Frequently asked questions

DE Africa Map Operation

What browsers work with DE Africa Map?

It is best to use a browser with WebGL support such as the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer (IE) 11. It will also work in some older browsers (for example IE9 and IE10) but the map rendering will be limited. It may not support 3D rendering of maps, so the 3D Terrain option may show the same result as 3D Smooth.

What types of spatial data are displayed by DE Africa Map?

There are three types of spatial data which are read from the data sources and displayed by DE Africa Map over its base maps:

Point Click on any point to see more information about that particular point feature.

Line Click on any line to see more information about that particular line feature.

Region Click within any region to see more information about that region.

Why do "3D Terrain" and "3D Smooth" Perspective Views look the same on my computer?

Some older computers do not have graphics cards which fully support WebGL and some older browsers do not make use of this support even if it is present. The DE Africa Map requires this support in order to support 3D Terrain Perspective View.

Try upgrading your browser to the latest version. If that still does not work, you may need to consider working on a computer that has more recent graphics support.

Why does the terrain in my perspective view have two different hues?

DE Africa Map automatically changes the content of the map according to the scale at which you're viewing. If you zoom in it shows more detail. At some points in the zoom range, the map display switches from high altitude photography to lower altitude photography. These sets of the photography are not colour matched to each other, so may have quite different hues. The actual photography scales used, the date of that photography and its lighting conditions will vary across Australia.

When you are using Perspective View the part of the terrain nearest to the "camera position" is naturally shown at a larger scale than the more distant parts. Depending on your zoom level, this can result in the foreground being displayed with a different set of photography from the distant parts of your Perspective View.

How can I save my current data selection and view?
  1. Select the datasets that you would like to save. Adjust the view to the desired view.

  2. Create a share URL by clicking the "Share / Print" button at the top right.

  3. Copy the generated share URL and email the URL to yourself, or save it in Favourites.

I need more help to use the DE Africa Map. Who can I ask?

Send your question to earth.observation@ga.gov.au.

DE Africa Map System and Data

Where does the spatial data come from?

The spatial data displayed by the DE Africa Map is sourced from a range of organisations.

You can see details of the department or agency that provides the spatial data by clicking About this data in the data workbench.

The data I was using are now gone. Where did they go?

The spatial data displayed by the DE Africa Map are referenced directly from the supplying department or agency by the DE Africa Map server. If that supplying department or agency updates or removes any data, that change will be reflected immediately by the DE Africa Map.

If you have any questions about the spatial data, you will need to contact the supplying department or agency.

Where do the base maps come from?

The base maps displayed by the DE Africa Map come from a number of difference sources including Microsoft’s Bing, Geoscience Australia, Esri and NASA. They are downloaded from the source as they are required, so they are as up to date as that service provides.

Who developed the DE Africa Map?

The DE Africa Map was developed by Data61, working closely with Geoscience Australia. See the About page for more information.

Who owns the spatial data on DE Africa Map? Can I use it and distribute it?

Before distributing any data from DE Africa Map it is important to understand the licence restriction for the data. All data sets displayed by the DE Africa Map are the property of the department or agency which has provided them.

The licence which governs the usage and distribution restrictions for each data set is shown in catalogue.

How reliable is the spatial data on the DE Africa Map?

The reliability will vary between data sets. To understand the reliability of a particular data set, click on the title of the data set in question in the Data Catalogue for more information. The metadata which is shown in the Data Catalogue may offer sufficient information or you may need to contact the listed data provider.

Why can I see the whole world on the DE Africa Map? Most of the DE Africa Map base maps are provided by services for the whole world. There is no value in suppressing the display of the rest of the world, so you can view it if you wish.

The DE Africa Map's spatial data does not cover the rest of the world.

Will more data sets be added to DE Africa Map?

DE Africa is making products available based on the needs of African countries. For more information visit digitalearthafrica.org.

Reporting issues and providing feedback

I think I've found a bug. How do I report it?

Email earth.observation@ga.gov.au to report the problem. Be sure to include a step by step description of how to reproduce the problem.

I'd love a new feature. Can I suggest it?

Email your suggestion to earth.observation@ga.gov.au

I think there’s an error in some data. How can I find out if it’s correct or report the problem?

The data displayed by the DE Africa Map are only referred to by the DE Africa Map and are not part of the DE Africa Map. You will need to refer to the department or agency which provides the data set.