26 September 2025
ADAC Version 6:
A Technical Overview for Industry and Councils
The release of ADAC Version 6 introduces substantial changes to the Asset Design As Constructed standard. Developed in collaboration with councils and industry, this schema update improves the accuracy of asset data, expands support for new infrastructure types, and refines compliance pathways.
Core Technical Updates
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Land Parcels – Curved cadastral boundaries are now supported for parcels, easements and reserves, resolving long-standing issues with representing surveyed geometry.
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Communications and Electrical – A dedicated schema class now covers conduits, poles, cables and charging stations, separating them from generic categories.
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Open Space Assets – New inclusions such as fauna habitats, stabilisation areas and prepared surfaces expand environmental coverage. DDA-related attributes allow projects to demonstrate accessibility compliance.
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Sewerage – A new maintenance shaft type has been added, improving asset coverage for underground networks.
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Transport (NSW specific) – Attributes for pavements and parking reflect requirements from Transport for NSW, supporting regional alignment.
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Stormwater – End structure and grate classifications have been simplified for clearer, more consistent submissions.
Industry Implications
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For designers and surveyors, these changes mean fewer workarounds and a closer match between digital models and constructed assets.
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For councils and authorities, the schema provides stricter definitions, reducing interpretation errors during assessment.
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For utilities, new asset classes ensure infrastructure is described consistently across projects, strengthening long-term asset management.
Transition and Compatibility
Version 6 is fully compatible with earlier ADAC XML releases. Organisations can continue working with older files while transitioning to the new schema, ensuring data remains valid and enforceable throughout the changeover period. This avoids the disruption often associated with major standards updates.
Supporting Tools
Adopting a new schema requires robust tools:
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infrADAC Map lets users open, visualise and validate ADAC XML files in a browser. It highlights schema issues, checks against council requirements and supports all schema versions.
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infrADAC CAD integrates ADAC XML directly into AutoCAD. It allows users to build and edit assets, apply schema validation inside the CAD environment, and produce detailed audit reports for submissions.
Together, these applications remove the overhead of manual checking and give both councils and industry professionals confidence in their ADAC v6 workflows.