Boundaries: procedures for boundary identification, demarcation and dispute resolution 3rd ed 2014 RICS

This new 3rd edition guidance note is essential reading for all RICS members interested in boundary dispute practice (England and Wales) and will also act as an effective refresher for experienced practitioners. 

Boundaries: procedures for boundary identification, demarcation and dispute resolution, 3rd edition (England and Wales) 
http://epicms.rics.org/uk/knowledge/professional-guidance/guidance-notes/boundaries-procedures-for-boundary-identification-demarcation-and-dispute-resolution-3rd-edition/ 

This new edition is fully updated and revised, contains several restructured sections and focuses on the essential processes behind setting up a project all the way from the initial contact stage, to the contract, to the report and possible litigation procedures. Ordnance Survey and Land Registry have had extensive input into this new edition and the expert working group have also added new sections on airspace and substrata, party structures and the addition of the new ‘survey accuracy banding table’. The appendixes have been further strengthened by the addition of new ‘model’ examples of boundary agreements, terms of business for boundary disputes, entering neighbouring land and in-depth explanations on highway issues and essential terms. 

The importance of boundary research, measured field surveys and advice on best practice survey techniques and final report are outlined. The guidance note also contains extensive listings of further reading and online resources. The guidance note also explains the concept of 'general boundaries' and how boundary demarcation (determined/fixed) is part of the dispute resolution process. 

This guidance note was prepared by the a specialist working group of the RICS Boundaries and Party Walls Working Group (B&PWWG), the Mapping and Positioning Practice Panel (MAPPP) and the Geomatics International Professional Group Board (GIPGB). The B&PWWG is a cross-professional group specialist panel of technical and chartered surveyors from the building, land surveying (Geomatics) and rural areas of practice, and brings together some of the leading and most distinguished professional surveyors working within the arena of neighbour disputes. 

Summary 
The physical extent of property ownership and rights of use are basic attributes of land and buildings and are capable of being evaluated by property professionals. Uncertainty of the extent of ownership and its associated rights affects the physical use and rights to repair, maintain, gain access to and obtain value of the land.

Snake Grid Lecture at RICS

We attended a lecture last night on the Snake Grid co-ordinate system at Parliament Square, London.

I would like to congratulate both Chris Preston - Network Rail and Jonathan Iliffe - UCL on delivering a well structure and thought through lecture.  The lecture helped to improve our knowledge on reasons for distortions in co-ordinate systems and variables that can affect scale factor.  They delivered a succinct explanation of the snake grid co-ordinate system and the advantages of using such a system. 

When working on projects that extend for a few kilometres, engineers and surveyors are  accustomed to the concept of a local site grid that effectively makes a flat Earth  assumption.

As projects grow beyond a few kilometres, however, it becomes necessary to introduce a  projected coordinate system – and then all those working on the site have the problem of  making scale factor corrections. If there is a significant height range across the project  then there is the added problem of making reductions to sea level or any other standard  reference height.

The SnakeGrid solution provides a coordinate grid system that maintains a unity scale  factor along a trend line that follows the project in plan and height.

In this way, projects such as railways, highways and pipelines that extend for hundreds of  kilometres can have a single seamless grid with a scale factor distortion less than a few  parts per million along the whole project and for several kilometres on either side.



For more information visit: http://www.snakegrid.org

CICES BIM conference introduces the Survey4BIM working group

The CICES hosted a conference yesterday - BIM The developing role of the land surveyor.

Ian Bush, Senior Vice-President gave a very interesting presentation about the Survey4BIM working group.  He outlined how we as an industry should be promoting land surveying and the skills and expertise we can provide with regards to BIM.

I look forwards to viewing the best practice guidelines we will hopefully see in the future from Survey4BIM and how the group will also be able to highlight the importance of Land Surveyors and the importance of the geospatial data we provide.

Further information about Survey4BIM can be viewed at http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/survey4bim/ and below:

Survey4BIM

Survey4BIM is a cross-industry group open to all organisations involved in the survey, collection, management, processing and delivery of geospatial information within a BIM context.

The groups make up is reflective of the sector, involving clients, contractors, consultants, suppliers, sub-contractors, institutions and other bodies.

Our mission is to provide a forum for survey organisations and industry professionals to collaborate and share their journey putting “BIM into practice”, and to provide best practice guidance documents on survey matters relating to BIM.

Goals

In order to achieve this, the Survey4BIM Management Committee has identified seven goals

1. Provide leadership in establishing how surveyors provide an integral and continuous role to the BIM process and the importance of geospatial information.
2. Share knowledge and learning between its members
3. Establish collaborative links to Universities and academia – education of the full supply-chain
4. Produce and publish best practise guidance to organisations, clients and industry professionals on survey matters relating to BIM in the form of Technical Notes and Guidance Documents.
5. Coordinate the Survey4BIM related activities undertaken by survey bodies and institutions.
6. Promote survey related case studies, which demonstrate best practice and the integrated management of geospatial information across all stages of the asset lifecycle.
7. Represent the surveying profession in wider discussions on BIM and act as a partner to the Cabinet Office BIM Task Group.

We are supported by the UK Government BIM Task Group and a link to our Terms of Reference can be foundhere

RICS draft guidance note - Measured surveys of land, buildings and utilities (3rd edition)

The third edition of Measured surveys of land, buildings and utilities is published by RICS under the aegis of the Mapping and Positioning Practice Panel (MAPPP), the RICS UK Geomatics Professional Group and a specialist Measured Surveys Working Group. 

This publication forms part of a series of specifications and guidelines intended to assist those connected with the requesting, purchasing and production of surveys and mapping material at all scales and accuracies, by promoting good practice and avoiding the duplication of effort.

The MAPPP is one of the foremost technical practice panels within RICS and is comprised of private and public sector surveying and mapping industry experts, academics and survey instrument manufacturers. This broad expertise enables MAPPP professional/technical guidance and output to adhere to industry best practice.

This consultation draft is currently live on iConsult:

https://consultations.rics.org/consult.ti/measuredsurveys/consultationHome

Loy Surveys use this document as a basis and guideline for all of the work they do.

Lets promote information that can be provided by the Geomatics industry as a foundation for a BIM model as well as-built models of existing structures.

As an industry we seem to be focussed and promoting what we can provide in terms of as built-models of existing structures from laser scanning data. I have no argument with this but also feel that we should putting just as much effort into promoting what we can provide in terms of information about land and existing infrastructure that will provide a platform upon which a BIM model of a new structure will be based. Whether this is from data acquired using traditional topographical techniques, laser scanning or the numerous other methods available these days – we should be emphasising that this surely is of vital importance and if the information provided is not correct than it would affect everything else. I would be interested to hear other views on this.

RICS client guides from the Geomatics faculty - Online

The RICS Geomatics faculty have once again update their client guides.

I find these guides a useful resource to occasionally refer to myself and recommend that my team read them as well - many of whom are currently undertaking the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) or are going through the Approved Development Scheme with the CICES.

They are a great resource for clients or anyone who wants to understand Geomatics to a greater extent.  They try to explain in plain English the sometimes complex, opaque world of geomatics and surveying to a non-surveyor audience.

Professionals such as engineers, architects, developers and planners will find them invaluable and the guides can also act as an aid memoire for professional and technical members of RICS.

The guides are also useful for helping clients and potential clients better understand the nuances of subjects such as map projection scale factor, scale, calibration and accuracy amongst others. In many cases it may also be appropriate to include a guide within a tender application or to be sent directly to prospective clients. RICS members are encouraged to actively use these guides.

Guides include:

• Terrestrial Laser Scanning

• Map Projection Scale Factor

Avoid the Potential Dangers of Scale Factor

• Scale

Avoid Tripping up Over Step Changes in Scale

• Reassuringly Accurate

Controlling Accuracy for Better Results

• Marine, Offshore and Coastal

An RICS Perspective

• Virtually Level

Transition from familiar benchmark to heighting using GPS

• Applications of Aerial Photography and Digital Imagery

Check them out and download them from the following link:

http://www.rics.org/uk/knowledge/more-services/guides-advice/rics-geomatics-client-guide-series/

Newcastle Uni GIS and Surveying & Mapping Degrees - video

Newcastle University have just launched a new video to promote their Surveying and Mapping degrees. 

I had a great experience at Newcastle University and would recommend it.  I know Glasgow also do a similar course which many of our team at Loy's went on.

Check it out at the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbChbavm424