The department needed detailed spatial maps of the state that could be accessed quickly online by staff across the state.
Vincent Bok, manager of school planning at the department, said the existing solution did not provide detailed data and was too slow to access.
"The existing software couldn't cope with [increasing demand]. It was too inefficient," he said. "Our new solution is faster and produces better quality [results]."
Bok, who did not reveal costings, said the software took 18 months to roll out, with initial customization taking about six months. He said a number of solutions had been reviewed in the leadup to selection.
The software, called GeoPro and GeoMedia WebMap, from Intergraph, allows access to future planning and geographical data by staff at head office and at regional and metropolitan schools via the Internet.