LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
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In addition, many value-added resellers (VAR) are using the digital maps as the reference base and add on specific information to develop their own tailor-made commercial map products or applications, such as an in-car navigation system and a fleet management system. These VAR products are available in CD-ROM and other media for use with personal computers, portable cellular phones and Personal Digital Assistants.
The SMO is also responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the geodetic network in Hong Kong, which provides the essential reference points for all types of land and engineering survey activities. With the proven applications of the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology for various types of survey work, the SMO has taken the initiative to establish a Territorial Continuous Global Positioning System Array (TCGPSA). This system will provide data that enables positioning measurements to be achieved at a high degree of accuracy. Under the first phase of the TCGPSA, six GPS reference stations have been set up in the north-western New Territories. The second phase of the project, with another six GPS reference stations to cover the rest of the region, is expected to be implemented in mid-2002. When fully operational, the system will modernise many of the land and engineering survey operations.
The SMO provides land survey services for land administration activities, such as land disposal, lease modifications and land resumptions. The office is also delegated with the authority for organising and co-ordinating the naming of geographical places and streets in the HKSAR. The Legislation Section of the SMO is responsible for assisting the Land Survey Authority in carrying out the functions under the provision of the Land Survey Ordinance. The ordinance provides for the registration and discipline of authorised land surveyors engaged in land boundary surveys, for the control of the standards of land boundary surveys and for the establishment and maintenance of land boundary records.
The SMO also provides aerial survey services to clients in both the public and private sectors. With advanced digital photogrammetry technology, a range of new products and services such as orthophotomaps (aerial maps which are rectified to remove geometric distortions), 3D city modelling and image analysis - - are being developed for various purposes.
Rural Public Works and Urban Minor Works Programmes
The Home Affairs Department continued to make good progress in the implementation of minor works projects in the rural areas under the Rural Public Works (RPW) Programme in 2001. The programme was launched in 1999 in order to continue upgrading the infrastructure and improving the living environment of the rural community upon the close of the 10-year Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy (RPIS) minor works programme in March 2000. Following the success of the RPW Programme, the department introduced the Urban Minor Works (UMW) Programme for urban districts in April 2000. This mirrored the RPW Programme in its management structure and mechanism for improving the local environment and eliminating hygiene black spots in urban areas. In response to the increasing needs of local communities, the department will continue to seek funds to implement more improvement projects expeditiously in 2002.