Infrastructure Engineering - Theses
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ItemA local-state government spatial data sharing partnership model to facilitate SDI development( 2006-12)In the past decade efforts to develop spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) have migrated from the initial “top-down” national approaches to “bottom-up” and cross jurisdictional efforts at the sub-national level. Although national SDI developments are fundamental to building the SDI culture and policy, it is sub-national and local SDI development that will deliver the immediate benefits to citizens and the community. In countries which have highly decentralised federations of states such as Australia, United States and Canada, the challenge is how to co-ordinate the literally thousands of often small local government jurisdictions which are important contributors to state and local SDIs. In recent years, a number of co-operative spatial data sharing partnerships between local and state government have emerged in various countries around the world. These partnerships are relatively new initiatives that have been established to facilitate more effective sharing of spatial data between organisations, but also as a mechanism to contribute to SDI development. To maximise the benefits from these partnerships it is essential to understand the factors that contribute to their successful operation and sustainability. Therefore, the focus of this research is to understand these collaborative arrangements so that future data sharing initiatives can be improved and sustained.
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ItemGIS applied to administrative boundary design( 2003)The fragmentation of administrative boundaries is a serious problem in the analysis of social, environmental and economic data. This research focuses on the development of a coordinated approach to the design of administrative boundaries that endeavours to support accurate decision making. Around the world, administrative boundaries have been structured in an uncoordinated manner, limiting data exchange and integration between organisations. The solution proposed in this research adopts the hierarchical reorganisation of administrative boundaries to enhance data integration and data exchange within the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) framework.The SDI is an initiative intended to facilitate access to complete and consistent data sets. One of the most fundamental problems restricting the objectives of the SDI is the fragmentation of data between non-coterminous boundary systems. The majority of administrative boundaries have been constructed by individual agencies to meet individual needs. Examples of the proliferation of different boundary systems include postcodes, census-collector districts, health districts and police districts. Due to the lack of coordination between boundary systems, current technologies for analysing spatial data, such as geographic information systems (GIS), are not reaching their full potential. A review of the current literature reveals that, until now, little has been done to solve this problem.The prototype developed within this research provides a new mechanism for the design of administrative boundaries. The prototype incorporates two algorithms. These are based on HSR theory and administrative-agency constraints and are implemented within the GIS environment. Such an approach is an example of the potential that is available when we link spatial information theory with the SDI framework and disciplinary knowledge.
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ItemDiffusion of regional spatial data infrastructures: with particular reference to Asia and the Pacific( 2002)The development of a Regional Spatial Data Infrastructure (Regional SDI) is much more challenging than the development of a National SDI initiative within a nation. This is mainly because of the voluntary nature of cooperation at a multi-national level and participation in a Regional SDI initiative. As a result, despite considerable interest and activities, the development of an effective and comprehensive Asia-Pacific Regional Spatial Data Infrastructure (APSDI) is hampered by a lack of support from member nations which results in this initiative remaining only an innovative concept. Based on this situation, the aim of this research is to design an improved conceptual model for Regional SDI and an implementation strategy. It is proposed that this problem can be partly addressed by increasing the level of awareness about the nature and value of SDIs; improving the SDI conceptual model to better meet the needs of nations; and by identifying key factors that facilitate development by better understanding the complexity of the interaction between social, economic and political issues.
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ItemProperty rights, restrictions, and responsibilities: their nature, design, and management( 2007)This research is composed of four broad sections: introduction, background, research and conclusions. The introductory phase describes the research problem and aim. It asserts that property rights, restrictions and responsibilities over land are designed and administered in a disparate, ad hoc and disorganized fashion which makes achieving sustainable development objectives difficult, if not impossible. This thesis aims to develop a framework for organizing the management of property rights, restrictions and responsibilities in a way that enables the achievement of sustainable development objectives by citizens and governments. The background section explores the problem more deeply. First, it looks back to the root causes: a diverse range of drivers including environmentalism, free market economies and social equity are producing legislative and policy sprawl. Second, it looks at the limitations of current attempts to overcome the problem: traditional land administration tools are being bypassed, small ad hoc legal and technical solutions are favoured and only limited holistic approaches exist. Third, the background section investigates the emerging tools being applied to the problem: ontological design, social learning, SDI and spatial technologies, uncertainty theory and new funding models could all profoundly influence the management of land interests. The research section uses the contextual understanding to develop, justify and execute a robust research design. The hypothesis articulates that expanding the existing land administration systems with new tools and principles would enable better management of property rights, restrictions and responsibilities and consequently assist the achievement of sustainable development objectives by citizens and government. A mixed methodology involving both qualitative and quantitative studies is required to test the hypothesis. Additionally, top-down (government) and bottom-up (parcel) perspectives are also used. The sheer size of the legislative sprawl (Federal – 514 statutes, State – 620 statutes, Local – 7 statutes) and the administrative effort required to manage it is exposed at all levels of government. However, amongst the tangle of bureaucracy, pockets of very well managed, automated and spatially integrated land interests is uncovered. Additionally, the underutilized potential of the cadastre and existing registry to manage ‘some’ interests is identified. The bottom-up case studies provide a detailed insight into the effect of old and new land interests on individual parcels. The historical complexities of existing cadastral and registration systems and their deficiencies are also clear. Together, the results from these equally weighted case studies are used to test the appropriateness of the hypothesis, and generate components of an updated land administration toolbox, one capable of managing all interests in land. The conclusions section synthesizes the results and develops the ‘RRR Toolbox’ and ‘Property Object’ concept. The ‘RRR Toolbox’ includes eight components: policy, legal, tenure, institutional, cadastral and registration, spatial and technology, capacity and emerging tools. If a jurisdiction wishes to coherently manage its land rights, restrictions and responsibilities, then each of the eight components needs to be addressed and acted upon. The ‘Property Object’ is defined as an advanced descriptive framework of the key attributes (objective, action, spatial extent, people impacted, duration) that make up an individual property interest. The property object permits holistic treatment of all property interests, from ownership down to simple access powers, and also enables meaningful contrast between different interests. Together, the ‘RRR Toolbox’ and ‘Property Object’ provide new and innovative perspectives on the research aim. The results of the case studies reveal the hypothesis to be a point of truth. Together the concepts help to deliver sustainability objectives. However, this thesis does not claim to fully solve the problem: more work on each of the toolbox components and their implementation in different jurisdictions identified is required.