2019-2020 Annual Report - Parliament of Victoria

2019-2020 Annual Report

on the administration of theSurvey Co-ordination Act 1958

Prepared by: Craig Sandy, Surveyor-General of Victoria

Front cover: Precise Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) observation of high-stability marks to monitor ground subsidence along the Gippsland coast.

Surveyor-General Victoria

Land Use Victoria

Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

2 Lonsdale Street

MELBOURNE VIC 3000

Phone: (03) 9194 0282

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.delwp.vic.gov.au > Property and land titles > Surveying

Acknowledgment

We acknowledge and respect Victorian Traditional Owners as the original custodians of Victoria's land and waters, their unique ability to care for Country and deep spiritual connection to it. We honour Elders past and present whose knowledge and wisdom has ensured the continuation of culture and traditional practices.

We are committed to genuinely partner, and meaningfully engage, with Victoria's Traditional Owners and Aboriginal communities to support the protection of Country, the maintenance of spiritual and cultural practices and their broader aspirations in the 21st century and beyond.

© The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2020

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2019-2020 Annual Report on the administration of the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958

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1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 2

2. Legislation and regulations ..................................................................................... 2

3. Survey control network (sections 6, 12, 14 - 18, 21A) ........................................... 3

4. Continuously operating reference stations (CORS) network positioning ........... 3

5. Geodetic infrastructure ............................................................................................ 4

6. Datum (section 21A) ................................................................................................. 5

6.1 Australian geospatial reference system (AGRS) modernisation and implementation ............................................................................................................................ 5

7. Survey marks enquiry service (SMES) (sections 15 - 18) ..................................... 6

8. Central plan office (CPO) (sections 4, 8 - 11) ......................................................... 6

9. Co-ordination of surveys (sections 6, 12–14, 19) .................................................. 7

10. Equipment calibration services (section 6) ............................................................ 8

11. Appendix: Operational statistics 2019-2020 .......................................................... 9

Contents


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The Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 and the Surveying Act 2004 provide the primary legislative framework for land surveyors undertaking geodetic and cadastral surveys.

Land surveying is integral to land ownership and development, and also supports a wider range of activities related to the environment, communications, transportation and infrastructure. In conjunction with locating and placing survey marks with high positional accuracy on the earth's surface, land surveyors use satellite positioning technology to create spatial information that is applied in geographic information systems and location-based services. Due to the widespread adoption of spatial information technology, the information created by land surveyors is being utilised by a diverse range of sectors in government, industry and the community.

The underlying principles of the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 are to establish an efficient system that:

• minimises duplication of cadastral surveying work and reduces overall costs of surveys to the community;

• provides for the lodgement of plans and surveys by departments and authorities in the Central Plan Office (CPO);

• controls surveying procedures and stipulates accuracy standards for compliance by land surveyors and the spatial industry; and

• establishes Victoria’s network of permanent survey marks to support the national geodetic and cadastral (property title, rights, restrictions and responsibilities) infrastructure.

The Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 was implemented to coordinate land surveying and mapping activities in Victoria and facilitate cooperation with the Commonwealth of Australia in relation to a National Mapping Scheme. The Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 directs the department to maintain a Central Plan Office (CPO). While the administration of the CPO is performed by Land Registry Services within Land Use Victoria, the supervision of the CPO is a function of the Surveyor-General.

The CPO continues to operate in a ‘virtual’ form as a repository for registered legislative (LEGL) plans, survey plans, survey information and Crown land dealings. The plan and survey information registered by the CPO is available online through Victorian Land Registry Services. Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) increasingly acts as a repository for many of the paper records that were traditionally held by the CPO.

Australia is in the process of modernising the national coordinate reference system which underpins spatial information. The Geocentric Datum of Australia 2020 (GDA2020) was officially defined as Australia’s new national coordinate datum in October 2017 through the National Measurement (Recognised-Value Standard of Measurement of Position) Determination 2017. To support implementation of the new datum in Victoria amendments were made to Survey Co-ordination Regulations 2014 and Surveying (Cadastral Surveys) Regulations 2015 in November 2018 to specify GDA2020 as the official datum for cadastral surveying in Victoria. To support wide-spread implementation of GDA2020, ANZLIC – the Spatial Information Council of Australia and New Zealand, announced 30 June 2020 as the date by which States and Territories are to be ready to deliver and receive foundation spatial information in alignment with GDA2020. With this target in mind, additional technical and administrative effort has been directed towards the ongoing implementation of GDA2020 in Victoria.

2. Legislation and regulations

No changes have been made to the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 during the reporting period.

The Surveying Act 2004 includes provisions relevant to survey co-ordination activities and the specification of the statutory functions of the Surveyor-General. The Surveying (Cadastral Surveys) Regulations 2015, pursuant to the Surveying Act 2004, incorporate standards for controlling the accuracy of cadastral surveys

1. Introduction


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to maintain the integrity of the cadastre and the requirements for maintaining consistency in cadastral surveys. Compliance with these standards by the land surveying profession is monitored by Surveyor-General Victoria’s (SGV) survey audit program.

3. Survey control network (sections 6, 12, 14 - 18, 21A)

The Survey Control Network (SCN) is defined in the Surveying Act 2004 as ‘the geodetic system that provides spatial references in Victoria by –

(a) permanent marks and survey marks adopted or established in accordance with the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958; and

(b) survey marks established under this Act or the Surveying (Cadastral Surveys) Regulations 2015; and

(c) the application of data obtained from global navigation satellite systems.’

The SCN provides Victoria’s realisation of Australia’s positioning and vertical datums, which includes the Geocentric Datum of Australia (GDA94), the new GDA2020 and the Australian Height Datum (AHD71).

Victoria’s SCN is used as the positioning framework upon which Victoria’s land registration and spatial information systems are based, typical of all Australian jurisdictions and most developed nations.

The SCN currently comprises approximately 200,000 survey marks, whose location and/or height are known to varying degrees of accuracy. The marks include standard brass plaque-in-concrete Permanent Marks (PMs), deep driven High Stability Marks (HSMs), Primary Cadastral Marks (PCMs) and the network of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS). See the Appendix for survey mark statistics.

Detailed information and metadata associated with the survey marks that comprise the SCN can be accessed via the Survey Marks Enquiry Service (SMES) (see section 7 of this report).

4. Continuously operating reference stations (CORS) network positioning

The Victorian Government has embraced GNSS CORS technology as the primary means of delivering high precision positioning information and services. GNSS CORS are used in government, commercial, academic, scientific and societal applications to provide high-accuracy, real-time positioning relative to Australia’s national GDA94, GDA2020 and AHD71 datums. Victoria’s GNSS CORS contribute to the establishment and realisation of both the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) and Australian Terrestrial Reference Frame (ATRF) and underpin the maintenance and enhancement of GDA2020 in Victoria.

High precision positioning information and services are made available in Victoria through the operation, maintenance and enhancement of an integrated, state-wide network of 138 GNSS CORS sites known collectively as Vicmap Position – GPSnet. The GNSS CORS network is operated, maintained and enhanced by the Victorian Government and receives funding from Commonwealth Government’s Positioning Australia program and private companies who value-add to the data to deliver precise positioning services. GPSnet is


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supported by a range of site hosting partners including local government authorities, utilities, Victorian Government departments and a small number of other private interests through formal tenure arrangements.

During this reporting period, the majority of GNSS CORS sites within the network received necessary infrastructure upgrades, and significant enhancements were made to the data centre operations to improve data delivery services. From July 2019 – December 2019, 60 GNSS CORS sites were upgraded with modern GNSS receivers capable of supporting all major satellite constellations, to provide full multi-GNSS capability across the GNSS CORS network. In March 2020, the GNSS CORS Data Centre commenced transition to a cloud-based environment.

The Commonwealth Government announced funding for the National Positioning Infrastructure Capability (NPIC) in the 2018 Federal Budget. In January 2019, Geoscience Australia and SGV commenced a collaborative governance and funding arrangement for the ongoing operation and maintenance of the GNSS CORS infrastructure in Victoria and the open distribution of GNSS CORS data streams. Throughout 2019-20 Victorian GNSS CORS data streams have been delivered through the AUSCORS platform and met all service level agreement requirements. SGV has supported Geoscience Australia in the identification of two new locations for the establishment of Australian Regional GNSS Network (ARGN) GNSS CORS sites in Victoria. SGV has also commenced transitioning responsibility to Geoscience Australia for the ongoing operational control and maintenance of the existing eleven ARGN GNSS CORS in Victoria.

5. Geodetic infrastructure

The Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 is the principal legislation dealing with Victoria’s geodetic infrastructure, also referred to as the SCN. The SCN is comprised of a network of physical ground marks; a network of GNSS CORS sites and hosting technology; information about those GNSS CORS and ground marks; geodetic analysis and processing software; corporate systems for the management and delivery of positioning information; and various policies, standards and guidelines. The coordinate values of Victoria’s GNSS CORS and ground marks are held in a database accessible from the Survey Marks Enquiry Service (SMES) (discussed in section 7 of this report), which allows industry and the general public to access this information free of charge.

SGV continues to maintain and enhance the SCN through the installation of new marks, collection of new observations, routine statistical analysis, ongoing improvements to network adjustment software, routine mark maintenance activities and enhancement of its online systems.

The national correction surface between the ellipsoid and AHD71 (known as AUSGeoid) provides reliable corrections to ellipsoidal heights obtained using GNSS to produce AHD71 heights. SGV continues to address localised AUSGeoid inconsistencies in Victoria through routine GNSS and levelling surveys. In conjunction with the development and maintenance of GDA2020, an associated AUSGeoid model has been developed.

Throughout Victoria, 55 high-precision GNSS surveys were undertaken in 2019-2020 to improve and/or densify the SCN; and to improve the alignment of published SCN coordinates with positioning derived from the GNSS CORS network. In addition, 19 GNSS surveys submitted by external surveyors were included within routine network adjustments of the SCN, all of which have led to incremental improvements.

In conjunction with the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) and other state jurisdiction members, SGV continues to contribute to the development of the eGeodesy project. Similar to the objectives of ePlan (discussed in section 9 of this report), eGeodesy is an initiative to standardise the capture and exchange of geodetic information to automate network adjustment processes, and to support datum development and maintenance. The standard is available from www.geodesyml.org.


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6. Datum (section 21A)

The realisation of the national positioning datums in Victoria is based upon a large set of measurements observed across Victoria’s network of GNSS CORS and SCN ground marks. Due to several factors, the realisation of national positioning datums through the SCN is subject to continual change and enhancement. As new land development occurs, the SCN is either improved with new marks added or compromised as old marks are destroyed as a consequence of infrastructure construction. Based upon a number of high-precision GNSS surveys undertaken across the state (particularly in view of the establishment of GDA2020 and AUSGeoid), the SCN has benefited from many coordinate and uncertainty improvements.

The realisation of the AHD71 national height datum is provided by Victoria’s extensive levelling network, comprised of the Australian National Levelling Network junction points and other survey marks throughout the state. AHD71 is derived by reference to a system of tide gauges around the coastline of Australia maintained by the National Operations Centre (NOC) Tidal Unit, within the Bureau of Meteorology. Several spirit levelling surveys have been undertaken across the state to support urban and rural infrastructure projects and to remedy large anomalies resulting from long-term subsidence and deformation.

SGV continues to contribute to the Asia Pacific Reference Frame (APREF) through the provision of GNSS CORS data and data analysis. The broad objective of APREF is to create and maintain an accurate and densely realised geodetic framework across the Asia Pacific region based on continuous observation and analysis of GNSS data, upon which the development and enhancement of future datums in Australia will be based. The APREF project affords SGV a capacity to contribute to the monitoring of local and regional crustal deformation across Victoria, and significantly improve the precision and reliability of Victoria’s SCN.

6.1 Australian geospatial reference system (AGRS) modernisation and implementation

Australia is in the process of modernising the Australian Geospatial Reference System (AGRS). This national program is a major five-year initiative of ANZLIC and will be delivered through the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) to support precise positioning and enhance alignment with underlying spatial information.

Following substantial national collaboration on the development of a modernised national datum for Australia, GDA2020 was defined in the Federal Register of Legislation on 11 October 2017 under an instrument known as the National Measurement (Recognized-Value Standard of Measurement of Position) Determination 2017. Amendments were made to the Survey Co-ordination Regulations 2014 and Surveying (Cadastral Surveys) Regulations 2015 in November 2018 to specify GDA2020 and the associated Map Grid of Australia 2020 (MGA2020) as the official datum and projection for cadastral surveying in Victoria. The Victorian Cadastral Surveys Practice Directives were updated to specify MGA2020 as the official bearing datum for cadastral surveys commenced after 1 January 2019.

To support wide-spread implementation of GDA2020, ANZLIC announced 30 June 2020 as the date by which all states and territories are to be ready to deliver and receive foundation spatial information in alignment with GDA2020. SGV has led the technical development and implementation of GDA2020 in Victoria. This effort has included, but not limited to, widespread geospatial community and stakeholder engagement; consultation with government and industry sectors; upgrades to corporate systems used in the maintenance of authoritative data sets (e.g. SMES and GNSS CORS network management software); transformation of authoritative datasets and delivery channels. It is expected that SGV will continue to play a lead role in assisting Victorian government and industry transition to the new datum. SGV is also planning for the implementation of the new national time-dependent, Australian Terrestrial Reference Frame 2014 (ATRF2014) within SMES and GNSS CORS precise positioning services.


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In the context of engagement and consultation, Victoria continues to contribute to the ICSM’s GDA2020 modernisation implementation working group. Activities of the group are focussed on sharing information between state and territory jurisdictions; one-on-one and group presentations; and consultation with various stakeholder groups who are affected by the transition to GDA2020.

Through SGV, Victoria is preparing for the modernisation of the national vertical reference system and supporting accurate and reliable height determination from precise GNSS positioning. SGV is collaborating with Geological Survey of Victoria and Geoscience Australia, in the procurement of airborne gravity surveys over large regions of Victoria including greater Melbourne, the central Victorian coastline and Eastern Victoria. Consistent and evenly distributed gravity data will improve the gravity model which is the basis of the new Australian Vertical Working Surface (AVWS). The AVWS is a significant part of the AGRS modernisation program and is being introduced as an alternative to the almost 50-year old AHD71.

The AGRS modernisation program and other details relating to its progressive implementation can be found at www.icsm.gov.au > australian-geospatial-reference-system.

7. Survey marks enquiry service (SMES) (sections 15 - 18)

The Survey Marks Enquiry Service (SMES) is the survey mark information database that is the official register of survey marks in accordance with section 15 of the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 and regulation 6 of the Survey Co-ordination Regulations 2014. SMES is currently available online from www.propertyandlandtitles.vic.gov.au/surveying >Survey Marks Enquiry Service.

The online facility provides coordinate and height values; images of the Permanent Mark sketch plans; photographs of survey marks; a range of formats for downloading information; and the ability to update survey mark information online. Users external to the department represent the majority of registered and non-registered users of the system. There are currently 639 registered users who are entitled to enter data into SMES. Most of these are land surveyors. Other (non-registered) users include utility companies, state and local government departments, mapping and engineering construction companies, and educational institutions.

In response to stakeholder feedback, a number of SMES application enhancements were implemented in the current reporting period. These enhancements include major revision of GDA2020 coordinate and AHD71 height information for all SCN marks; improved administration functionality for the bulk upload of information; revised symbology; enhanced database schema; fixes to defects; and interface and useability improvements.

8. Central plan office (CPO) (sections 4, 8 - 11)

During the reporting period 823 survey plans were registered in the CPO. There are a variety of survey plans lodged each year including plans of Crown allotments (Original Plans) used to subdivide or consolidate the Crown estate; Title plans for alienation (sale) of Crown land or for the identification of separate dimensions of historical Crown allotments not previously dimensioned; Gazettal plans and legislative (LEGL) plans. LEGL plans are used to revoke, reserve, licence or lease Crown land and to create and/or close roads on Crown land. All of these plans can be either based on a new survey certified by a licensed surveyor or compiled from existing plan and survey information.


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Specific legislation such as the Major Transport Projects Facilitation Act 2009, EastLink Project Act 2004, Land Act 1958, Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978, Forests Act 1958, Melbourne City Link Act 1995 requires these plans to be lodged in the CPO.

This reporting period has seen a significant increase in plans lodged in the CPO under the Major Transport Projects Facilitation Act 2009. They enable the Minister for Planning to designate project areas and acquire land for transport projects including Melbourne Metro Tunnel, Regional Rail Revival, North East Link, West Gate Tunnel, Level Crossing Removal, Outer Suburban Road Upgrade and East Link.

Table 1 provides a summary of plans registered in the CPO in 2019-2020.

Description Number

Original Survey Plans 315

(Plans and Field Records) (85)

(Plans only) (227)

(Field Records only) (3)

Title Plans 242

(Crown grants) (214)

(Separate dimensions) (28)

Legislative (LEGL) Plans 266

Total 823

Table 1 – plans registered in the CPO during 2019-2020

The CPO is also a central repository for public agency aerial survey records (aerial photographic imagery). The CPO’s library of aerial photography is a photographic record of Victoria, recording conditions and developments across the state at regular intervals. It contains approximately 650,000 prints dating from the 1930s to 1992. All prints have been captured as digital images and can be purchased from Victorian Land Registry Services. All imagery captured since 1992 is maintained in digital format.

9. Co-ordination of surveys (sections 6, 12–14, 19)

There are 179 Proclaimed Survey Areas (PSA) in Victoria. It is a requirement of the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 that all surveys performed within a PSA are connected to permanent marks of the relevant SCN standard traverse to facilitate consistency of surveys in accordance with the state's framework and support the production of positional information and mapping products. The requirement to connect cadastral surveys to the standard traverse and permanent marks within a PSA is replicated by similar requirements under the Surveying (Cadastral Surveys) Regulations 2015 for all cadastral surveys in the state.

The Surveyor-General has continued to be active in promoting the acceptance and use of the SPEAR (Surveying and Planning through Electronic Applications and Referrals) application by the surveying profession. In accordance with the aims of the Survey Co-ordination Act 1958, the almost complete uptake of SPEAR by surveyors and local government authorities (98 per cent of plan lodgements in Land Use Victoria) in 2019-2020 has provided efficiencies in the planning and plan referral and lodgement processes.


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In conjunction with ICSM and other Australian jurisdictions, SGV is participating in a Land Use Victoria working group focussed on the implementation of an ePlan system in Victoria designed to allow the complete digital transfer of survey information to provide efficiencies and reduce duplication in the performance and completion of subsequent surveys. Land Use Victoria accepts ePlans for registration and further development of the system will continue.

10. Equipment calibration services (section 6)

The Survey Co-ordination Act 1958 provides a requirement for certain surveying equipment to be compared to a standard of measurement (length). Through the establishment and maintenance of six baselines with deep-seated concrete pillars, the department provides calibration facilities for Electromagnetic Distance Measurement (EDM) equipment as a service to the profession. This is achieved through the Surveyor-General of Victoria, who is a Verifying Authority for Length in Victoria under the National Measurement Act 1960 (Commonwealth), as administered by the National Measurement Institute. Certification of this authority is based upon the Surveyor-General’s continued accreditation by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA). In April 2020, NATA conducted a remote surveillance visit of the facility and recommended continued accreditation.

Victoria’s EDM baselines are located at Bendigo, Braeside, Geelong, Hamilton, Cowwarr and Mitcham. All baselines were re-verified by SGV in November 2019. The level of stability monitored at all baselines was acceptable for the period 2019-2020.

The surveying profession relies heavily upon the availability of verified EDM calibration baselines to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Survey Co-ordination Regulations 2014. For the 2019-2020 period, 500 individual bookings were made by surveyors to use the EDM baselines. This number represents the number of times these baselines were used by surveyors to check the accuracy of their equipment against a recognised value standard to comply with regulation 6(1) of the Surveying (Cadastral Surveys) Regulations 2015.

During the COVID-19 health crisis, SGV modified the EDM calibration procedures and facilities to support ongoing EDM calibration activities for the surveying profession.


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11. Appendix: Operational statistics 2019-2020

At 30 June 2020

Total Permanent Marks (PMs) (excluding those recorded as damaged/disturbed/destroyed/missing/not found)

145,466

Total PMs with GDA2020 rigorously adjusted coordinates (excluding those recorded as damaged/disturbed/destroyed/missing/not found)

25,719

Total PMs with low accuracy GDA2020 coordinates (excluding those recorded as damaged/disturbed/destroyed/missing/not found)

119,747

Total PMs with AHD71 4th order or better accuracy (excluding those recorded as damaged/disturbed/destroyed/missing/not found)

70,036

Number of new PMs registered in SMES during 2019-2020 2,275

Number of high-precision GNSS surveys undertaken by SGV to improve and/or densify the SCN, or enhance alignment with GNSS CORS

55

Number of new PMs installed by SGV during 2019-2020 44

Number of projects undertaken by SGV to supply co-ordinated PMs at surveyors’ requests during 2019-2020

31

Number of PMs physically visited/inspected/occupied/re-observed by SGV during 2019-2020

891

Total number of registered users of SMES 639

Number of bookings on Bendigo, Braeside, Cowwarr, Geelong, Hamilton and Mitcham EDM Baselines to compare EDM equipment during 2019-2020

500

Number of Certificates of Comparison issued by SGV for levelling staves during 2019-2020

Nil

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2019-2020 Annual Report - Parliament of Victoria