Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications

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    Considerations is assessing the potential success of a cadastral or land information management project in developing countries: a case study of the Thailand Land Titling Project
    Williamson, Ian P. ( 1990)
    The Thailand Land Titling Project is undoubtedly a successful project combining technical, institutional, management, legal, training and educational components. It is a joint project by the Royal Thai Government, the World Bank and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau. It is primarily concerned with the issuing of land titles to all freehold parcels in the Kingdom of Thailand, in addition to undertaking land administration reform, establishing a national valuation system, carrying out urban cadastral mapping for all urban areas in the country and developing a national land information strategy. The paper briefly overviews the project, outlines some of the lessons from the project and the significant socio-economic benefits of the project. However the paper concentrates on attempting to evaluate the reasons for the success of the project. In particular it argues that the institutional, economic, social, legal and political environment at the time of project preparation and implementation was conducive to its success. Such an evaluation is necessary to place the lessons, achievements and benefits of the Land Titling Project in perspective for others who may wish to translate these experiences to their own countries or jurisdictions. By drawing on the experiences of the Land Titling Project and other projects with which the author has been involved, an attempt is made to generalize the considerations and necessary environment for success of similar projects.
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    Why cadastral reform?
    Williamson, Ian P. ( 1990)
    Why has it been necessary to have a conference on cadastral reform? In fact what is cadastral reform in the Australasian context? The paper addresses these issues from an historical perspective and looks at present issues and pressures on Australasian cadastral systems. Present cadastral reforms are reviewed and some issues which need to be addressed in the future are highlighted. In particular the paper emphasises that an holistic approach is necessary in reforming cadastral systems while recognising that cadastral systems are fast becoming information systems as we move into the era of an information society. The paper recognises that our present cadastral systems had their genesis in the 19th Century and that many of our practices, laws and regulations and institutional arrangements are not applicable to today's society. Present day changes to our cadastral systems however must recognise that it is only during the last decade that cadastral principles have been accepted within our land administration systems.
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    Teaching and research programs in land and geographic information systems at the University of Melbourne, Australia
    Williamson, Ian P. ; Hunter, Gary J. ( 1990)
    As in many other parts of the world, Australia is experiencing a severe shortage of Land and Geographic Information System (LIS/GIS) specialists who possess appropriate tertiary education backgrounds. This shortage of qualified personnel is causing difficulties for public agencies trying to establish LIS/GIS which, having fought for approval of staff increases, are often in the embarrassing position of not being able to fill positions when finally allowed to do so. This shortage applies just as equally to the private and academic sectors.In an effort to address this imbalance, The University of Melbourne has designed new LIS/GIS courses and subjects, at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with the aim of catering for young professionals about to enter the LIS/GIS community, and current administrators, academics and practitioners who find they now need a stronger background in the science, technology and management issues surrounding LIS/GIS.The paper outlines a multi-disciplinary strategy at The University of Melbourne for teaching and research in LIS/GIS. The paper, however, concentrates on the programs within the Department of Surveying and Land Information (A Centre of Excellence in Land Information Studies designated by the Institute of Land Information based in Washington, DC), and a new Graduate Diploma in Geographic Information Systems being introduced jointly by the above department and the School of Environmental Planning within the University.
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    Educating land surveyors for the next century: the technology and land management dichotomy
    Williamson, Ian P. ( 1990)
    Land surveyors have always had a close affinity with the land which has been reflected in their education. There is however a dichotomy in many countries in the education of surveyors, between the emphasis placed on land management and land related issues and the science and technology of surveying. This paper examines how the Department of Surveying and Land Information at The University of Melbourne, Australia has addressed this issue.
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    Land information management at the World Bank
    Williamson, Ian P. ( 1991-03)
    The surveying, mapping and land information management industry in both the government and private sectors in Australia has increasingly promoted the export of its expertise to developing countries during the 1980s, particularly in the land administration area. This activity has brought the industry in closer contact with organizations such as the World Bank with a view to increasing Australia’s share of the international consulting market. As a consequence of these developments and the extensive expertise in land management within the World Bank, in both the operational and research areas, the author spent six months undertaking research in land information management in developing countries in the World Bank during the latter half of 1989. This paper summarizes his impressions and experiences from this period but in particular highlights the role and importance of surveying, mapping and land information management as perceived by the World Bank. A major conclusion of the paper is that the surveying profession together with its institutions, systems and technologies is ‘alive and well’ and has a very sound and important future in the developing world.
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    Cadastral reform: an Australian vision for the 1990s
    Williamson, Ian P. (Dienst van het Kadaster en de Openbare Registers, 1991)
    Ten years ago cadastral reform was not an issue in Australia. In fact, the term 'cadastre' was not even thought applicable in Common Law jurisdictions; today this view has changed. What is 'cadastral reform' and why has it become a key issue in Australasia over the last few years, are key elements of this paper.This chapter recognises that present Australian cadastral systems had their genesis in the 19th Century and, as a consequence, many of our practices, laws and regulations and institutional arrangements are not applicable in today's society. In reforming our cadastral systems, the paper looks at the major pressures which are instigating change. In particular, the chapter emphasises that an holistic approach is necessary in reforming cadastral systems while recognising that cadastral systems are fast becoming spatial information systems, in parallel with the community as it moves into the era of an information society.As an example of the growing interest in cadastral reform, the recent conference 'Cadastral Reform 1990', the first of its type in Australia, is reviewed.
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    No easy road: accountability in modern education for professional surveyors
    Hoogsteden, C. C. ; Williamson, I. P. ( 1991)
    In any economy where public expenditure on higher education accounts for a sizeable proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), equity in spending and equality of access have long been considered to be crucial issues in the political arena. They still are. However, we now find that it is concerns about the efficiency of higher education provision, and especially its quality, form, content and relevance, which are now expressed most stridently. In turn, this has led to demands for more coherent planning and management control systems in higher education generally within which the accountability of the institution, the professional school and the individual academic is a sine qua non. Then, in the space of a decade or so, the well-defended vocational walls which have surrounded land information professionals, especially land surveyors, have begun to be breached in many parts of the world. Primarily, this process is due to the advent of new information and positioning systems, including Land Information Systems (LIS), Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) over which surveyors have no particular lien. This has been coupled with other powerful external forces such as professional deregulation. Quite simply, there is a new game, new turf and new players. Things are not what they used to be - nor will they ever return to what they were. Unfortunately, many wish that they would and a laager mentality is still alive and well in the worlds of surveying academe and professional surveying practice alike. Yet, some individuals and institutions have, with not a little delight, welcomed the opportunities which change invariably brings and, moreover, achieved success. This success is due, in no small way, to the vigorous adoption of a variety of innovative measures of modern academic management including the process of proper accountability and the introduction of performance indicators. There is also the matter of a growing and increasingly vociferous consumer lobby. In a number of countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, tertiary students have had to sustain substantial increases in direct charges for their courses. In practice, the alternative cost-recovery mechanisms range across the charging spectrum and include: full-cost fees, supplementary top-up fees for certain courses, repayable loans and inflation-indexed graduate taxes. Yet, whatever the charging mechanism, it would be surprising if the natural querulousness of students regarding their education anyway were not intensified by the forceful expression of dissatisfaction if they consider the education they receive as representing poor value for money. It would also be surprising if there is not increased pressure from both public-sector and private-sector employers of surveying graduates for greater accountability to be demonstrated by those involved in professional surveying education. Many of these employers have been put through an "economic wringer" by governments set on obtaining efficiency and effectiveness in the national economy. Moreover, to survive in the medium term and long term, they know that they need that essential input which comes from fresh, active, and capable young minds able to respond to the new challenges, not those of twenty years ago. To put it bluntly, academic accountability is not just a fashionable word. Increasingly, it is a powerful and necessary, albeit emotive, issue for governments, tertiary-education institutions, individual academics, tax-payers and students alike. The reality of the academic environment today is that the introduction of accepted management practices - strategic plans, performance appraisal and business plans to name but three - are all becoming part of the daily routine. However, a major problem which accompanies the introduction of increased accountability for the tertiary-education sector in Australia lies with the lack of proper provision, within the new performance appraisal process, for financial rewards for individual high-achieving academics. This contrasts markedly with the private sector and, indeed, with some parts of government where performance payments are the norm. Thus, in a sense, the tertiary-education sector has been both squeezed by government and also put through the "economic wringer" as well. Moreover, this has happened at a time in Australia when academic salaries have fallen, in relative terms, well behind teachers and other related professionals. The net, and worrying, result is that many of the best people are leaving universities, while at the same time it is very difficult to attract suitable professionals into the tertiary-education sector. The purpose of this paper is four-fold. First, we outline what is meant by accountability. Then, we will explore the manner in which accountability fits into the rapidly-changing world of higher-education management. The third objective is to examine the various inter-mingled relationships and responsibilities of the major role-players in professional surveying education. Finally, we consider the need for and introduction of suitable performance indicators to provide an essential underpinning to the academic accountability process. We offer no apology for using the management practices at the University of Melbourne as an example throughout the paper. Quite simply, it is sensible to comment on that which one knows well. Moreover, in dealing with some issues of potential contention and sensitivity, it seemed more prudent to remain reasonably "close to home". Naturally, it is recognised that similar processes would be found in other institutions to varying degrees.
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    The need for improved forms of conceptual models in Geographical Information System development
    Williamson, Ian P. ; Hunter, Gary J. ( 1991)
    While numerous books have been published in the past two decades on the subject of information system development methodologies, it is now recognized that these techniques need modification to suit the peculiar nature of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). However, regardless of how system development life-cycles might be varied to suit GIS, the use of models remains a common feature of the development of any information system. It is argued that high-level conceptual models, as used in the initial system evaluation phase, are perhaps the most important type of model in terms of providing an overall picture of what the system is designed to achieve -- yet they remain the least understood. The aim of this paper is to provide a greater understanding of their role and purpose and to highlight their importance in effective GIS development and implementation. Suggestions are also made for improving the form and content of conceptual models so that their meaning becomes clearer
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    The Bangkok Land Information System Project: designing an integrated land information system for a large city in the developing world
    Williamson, Ian P. ; Mathieson, Garry ( 1992)
    International aid and lending organisations worldwide are increasingly recognising the importance of improving the operation and management of cities in developing countries. A key activity to improve these cities is land information management, however the methods adopted in the developed countries are not necessarily applicable to those which are less developed. This paper reviews an important and innovative approach to developing a land information system for the City of Bangkok. The Bangkok Land Information System (BLIS) Project is a cooperative effort between five key authorities in the City; this cooperation in itself is almost unique. The paper reviews the operation of and strategy behind the design of the two year BLIS project and highlights some of the early lessons.
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    Object-oriented concepts for software development and conceptual modelling in GIS and surveying
    Hesse, Walter ; Hazelton, William ; Williamson, Ian P. ( 1993)
    Recent years have seen a growing research interest amongst Information Technology professionals for Object Oriented Programming Systems (OOPS) and Object Oriented Geographic Information Systems (OOGIS). The nature of this research for the 'classical' surveyor demands a move away from the 'comfort zone' of Surveying Techniques, Mapping and LIS/GIS into the more fundamental areas of Computing Science. This move is essential for a better understanding of the necessary data modelling and general object-oriented concepts for Information Systems in general, and LIS/GIS more specifically. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of this relatively new and specialised field for the Surveying professional interested in GIS issues.