NSW land-use planning platform receives funding boost

The NSW Government has announced it will invest a further $20 million in its ‘world-first’ Land iQ system to expand the land-use technology tool for a broader range of planning uses by governments, universities, consultants and private enterprise.

Land iQ is a digital platform that helps planning and property professionals make faster and smarter decisions about land use, including identifying land for new homes across NSW. The platform combines government and external data in an interactive 3D map interface, enabling users to visualise and analyse land, run land-use scenarios, collaborate with property professionals in real time and optimise land-use plans.

The government says the $20 million funding will make Land iQ more effective, accessible and affordable, including:

• expanding its use across government to identify land for open space, employment and industrial use, as well as environmentally sensitive land needing protection;
• allowing users to subscribe to the parts of Land iQ they need, making it more cost-effective for a range of users, including tertiary educators, councils and land councils;
• providing access to Land iQ for users of the Giraffe mapping, modelling and analytics software to enhance its capabilities;
• enabling users to access Land iQ data for integrated use with other programs to provide enhanced functionality;
• delivering additional features, including site feasibility analysis tools that enable integration of individual user data with Land iQ data.
   

Since March, private sector organisations have been able to secure licences for Land iQ and its modules. The platform draws on a library of more than 200 data sources and 75 land-use data types to deliver insights for property and planning decisions.

The platform played a critical role in identifying suitable land for emergency housing following the NSW Northern Rivers floods. Land iQ is now being used by the government and local councils to more effectively and proactively plan and respond to future natural disaster events.

Property and Development NSW has been working with technology partners WSP, Giraffe and Aerometrex since 2021 to develop and expand the Land iQ platform.

“Our groundbreaking Land iQ tool has been a game changer, helping government and the private sector make better and quicker decisions around land use,” said Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper. “This significant funding boost expands the program, ensuring the world-first tool isn’t restricted just to government users, but available more widely across all areas of our economy.”

“We have developed Land iQ to be a functional tool that helps businesses do effective due diligence on various land use scenarios much faster and more effectively,” said Property and Development NSW Strategic Advisory Services Director James Strutt. “It is also very cost-effective for users with a large regional council indicatively saving $80,000 on a single strategic planning project by using Land iQ versus the traditional approach of procuring professional evaluation services externally.

“A yearly subscription to Land iQ costs just $8000, allowing users to make ongoing savings when the tool is used across on multiple projects.”

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