WORK OF THE CADASTRAL SURVEY AND LAND RECORDS OFFICE, 1932–45

Abstract

On the occasion of the Empire Survey Conference in 1931 we had the privilege of arranging at the Science Museum an Exhibition of Cadastral Maps and Land Records which had been somewhat hurriedly collected from the United Kingdom, the Dominions, India, eleven Colonies and Protectorates, three Mandated Territories and six foreign countries. As there is some vagueness in the application in English of the French word cadastre, it may be advisable before proceeding to say that while in Europe this word, with its German and Italian equivalents, originally applied to a record of landed property (biens fonds) compiled for fiscal purposes and is commonly still so defined in standard dictionaries, we have throughout used it in the wider sense it has gradually been assuming generally of any analogous record concerned with subdivisions of land occasioned by human use, whether the purpose to be primarily served is fiscal, juridical, economic or otherwise. Cadastral survey is the process by which the parcels of land dealt with are defined, and can be located again at need. The noun, which is rarely mentioned in English, was from the earliest days applied to the whole conspectus of the record: registers, maps, supporting documents, etc. We use the term land record loosely, and somewhat unsatisfactorily, in this comprehensive sense because the more convenient and exact one-cadastral record-has not so far found a place in British practice with its associates: cadastral maps and cadastral survey.     

THE CADASTRAL SURVEY OF EGYPT, 1879–1907

Abstract

Repercussions to Failure (1883–96).—So far we have only had occasion to consider the primary fiscal objective of the abandoned cadastral survey; but during the decade devoted to it (1879–88) other public activities had been developing which were no less dependent upon detailed maps for their effective and equitable operation. Pre-eminent among these was the irrigation service. During the previous part of the century various spasmodic efforts to construct general maps of the country had produced little more than a series of conventional diagrams, on scales of I : 100,000, or 200,000, depicting the approximate positions of the main waterways and villages throughout the Delta and Valley against a blank background. But it was upon knowledge of at least the broad pattern of cultivation, waste and marsh, of surface level and incline, throughout the countryside, that the satisfactory planning and operation of the interrelated system of supply and drainage channels depended; while the only regular means of accumulating this knowledge had been the abortive survey. For crude and unreliable as its work was and useless for its intended purpose, that survey had been providing for the first time village by village in important districts an interpretable picture of these broad effects. The Irrigation Service did its best to fill the gap by setting up a survey section to prepare a “hydrographic map” of Lower Egypt to meet its own requirements. The staff were mainly drawn from the disbanded cadastral survey and the methods used are reported to have been essentially the same; but the simpler character of the work evidently fostered certain changes. As the network of property boundaries was ignored the map scale was reduced of 1 : 10,000 and the plane table became the principal instrument of detail survey; and since villages were no longer working units continuous map sheet series were adopted for each province. This accentuated the need for a common basic framework; but the defects of such triangulation as existed appear, however, to have been accepted and extended, some of the more obvious gaps being patched with traverse. So the detail must have been subjected to a good deal of Procrustean treatment. Nevertheless, supplemented where necessary by lines of levelling, the work constituted an indispensable reconnaissance series for irrigation.     

THE CADASTRAL SURVEY OF EGYPT, 1879–1907

Abstract

It may be recalled that when Lyons accepted the responsibility for the execution of the Cadastral Survey and its compilation within the time limit set by the Commissioners of the Public Debt, this was subject to the stipulation that a properly balanced land. survey organization should be established and entrusted with all land survey operations of a national character. We are now faced with the dilemma that within the limits of this paper we can neither adequately examine nor leave unconsidered the implementation and effect of this stipulation, upon which the success attained, both in the immediate objective and in the ultimate perpetuation and extension of its benefits, vitally depended. Lyons's critical difficulty, which reacts on us here, resembled having to take charge of a rumbling old wagon which could not be stopped, but had to be rapidly converted as it went, into a well-powered lorry. We think our best course will be to review briefly (i) in the order of their original institution the principal parts of the Departmental machine that Lyons gradually built up and (ii) the processes by which their united effect in the field enabled the task for which the Department had been founded to be achieved.     

THE GEODETIC LEVELLING OF CEYLON (1926–1929)

Abstract

The Net.—The total length of the lines of the level-net is roughly 2400 miles. The net comprises 27 circuits with perimeters varying between 74 and 268 miles, and is generally closer in the wet zone than in the sparsely populated and undeveloped dry zones. In 12 circuits there are differences of level exceeding 1000 feet. The highest point reached in the net is 6572 feet, and a branch line runs from Nuwara Eliya to the summit of Pidurutalagala, the highest mountain in the island (8282 feet).     

THE ART OF ORIGINAL CIRCULAR DIVIDING (1650–1850)

Abstract

The problem of dividing the circle into equal parts has occupied the minds of astronomers and instrument makers from the earliest times, but little is known of the methods adopted by such renowned observers as Hevelius or Tycho Brahe, who are said to have divided their own instruments (I). It is possible, however, to trace the various steps by which progress was made and to appreciate the urgent need that was felt, particularly throughout the eighteenth century, for improvement in the accuracy of astronomical instruments, if only to satisfy the increasing demands for navigational charts and for the means of determining the position of a ship at sea.     

THE ORTHOMORPHIC PROJECTION OF THE SPHEROID–III

Abstract

In the last instalment we were able to obtain most of the surveyor's projections in common use by applying simple scale conditions to the meridians and parallels. This method of approach naturally suggests that results of some value might be obtained by applying similar conditions to the plane co-ordinate lines. If we do so, we are immediately led to consider curves on the surface known as geodesics, which are the nearest approach to straight lines it is possible to draw on a curved surface. Accordingly, we give some account of these curves for the benefit of surveyors who have not hitherto made their acquaintance.     

THE YEARS 1935–6 AND 1936–7 IN THE GOLD COAST

Abstract

THE Gold Coast can now be said to have recovered from the slump which caused such disastrous consequences in 1931–2 and resulted in a heavy reduction in the establishment of the Survey Department. So far there has been no increase in staff, but more badly needed money for buying stores and increasing the labour staff has been available, and authority has now been given for an increase of 12 in the establishment of African Surveyors; this will result in the re-opening of the Survey School in 1937.     

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE JOURNAL CHANGED THE NAME OF《SURVEYING AND MAPPING》AS《ENGINEERING OF SURVEYING AND MAPPING》

The journal has been changed the name of《Surveytng And Mapping》,as《Engineering of Sur-veying And Mapping》from this issue.The jounal is a quarterly publication for surveying and map-ping science and technology sponsored by Harbin Institute of Engineering(former Harbin Instituteof Surveyting and Mapping).The purpose of the journal is to present national and international newtheoris,techniques and methods,to exchange achievements and experience about the scientific re-search,teaching,technique reform and production management,to report national and internation-al development,seminar and technique lessons,and introduce famous scholars and books in survey-ing and mapping circles.The journal has enjoyed the support and favorable comment of nationalreaders of surveying and mapping circles.     

THE SEVENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF SOVIET CARTOGRAPHY—SOME ACHIEVEMENTS AND TASKS OF RESTRUCTURING

This article, based on a presentation to the All-Union Conference on Cartography in the Era of the Scientific and Technological Revolution in November 1987, contains an eminent Soviet cartographer's evaluation of the state and development of Soviet cartography and his impressions concerning the tasks which lie ahead over the era of economic restructuring and social change. Translated from: Izvestiya Akademli Nauk SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1988, No. 3, pp. 17-21 by Jay K. Mitchell, PlanEcon, Inc., Washington, DC 20005.     

THE THEORY AND APPLICATION OF THE STRUCTURE LIGHT ENGINEERING SURVEYING BASED ON A LASER THEODOLITE WITH THREE FREEDOMS OF ROTATION

1　ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＩｎｏｕｒｃｏｕｎｔｒｙ ,ｔｈｅｓｕｒｖｅｙｉｎｇｗｏｒｋｏｎｉｎｄｕｓｔｒｉａｌｏｂｊｅｃｔｓｈａｖｅ ｇｒａｄｕａｌｌｙｉｎｃｒｅａｓｅｄ .Ｔｈｏｓｅｉｎｄｕｓｔｒｉａｌｏｂｊｅｃｔｓｉｎｃｌｕｄｅｒａｉｌｗａｙａｎｄｈｉｇｈｗａｙｔｕｎｎｅｌｓ,ｖａｒｉ ｏｕｓｏｉｌａｎｄｇａｓｃａｎｓ ,ｖａｒｉｏｕｓａｉｒｃｒａｆｔ,ｓｈｅｌｌｏｆｃａｒｓ,ｌａｒｇｅｍｉｌｉｔａｒｙａｎｔｅｎｎａｕｓｅｄｆｏｒｓｃｏｕｔｉｎｇｓｔｅａｌｔｈｐｌａｎｅ ,ｓｈｉｐ ,ｉｎｔｅｒｎａｌｓｔ…     

THE SCHEME FOR THE DATABASE BUILDING AND UPDATING OF 1∶10 000 DIGITAL ELEVATION MODELS

1　ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＴｈｅＮａｔｉｏｎａｌＢｕｒｅａｕｏｆＳｕｒｖｅｙｉｎｇａｎｄＭａｐｐｉｎｇｏｆＣｈｉｎａ ,ａｓｔｈｅｇｏｖｅｒｎｍｅｎｔａｌｄｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｉｎｃｈａｒｇｅｏｆｔｈｅａｃｑｕｉｓｉｔｉｏｎａｎｄｍａｎａｇｅｍｅｎｔｏｆｇｅｏｄｅｔｉｃａｎｄｃａｒｔｏｇｒａｐｈｉｃｄａｔａｏｎｔｈｅｗｈｏｌｅｎａｔｉｏｎａｌｔｅｒｒｉｔｏｒｙ ,ａｉｍｅｄａｔｔｈｅｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｏｆＧＩＳａｎｄｐｒｏｐｏｓｅｄｓｏ＿ｃａｌｌｅｄ“4Ｄｐｒｏｄｕｃｔｓｓｔｒａｔｅｇｙ”ｂｅｙｏ…     

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES OF THE WORLD—A NEW SOVIET ATLAS

The authors employ remote sensing imagery and existing landscape maps to gain greater insight into how pre-glacial tectonic activity contributes to landscape development in old glaciated regions by affecting the form and movements of lobes of past continental ice sheets. Using the Belorussian SSR as a study area, the authors identify several features of current landscape structure which can serve as indicators of past tectonic activity, the most reliable being various characteristics of the landscape family—defined as a combination of natural territorial complexes of similar origin and age. Translated from: Izvestiya Vsesoyuznogo Geograficheskogo Obshchestva, 1990, No. 6, pp. 560–565.