Digital plans: The next generation of ePlan and Land XML
NSWLRS has adopted LandXML as a digital format for digital plan lodgment. With digital plans surveyors can benefit from improvements in the efficiency of the plan approval and registration process.
Digital Plans services are available with level 3 ePlan access through the NSW LRS Online Portal. For more information, see the individual fact sheets for approving authorities, developers and surveyors, or read the LXML user guide.
If you require assistance, please contact the Digital Plan Examination Team via the Contact Us form.
Model and NSW LandXML Recipe
The Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) has endorsed LandXML (or LXML) as the national standard for digital lodgment of cadastral plans. The LandXML Model accommodates all the survey geometry, administrative and titling data to process a plan from lodgment and registration through to the Digital Cadastral Database (DCDB) update.
The ICSM publication ePlan Protocol LandXML Mapping (PDF 1.25 MB) defines every element within the national LXML schema, but not every jurisdiction will use all the elements within the schema.
Digital plans in LXML format that are lodged in NSW will only contain:
All the administrative information (including the subset in the LXML), certification and signatures will remain in a PDF format Administration Sheet which must be lodged with the LXML file as part of the lodgment bundle.
NSW LandXML Recipe
NSW LRS publishes a NSW specific document, the NSW LandXML Recipe, to assist survey software vendors and surveyors to develop LXML functionality within their software and practices. The NSW LXML Recipe is a subset of the ICSM LandXML specification and also specifies the elements required in the LXML file for plan submission to NSW LRS.
Current NSW LandXML Recipe -Version 9.0
NSW Land XML Recipe version 9.0 is available to assist users with Plans surveyed during the period of 1 September 2017 – 31 December 2019.
NSW LandXML Recipe - Specifications for preparation of Deposited Plans in LandXML format for lodgment in NSW - version 9.0 (PDF 3.4MB).
New NSW LandXML Recipe -Version 9.1 - effective 1 January 2020
Following consultation with stakeholders, the NSW LandXML Recipe version 9.1 will supersede version 9 from 1 January 2020. The recipe has been made available in anticipation of upcoming GDA2020 changes.
NSW LandXML Recipe - Specifications for preparation of Deposited Plans in LandXML format for lodgment in NSW - version 9.1 (PDF 3.4MB).
Notes on version 9.1
NSW Schema files
To meet the changing requirements, NSW LandXML schemas are now being version controlled as follows. All 4 versions are now available in the NSW Schema files.
For Ingestion:
V1: All consolidated
For Creation and Validation:
V2: Prior to September 2017
V3: Current (September 2017 – December 2019)
V4: GDA2020 (January 2020 – onwards)
NSW Enumeration types (.XSD 35 KB)
NSW ePlan Protocol Schema (.XSD 35 KB)
LandXML Services available in ePlan
Two services have been deployed in the utilities tab of the ePlan portal to assist surveyors in their development of LXML capability.
1. LXML Validation Service
All ePlan users can now check their plans online for compliance with over 100 business and surveying rules and regulations.
By simply uploading LXML plan files to the validation service, surveyors can have more certainty that their plans will avoid the requisitions that commonly hold up registration.
NSW LRS is preparing to update the Validation Service to apply the latest Schema and Regulation changes. If you experience any issues with this service please contact our Digital Plan Examination Team via the Contact Us form.
2. LXML Plan Rendering Service
An online plan rendering service has been deployed for surveyors in the ePlan lodgment portal in SIX to render plan files in LandXML format onto a deposited plan form. The service is currently in a 'prototype' stage. This service can be used by surveyors to assist them in resolving issues in LandXML testing and lodgments.
A PDF file of the plan drawing needs to be lodged to support the LandXML until NSW LRS can produce a quality formal rendering of the LXML file onto the appropriate plan form.
What software can I use for digital plans?
A range of digital plans software is available to assist surveyors. Some software providers also offer training in their applications and in LandXML.
Find out more on our software suppliers page.