LINZ is inviting surveyors, engineers, asset managers and other users of geospatial information to provide feedback on proposed updates to the Standard for New Zealand Survey Control.
The purpose of the standard is to specify the Surveyor-General’s requirements for the maintenance of the national survey control system. This is the system that includes trig stations and the survey marks often found under covers in the pavement.
LINZ is reviewing and updating the Standard and its accompanying Guideline, last published in 2009, to ensure the system remains fit for purpose 15 years on.
Surveyor-General Anselm Haanen says significant changes in geodetic practice and technology over the past 15 years have created a clear need to modernise the framework.
“Since 2009 we’ve seen major shifts in the geodetic landscape - earthquake recovery in multiple regions, the adoption of NZVD2016, the rise of multiGNSS positioning, and the increasing precision of modern survey equipment,” says Mr Haanen.
"These new realities mean our national survey control system must keep pace with today’s practice and support the needs of the next decade."
The Standard and Guideline will be redrafted into a single document.
The proposed changes are designed to better support 3D property rights, engineering applications, and longterm resilience of national geospatial infrastructure. They also aim to help LINZ and industry make more efficient decisions about maintaining and upgrading survey control networks.
Key proposals now open for feedback include:
- Updates to the national accuracy framework
- New network definitions, including a 3D Cadastral Control Network with modified mark densities, to replace the Cadastral Horizontal Control Network and Cadastral Vertical Control Network.
- An improved approach to deformation monitoring and publishing datum updates
- The introduction of a new Valuable Geodetic Marks category.
“This is an important opportunity for industry to help shape how New Zealand manages and maintains the spatial referencing system that underpins our cadastre, engineering projects, and location-based services,” says Mr Haanen.
“We want to hear from the professionals who rely on this system every day. Your operational insights are critical to ensure these proposed changes are practical and enduring.”
Proposed changes to the New Zealand Survey Control System Standard
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