Coordinating the Cadastral Future of Surveyors – Does GNSS generate the ultimate monument?

1. Coordinating the Cadastral Future of Surveyors – Does GNSS generate the ultimate monument? Ian Harper Geodata Australia ISVIC - EXPO 2012

2. The Future When the steam engine was put into a boat it wasn’t used to blow wind into the sails. (Fryer and others)

3. The Future THE SIXTH WAVE Discusses the next stage of innovation and references the role of spatial information. A Converging Future – The Digital world is replicating everything in the natural world

4. The Future THE SIXTH WAVE. James Bradfield Moody & Bianca Nogrady SELL THE SERVICE – NOT THE PRODUCT

5. THE DATABASE FUTURE

8. THE DATABASE FUTURE

9. The Future Every aspect of our life is being changed by the internet and it is not a gradual process. We are in a state of information overload and it is increasing. It is promoted as good business to be involved: Social and Professional communications – e-magazines, e-newsletters, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, etc, etc Digital data – It is getting easier to generate and distribute digital data with spatial attributes irrespective of the quality or more importantly, the liability.

10. Property Administration In Australia – The Past The CADASTRE The Registry of boundaries and ownership as defined by Torrens Title The Manual Past Survey plans. Title documents Charting Maps

11. Property Administration In Australia – The Future The CADASTRE The Registry of boundaries and ownership as defined by Torrens Title ?? The Digital Future Electronic survey data Database storage of ownership Digital Cadastral Model Digitally defined Titles

12. Property Administration In Australia – The Present The CADASTRE The Registry of boundaries and ownership as defined by Torrens Title The Digital Future Electronic survey data Database storage of ownership Digital Cadastral Model Digitally defined Titles ?? The Manual Past Survey plans. Title documents Charting Maps

13. The Cadastral Future How to manage the transition from the historical measurement based title systems to the position based title systems of the future. It is imperative to the Profession that it is widely known that Registered Surveyors are the only people with the required qualifications to certify the Title to their most valuable asset.

14. COORDINATES Modern digital survey tools rely on coordinates: Coordinate Geometry software. GPS CORS Coordinates are the most effective way to store spatial data digitally.

15. COORDINATES Measurement by GPS is already accepted in NSW because calibrated equipment and self checking workflows are part of the governance criteria that allow certification. We just convert it all back to measurements for the sake of existing practises and legislation.

16. THE FUTURE OF COORDINATES Are Coordinates the HOLY GRAIL or sets of numbers masquerading as Digital Monuments? Surveyors know the answer to that!

17. COORDINATE DEFINITIONS We need to properly define the technical and legal status of terms in common use in the database world we now live in: Cadastral Model Coordinated cadastre Survey Accurate Cadastral Model Redefining every corner in the field? Creating the most accurate desktop model with all current and historical survey plan measurements and geodetic control Title coordinates (Measurement over monument?) DCDB - Digitised (or Digital ??) Cadastral Database NCDB - Numerical Cadastral Data Base Many aspects of governance need to be considered moving forward

18. COORDINATE DEFINITIONS We need to properly define the technical and legal status of terms in common use in the database world we now live in: Cadastral Model Coordinated cadastre Survey Accurate Cadastral Model Redefining every corner in the field? Creating the most accurate desktop model with all current and historical survey plan measurements and geodetic control Title coordinates (Measurement over monument?) DCDB - Digitised (or Digital ??) Cadastral Database NCDB - Numerical Cadastral Data Base Many aspects of governance need to be considered moving forward

19. The CADASTRAL COORDINATE CONUNDRUM Like the steam engine in the sailing ship many surveyors have difficulty understanding how things could be done differently within the same terms of governance.

20. Mike ELFICK - Cadastral Surveying As an articled pupil, (more than 50 years ago) I was taught by my boss. He was taught by his boss when he was a pupil. If I listen in to a boundary definition lecture at University or the Institution I still hear the same arguments on how to manage the historical measurements and monuments that underpin the Torrens System. GNSS and CORS are an opportunity for a complete rethink - not simply another way to measure.

21. The Cadastral Survey Data Model The Survey Data Model (SDM) process was developed in NSW to automate the intuitive process of referencing and weighting historical survey measurements and monuments on the ground with modern measurements to model the position of a boundary.

22. The Survey Data Model - Elfick The SDM generates a NUMERICAL CADASTRAL DATABASE (NCDB) That process is now the cadastral management engine in the ESRI GIS enterprise system in use around the world and has become a de facto standard cadastral data structure.

23. The Cadastral Survey Data Model A rigorous survey process that: • includes all the measurements of all the data on record. • has information about the way that the network of measurements is connected • has rules on how to interpret the data • has a survey based Least Squares Adjustment of all the measurements in the model that provides a detailed analysis of the geometry and parcel network. (At the click of a mouse)

24. Use of the SDM by surveyors The SDM is compiled in the office: • Assembly of all the existing data. Automatically resolves: • Azimuth swings • Measurement conversions • Scale factors • The adjustment will identify problem areas. It is a “whole to the part” approach.

25. Field Procedures • With the network with you on your laptop, as marks are found they are used to refine the model coordinates. • Where problems exist, look at how your measurements fit with the model network and re-run the adjustment using variations of cadastral marks being held fixed. Allows incorrect marks or dimensions to be isolated without the need to considerably extend the scope of the survey. ( i.e. provides comparisons across a whole database rather than singular traverse comparisons) It is dynamic approach that allows detailed analysis in the field

26. THE SURVEY DATA MODEL OUTCOME Survey Redefinition 1999 – new title distance measured between corners – 2,420.8 m Original survey mark found at corner Original survey mark found at corner + 6.8 metres between adjoining plans along the same line Survey Plan of Current Title PORTION 1 - SURVEYED in 1833 - ie no survey of this title has been undertaken since this plan Survey Title Dimension – 2,414.0 m

27. THE SURVEY DATA MODEL OUTCOME The coordinates in the SDM will represent the most accurate position of the true corners of Portion 1 and the dimensions generated by the model will more accurately define the true ground dimensions of the boundaries than the legal title document.

28. THE CADASTRAL FUTURE How a cadastral modelling process is introduced will determine the role of the cadastral surveyor. Our role under the Torrens Title system is not under threat unless changes are made to the legislation to dumb down the level of spatial validation. If that happens the next thing will be TITLE INSURANCE !!

29. NUMERICAL CADASTRAL DATABASE ( NCDB) ISSUES The Legal Status of the model coordinates Currently any cadastral database coordinates have no legal status. Coordinates are Dynamic Regular geodetic adjustments Tectonic movement Application of the 4th Dimension (time) to titles in the same way a surveyor is required to get the current SCIMS coordinates These are legal and technical issues that can be resolved by practical governance.

30. THE NCDB OUTCOME The more accurate a database is, the more beneficial it is to all business users. It provides a higher level of survey data management for surveyors in a database environment. An accurate NCDB should be considered basic infrastructure for government and funded accordingly.

31. NCDB IMPLEMENTATIONS The Northern Territory has a near complete NCDB. Legislation for defining parcels by coordinates in proclaimed areas has been in place for nearly 10 years. South Australia have started generating an accurate NCDB. Tasmania have just awarded a tender for pilot project to generate and integrate an NCDB into their existing systems.

32. NCDB IMPLEMENTATIONS The NSW ePlan process is based on the NCDB structure. An NCDB model of the existing cadastre is used in the plan examination process to check the spatial integrity of new surveys.

33. THE SURVEY DATA MODEL BENEFITS The SDM data structure is designed to retain the cadastral intelligence delivered by the ePlan process – as used in NSW. An operational SDM could allow overnight updating of the boundaries and the accuracy of a state DCDB once a plan is registered. In a mature system, sections of the SDM can be supplied back to surveyors to import into their coordinate geometry software to use as a dynamic cadastre in their the computations.

34. PENRITH Lakes Survey – SDM Case Study A desktop cadastral model of many old Portions and survey plans was generated and a survey plan was produced from that and registered. The coordinates representing the boundary corners were accurate to 1 mm. HOW CAN THIS BE?

35. PENRITH Lakes Survey – SDM Case Study HOW? The Penrith Lakes Development was a quarry that was mined for many years and then flooded. There are no survey monuments or occupations (fencing etc ) remaining for any spatial definition to rebut the model once that survey plan of redefinition is registered .

36. THE CADASTRAL FUTURE The cadastre of the future will be defined by coordinates, probably sooner than we think.

37. THE CADASTRAL FUTURE - NZ

38. THE CADASTRAL FUTURE - NZ

39. THE CADASTRAL FUTURE - NZ

40. THE CADASTRAL FUTURE - NZ "In Don's presentation he noted that while he used to be opposed to a legally definitive coordinate cadastre, mainly due to the effects of earth deformation, he is now reconsidering whether emerging technology might allow us to maintain boundary coordinates that could be used with reasonable confidence in the future

41. Managing Change Technology is driving us to give due consideration to all aspects of our work practises and systems: • existing plan formats • Workflows • Title definition • ePlan As a profession we should be proactive – not reactive.

42. THE ECONOMICS The level of risk influences the interest rate charged on lending by financial institutions. Legal and spatial security of Title is the foundation of the Torrens System. It provides strong security for investment funding so the economy benefits from lower interest rates. A surveyor’s role as a custodian of the cadastre supports that title security and the strength of the economy.

43. DATABASE STANDARDS SPATIAL STANDARDS Spatial specifications are being generated referring to geo-referencing to MGA and AHD etc, but with limited reference to data validation or certification that should be the domain of the Registered Surveyor. Spatial data is often incorporated into digital models with a blind acceptance and no consideration of data integrity even though GIS has the facility to reference that level of integrity in the metadata.

44. CONCLUSION Digital technology is providing new measurement and computational tools for surveying and GIS. Those tools now generate an efficient digital data structure that appears to offer options that threaten the existing role of the cadastral surveyor based only on the technology. How the Profession responds to these new challenges will determine its future in the face of change. The alternative is that it will be determined by others who set the Legislative agenda based on economic justifications.

45. Acknowledgements Michael Haines - VANZI Maurits van der Vlugt – Mercury Project Solutions Tony Sleigh - NSW Emergency Information Coordination Unit (EICU) Don Grant – NZ Surveyor General

46. THANK YOU Ian HARPER – GEODATA AUSTRALIA harper@geodata.com.au