Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to deliver spatial product or service to meet client requirements, often in a supervisory capacity. It requires highly developed communication skills and the ability to apply in substantial depth skills and knowledge to a wide variety of spatial contexts to meet project deliverables. Functions would be carried out within organisational guidelines.

Application of the unit 

This unit of competency supports the application of organisational, sound communication, negotiation and problem-solving skills; the ability to demonstrate initiative and enterprise; and an understanding of technology. The skills and knowledge acquired upon completion of this unit would support the needs of employees in surveying, cartography, town planning, mapping or geographic information systems.

While no licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply holistically to this unit at the time of publication, relevant federal, and state or territory legislation, regulations and codes of practice impact upon this unit (see unit performance criteria and range statement).

Prerequisite units 

Nil

Employability skills 

The required outcomes described in this unit of competency contain applicable facets of employability skills. The Employability Skills Summary of the qualification in which this unit of competency is packaged, will assist in identifying employability skills requirements.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the required performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised  text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge and/or the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1 Develop the production plan .

1.1 Required spatial information services  (SIS ) project  deliverables are confirmed with relevant personnel .

1.2 Resources , equipment and materials  required are determined and organised in consultation with appropriate stakeholders .

1.3 Relevant personnel are informed of their involvement in the project, the parameters of their responsibilities, and team liaison  processes.

1.4 Understanding of project requirements is ensured to enable ongoing assessment  according to organisational guidelines .

1.5 All reasonable contingencies  are considered in the development of a risk management plan .

1.6 Relevant legal , statutory and industry standards  are considered and planned for.

1.7 Skills and knowledge are updated to accommodate changes in operating environment and equipment.

1.8 OHS  issues are considered at all times.

2 Implement the production plan .

2.1 Project management mechanisms  are implemented to measure, record and report progress of activities in relation to the agreed schedule and plans.

2.2 Computations and analysis  are undertaken for product development.

2.3 Design is prepared according to project specifications  and organisational guidelines.

2.4 Product is validated  for presentation where appropriate.

2.5 Outputs are validated against client requirements .

2.6 Metadata  is created according to organisational guidelines.

3 Monitor and complete the process .

3.1 Monitoring processes  are followed to ensure work accords with organisational quality assurance standards  and project specifications.

3.2 Financial management guidelines and processes  are implemented to monitor actual expenditure and to control costs.

3.3 Production  process is amended to cater for any irregularities or breakdowns in production.

3.4 Product is checked to ensure it meets specifications.

4 Complete documentation .

4.1 Production documentation  is completed according to organisational guidelines.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit.

Required skills :

• ability to relate to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities
• analytical skills
• business negotiation
• communication skills to:

• consult effectively with clients and colleagues
• impart knowledge and ideas through oral, written and visual means

• computer skills (high technical user level) to complete business documentation
• contractual management
• day-to-day human resource management
• delegation of duties
• literacy skills to:

• assess and use workplace information
• locate and interpret legislation and other written documentation
• prepare and manage documentation
• read and write technical reports
• research and evaluate

• numeracy skills to:

• analyse errors
• conduct image analysis
• interpret and analyse statistics
• perform mental calculations
• record with accuracy and precision
• undertake computations

• organisational skills to:

• coordinate technical and human resource inputs to research activities
• prioritise activities to meet contractual requirements

• project management, including production planning and management
• quality assurance
• resources management
• spatial skills to:

• exercise precision and accuracy in relation to design imagery
• perform spatial data archival and retrieval and train others in this task
• perform spatial data management and manipulation and train others in this task
• perform file management and train others in this task
• solve problems relating to height, depth, breadth, dimension, direction and position in actual operational activity and virtual representation
• understand implications of height, depth, breadth, dimension and position to actual operational activity and virtual representation

• time management skills.

Required knowledge and understanding :

• business practices
• information management
• legislation as it applies to the spatial industry sector
• methods of assessing existing spatial datasets and dataset sources
• organisational policies and guidelines
• performance evaluation procedures
• production process
• project management and administration
• project management tools, techniques and methodologies
• project review procedures
• quality assurance principles
• resource planning and costing
• safe work practices
• spatial data capture methodologies
• spatial data presentation methods
• spatial information principles and their application
• SIS project contingencies
• spatial referencing systems
• spatial technologies
• use of metadata.

Overview of assessment 

This unit of competency could be assessed on its own or in combination with other units relevant to the job function, for example units CPPSIS5003A Implement a spatial information services project plan, CPPSIS5004A Determine spatial data requirements, CPPSIS5008A Develop a complex spatial and aspatial database, and CPPSIS5011A Monitor and control the spatial components of projects.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence of:

• determining precise data requirements
• applying cost considerations
• applying qualitative and quantitative measurements for a project
• assessing and acting upon contingencies
• communication and negotiation skills
• analysing data
• coordinating resources, equipment and personnel to achieve specified outcomes in a timely and efficient manner
• managing risks and contingencies
• working towards set targets
• understanding spatial project deliverables.

Specific resources for assessment 

Resource implications for assessment include access to:

• assessment instruments, including personal planner and assessment record book
• assignment instructions, work plans and schedules, policy documents and duty statements
• registered training provider of assessment services
• relevant guidelines, regulations and codes of practice
• suitable venue and equipment.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.

Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with disabilities.

Context of assessment 

Holistic: based on the performance criteria, evidence guide, range statement, and required skills and knowledge.

Method of assessment 

Demonstrated over a period of time and observed by the assessor (or assessment team working together to conduct the assessment).

Demonstrated competency in a range of situations, that may include customer/workplace interruptions and involvement in related activities normally experienced in the workplace.

Obtained by observing activities in the field and reviewing induction information. If this is not practicable, observation in realistic simulated environments may be substituted.

Guidance information for assessment 

Assessment requires that the clients' objectives and industry expectations are met. If the clients' objectives are narrowly defined or not representative of industry needs, it may be necessary to refer to portfolio case studies of a variety of SIS requirements to assess competency.

Oral questioning or written assessment and hypothetical situations (scenarios) may be used to assess underpinning knowledge (in assessment situations where the candidate is offered a preference between oral questioning or written assessment, questions are to be identical).

Supplementary evidence may be obtained from relevant authenticated correspondence from existing supervisors, team leaders or specialist training staff.

All practical demonstration must adhere to the safety and environmental regulations relevant to each State or Territory.

Where assessment is for the purpose of recognition (recognition of current competencies [RCC] or recognition of prior learning [RPL]), the evidence provided will need to be authenticated and show that it represents competency demonstrated over a period of time.

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess the underpinning knowledge.

Assessment processes will be appropriate to the language and literacy levels of the candidate and any cultural issues that may affect responses to the questions, and will reflect the requirements of the competency and the work being performed.

SIS project  may include:

• administration (e.g. postcodes, suburbs, and federal and state electoral counties)
• analysis of environmental, land and geographic information
• asset management
• cartographic services
• civil engineering
• charts
• designs
• digital data
• digital imagery
• electricity
• emergency services management
• environmental datasets
• formats of electronic data
• geographic information systems (GIS)
• integrated services - environmental, land and geographic related datasets
• land ownership tenure system
• local government
• location-based services
• models
• global positioning
• mapping facilities
• site analysis
• survey marks
• sewerage
• telecommunications
• town planning
• utility services such as water
• water catchment.

Relevant personnel  may include:

• administrative staff
• managers
• production workers
• project workers
• supervisors
• team members
• technical staff
• users.

Resources , equipment and materials  may include:

• electronic theodolites
• global positioning system
• gyro-theodolite
• human resources
• lasers
• levels
• optical reading instruments
• tapes
• total station.

Stakeholders  may include:

• human resource personnel: internal or external
• procurement agency: internal or external management.

Team liaison  may include:

• communication
• complementary work practices
• duties
• formal and informal meetings
• mentoring system
• problem solving
• project delivery schedules
• reporting mechanisms
• communication with supervisors
• work allocation.

Ongoing assessment  may include assessment of:

• production achievements against targets and milestones
• personnel team output against project specifications
• individuals' performance against their employment contracts and training requirements.

Organisational guidelines  may include:

• code of ethics
• company policy
• legislation relevant to the work or service function, including equal employment opportunity (EEO)
• manuals
• OHS policies and procedures
• personnel practices and guidelines outlining work roles and responsibilities.

Contingencies  may include:

• equipment failure
• injury to personnel
• personnel turnover
• observation errors
• obstructions to project plan
• weather.

Risk management plan  may include:

• effective management
• keeping within budgetary constraints
• keeping within timelines
• project stages clearly identified
• sound internal audit processes.

Legal , statutory and industry standards  may include:

• Australian standards
• award and enterprise agreements
• certification requirements
• codes of practice
• duty of care
• environmental standards
• local government requirements
• state statutes and regulations
• quality assurance requirements.

OHS  may include:

• Australian standards
• development of site safety plan
• identification of potential hazards
• inspection of work sites
• training staff in OHS requirements
• use of equipment and signage.

Project management mechanisms  may include:

• communication with stakeholders
• dispute resolution guidelines
• monitoring and adjusting key milestones.

Computation and analysis  may include:

• design of subdivision layout and infrastructure such as:

• roads
• sewer drainage
• stormwater drainage
• water supply

• GIS analysis.

Project specifications  may include:

• detailed technical descriptions of survey data and its requirements
• preparation of cross-sections and plans with all information included.

Validated  means reflecting the true state of a test result, including tests for systematic distortions such as:

• confounding bias
• information/data bias
• observational bias
• recall bias
• selection bias.

Client requirements  refer to description of outputs and may be contained in:

• contracts
• memos
• tender briefs
• verbal instructions
• written instructions.

Metadata  may include:

• summarised information about a spatial dataset that describes the characteristics of the dataset, including:

• availability
• conditions of use
• coordinate system
• currency
• date of acquisition
• quality
• source
• spatial data acquisition methodologies
• version control.

Monitoring processes  may include:

• measurement of performance and production against:

• client expectations
• deadlines
• milestones
• objectives
• quality standards
• specifications
• targets.

Quality assurance standards  may include:

• internal and external
• product or service measurement against set criteria
• standard verification
• target monitoring.

Financial management guidelines and processes  may include:

• approval processes
• communication
• financial authorisation
• financial delegation
• invoice guidelines
• reporting.

Production  may include:

• enhancements
• manual entry
• preparation of maps or plans
• spatial data access
• spatial data editing
• spatial data integration.

Production documentation  may include:

• checklists
• completed dispatch records
• contingency reports
• production reports.

Unit sector 

Spatial information services