Abstract
Cadastral spatial units around the world range from simple 2D parcels to complex 3D collections of spaces, defined at levels of sophistication from textural descriptions to complete, rigorous mathematical descriptions based on measurements and coordinates. The most common spatial unit in a cadastral database is the 2D land parcel—the basic unit subject to cadastral Rights, Restrictions and Responsibilities (RRR). Built on this is a varying complexity of 3D subdivisions and secondary interests. Spatial units may also be subdivided into smaller units, with the remainder being kept as common property for the owners/tenants of the individual units. This has led to the adoption of hierarchical multi-level schemes. In this paper, we explore the encoding of spatial units in a way that highlights their 2D extent and topology, while fully defining their extent in the third dimension. Obviously, topological encoding itself is not new. However, having mixed a 2D and 3D topological structure is rather challenging. Therefore, despite the potential benefits of mixed 2D and 3D topology, it is currently not used in LandXML, one of the main and best documented formats when representing survey data. This paper presents a multi-level topological encoding for the purposes of survey plan representation in LandXML that is simple and efficient in space requirements, including the question of curved surfaces, (partly) unbounded spatial units, and grouping and division of 2D and 3D spatial units. No “off the shelf” software is available for validating newly lodged surveys and we present our prototype for this. It is further suggested that the conceptual model behind this encoding approach can be extend to the database schema itself.
Highlights
In many jurisdictions, the cadastral survey plan is a critical instrument in the administration of property rights, being the starting point that defines the extent and location of the property
This paper explores the practicality of topologically encoding spatial units, initially in LandXML [4], but with a view to supporting InfraGML [5,6] when it is more mature; by demonstrating a topologically structured conceptual model for the purposes of survey plan representations, addressing the questions of curved surfaces, unbounded spatial units, and hierarchical grouping/division of 2D and 3D spatial units
The “Rights Responsibilities and Restrictions” (RRR) recorded on a title or deed associates it with the land parcel as defined on the plan
Summary
The cadastral survey plan is a critical instrument in the administration of property rights, being the starting point that defines the extent and location of the property. It is critical that the definitions of properties are correct and topologically sound, with adjoining properties identified in 2D and 3D In another example, a building may be placed on a base parcel, leaving property in common. The suggested method uses a form of mixed-dimensional topological structuring—sharing boundary definitions between spatial units that are simple and efficient in space requirements. It prevents problems of accidental overlap between spatial units in 3D, while providing a data source for a mixed 2D/3D digital cadastral database that minimizes redundancy and inconsistency. It is suggested that the conceptual model behind this approach can be extended to the cadastral database itself, including the requirement to maintain a historical record of the spatial unit structure (lineage)
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