Cadastral Survey Guidelines – e-survey
4. SURVEY TECHNOLOGY
CONTENTS
4. SURVEY TECHNOLOGY.......................................................................... 1
4.1 Calibration of Equipment .........................................................................................................1
4.1.1 Location of Baselines..............................................................................................................1
4.1.2 Chain Testing ..........................................................................................................................2
4.2 GPS Surveys ...............................................................................................................................3
4.2.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................3
4.2.2 Calibration of Equipment........................................................................................................3
4.2.3 Origins.....................................................................................................................................4
4.2.4 Good Survey Practice..............................................................................................................4
4.2.5 Connection to Witness Marks .................................................................................................5
4.2.6 Information must be enough to fix Boundaries and Marks.....................................................5
4.2.7 Distances and Bearings ...........................................................................................................6
4.2.8 Heights ....................................................................................................................................6
4.2.9 Prescribed standard of accuracy for vectors............................................................................6
4.2.10 Misclosures ........................................................................................................................6
4.2.11 Format of Observations......................................................................................................6
4.2.12 Survey Report.....................................................................................................................7
4.2.13 Presentation of Tabulated data ...........................................................................................8
4.2.14 Reference Material .............................................................................................................8
These guidelines have not been revised since 2004, consequently Version: 5.1 e-survey
they should not be relied on as a current statement of survey August 2004
requirements and practice
Cadastral Survey Guidelines – e-survey SURVEY TECHNOLOGY Chapter 4 - Page 1
4. SURVEY TECHNOLOGY
4.1 Calibration of Equipment
• Instruments must be calibrated regularly and Baselines are available throughout
the country for comparisons of measurement.
• Instruments should be calibrated immediately after repairs to that instrument.
• Calibration will be required at more frequent intervals for instruments over 10
years old to check on scale error due to aging frequency mechanisms.
• Calibration certificates can be requested by the Approving Surveyor for the
survey validation process and by the Senior Advisor to the Surveyor-General for
the auditing processes.
• See 4.2.2 for calibration of GPS equipment
4.1.1 Location of Baselines
North Auckland Land District:
Kupe St. Orakei (SO 47889)
Kokopu Rd. Ruatangata (SO 55175)
South Auckland Land District:
Rotorua Airport (SO 49259)
Dey St. (SO 53628)
Tauranga (SO 56277)
To use the Dey St. Base additional pillar fittings are required. These can be
obtained from the Principal Surveyor (Opus Consultants).
Taranaki Land District
Airport Drive, Bell Block (SO14852)
Wellington Land District:
Cobham Drive, Wellington (SO35832)
Roberts Line, Palmerston North (SO32273)
SO 35832 has been amended following the destruction of Pillar A.
SO 32273 has an amendment to the height of RM VIII.
Gisborne Land District:
College Rd., Waerengaahika (SO 6681)
Otara Rd. Opotiki (SO 7817)
Cyclic Error Test Base & chain test base, Nga Wai E Rua Building, Lowe St.
Gisborne
Hawkes Bay Land District:
Western side of HB Airport (SO 7312)
These guidelines have not been revised since 2004, consequently Version: 5.1 e-survey
they should not be relied on as a current statement of survey August 2004
requirements and practice
Cadastral Survey Guidelines – e-survey SURVEY TECHNOLOGY Chapter 4 - Page 2
Canterbury Land District
Linwood Avenue, Christchurch (SO 13058)
Richard Pearse Airport, Timaru (SO16252)
Marlborough Land District:
Fairhall Diversion (SO 5466)
Nelson Land District:
Nelson Airport (SO15529)
Contact the Control Tower (03-547 9799) immediately before entering and after
vacating the airport grounds.
Westland Land District:
Park St. Hokitika (SO12432 and SO 12597)
Otago Land District
Dukes Road, Mosgiel (SO 19413) Tripods required
Northern Motorway, Waitati (SO20547) Forced centering. Adaptors required.
Luggate-Cromwell Road, SH6 (SO19213) Tripods required.
Southland Land District;
Moulson St./ Scott St./ SH 92 (SO 10415)
4.1.2 Chain Testing
Most of the former chain test bays have been dismantled. Calibration can be through
the Surveyor-General by writing to:
Surveyor-General,
Land Information New Zealand
Private Box 5501
Wellington
The Surveyor-General will provide advice of contractor(s) that undertake this service.
The surveyor will be invoiced directly by the contractor who carries out the test.
These guidelines have not been revised since 2004, consequently Version: 5.1 e-survey
they should not be relied on as a current statement of survey August 2004
requirements and practice
Cadastral Survey Guidelines – e-survey SURVEY TECHNOLOGY Chapter 4 - Page 3
4.2 GPS Surveys
4.2.1 Introduction
Global Positioning Systems are now used extensively by the surveying profession.
Traditionally GPS has been used for high precision geodetic survey but increasingly it
is being used by the private survey practitioner for cadastral surveys.
These guidelines outline recommended procedures for compliance with the Surveyor
General’s Rules 2002/2
4.2.2 Calibration of Equipment
GPS equipment, software and procedures should be tested before general usage. This
can be achieved by making measurements and processing data over known baselines
or a network of points.
Unlike EDM equipment, GPS receivers cannot be calibrated for scale because the
definition of scale is inherent in the satellites and orbit data. However, antennas and
tribrachs can be calibrated for centering errors.
Antenna centering errors are generally not significant when geodetic quality
equipment (e.g. with microstrip antennae) is used for cadastral surveys. However, the
Approving Surveyor or the Senior Advisor to the Surveyor-General is entitled to
request a calibration test if there is reason to doubt the GPS results - particularly those
on short lines. Note however, such doubts are more likely to be the result of errors in a
tribrach or antenna pole bubble. Any such requested information would be lodged as
an image of a supporting document.
Calibration may be desirable where different types of antenna are used on opposite
ends of short lines (under 100 metres) or where antennas designed principally for
navigation are being used for cadastral surveys other than Class IV.
[Note: Centring errors can be tested by setting up 2 receivers within a few metres of
each other and periodically rotating one of the antennas by 90°. The observing time
for each position should be longer than the usual field observation time so as to
minimise the impact of multipath errors which otherwise may lead to an apparent
centring error where none exists. A baseline should be calculated for each position. If
the baselines vary by a few millimetres then the centring error may be ignored for
cadastral survey. Variations greater than 5 mm will require further investigation,
particularly if the pattern of results matches the rotation of the antenna. Antenna
offsets may also be present when mixing different antenna types; this may be tested by
measuring a line of a few metres with GPS and comparing the results with a direct
EDM or taped measurement of the line between the antennae.]
These guidelines have not been revised since 2004, consequently Version: 5.1 e-survey
they should not be relied on as a current statement of survey August 2004
requirements and practice
Cadastral Survey Guidelines – e-survey SURVEY TECHNOLOGY Chapter 4 - Page 4
4.2.3 Origins
In line with the Surveyor General’s Rules for Cadastral Survey 2002/2, “a survey must
be connected to at least 3 existing approved survey marks adequate to prove its
reliability, orientation, and scale”.
GPS observations can be made directly between three or more appropriate existing
survey marks to prove the origin in the conventional manner, e.g. by comparing
bearing and distances between origin marks.
Alternatively, where a base station is used outside the area of the survey, 3 or more
appropriate existing surveys marks in the area of the survey need to be tied to. At pre-
validation, Landonline will perform the calculations necessary to bring the survey in
terms of these marks.
Where the survey consists of a mixture of GPS and conventional observations, the
connections between the separately observed networks must be such that Rule 8 is
satisfied – i.e. that “bearing and positional accuracy are maintained over the whole
survey.” This should be apparent from observations shown in the dataset.
4.2.4 Good Survey Practice
GPS provides the ability to operate over greater distances than with conventional
equipment. Often base stations outside of the area of the survey can be employed. All
GPS surveys must be undertaken in accordance with accepted good survey practice as
follows.
1. As a general rule GPS marks should be intervisible, particularly boundary and
witness marks, to aid future surveys where conventional techniques may be
used.
2. GPS observation procedures should be designed to detect and eliminate:
• ambiguity initialisation errors;
• the effects of multipath;
• interference from electrical interference such as substations, microwave or
other spurious radio signals;
• poor satellite geometry due to satellite configuration and/or sky coverage
obstructions.
.
3. All marks should be annotated with a unique identifier. Note that Schedule 3
Clause 7(f) of the SG Rules requires all new marks (witness, traverse or
boundary) to have a unique identifier
These guidelines have not been revised since 2004, consequently Version: 5.1 e-survey
they should not be relied on as a current statement of survey August 2004
requirements and practice
Cadastral Survey Guidelines – e-survey SURVEY TECHNOLOGY Chapter 4 - Page 5
4. With the possible exception of Class IV surveys (see below), all GPS
observations are to be checked by independent observations from another
(independent) base station.
5. For Class IV surveys, the Senior Advisor to the Surveyor-General, as a
condition of the Class IV dispensation, may allow re-measurement of the same
vector to constitute an acceptable check. Where re-measurement of the same
vector is carried out observations are to be made at a different time (at least 30
minutes after the first observation) to enable satellite geometry to change and
thus ensure that any multipath errors will be detected. Where vectors are re-
measured information relating to the check measurement can be provided on an
image of a supporting document with verification that the digital values are
within limits.
Note: Satellite geometry replicates itself approximately every 23 hour 56 minutes
therefore multiples of 23hour 56 minutes between re-measurements should be avoided.
4.2.5 Connection to Witness Marks
GPS observations from an independent base station can be used to connect survey or
boundary marks to witness marks. The boundary - witness mark connection can be
calculated from the independent GPS observations in such cases and, as indirectly
derived dimensions, will be captured as “calculated”. Such observations must be
independently checked to ensure compliance with the Surveyor General’s Rules
3B(1)(a), 14(2) and 42(2)(j)..
If there is no direct connection between a boundary mark and a witness or traverse
mark that lies within the distance tolerance of Rule 13, then the calculated connection
between the boundary and its witness mark must be included in the eSurvey and
identified as calculated.
4.2.6 Information must be enough to fix Boundaries and Marks
All GPS observations necessary to the survey shall be included in the dataset, and
identified as being derived from GPS measurement. These lines will be automatically
displayed on the digital plan and also tabulated in the traverse observation table as part
of the digital survey plan. See section 6.2.1.4.2 for guidelines on the extent to which
observations must be clarified by diagrams on the digital survey plan.
Where a line is calculated between two GPS observed points (the GPS readings at each
end were not simultaneous) the vector type should be identified as Calculated and the
equipment type GPS.
Note: All GPS data, except check observations and ties to natural boundaries are to be
identified as GPS observations. Depending on the length of GPS vectors, bearings
may need to be entered to the nearest second or even tenth of a second in order to
comply with the accuracy requirements between adjacent marks that have not been
directly connected by observation (e.g. if adjacent marks have been independently
surveyed from points many kilometres away).. Landonline will accept bearings
shown to 0.1”
These guidelines have not been revised since 2004, consequently Version: 5.1 e-survey
they should not be relied on as a current statement of survey August 2004
requirements and practice
Cadastral Survey Guidelines – e-survey SURVEY TECHNOLOGY Chapter 4 - Page 6
4.2.7 Distances and Bearings
In line with the Surveyor General’s Rules 2002/2 for Class I, II, and III surveys, GPS
vectors are to be supplied as meridional circuit projection bearings and distances
reduced to the ellipsoid of the survey datum, - from the base station to points in the
survey. For practical purposes this is the same as reduction of distances to sea level.
For Class IV surveys, the derivation of vectors of boundary dimensions and between
origin marks from GPS coordinates are permissible with the agreement (as part of the
Class IV dispensation) of the Senior Advisor to the Surveyor General. An image of a
supporting calculation sheet showing how these were derived will often be necessary.
Where a new line is measured by GPS the equipment type will be identified as “GPS”.
Note: The GPS vector (bearing and distance) between two points calculated from a
single GPS baseline which has been derived from simultaneous GPS observations at
those points is regarded as the measured dimension. Other cases, where the bearing
and distance are derived from an adjustment of multiple baselines, result in bearings
and distances that are considered to be calculated rather than measured.
Where bearings and distances are calculated (not surveyed) between points the line
will be identified as calculated under observation details.
4.2.8 Heights
Where heights are to be shown, GPS spheroidal heights must be transformed to an
orthometric height datum acceptable to a Senior Advisor to the Surveyor General –
e.g. when heights are required for strata titles. This will require the application of a
spheroid-to-geoid correction – i.e. the geoid height. Heights may be shown on the
digital plan as an annotation or in a supporting document such as the survey report or
schedule.
4.2.9 Prescribed standard of accuracy for vectors
The standards of accuracy for GPS data must comply with the Surveyor General’s
Rules for Cadastral Survey 2002/2. Sufficient measurements shall be made to prove
that the accuracy standards have been met.
4.2.10 Misclosures
Adjustments and accuracy determinations can be checked by Landonline pre-validation
or by the surveyor’s adjustment software. The final adjustment and accuracy
determination is completed by LINZ following approval of the survey.
4.2.11 Format of Observations
GPS observations in a dataset shall be shown as the two dimensional polar (horizontal)
vector between survey marks, e.g. as a bearing and reduced spheroidal distance.
These guidelines have not been revised since 2004, consequently Version: 5.1 e-survey
they should not be relied on as a current statement of survey August 2004
requirements and practice
Cadastral Survey Guidelines – e-survey SURVEY TECHNOLOGY Chapter 4 - Page 7
4.2.12 Survey Report
It is the surveyor’s responsibility to report on checks made, quality of results, and
proof of compliance with the Surveyor General’s Rules for Cadastral Survey.
However it should be noted that Landonline pre-validation assists with this for
eSurveys.
The remainder of this section describes specific information related to GPS data that
should be provided in the survey report (submitted in image form).
4.2.12.1 Description of the Survey
A description of the survey is to include where applicable:
• a brief statement as to the purpose of the survey to enable the type of survey carried
out to be put in context of the GPS methodology used;
• what observations were made [e.g. how were ties made to permanent reference
marks, witness marks and boundary marks. Were they direct GPS vector
measurements or were they calculated from GPS observations];
• how check observations were made [e.g. were they repeat observations of the same
line or were observations from a different base station used to provide a fully
independent measurement] (this information is shown in an image of a supporting
document);
• a description of precautions taken to identify and minimise the effects of multipath
and of gross errors.
4.2.12.2 List of Equipment used
A list of the type and model of equipment used. This should also include information
on any base station service that has been used.
4.2.12.3 Description of the GPS methods employed
A description of the methods used shall include as applicable:
• the method of survey used e.g. static, rapid static, stop and go, kinematic, or real
time kinematic (RTK);
• the expected precision from the method of survey used. This may be provided by
manufacturers, software providers, other survey literature or the surveyor’s
experience;
• description of any specific parameters programmed into the receiver or used in
processing that would be likely to affect the result of the survey, e.g. use of
tropospheric models;
• for static observations, an indication of observation and session times;
• the mode of operation e.g. single or dual frequency observations, carrier phase,
differential pseudorange, or carrier phase smooth DGPS;
These guidelines have not been revised since 2004, consequently Version: 5.1 e-survey
they should not be relied on as a current statement of survey August 2004
requirements and practice
Cadastral Survey Guidelines – e-survey SURVEY TECHNOLOGY Chapter 4 - Page 8
• description of the GPS reduction techniques used including the software used.
4.2.12.4 Assessment of GPS data quality
This shall be provided so that the appropriateness of the methodology used for the
survey can be assessed. This may be provided by:
• the repeatability of observations e.g. the maximum difference or standard deviation
of repeated observations on each line;
• a comparison of GPS observations with underlying work (pre-validation may
partially supply this);
• summary of independent checks to verify quality assessment. If included as part of
the main dataset, Landonline pre-validation will do this.
4.2.12.5 Proof of Origin
Proof that an origin of the survey has been established in compliance with the
Surveyor General’s Rules (e.g. observation of three old marks).
4.2.13 Presentation of Tabulated data
This is not required to be provided by the surveyor for digital surveys as this data is
automatically tabulated by Landonline on the Marks and Observation sheet of the
digital survey plan.
4.2.14 Reference Material
This section is based on OSG Technical Report 11 “GPS Guidelines for Cadastral
Surveys”. Annex A “GPS - The Technology and the Terms” based on a report
prepared by Paul Denys and Mark Smith of the Surveying Department, Otago
University, provides further reading on the technical aspects of the Global Positioning
System and measurement.
Copies of Technical Report 11 are available on the LINZ Internet site – Survey System
Publications page or from the Office of the Surveyor-General.
These guidelines have not been revised since 2004, consequently Version: 5.1 e-survey
they should not be relied on as a current statement of survey August 2004
requirements and practice
