Topographic News - Issue Two - December 2007

Welcome to the the December 2007 edition of LINZ Topographic News

Our customers and stakeholders have asked to be better informed about LINZ's services and activities - Topographic News is one of several publications available to help keep our customers better informed about LINZ's services and activities. For other publications, read our corporate publications.

We value your feedback and would appreciate any ideas for future topics and articles along with ideas for how we can improve this newsletter. Simply email your comments and suggestions to customersupport@linz.govt.nz (please put Topographic newsletter feedback in the subject line).

Update on the Topo50 Map Series

The Topo50 Map Series Project team continues to make good progress

The new map series is based on the New Zealand Geodetic Datum 2000 (NZGD2000) and New Zealand Transverse Mercator 2000 (NZTM2000) projection. While both NZGD2000 and NZTM2000 are now incorporated into the LINZ digital topographic database and through NZTopoOnline, the paper maps still use the older New Zealand Map Grid projection and New Zealand Geodetic Datum 1949.

LINZ has been consulting regularly with our primary topographic stakeholders to share plans on how to best make the transition to NZTM2000.

Launch date set for September 2009

LINZ has fixed a national launch date of September 2009 after consulting with defence and emergency services stakeholders, who have agreed to switch their systems to use the NZTM2000 projection for their base mapping from the same date.

Emergency services will start operating their 111 systems using the NZTM2000 projection, and Topo50 maps will be available at map retailers at launch. The NZMS 260 map series will no longer be available for purchase from September 2009.

Promoting the new map series to the public

Government agencies and organisations switching to the new maps is only one aspect of the move to the new map series. New Zealanders have thousands of copies of the NZMS 260 maps, and LINZ will be ensuring the public knows why they should buy the new maps, and promoting their availability at map retailers.

"Groups of regular map users such as trampers will be relatively easy to reach via tramping clubs and associations. Communicating with members of the public who use maps very infrequently is more challenging," Robyn Nicholl, LINZ Product/Service owner says.

"LINZ has developed a communications strategy to target different groups of the public using a variety of channels. We'll be working closely with our stakeholders to extend our messages through their networks and contacts right up to the launch."

Promotion to the public will be based on key messages such as: If you're planning to be out in New Zealand's great outdoors, make sure you take the same maps as the emergency services use to be consistent with emergency services and new technologies such as GPS.

New Map Series sheet examples available online

LINZ has developed examples of the new map sheets to show topographic customers the design and layout. To view the examples see Topo50 Map Series Prototype.

You will find other information about the new map series on the LINZ website, including:

We will be updating the information on this website regularly so keep checking back for project news as we work towards the launch in September 2009.

For more information or to receive regular updates about the new map series, email Robyn Nicholl on newmapseries@linz.govt.nz.

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National Address Register Project update

Phase 2 concludes

The National Address Register (NAR) project is focused on looking at options for improving the provision of address, road and place name information for government agencies. Consistent with the E-government and Geospatial strategies, NAR requires co-operation and collaboration across a range of stakeholder agencies to achieve its objectives.

The project is being overseen by a Steering Group including senior executives from Land Information New Zealand, Statistics NZ, New Zealand Police, Ambulance NZ, Accident Compensation Corporation, Ministry of Social Development, local government and SSC, to ensure the interests of different government departments are met.

Phase 2 of the National Address Register (NAR) Project concluded in September with the release of findings from a report commissioned by the Steering Group: 'NAR - Moving Forward'.

The value of NAR was confirmed by the report which identified the benefits from a single common source of location information. It also stated that whilst location information underpins many business and government activities, the use of addresses and place names are subject to colloquial use and personal interpretation. This can lead to problems for activities such as utilities attempting to supply services, emergency service responses, the delivery of surface mail and freight, maintenance of infrastructure and verifying electoral enrolment.

Phase 3 begins

The third phase of the project is now underway and involves preparation of a viable business case (based on economic and social benefits) and seeking funding for the development and ongoing operation of a NAR. Previous phases of the project have been led by LINZ. New Zealand Police is now taking the lead role in managing this phase of the project on behalf of government agencies.

'Build and operate' RFP released

In late November 2007, New Zealand Police released an RFP calling for interested suppliers to build and operate the register. The RFP includes the following high-level description of the register and the main requirements:

The National Address Register (NAR) will be a well-maintained, standards-based, readily-accessible repository of geocoded information about the physical location of features such as parks, properties, roads, railways, and localities, together with the commonly used (and allocated) identification labels such as address number, road name, and place name. It will not hold any data about people.

If a contract results from the RFP process, it will require the contractor to:

  • Provide datasets of all New Zealand roads and addresses that the Crown can freely use
  • Provide NAR infrastructure and processes to handle NAR data effectively and efficiently
  • Integrate data from Crown and Contractor, and improve it, to achieve ESA data quality
  • Deploy NAR to demonstrate effective and efficient operation, and ongoing improvement
  • Maintain, operate, and improve NAR to deliver NAR data effectively and efficiently.

Copies of the Request for Proposals documents can be found on the Government Electronic Tender Services website, www.gets.govt.nz (RFP number TN/08/07). They are also available by email from tenders.national@police.govt.nz.

ALL communications about the NAR Request for Proposal must be through tenders.national@police.govt.nz.

Any agencies wishing to be kept informed about the NAR project's progress can request updates by sending an email to Jill Barclay, New Zealand Police at jill.barclay@police.govt.nz.

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New mapping projections for New Zealand and offshore islands

LINZ has recently published a new standard that formally defines several map projections in terms of the New Zealand Geodetic Datum 2000 (NZGD2000).

Included in the new standard are:

  • the NZ Transverse Mercator 2000 (NZTM2000) that will be used for new topographic mapping on New Zealand
  • other projections that cover the Chatham, Auckland, Snares, Campbell, Antipodes, Bounty, Raoul and Kermadec Islands, and
  • formulae to convert coordinates between them.

View the LINZS25002 standard and fact sheet summarising the aspects relating to mapping.

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Where in the world are we? guide updated

LINZ has updated the guide Where in the World are We? (pdf 1,172KB). The updated guide takes account of new developments such as the introduction of the New Zealand Geodetic datum 2000 and the New Zealand Transverse Mercator 2000 projection that is being used for the new Topo50 map series.

Originally adapted from an Australian publication, the guide provides background on an almost invisible piece of infrastructure in New Zealand by giving a brief introduction to the development of spatial reference systems. It addresses some of the technical issues surrounding spatial reference systems, presenting formulae when appropriate, and also discusses the benefits of a spatial reference system to the community in general.

Although primarily intended for casual users of maps and navigation devices wanting to know more about the coordinates they use, Where in the World are We is a technical guide with background descriptions on datums and projections used in New Zealand. Every attempt has been made to present the material in non-technical terms, however some references to the science and terminology of geodesy has been inevitable and necessary. It can be used by technical and non-technical people interested in the geodetic system and the systems used for mapping in New Zealand.

Note: LINZ is currently developing a user friendly guide to map reading to support the arrival of the new Topo50 map series.

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