Compliance-ready ecological reports,
generated in minutes
Groundtruth automates the desktop assessment process — querying official government databases so you get the same output a senior ecologist would produce, without the weeks of manual research.
The assessment process
Enter your site coordinates and let Groundtruth do the rest. Four steps to a complete ecological desktop assessment.
Enter your site coordinates
Type an address, drop a pin on the map, or upload a KML/KMZ file with your study area boundary. Groundtruth automatically detects the state and configures the right data sources.
~30 secondsAI queries official databases
Groundtruth queries the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) for species records within your search radius — covering flora, fauna, and incidental observations from 800+ contributing datasets.
~60 secondsPMST + state regulatory lookup
Location data is submitted to the federal Protected Matters Search Tool (PMST), and relevant state databases — EPBC Act, BC Act, TECs, RE mapped communities, and MSES biodiversity layers.
~2 minutesReport generated and delivered
All results are synthesised into a 10-section compliance report with species tables, threatened species assessments, vegetation mapping, constraint analysis, and offset calculations.
~3–5 minutes totalPowered by official government data
Groundtruth doesn't make up species lists. Every record is pulled from authoritative Australian government databases — the same sources a regulator would check.
Atlas of Living Australia
The ALA aggregates species occurrence records from 800+ museums, herbaria, government agencies, and community science programs across Australia. Groundtruth queries it by coordinates and radius to build the species list for your site.
ala.org.au →DCCEEW PMST
The Protected Matters Search Tool from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water identifies EPBC Act protected matters (endangered species, critical habitat, heritage places) relevant to a coordinates-based search.
dcceew.gov.au →EPBC Act Listings
Groundtruth cross-references species returned from PMST against the current EPBC Act threatened species and ecological community lists to determine referral obligations under the Act.
EPBC Act List →BC Act (QLD / NSW)
State-level threatened species and communities listed under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992 or NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 — the triggers for state-level referral and offset requirements.
Regional Ecosystem (RE) Mapping
QLD RE and NSW Plant Community Type (PCT) databases map vegetation communities at a regional scale. Groundtruth identifies which RE/PCT communities occur at your site, their conservation status, and their relationship to TECs.
MSES Biodiversity Layers
Queensland's Matters of State Environmental Significance (MSES) layers identify regulated vegetation (high-value regrowth, essential habitat), wetlands, watercourses, and declared areas. Essential for offset calculations.
What's in a Groundtruth report
Every report follows the same 10-section structure as a manual desktop assessment — formatted for direct submission to clients, referral bodies, and regulators.
Site description
Location, land use, survey date, methodology, and contextual information from desktop sources.
Vegetation communities
RE/PCT mapped communities identified at the site, their status under state and federal legislation, and ecological character.
Flora survey results
ALA-derived flora species list for the search area, organised by family and status (endangered, vulnerable, near threatened).
Fauna survey results
ALA fauna records including incidental observations, grouped by class and conservation status with search effort caveat.
Threatened species assessment
Assessment of likelihood of occurrence for each EPBC/BC Act listed species, with habitat and record-based reasoning.
EPBC Act MNES
Matters of National Environmental Significance triggered by the proposal, including impact assessment and referral recommendation.
State legislation compliance
Assessment against BC Act,Vegetation Management Act, and other applicable state legislation with permit and approval pathways.
Impact assessment
Quantified impacts on MNES and state-significant matters, clearing thresholds, and significance of impacts under the EPBC Act.
Offset calculations
Where clearing is proposed, Groundtruth calculates offset obligations using state and federal offset calculators with recommended offset area characteristics.
Recommendations
Clear guidance on referral triggers, next steps for field survey, mitigation measures, and ongoing monitoring requirements.
Groundtruth vs. traditional assessment
Same regulatory standard. Fraction of the time and cost.
| Aspect | Traditional desktop assessment | Groundtruth Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Turnaround time | 4–6 weeks | Same day (under 5 minutes) |
| Cost per report | AU$3,000 – $8,000 | From AU$50/month (1 report free on Starter) |
| Species data sources | Manually queried by consultant | ALA + PMST queried automatically |
| PMST search | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| RE / PCT mapping | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| EPBC Act assessment | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Threatened species table | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| Offset calculations | ✅ Additional charge | ✅ Included |
| Suitable for referral submission | ✅ Yes (with ecologist sign-off) | ✅ Yes (with ecologist sign-off) |
| Scalable for multiple sites | ❌ Per-site cost compounds | ✅ Monthly plans cover high volumes |
Want to see it in your browser?
Request a personalised demo and we'll walk you through Groundtruth on a real project. Enterprise and government teams welcome.
Thanks! We'll be in touch within 24 hours.
In the meantime, feel free to explore the sample report or pricing page.
Official data sources you can trust
Groundtruth doesn't scrape guesswork — every finding traces back to a government database that a regulator would accept.
800+ aggregated data sources
The ALA brings together records from museums, universities, state agencies, and community programs — the most comprehensive species occurrence dataset in Australia. Records include GPS coordinates, taxonomy, and observation dates.
ala.org.au →Government-standard protected matters search
The Protected Matters Search Tool is the same tool used by the Department itself and recommended by the EPBC Act guidance. Groundtruth submits coordinates programmatically and processes the results for your report.
dcceew.gov.au →Current threatened species listings
EPBC Act listings are updated regularly. Groundtruth references the current legislative list when assessing referral obligations — so your report reflects the regulatory framework that's actually in force.
View EPBC Act →RE, PCT, TEC, and MSES layers
Regional Ecosystem mapping, Plant Community Type databases, Threatened Ecological Communities, and Queensland's Matters of State Environmental Significance layers are queried based on your site location and state.
See it in action
Try the sample report, jump into the app for free, or talk to us directly — we'll walk you through Groundtruth on a real project.