Data format requirements
The required formats for giving water information are specified as approved forms by the Director of Meteorology in an administrative instrument (535 KB) (Water Regulations, subregulation 7.06(5)).
The Director may approve different forms for different Categories of Persons and subcategories of water information.
The administrative instrument lists approved forms in order of preference:
- data providers may give their water information in any of the applicable forms listed. However, where more than one form is included, we prefer the format listed first
- where ‘Any format’ is shown in the administrative instrument you may give your water information to the Bureau in the electronic format in which you hold the data on your data management system.
Current format requirements
Format requirements are shown in Schedule 1 of the administrative instrument.
The formats specified affect organisations in the following Person Categories:
- Category A
- Category B
- Category F
- Category K
- Category L
the approved forms are:
- WDTF version 1.0.2
- Category 6 CSV
- water restrictions portal
- State Aquifer Framework spreadsheet
- National Groundwater Information System (NGIS) schemas
Download the administrative instrument (535 KB) for the full listing of who has to provide which water information in what format.
More information
Periodically, the Director may issue a new instrument to approve forms.
Read our policy for issuing and maintaining the administrative instrument. This policy conforms with a set of principles which we apply to all aspects of maintaining and developing Part 7 of the Water Regulations.
Previous instruments
For information, the following table links to previously published administrative instruments that are no longer in effect.
| Publication date | Date of effect | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 April 2016 | 18 April 2016 | 27 March 2017 | Document revised to align with the changes in Water Amendment (Water Information) Regulation 2016 (No. 1) |
| 25 November 2013 | 28 February 2014 | 17 April 2016 | This is the first instrument specifying approved forms. The formats specified affect organisations in Person Categories A, B, F and K |
Support and feedback
To request help with, or provide feedback on, water information formats, send an email to waterdatasupport@bom.gov.au.
