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LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
Survey
Major responsibilities of the Survey Division of the Lands Department include the revi- sion and production of topographical and special use maps of Hong Kong, land title boundary surveys, geodetic surveys, large scale basic mapping, and cartographic and reprographic services.
Revision and metrication of the 1:1 000 basic mapping series and production of the new New Territories 1:5 000 series continued as major tasks throughout the year, as did cyclic revision for all other mapping series. Various special maps were reprinted including the Hong Kong Official Guide Map and the Countryside Series Sheet 1, Hong Kong Island, both of which were completely redesigned. A photo mosaic covering the whole territory was also produced from high level aerial photography.
During the year, cadastral surveys for the alienation of Crown land, acquisition of land for government projects, allocation of land for government purposes and boundary re-establishment of existing lots for redevelopment, again accounted for the bulk of the work in the urban areas. In the New Territories, demand for cadastral surveys continued in the new towns and there was a steady requirement for surveys of village house lots in the rural areas.
The geodetic sections continued the upgrading, extension, and essential maintenance of the geodetic control networks, both horizontal and vertical, upon which all mapping, cadastral and engineering surveys in Hong Kong are based.
The Photogrammetric Unit continued with the large scale mapping for essential development purposes as well as the territory-wide metrication programme of the basic mapping series. With the addition of digital assessory equipment, the unit enhanced its capacity for processing data taken from aerial photography and used for engineering designs, environmental studies, volumetric calculations of quarries and reservoirs, danger- ous slopes and dam movement monitoring, and recording historical monuments and buildings. The Air Survey Unit was equipped with a new aerial surveying camera and, with the assistance of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, provided all the photography for mapping, revision, special study, and record purposes.
Advancement in computerisation within the division continued. This involved processing field survey data, automated plotting of the records for field surveys of cadastral or large scale site plans, and the automation of other survey activities. The training school of the Survey Division continued to provide training for land surveying and cartographic technicians. In addition, 10 officers were undergoing post-graduate training in Hong Kong and 13 were on government training scholarships overseas.
Public Building
In 1983-4, the Architectural Office of the Building Development Department completed 190 major building projects. Total capital expenditure, including that on minor works, was $2,105 million. In addition, the office's Maintenance Branch spent $318 million in carrying out maintenance and alteration work on 5 105 government, Urban Council and British Forces buildings, including 2 600 offices and leased quarters.
Capital expenditure on public building projects undertaken by the Building Develop- ment Department decreased only slightly, by 0.7 per cent, compared with the 1982-3 figure. This decrease was due to lower spending on buildings in the new towns upon completion of such large projects as the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin, the Tuen Mun Polyclinic and the Tsuen Wan multi-storey carpark and transport interchange. Another reason was the completion of most of the major items under the Defence Reprovisioning Programme