How do applicants create Plans for use in SPEAR? - Tech Note 4
This document outlines the minor changes to be made to the format Plans and Survey Documents for use in SPEAR. These changes are mandatory Land Victoria requirements for registration of the Plan.
Applicant created documents in SPEAR - Tech Note 4 (PDF)
Which internet browsers can I use with SPEAR?
SPEAR officially supports Internet Explorer versions 6 and 7 as well as Mozilla Firefox version 2.0.0.3.
Due to the careful use of standards, SPEAR is likely to be useable with many other browsers. No testing has been performed, other than for the supported browsers, so there is no guarantee that all SPEAR functions will work or be displayed correctly with other browsers.
Does SPEAR require Cookies?
Cookies MUST be enabled for all subscribers who logon to SPEAR.
A "cookie" is a small piece of information created by a web server and remembered by your browser. Session cookies are kept in memory until the browser is closed. Other cookies are stored on disk for as long as requested.
The use of session cookies is mandatory. You will not be able to logon to SPEAR if your browser doesn't allow session cookies. SPEAR uses this cookie to remember who you are and what application you are working with.
Unlike many web sites, SPEAR only uses session cookies, which are valid for the current browser session and are not stored on disk.
Contact your IT staff if you are unsure how to enable cookies.
I have a slow modem, can I still use SPEAR?
Broadband connection is recommended for using SPEAR as the system contains many documents some of which might be greater than 1Mb.
SPEAR will operate with a slower Internet connection but it will take longer to download or upload larger documents.
Are there any network or firewall settings to be aware of?
SPEAR makes use of standard HTTP and HTTPS to port 80 of the Land Exchange web server. No special actions or set-ups are required by subscribers or organisations to access the SPEAR server. However, for organisations that have FIREWALL restrictions in place, they will need to ensure they have RULES in place to allow their users' access to the SPEAR server. In addition, for users with Mail sweepers, they also need to have Rules in place to allow emails from SPEAR to be delivered.
back to top 
What are the levels of authorisation assignable to users in SPEAR?
There are three levels of authorisation that may be assigned to a given SPEAR user:
Standard users are able to add data, documents, complete prescribed forms, and perform most functions within SPEAR. However, many documents added and decisions made by these users will need to be authenticated by a Password Approved or Signing user.
Password Approved users are able to perform the same range of tasks as Standard users, but are also able to authenticate, by password, a broader range of documents and decisions. This is the equivalent of someone who can sign a letter on behalf of the organisation.
Signing users are the same as Password Approved users, but are also able to use a
Digital Signature Certificate (ABN-DSC) to digitally sign specified documents. Signing users are either licensed surveyors within an applicant organisation or delegated planning or subdivision officers within councils.
What are the levels of authentication assigned to documents and decisions in SPEAR?
There are three levels of authentication that may be assigned to a document or decision within SPEAR:
Standard - Applies to those documents or decisions that are generally administrative in nature and do not require any further level of authentication to be finalised in SPEAR. An example of this is the adding of an organisation's Reference Numbers to an application.
Password Approved - Most documents and decisions in SPEAR require password approval before they are finalised. Documents are then able to be viewed by other SPEAR user groups related to the application. Password approved level documents/decisions are able to be authenticated by Authorised or Signing SPEAR users.
Signing - Key documents or decisions in SPEAR require a Digital Signature to be applied as authentication. Digital Signatures are required to be added by Licensed Surveyors to the Plan of Subdivision, Abstract of Field Records and Surveyors Report. Council Delegates are required to Digitally Sign Planning Permit Decisions, Certification Decisions and Statements of Compliance in SPEAR.
back to top
What do Signing Users need to do, to digitally sign documents and decisions in SPEAR?
Signing users are required to purchase a Digital Signature Certificate from VeriSign. Refer to the SPEAR Getting a Digital Certificate web page for more details.
To use your Digital Signature Certificate with SPEAR you will need to download and install the CSI Management Utility application. This is afree program developed by the Australian Taxation Office to manage the interaction between digital signatures and SPEAR.
What is a Digital Signature Certificate?
A Digital Signature Certificate is equivalent to a handwritten signature when signing important documents. The certificate must be kept securely and only used by the person it has been issued to.
A Digital Signature Certificate is an electronic means of establishing your credentials when doing business or performing transactions on the Web. It contains your name, an expiry date, a private key (used for decrypting messages and creating a digital signature), a public key (used for encrypting messages and verifying digital signatures), and the digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority so that a recipient can verify that the certificate is real.
There are many types of Digital Certificate. The type you must acquire to use in SPEAR is an ABN-DSC type. When you apply for a Digital Certificate you actually receive two certificates, a Digital Signing Certificate and a Digital Encryption Certificate. You must download and install both certificates but you only require the Digital Signing Certificate to digitally sign documents in SPEAR.
See How do I get a Digital Certificate? for assistance with acquiring and installing Digital Certificates.
back to top
What is an ABN-DSC?
The Australian Business Number Digital Signature Certificate (ABN-DSC) is a type of Digital Certificate, linked to an organisation's ABN. It recognises a person with the Digital Certificate as being employed by or representing the organisation whose ABN it is linked to. A person with an ABN-DSC who changes jobs can not use the same Digital Signing Certificate to digitally sign documents on behalf of the new employer. They must acquire a new certificate that is linked to the new organisations ABN.
The Digital Certificate test in SPEAR failed, what do I need to do?
There are many reasons that the Digital Certificate test may fail in SPEAR, which is why we ask you to test it!
The most common reason is a mismatch of user or organisation details. SPEAR cross checks that the information supplied on your Digital Certificate exactly matches the information in our records for security reasons. Sometimes we need to update SPEAR’s records to make sure the details such as spelling match exactly. This can be done by either your organisation’s SPEAR Local Administrator or by the SPEAR Service Desk.
Should I backup my Digital Certificate?
Yes! We STRONGLY recommend certificates are backed up as soon as you receive them as this ensures they are easily recovered in the event of a major computer malfunction, a Hard Disk failure, a software upgrade, the replacement of your PC, or they become simply corrupt.
It’s very important that this backup is kept in a secure location. We recommend that the certificate is copied to a secure location on a network drive, and/or onto a CD, a USB memory stick or other form of storage device. This backup, along with all your Digital Certificate passwords are then stored in a secure place.
Do not backup your Digital Certificates onto your local computers hard drive.
Ensure you have a way of recalling all of your Digital Certificate passwords.
back to top
What format must my document be in to use it in SPEAR?
The common digital format adopted for usage in SPEAR is the Portable Digital Format (PDF). PDF is widely used within government and industry and provides a common low cost option for simple creation of documents for electronic delivery.
SPEAR requires all submitted documents are in PDF version 1.2 or greater. Check PDF version by opening document in Acrobat reader then go to File> document properties.
There are particular requirements for the format of key documents created by Surveyors to add to SPEAR (refer to Applicant created documents in SPEAR - Tech Note 4 for more information).
The only file that will not be in PDF is the digital survey geometry (DSG) added by Surveyors, as this will be in DGN or DXF (this file is used for Mapbase updating and is a water business requirement).
How do I view a PDF document from SPEAR?
The latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader is available free of charge here.
This reader has the capacity to print the file, pan, and zoom in and out together with a number of other functions.
Other software also allows PDF files to be viewed.
What software is available to convert files to PDF format?
The following products can create PDF files and work in SPEAR:
This list is not exhaustive. There are other products that can be used to convert documents to PDF; however they may not have been tested with SPEAR.
SPEAR requires all submitted documents are in PDF version 1.2 or greater.
Check PDF version by opening document in Acrobat reader then go to File> document properties.
Note to Surveyors: SPEAR is built on the principle that all documents will be presented as one file. For example , a plan consisting of 20 pages will be presented as one multi-page document not as 20 separate pages. Most of the free software about on the web can create PDF documents from CAD but cannot aggregate a number of PDF files – you will need to have PDF merge software which is also available on the web.
Adobe Acrobat contains all this functionality in one package.
Please be aware that some free PDF creation software puts a watermark/banner on the bottom of the file. This is not acceptable to Land Victoria or to SPEAR.
Is SPEAR recommending a particular software product?
No, organisations have different needs. Any software that can create a PDF document that meets SPEAR requirements may be used (refer Applicant created documents in SPEAR - Tech Note 4 for more information).
How do these products work?
Generally, these products operate by allowing the subscriber to print a given document to a printer with a name such as Adobe PDF. The PDF product will prompt for the name of a file and will write the document to that file in PDF format. Refer to Instructions for creating PDF documents for basic instructions on PDF creation from Word Documents.
back to top
Technical FAQ's
Get Acrobat PDF Reader