LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
Survey and Mapping
The Survey and Mapping Office of the Lands Department defines the boundaries of land developments, establishes and maintains survey control networks, produces maps of Hong Kong at various scales and themes for land administration, engineering and legal purposes, and manages a computerised land information system.
The office provides land survey services for land administration purposes such as land sale, lease modifications and land resumption. It maintains an index plan in digital form of all leasehold lots and government land allocations as well as records. of the land boundary surveys. The office, being the Survey Authority under the Land Survey Ordinance, is responsible for checking the quality of land subdivision plans. submitted by Authorised Land Surveyors and maintains a record of these plans for reference by other land surveyors. It has also established a Cadastral Survey Plan Index System to facilitate the search of land boundary survey records.
The survey control networks provide the essential reference points for all types of land and engineering surveys. A Global Positioning System, which receives signals from satellites, is used to establish the locations of these reference points. More permanent reference stations are being installed to provide wider and more precise coverage. The received satellite signal data are available to the public. A Geodetic Survey Information System has been set up to facilitate the co-ordination and dissemination of survey control information.
The office produces a variety of maps. Digital maps of 1 to 1 000, 1 to 5 000 and 1 to 20 000 scales are available for sale to the public. All topographic maps except the 1 to 1 000 basic map series are bilingual and the latter will be bilingual by 1999. The office also provides extensive cartographic services for many government departments. These include the production of colour geological maps, thematic maps, weather forecasting plans, pollution control maps, aeronautical charts, electoral boundary maps, and plans for land disposal and resumption.
The development of a Computerised Map Enquiry System for Tourists, sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Hong Kong Tourist Association, is the first application which can be accessed through the Internet.
The Photogrammetric and Air Survey Section takes aerial photographs on a regular basis and for various purposes. It provides photogrammetric mapping services for engineering design work, earthwork volume calculations, environmental studies and town planning work. Aerial photographs are available for sale to the public.
Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy
The Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy (RPIS) is a coherent strategy for improving the rural areas of the New Territories through infrastructural development and environmental improvement.
The RPIS minor works programme has come under the management of the Home Affairs Department since late 1994. To capitalise on the established local liaison network, the department introduced a two-tier administrative structure consisting of the RPIS Minor Works Steering Committee and the District Working Groups. The Steering Committee, attended by representatives of Heung Yee Kuk and New Territories Provisional District Boards (NTPDBs), oversees the general
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