Specifications

Survey

• Standard Specifications for Horizontal and Vertical Control by the National Mapping Council of Australia were published in 1953 (NMO/53/11.2), and appear to be one of the very first National Mapping Council publications. It should be noted that this document was prepared at a time when triangulation was the norm and EDM yet unproven.

Training Notes for National Mapping Field Survey Staff were compiled by Reginald Arthur Ford, Senior Technical Officer, while he was the Training Officer for the Melbourne Office. After many years of field experience, Reg documented most of the Nat Map Melbourne's accepted field survey procedures and methodologies covered by these notes. As such this document represents the consistent approach provided to and expected from all involved in field surveys during the 1960s-70s. These notes were never published but just photocopied as required. This web version was derived from the personal copies provided by a number of Natmappers and their cooperation is appreciated. While every effort has been made to ensure correct conversion, users may find minor inconsistencies in the text and tables.

• Specifications for Second Order Tellurometer Traversing.
• Completed pages of a Ground Control Traverse field book showing sets of horizontal and vertical angles, MRA-2 Tellurometer measurements and reductions, ecce correction and station mark observations and reductions. Note the the field book is compiled from available pages and therefore the station numbering is inconsistent but observations sets are complete (courtesy Bill stuchbery & Ted Graham).
• The National Mapping Council Standard Specifications and Recommended Practices for Horizontal and Vertical Control Surveys was the bible for many of us in the 1960s & 70s.
• First Order Angular Control by H.A. Johnson was written in 1962 a few years before the completion of the Australian geodetic survey. While the paper deals with many technical issues HA's lead in gives an insight into the philosophies and practices adopted by Natmap for this project.
• Specifications for observing first order horizontal angles, simultaneous vertical angles and simultaneous reciprocal azimuths with the Wild T3 theodolite (circa 1960s).
• A set of specifications for Geodetic Triangulation in the United States : Gossett, Franklin Rice (1959), Manual of Geodetic Triangulation, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Special Publication (SP) 247, US Government Printing Office, Washington.

Mapping

• Detailed description of Plane Tabling by Unknown and undated.
• Specifications for compiling the standard military 1 inch to 1 mile (1 : 63 360) scale map, by plane table, are contained in the Australian Survey Corps - Standing Orders 1934.
• A4 size folders in Commonwealth Green bearing the title Specifications for : Topographic Map Series Australia : 1:100 000 & 1:250 000 Scale or similar, which lay around areas of Natmap's Melbourne and Dandenong and applicable Contractor offices for ready reference, have seemingly disappeared. Geoscience Australia's Version 5.0 of 2007 available via this link is the evolution of those specifications for a digital world.
  

  Specifications for the National Topographic Map Series (NTMS), 1:250,000 scale, Volume 3, Edition 1.

• These circa 1950 and 1951 documents describe the procedure adopted in compiling photo mosaics.
• A circa 1965 document describing how existing slotted template radial triangulation techniques could be utilized in forthcoming mapping programs.
• Early Natmap documentation covering map production :
  

  General Instructions

  Standard Definitions (80MB download)

  Standard Topographic Map Symbols

• Definitions of Terms Used in Geodetic and other Surveys : Mitchell, Hugh C (1948), Coast and Geodetic Survey, Special Publication (SP) 242, US Government Printing Office, Washington.
• Topographic Manual, Part 2, Photogrammetry : Swanson, LW (1949), Coast and Geodetic Survey, Special Publication (SP) 249, US Government Printing Office, Washington.