Survey Control Information Management System (SCIMS) Online
SCIMS Online is a web mapping tool that helps users search our database for permanent survey marks in the landscape.
About Survey Control Information Management System (SCIMS)
The Survey Control Information Management System (SCIMS) Online provides access to registered users the coordinates, metadata and sketch plans of permanent survey marks that form the State Survey Control Network, as well as other spatial (location-based) information across NSW.
Key functions include the ability to:
- graphically select permanent survey marks for the download of all data sets
- navigate by searching for an address, Lot/DP number, suburb name, Local Government Area (LGA), Point of Interest (POI), road intersection or survey mark
- display the latest high-resolution imagery and publication-quality topographic maps.
About Permanent Survey Marks
Permanent Survey Marks (PSMs) are physical markers placed in the ground at a precise spot. These marks help surveyors, engineers, and mapmakers measure exact positions and heights across the state.
Once you know exactly where that spot is, you can measure everything else relative to it, for example land parcels, road levels, building positions and flood levels.
PSMs as specified in the Surveying and Spatial Information Regulation 2024 and Surveyor-General’s Direction No. 1 can be purchased from Spatial Services and partnered distributors.
- For a full list of distributors, please refer to Surveyor-General’s Direction No. 1.
- For a price list of the available products, please refer to Survey Marks and Information Fees.
Laws we follow
SCIMS is managed by the Surveyor-General of NSW as part of the State Control Survey under the:
Technical information
Accuracy statements are assigned to each position and height, expressed in terms of:
- Class, Positional Uncertainty (PU) and Local Uncertainty (LU) for GDA2020, or
- Class and Order for GDA94
More information: Surveyor-General’s Direction No. 4: Interpreting the Survey Control Information Management System (SCIMS)
SCIMS stores coordinate information in the:
- Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 (GDA94)
- Geocentric Datum of Australia 2020 (GDA2020).
Height information is stored in relation to the Australian Height Datum 1971 (AHD) and Ellipsoidal Height for GDA2020.
Limited information is maintained in the former Australian Geodetic Datum 1966 (AGD66).
The coordinate values of survey marks in SCIMS are provided as Easting and Northing values on the Map Grid of Australia (MGA2020 or MGA94) projection or as latitude and longitude (geographic).
About SCIMS Online
SCIMS Online is the authoritative source for coordinate information on PSMs in NSW.
It’s a free, web-based mapping tool that lets anyone access SCIMS data through the Spatial Collaboration Portal.
You can search for PSMs, view their location on a map, and download their coordinates, heights, metadata and locality sketch plans.
Using SCIMS Online
To quote any coordinate or height for a PSM on a plan, it must come from SCIMS Online as it carries with it a transaction number that provides an auditable process.
You can view, print or download the results of your SCIMS Online searches. You'll receive products you've ordered via email with a link.
Resources
- Using SCIMS Online
- Surveyor-General’s Direction No. 4: Interpreting the Survey Control Information Management System (SCIMS)
- SCIMS Online support guide
How to access SCIMS Online
To access SCIMS Online, each user needs their own Spatial Collaboration Portal account. It is free to register and users can register themselves.
Steps to get your account:
- Create a Spatial Services Okta account
- Create a Spatial Collaboration Portal account
- Log in to the portal
- Find SCIMS Online in the "Map Viewers" section on the homepage.
Contribute to SCIMS
All surveyors are required to help us maintain and improve the State Control Survey Network by adding new permanent survey markers across NSW.
When a new mark is placed in the ground, the installer must notify the Surveyor-General via the lodgment of a Locality Sketch Plan.
Locality Sketch Plans (LSPs) are an essential component of the SCIMS database.
LSPs assist all users, including land surveyors, local councils and development consultants, to use and maintain the State Control Survey Network.
The Surveying and Spatial Information Regulation 2024 Clauses 39 and 43 require a surveyor to report the position of PSMs. To assist in this, an LSP form has been created to note all of the details required.
You can lodge Locality Sketch Plans via our Customer Hub. Use the following format:
- TIFF file format
- Black and white (1-bit colour depth)
- CCITT T.6 (Group 4) compression
- 200 dots per inch (dpi) resolution
- Single-page TIFFs only (only one LSP per TIFF)
- File name AAnnnnnnn.tif where AA is the mark type (PM, SS, etc.) and nnnnnnn is the seven-digit mark number including leading zeroes. For instance, PM0123456.tif is the LSP for permanent survey mark PM123456.
Download templates for Locality Sketch Plans.
More information: Surveyor-General’s Direction No. 2: Preparation of Locality Sketch Plans.
The network of PSMs and their spatial positions make up the State Control Survey, which is a key element in NSW's infrastructure.
The importance of these marks to the surveying, engineering and related industries has been well documented.
It is inevitable that over time, users discover survey marks that have been destroyed, damaged or difficult to find.
Read about Preservation of Survey Infrastructure.
See more about survey mark status descriptions.
Survey mark status reporting
To ensure time is not wasted searching for non-existent or damaged survey marks, it's important to immediately report the status of marks, so we can supply the industry with current information.
- Report the status of survey marks using the:
- Survey Mark Status Report form in the Spatial Services Customer Hub, or
- mobile application NSW Survey Marks, available on iOS or android operating system.
- apply to remove a Permanent Survey Mark via the Application for Surveyor-General Approval – Survey Mark(s) Removal
- Do not use the SCIMS Status Report form to notify us of marks intended to be destroyed.
All applications to remove Permanent Survey Marks must be made via the Application for Surveyor-General Approval - Survey Mark(s) Removal form through the Spatial Services Customer Hub.
More information:
About SCIMS web services
SCIMS web services offer a direct pipeline to NSW's official survey-control network data, letting you access live survey-mark data directly in your GIS software or mapping applications.
What SCIMS web services do
The web services provide:
- coordinates
- heights
- accuracy information for survey marks across NSW.
They support both the legacy GDA94 datum and the current GDA2020 standard required for all land survey plans lodged from 1 January 2020.
Understanding the data
All SCIMS web services provide:
- mark type – permanent survey mark (PSM), state survey mark (SSM), and so on.
- mark number – the unique identifier for each survey mark
- coordinates – either GDA94 or GDA2020, depending on the service
- accuracy information – class and order for GDA94; positional uncertainty and local uncertainty for GDA2020
- heights – with associated accuracy values
- mark status – whether the mark is active, destroyed, has restricted access, and so on.
Access web services
Choose the service that matches your project requirements and datum. If you're working on current projects, we recommend the GDA2020 service.
These web services are Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant and work with most GIS platforms including ArcGIS, QGIS, and other mapping applications.
Best for: All current surveying and mapping projects
This service provides GDA2020 coordinates and heights for NSW survey marks, plotted in their GDA2020 locations (equivalent to WGS84@2020). The precision of numerical output matches SCIMS Online exactly.
Coordinate reference system: WGS84, GDA2020
Attributes: GDA2020 coordinates and metadata
Note: GDA94 is available where transformation is explicitly defined in the request
Formats: REST, WMS, WFS, SOAP
Best for: Projects requiring GDA94 coordinates or working with legacy datasets
This service provides GDA94 coordinates, heights, and related information for NSW survey marks. The precision of numerical output matches SCIMS Online exactly. This is the updated GDA94 service with improved precision control.
Coordinate Reference System: WGS84, GDA94
Attributes: GDA94 coordinates and metadata
Formats: REST, WMS, WFS, SOAP
Status: Being phased out – use the current GDA94 service instead
This is the original GDA94 web service. As the newer services are adopted, this legacy service will be deprecated. If you're currently using this service, plan to migrate to the current GDA94 service or the GDA2020 service.
Coordinate Reference System: WGS84
Attributes: GDA94 coordinates and metadata
Formats: REST, WMS, SOAP
SCIMS Online support
Phone: 1300 211 253 (8.30am-5pm)
Email: SCIMS@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.