FAQ
Questions architects ask
Where does the data come from?
Lot boundaries from the NSW Spatial Services and Vicmap cadastres (live), building footprints from OpenStreetMap plus Microsoft's ML-derived footprints (filling unmapped streets) and user corrections, building heights from ELVIS LiDAR in covered suburbs, terrain from the national elevation model via AWS Open Data, solar geometry computed for the site's exact coordinates. Sources and their limits are listed on every report.
Will council accept the diagrams?
The sheets follow standard conventions — 21 June, 9am–3pm hourly, title blocks, north point, scale bar, method statement. Many practices lodge consultant-prepared diagrams in exactly this form; for certified documentation requirements, use the DXF export in your own drawing system.
How accurate are building heights?
In LiDAR-covered areas — around 700 km² of Sydney (200,000+ buildings measured: Inner West, North Shore, Eastern Suburbs, St George, Upper North Shore, Northern Beaches) — heights are measured from government aerial laser scanning, typically ±0.5 m. Elsewhere, neighbours default to 4.5 m and can be corrected on-screen in one click (1/2/3 storeys or exact); corrections are shared, so the dataset improves with use. More suburbs are being added.
Which council rules are included?
The standard NSW 3-hour/50% control, the Land & Environment Court planning principle (Parsonage, as revised by Benevolent Society), ADG 4A-1 for apartments, and per-council encodings with citations. Each rule states its source and any verification caveat.
Which states?
NSW and Victoria. Victorian parcels load from Vicmap, and selecting the ResCode B21 rule automatically shifts the whole analysis to the September equinox, as Victoria requires. Other states will follow demand.
Live study · Bellevue Hill NSW
21 June · 9am–3pm composite
