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Context and background As a result of advancement in Technology, the densification of Survey Control Points (SCP) has become very easy. There has been some Survey Control Points (SCP) that were established within the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) campus, Ondo state, Nigeria with no intention for database storage. Goal and Objectives: This study aimed at mapping of control points distribution within the University community. The objectives include to identify and re-coordinate all existing control points in the study area, compare the result statistically and create a database in a mobile application environment. Methodology: Ground survey and Geographic Information System (GIS) methods were adopted in the study. All existing Survey Control Points (SCP) within the study area were re-coordinated with the use of South Differential Global Positioning system (DGPS) in static mode with minimum of thirty-minutes observation per station. The observed data were downloaded and processed using South GPS Processor, AutoCAD 16 and ArcGIS 10.3.1 software. Student's T-test was used in comparing some existing and the observed coordinates. The coordinates (Northings, Easting and Height), images of Survey Control Points (SCP) location, number and nearest identifying feature gotten from the ArcGIS environment were used in building the mobile application. Also, in the process of developing the mobile application, the following programming languages were used; JavaScript, HTML, CSS and Bootstrap. Notepad++ was used in compiling the codes while IntelXDK platform was used in building, testing and debugging the mobile application. Results: The result reveals that the control points are evenly distributed within the study area. It has also contributed to the quality of geospatial data in the University environment, eliminate duplication of efforts, and provide an effective and efficient means of data accessibility through the creation of a mobile application database. The developed mobile application database is hereby recommended for adoption and update by the Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, FUTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and background As a result of advancement in Technology, the densification of Survey Control Points (SCP) has become very easy. There has been some Survey Control Points (SCP) that were established within the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) campus, Ondo state, Nigeria with no intention for database storage. Goal and Objectives: This study aimed at mapping of control points distribution within the University community. The objectives include to identify and re-coordinate all existing control points in the study area, compare the result statistically and create a database in a mobile application environment. Methodology: Ground survey and Geographic Information System (GIS) methods were adopted in the study. All existing Survey Control Points (SCP) within the study area were re-coordinated with the use of South Differential Global Positioning system (DGPS) in static mode with minimum of thirty-minutes observation per station. The observed data were downloaded and processed using South GPS Processor, AutoCAD 16 and ArcGIS 10.3.1 software. Student’s T-test was used in comparing some existing and the observed coordinates. The coordinates (Northings, Easting and Height), images of Survey Control Points (SCP) location, number and nearest identifying feature gotten from the ArcGIS environment were used in building the mobile application. Also, in the process of developing the mobile application, the following programming languages were used; JavaScript, HTML, CSS and Bootstrap. Notepad++ was used in compiling the codes while IntelXDK platform was used in building, testing and debugging the mobile application. Results: The result reveals that the control points are evenly distributed within the study area. It has also contributed to the quality of geospatial data in the University environment, eliminate duplication of efforts, and provide an effective and efficient means of data accessibility through the creation of a mobile application database. The developed mobile application database is hereby recommended for adoption and update by the Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, FUTA.

The value of archival documents quite often extends beyond their original purpose, as evidence contained within these artefacts, whether written or drawn, can provide veracity for new lines of heritage inquiry. Many settlements in the ‘new world’ were set out by land surveyors whose drawings charted the accurate placement and alignment of new streets and block perimeters laid upon drawings of the extant topographical landscape features. The paper discusses three settlement maps of Melbourne, Australia, through the lens of Michel de Certeau’s idea that maps are an instrument of power are not just about recording; maps are actually about appropriating and producing regimes of place. In the Australian context, the settlement drawings, prepared under the direction of the colonial administration, inadvertently depicts Country that had been under the custodial care of the First Nations peoples for millennia, and through the intentions of the settlement maps about to be irrevocably disturbed, altered or destroyed. We raise the prospect that urban and landscape design can reflect on the ‘lost landscapes’ of cultural significance, and discuss new ways of interpreting representation through an approach of design reconciliation.

Deep learning and particularly Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) in concert with remote sensing are becoming standard analytical tools in the geosciences. A series of studies has presented the seemingly outstanding performance of CNN for predictive modelling. However, the predictive performance of such models is commonly estimated using random cross-validation, which does not account for spatial autocorrelation between training and validation data. Independent of the analytical method, such spatial dependence will inevitably inflate the estimated model performance. This problem is ignored in most CNN-related studies and suggests a flaw in their validation procedure. Here, we demonstrate how neglecting spatial autocorrelation during cross-validation leads to an optimistic model performance assessment, using the example of a tree species segmentation problem in multiple, spatially distributed drone image acquisitions. We evaluated CNN-based predictions with test data sampled from 1) randomly sampled hold-outs and 2) spatially blocked hold-outs. Assuming that a block cross-validation provides a realistic model performance, a validation with randomly sampled holdouts overestimated the model performance by up to 28%. Smaller training sample size increased this optimism. Spatial autocorrelation among observations was significantly higher within than between different remote sensing acquisitions. Thus, model performance should be tested with spatial cross-validation strategies and multiple independent remote sensing acquisitions. Otherwise, the estimated performance of any geospatial deep learning method is likely to be overestimated.

The value of archival documents quite often extends beyond their original purpose, as evidence contained within these artefacts, whether written or drawn, can provide veracity for new lines of heritage inquiry. Many settlements in the 'new world' were set out by land surveyors whose drawings charted the accurate placement and alignment of new streets and block perimeters laid upon drawings of the extant topographical landscape features. The paper discusses three settlement maps of Melbourne, Australia, through the lens of Michel de Certeau's idea that maps are an instrument of power are not just about recording; maps are actually about appropriating and producing regimes of place. In the Australian context, the settlement drawings, prepared under the direction of the colonial administration, inadvertently depicts Country that had been under the custodial care of the First Nations peoples for millennia, and through the intentions of the settlement maps about to be irrevocably disturbed, altered or destroyed. We raise the prospect that urban and landscape design can reflect on the 'lost landscapes' of cultural significance, and discuss new ways of interpreting representation through an approach of design reconciliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Association of Aerial Surveying Industries (EAASI) closed a successful edition of its Partners Summit last 2 December. More than 70 representatives from 40 companies connected to the aerial surveying industry gathered in Rome for 3 days to discuss the current challenges of the industry as well as explore new business opportunities. The participants attended a series of presentations, panel discussions, and workshops covering a wide range of topics such as climate change, digital twins, or certification and standardization, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have seen an increase in use on terrain mapping, especially in lieu of manual surveying methods. This study will evaluate the accuracy that can be achieved using a commercially available UAV and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) software. Photogrammetric data were captured with a UAV at three elevations three separate times. Sixteen aerial targets were located by a surveyor and used to geo-reference the models. Absolute accuracy was principally evaluated by measuring the distance between the computed location and the location determined by the surveyors. The study found that the most accurate survey conducted had a horizontal error of 0.88 cm (0.029 ft) and a vertical error of 0.38 cm (0.012 ft). The study also found that there was very little statistically significant difference in accuracy between surveys created with images captured from flights at the same altitude. An additional experiment conducted evaluated what the optimal number of ground control points was to yield the most accurate results. The study found that with a 7,500 m2 (82,500 sq. ft) site that there were significant improvements to the survey when three ground control points (GCPs) were included but only marginal improvements when four or more GCPs were added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kenya has sought in recent years to digitise its land information system in order to increase reliability and accessibility, both of which are critical to securing land rights, minimising land disputes, and increasing investment in the sector. This thematic report argues for deployment of drone technology in order to increase the reliability of Kenya’s digital land records.

This paper presents a case study about smart scanning with UAV Technologies. The case study was carried out at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Timisoara, which is located near the city center, adjacent to the Bega Canal. The scope of this study was to take part of the cathedral's renovation by helping pinpoint the optimimum location for placing its new illuminating system. Since the cathedral is also a hystorical monument, by law, we first needed to scan the bulding and compare the new values we have with the old ones in order to determine if some areas needed to be repaired/restored first. Once there, all scannings and surveys were made using: GPS Leica G08, DJI Phantom 4, Leica 3D ScanStation C10. To process all data gathered, we used AgiSoft FotoScan and CloudCompare. The method used was georeferencing using Ground Control Points. A total of 18 GCP were taken, all of which were placed strategically inside the area of survey of 19,1 acres for the drone to easily see them. The total flight time was 4 minutes and it flew to an altitude of 84m with an result of 130 images. Using all data points gathered we obtained our point cloud. In order to execute this project, several criteria must be taken into consideration, for exampleThe Metropolitan Cathedral of Timisoara (Figure.1) is one of the most expensive buildings in the city and one of the most famous architectural monuments in our country. The Catedral impresses by its significant dimensions, by the architectural specificity and by the enameled tiles. The additional work consists in adding illumination of the Cathedral's façade to highlight the enameled tiles which shine beautifully when light is reflected on them. Due to the growing interest in updating geodata - mainly 3D data and cadastral data as basis for GIS and mapping applications - there is a demand for a fast and efficient surveying method that combines data acquisition with additional information such as images, orthoimages, 3D-models of buildings and infrastructure, and elevation models. One possibility for such a fast and efficient capture of georeferenced data is the use of UAV systems (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). Second possibility is 3D scanning because it allows detailed analysis of a building no matter how complex the architecture, no matter what form it would have and no matter how unconventional it would be. Using the scanned data, any intervention on the building can be planned. We can perform 3D laser scanning for buildings, monuments, heritage buildings, archaeological sites, civil constructions, industrial constructions and installations, volume monitoring. For the project mentioned above we used both 3D scanning and UAV technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating as-built plans of building interiors is a challenging task. In this paper we present a semi-automatic modelling system for creating residential building interior plans and their integration with existing map data to produce building models. Taking a set of imprecise measurements made with an interactive mobile phone room mapping application, the system performs spatial adjustments in accordance with soft and hard constraints imposed on the building plan geometry. The approach uses an optimisation model that exploits a high accuracy building outline, such as can be found in topographic map data, and the building topology to improve the quality of interior measurements and generate a standardised output. We test our system on building plans of five residential homes. Our evaluation shows that the approach enables construction of accurate interior plans from imprecise measurements. The experiments report an average accuracy of 0.24 m, close to the 0.20 m recommended by the CityGML LoD4 specification.

This project sought to develop a replicable learning experience in an undergraduate photogrammetry course that included mission planning, data acquisition, product development, and assessment of the impact of the project on student learning. During the past 2 years, the final project for the course was implemented using a commercial of! the shelf Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to collect imagery at the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, NY, as part of the final project for the course. This teaching approach enabled students to participate in the planning, collection, processing, analysis, and production of a product from start to end. Some of the final project results generated by the students are presented. We have also presented the results from an assessment on how the course and academic program goals were impacted after the implementation of the final project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerial or satellite images are conventionally used for geospatial data collection. However, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are emerging as a suitable technology for providing very high spatial and temporal resolution data at a low cost. This paper aims to show the potential of using UAVs for map creation and updating. The whole workflow is introduced in the paper, using a case study in Rwanda, where 954 images were collected with a DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus quadcopter. An orthophoto covering 0.095 km2 with a spatial resolution of 3.3 cm was produced and used to extract features with a sub-decimetre accuracy. Quantitative and qualitative control of the UAV data products were performed, indicating that the obtained accuracies comply to international standards. Moreover, possible problems and further perspectives were also discussed. The results demonstrate that UAVs provide promising opportunities to create high-resolution and highly accurate orthophotos, thus facilitating map creation and updating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Founded in 1774, the Dublin Paving Board was responsible for maintaining and improving the quality of the city's street network. By 1783, the organisation had amounted substantial debts resulting in significant political fallout concerning its governance. An interim committee, tasked with alleviating the situation, commissioned a statistical survey to better understand the state of Dublin's transport network, which at the time consisted of nearly four hundred streets, lanes and alleys. The survey was important for several reasons. In immediate terms, it was central to operational and financial planning of the Paving Board whose work affected the entire populace of Dublin. By categorising and assessing every street in Dublin, the survey empowered decision makers within the Board to determine the future of the organisation and how the city's streets should be managed. The survey was also of historical significance as it documented an important element of urban life in eighteenth-century Dublin free of bias or opinion that frequently shadowed the often-controversial work of the Paving Board in period publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When preparing geological and mining documentation for a given concession space, a geodetic data foundation in electronic form is necessary, ie geodetic plan and topographic map for the concession space made on the basis of appropriate geodetic procedures, consisting of a series of measurements and surveys of the terrain. This paper will give a brief overview of the procedures in which the geodetic foundations are developed, which are necessary for preparing geological and mining documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article traces the journeys of and controversies surrounding the Schlagintweit brothers in 'India and High Asia'. The brothers were Alpine glaciologists from Germany who were invited by the East India Company in 1854 to complete the Magnetic Survey of the Indian subcontinent on the recommendation of Alexander von Humboldt. This article discusses how the Schlagintweit brothers became the subject of controversy, and how they vanished from the record of the history of surveying as abruptly as they had emerged. Their story calls into question established historiographical narratives about 'colonial science' and 'Western science' in the subcontinent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satisfying the accommodation needs of the world's urban population requires high-rise buildings. Accommodating some of 3.5 billion urban population in complex apartments has created challenges including the human scale understanding of complex 3D property rights, and engineering and architectural features relating to building interiors. Technological developments have brought about the prevalence of inexpensive systems such as gaming consoles and smartphones. This paper explores the use of Kinect for Windows (a consumer grade technology that was originally designed for computer gaming purposes) to survey indoors in 3D. This paper presents the result of an investigation into the utility of this widespread and economical technology for 3D surveying of interiors of buildings in relation to Surveying (Cadastral Survey) Regulation 2005, Victoria, Australia. Building on the results of the investigation, the paper argues that such a technology has the potential to be used in other application domains and crowdsourcing 3D indoor information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Areas of the world where the physical environment is relatively unknown in terms of hydrographic surveys and nautical chart content are under pressure from increasing vessel transits as well as tourism and exploration for natural resources. These areas include the Arctic, Antarctic, and even remote tropical regions. Research efforts are described that are intended to exploit the capabilities of commercial off-the-shelf 3-dimensional forward-looking sonar installed on expeditionary and other vessels of opportunity that operate in these regions. This approach can provide high-resolution full-bottom survey data to supplement the assets of national hydrographic survey authorities in exploring and charting these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The geodetic system in New Zealand plays an important role in the development of our country. It comprises intellectual, physical and data components which provide authoritative coordinate systems for New Zealand's areas of territorial and administrative responsibility. Measuring and mapping continues today with the management of our natural and economic resources becoming increasingly dependent on the availability of accurate and consistent spatial information. The foundation of our geographically based datasets, including the cadastral system, is an accurate national geospatial reference system, the ‘geodetic system’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present paper concentrates on the use of remote sensing by satellite imagery for detecting ancient tracks and roads in the area between Palmyra and the Euphrates in Syria. The Syrian desert was traversed by caravans already in the Bronze Age, and during the Greco-Roman period the traffic increased with the Silk Road and trade as well as with military missions annexing the areas into empires. SYGIS - the Finnish archaeological survey and mapping project traced, recorded and documented ancient sites and roads in the region of Jebel Bishri in Central Syria in 2000-2010 before the outbreak of the civil war in Syria. Captured data of ancient roads and bridge points bring new light to the study of ancient communication framework in the area. Archaeological research carried out by the project on the ground confirmed the authenticity of many road alignments, new military and water harvesting sites as well as civilian settlements, showing that the desert-steppe area was actively used and developed probably from the second century AD. The studies further demonstrated that the area between Palmyra and the Euphrates was militarily more organised already in the second and third centuries AD than earlier believed. Chronologically, the start of this coincided with the "golden age" of the Palmyrene caravans in the second century AD. Topography and landscape were integral parts of the construction of graves/tumuli as sign-posts guiding in the desert, as well as roads and all kinds of settlements whether military or civilian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating as-built plans of building interiors is a challenging task. In this paper we present a semi-automatic modelling system for creating residential building interior plans and their integration with existing map data to produce building models. Taking a set of imprecise measurements made with an interactive mobile phone room mapping application, the system performs spatial adjustments in accordance with soft and hard constraints imposed on the building plan geometry. The approach uses an optimisation model that exploits a high accuracy building outline, such as can be found in topographic map data, and the building topology to improve the quality of interior measurements and generate a standardised output. We test our system on building plans of five residential homes. Our evaluation shows that the approach enables construction of accurate interior plans from imprecise measurements. The experiments report an average accuracy of 0.24 m, close to the 0.20 m recommended by the CityGML LoD4 specification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object extraction from remote sensing images has long been an intensive research topic in the field of surveying and mapping. Most past methods are devoted to handling just one type of object, and little attention has been paid to improving the computational efficiency. In recent years, level set evolution (LSE) has been shown to be very promising for object extraction in the field of image processing because it can handle topological changes automatically while achieving high accuracy. However, the application of state-of-the-art LSEs is compromised by laborious parameter tuning and expensive computation. In this paper, we proposed two fast LSEs for man-made object extraction from high spatial resolution remote sensing images. We replaced the traditional mean curvature-based regularization term by a Gaussian kernel, and it is mathematically sound to do that. Thus, we can use a larger time step in the numerical scheme to expedite the proposed LSEs. Compared with existing methods, the proposed LSEs are significantly faster. Most importantly, they involve much fewer parameters while achieving better performance. Their advantages over other state-of-the-art approaches have been verified by a range of experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes those aspects of the science and engineering of imaging which are relevant to the Surveying Profession. Since imagery in general, and earth imagery in particular, are ubiquitous in today's world many aspects of imagery should be known to the Surveyor. An outline is presented of those elements of imaging knowledge which should be known to varying degrees of thoroughness. A table explicitly conveys the level of competence needed by Surveyors in three categories of professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we delve into the discussion of how geomatics is seen by different organizations in different places, how geomatics is compared to surveying and mapping, where geomatics professionals fit, and, specifically, what core competencies geomatics professionals are required to possess to survive in today's dynamic and competitive world. We also discuss geomatics curriculum structure in the United States and compare it to curriculum structures in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While not specifically designed for cartographic purposes, Excel and other spreadsheet programs have been used in various ways to create maps, and offer the advantages of ubiquity and simplicity over specialized software. This article demonstrates the capability of Excel's scatter-plot graphing function to create maps by mapping a complicated section of the Germano-Belgian boundary using survey data taken from a boundary treaty atlas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]