatened species, habitats and recovery actions in your location.
• Use the Wetlands interactive mapping tool to see mapping statistics, drainage divisions and basins.
• Search the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area interactive map to view boundaries, zoning and vegetation.

Infrastructure and transport

• View the national key freight routes map app (includes road, rail, airport, seaport, resources and energy routes).
• View Queensland state-controlled roads and region maps.

Energy

View:

• Energex distribution annual planning report map
• Australian energy market operator interactive maps
• Australian NationalMap
• Queensland electricity generation interactive map
• Ergon Energy distribution annual planning report
• Ergon Energy network capacity map.

Fire

• Mapping fire scars (the visibly blackened land surface left after bushfires) and historical fire information can help you understand and manage fire and its interactions with climate variability, vegetation and land use.
• Track fires and hotspots, and view fire scars and history for North Australia and rangelands.