Cadastral mapping
1860 to 1880: Queensland takes on surveying and mapping
In December 1859, Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony. This resulted in the appointment of Sir Augustus Charles Gregory as the first Surveyor General.
The Queensland Survey Office then assumed responsibility for performing surveys previously directed from Sydney. They also prepared plans and compiled maps to facilitate administration.
A short time afterwards, the Queensland 'Town Series' of plans commenced.
Ham's map of Brisbane, 1863
By 1875, District maps at a scale of 20 chains to an inch (1:15 840) were being published.
1881 to 1900: Various scale mapping series
In 1881 the publication of the first 16-mile to an inch (1:1 013 760) map was released. It took three years to produce and was compiled from existing run sketch maps.
In 1887, the Moreton District 40-chain (1:31 680) maps were first published and the printing stones for electoral maps were prepared. A new series of run maps also commenced that year. The old 12-mile (1:760 320) series was improved to accommodate the joining of these maps to form a more extensive coverage.
It was during this time that the Survey Office conducted most of the mapping for government departments. The range of maps produced included twelve (1:760 320), six (1:380 160), four (1:253 440), two (1:126 720) and one mile to an inch (1:63 360) and 40 chains to an inch (1:31 680).
In 1890, the New County Series commenced. The first series was of the County of Fitzroy. These were at a scale of two miles to an inch (1:126 720). It was unofficially reported that the first electoral map was published in this year.
During the final years of the 1800s, the following important decisions were made and undertaken:
- To produce parish maps at a scale of 40 chains to an inch (1:31 680).
- To show on these maps the tenure of selected and alienated land distinguished by characteristic symbols and fonts.
- To list at a side of a map, all the portions in the parish with direct reference to the original survey plan.
Forming manageable county sizes
Due to the size of some counties being unworkably large, they were subdivided. This increased the total number from 109 to 319. Today, the present number of counties is 322, containing 5,319 parishes.
1901 to 1920: Vigorous growth in workload
The method of map production had evolved into drawing on paper or linen, with reproduction by means of photolithography. The stretching or shrinkage of the media caused problems with scale change which was minimised by using scale check marks.
It was by the beginning of 1908 that the economy had greatly improved which increased selection and settlement. This caused unprecedented field and office work. In fact, 1908 was stated to have been:
...without doubt, the most strenuous that the Office had yet experienced.Unknown source
1920 to 1950: New cadastral series developed
Map of the city of Brisbane, 1926
High standard of cartography
The period of the early 1930s saw the beginning of the height of fine hand lettering. The penmanship of the elite draftsmen fell marginally short of perfection as they competed to complete the new series of 4 mile (1:253 440), 2 mile (1:126 720), 40 chain (1:31 680), 20 chain (1:15 840), town maps and a new State map.
A validated claim can be made that the quality of these maps was unmatched by those produced in the other States. This was a huge conviction considering the vastness of the State and the shortage of funds, staff and accommodation at the time.
Around 1935, maps showed real property information for the first time, proving useful to the public.
Toward topographic maps
During the pre-war period, Queensland had no topographic mapping commitment. The existing cadastral series depicted physical features not normally associated with cadastral mapping. This allowed the maps to be utilised for purposes beyond requirements of the Survey Office.
This may have been a major reason why Queensland was slow in taking up the production of topographic maps. Europeans had been using topographic maps for many years prior.
Safeguarding resources
There were risk management strategies employed during the years of the war. Copies of plans, original map compilations and miscellaneous valuable documents were transported to Roma for safe keeping. This was due to the threat of Japanese bombing major cities.
In 1946, the new series of the 4-mile (1:253 440) maps were completed.
1950 to 1985: Map numbering system and digital mapping
The early 1970s saw the commencement of the production of the new 40 chain (1:31 680) sheet series based on the Transverse Mercator projection. This series eventually replaced the parish maps.
Conversion to metric
The changeover from imperial measurements to metric on 14 February 1966, was to be a huge undertaking. The Survey Office began the task of reviewing all map scales in 1971. This new series would be stated as representative fractions.
By the mid 1970s, the department was producing metric mapping at scales of 1:100 000, 1:50 000, 1:25 000, 1:10 000, 1:5 000 and 1:2500. Bar codes were introduced on these maps during the same period.
Manual mapping procedures
The processes relating to manual cadastral map production in the Survey Office from the 1950s to the 1980s included departmental sections performing the following operations:
- The Registrations Branch maintained 'Office Working Maps' of the original cadastral maps. These were continually updated with alterations resulting from land transactions and new surveys. These working maps provided the information for future printed revisions.
- The Deeds, Notings and Charting sections provided services essential to map production and land administration.
- The Computing Branch dispatched instructions to staff surveyors and checked the plans of survey.
- The Plan Room stored the plans of survey from the time of separation (1859). This room also held the Registers of Deeds of Grant and Crown Leases.
- Map production proceeded through the Lithographic and Photographic sections to be made ready for printing at the Government Printing Office.
An 'office working map'
A standard format adopted
In 1977, a standard map numbering system covering the whole of Queensland was adopted. This was for the purpose of utilising a consistent base format to meet the requirements of all scale mapping.
The birth of digital mapping
The early 1980s saw the commencement of a major upheaval in the way mapping was to be undertaken and executed. The operations, production and output of mapping in Queensland would be totally transformed from the previous 100 plus years.
The seed was sown during this time when funding became available to create a database of cadastral data covering Queensland. This was to become known as the DCDB (Digital Cadastral Data Base).
Initially, the database took on the accuracy of the individual map series that were being digitised.
In 1992, the digital capture of Queensland was completed at the agreed standard. The outcome was a seamless database of the total cadastral network of the State that complied to a range of accuracy ratings.
The database progressed and the newly installed software and hardware was able to increase the accuracy of the data. The first hard copy maps using DCDB data were produced in 1985.Diggles D 2002
1985 to the Present: Digital acquisition at a rapid rate
Survey plan database
The Computer Inventory of Survey Plans (CISP) was developed between 1987 and 1991. This was to provide an electronic tool for reliable cadastral searching of survey plans in Queensland.
The system held the information shown on plans in a database. Therefore, survey plans became static documents and were no longer continuously updated with new information, as had been the practice.
Merging of land related datasets
In 1996, a working model of BLIN (Basic Land Information Network) was released within the Department of Natural Resources and Mines. The technology offered a delivery environment of integrated databases of land administration information.
This was to be the forerunner of the present SMIS (SmartMap Information Systems). This current system offers the public and clients the ability to access many land related databases and produce customised maps through a single interface. SMIS has become a convenient user-defined web delivery environment which depicts up-to-date cadastral related information displayed in map form.
The SMIS and 'SmartMaps' name branding replaced Enquiry BLIN (the user interface of BLIN) and was released in 2003.
A customised SmartMap
Improving the accuracy and currency of cadastral digital data
A program commenced in 2004 to use imagery from satellites to improve the positional accuracy of the DCDB in rural and remote areas throughout the state.
One element that is seen to be important to the success of a digital cadastral database is ease of access to current data.
DCDB console operators in each regional centre provide continuous updates to the database through a statewide computer network. The client service standard ensures that any new action, be it a subdivision, resumption etc, is entered into the database within 5 working days of registration.
In 2004 the DCDB was comprised of 1 905 000 property parcels. The size of the DCDB is increasing by approximately 5000 property parcels per annum.
The DCDB has now evolved to be the essential point-of-truth data source that underpins all land information systems in the state.
Further current cadastral information:
SmartMap
Digital cadastral data
Last updated: 29 September 2009