Cadastral Surveys and the GPS Option: Origin Definition, Time and Cost Comparisons for an Urban Cadastral Survey

Abstract The New Zealand cadastral system essentially requires that land parcels be demarcated. and that boundaries and dimensions are determined, in terms of relative rather than absolute position. For over 120 years, the necessary angle and distance measurements were undertaken with theodolite and chain, a methodology now mostly superseded by the EDM and/or total station. Currently, with robust kinematic GPS techniques and processing algorithms, and with the advent of real time capabilities, GPS increasingly provides an attractive alternative for performing cadastral work.