The ABS is responsible for developing statistical geography standards that are used for the dissemination of statistics. The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) brings together in one framework all of the regions which the ABS and many other organisations use to collect, release and analyse geographically classified statistics.

The ASGS ensures that these statistics are comparable and geospatially integrated. It provides users with a coherent set of standard regions so that they can access, visualise, analyse and understand statistics. The ABS encourages the use of the ASGS by other organisations to improve the comparability and usefulness of statistics generally as well as in the analysis and visualisation of statistical and other data.

What's new in Statistical Geography

Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Volume 1 – Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2016 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.001). Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Volume 2 - Indigenous Structure, July 2016 (cat no. 1270.0.55.002). Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Volume 3 - Non ABS Structures, July 2016 (cat no. 1270.0.55.003). ABS Geospatial Web Services User Guide (cat. no. 1470.0). Census of Population and Housing Destination Zones, August 2016 (cat. no. 8000.0). Online mapping tool to view and compare the ASGS regions, ABS Maps The ABS has developed the Statistical Spatial Framework (SSF) to enable users and producers of data to better integrate statistical and geospatial information.

Upcoming Releases		Commonly Requested Information
ASGS Volume 4: Significant Urban Areas, Urban Centres and Localities, Section of State - Late 2017 ASGS Volume 5: Remoteness Structure - Early 2018		Correspondences Gazetted Localities & State Suburbs Remoteness Structure Digital Boundaries for GIS Definition of Urban and Rural Converting data to the ASGS Definition of Metropolitan and non-Metropolitan