SSUR221 SURVEYING II

Chapter 7

INTRODUCTION TO CADASTRAL SURVEYING

Sources: Cadastral Surveying III Course Notes. Compiled by T.J. Hunter

Control Surveying III Course Notes. Compiled by J.C. Landman

1. INTRODUCTION

Cadastral surveying is the means of initially demarcating physically on the ground

the limits of a subdivision of land. Either existing natural features, such as water
courses, are adopted to such ‘curvilinear‘ boundaries. Where no such features exist,
then artificial boundaries are created by inserting beacons at corners locating a
straight line ‘rectilinear’ boundary on the ground.

Thereafter Cadastral surveying is the means of framing a diagram by a registered

Professional Land Surveyor. Diagrams are examined by a provincial Surveyor-
General together with the supporting survey records comprising a field book,
calculations and working plan. The Surveyor-General retains all the records in safe
keeping.

Cadastral surveying now becomes the means of restoring to their ‘lawful’ positions
those beacons and boundary lines which have become obliterated from view.

2. SURVEY INFORMATION

Before carrying out any survey in terms of the Act, a land surveyor shall obtain all
available information in respect of any previous surveys of the piece of land to be
surveyed, and/ or of the adjoining pieces of land.

The data obtained normally consists of the following:

 A compilation plan

 The survey diagram of the property in question and all adjoining properties

 The original survey records (working plan/ coordinates)

 All subsequent nearby surveys – the more recent the better

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The compilation plan

This enables the surveyor to get an overall picture of where the property in question
is situated, as it gives the cadastral description of all surrounding properties. Then
Comp. is a vital tool as it provides the key to the puzzle of piecing the various
surveys together. It does not show dimensions, but does provide other useful
information, for instance, if a beacon has a coordinate on the South African
coordinate system, it is indicated by a solid round black bullet. A beacon with no
coordinate or on a local system is indicated as an open circle. If the comp. is in an
urban area it will invariably show the positions of Town Survey Marks if they exist,
and their number identification. The compilation plan is continually updated as new
surveys are approved.

EXAMPLE OF A COMPILATION PLAN

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The Survey Diagram and General Plan

A diagram is framed according to strict regulations, and the Surveyor-General may

refuse to approve any diagram should he/ she consider that it is not to the required
standard. Feature of a typical diagram are:

 The unique parcel identifier

 The unique diagram number allocated by the Surveyor-General
 The diagram figure
 Adjoining properties and road servitudes
 Beacon descriptions
 Directions and lengths of the sides of the figure. If a survey is done on a local
system then angles and distances are indicated
 Coordinates of each boundary beacon on the national Network, as well as
those of two nearby control stations. In the case of a local system no
coordinates are shown.
 Area of the property
 Servitude notes
 Signature of the Land Surveyor
 Reference to relevant deeds, diagrams, survey records etc.

A General Plan is framed instead of a diagram whenever the land is subdivided into
ten or more portions and the figure of the parent diagram is too small for the
deducted portions to be clearly shown on it. The Surveyor-general is given certain
discretionary powers in this regard.

The Land Survey Act, Act No. 8 of 1997

Important to know from the Act:

 Duties of the Chief Surveyor-General – Sect 3 (1)

 Surveyors-General for Provinces – Sects 4 and 5
 Duties of a Land Surveyor – Sect 11
 Offences pertaining to Beacons – Sect 44 (1)
 Power of entry upon land – Sect 45 (1)

Important to know from the Regulations promulgated in terms of Section 10 of

the Land Survey Act:

 Reg 5(a) – Classes of surveys

 Reg 11 – Specification for beacons

 Reg 12 – when beacons are not required

 Reg 13 – indicatory beacons

 Reg 19 (1) (a-j) – Diagrams

 Reg 20 (1) – General Plans

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EXAMPLES OF DIAGRAMS AND GENERAL PANS ARE SHOWN ON THE

FOLLOWING PAGES
EXAMPLE OF A SUB-DIVISIONAL DIAGRAM (not to scale)

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FURTHER EXAMPLE OF A SUB-DIVISIONAL DIAGRAM (not to scale)

Note coordinate system is “approximate”

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EXAMPLE OF A SERVITUDE DIAGRAM (not to scale)

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EXAMPLE OF A CONSOLIDATED DIAGRAM – PAGE 1

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EXAMPLE OF A CONSOLIDATED DIAGRAM – PAGE 2 (not to scale)

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EXAMPLE OF UNCOMPLETED DIAGRAM WITH CURVILINEAR BOUNDARY

AND INDICATORY BEACONS (C & D) (not to scale)

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EXAMPLE OF DIAGRAM WITH INDICATORY BEACONS (B’ and B”) (not to

scale)

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EXTRACTS FROM GENERAL PLANS (not to scale)

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EXTRACTS FROM GENERAL PLANS (Cont) (not to scale)

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COMPONENTS OF A GENERAL PLAN

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COMPONENTS OF A GENERAL PLAN (cont)

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The Working Plan

Previous working plans with their coordinate lists are extremely useful for any
surveyor u survey of a property.

The following are important:

 All measured lines are in red

 All cadastral lines are in black
 All coordinate grid lines are in blue
 Found beacons are double black circles
 Placed beacons are single black circles
 Permanent working points are double red circles
 Temporary red circles are single red circles
 Calculated (theoretical) points are single green circles
 Adopted beacons are double green circles

There has been a considerable amount of relaxation with regards to working plans,
mainly to the advent of GPS, i.e. red lines need not be shown.

3. A SUMMARY OF THE TYPES OF SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY

PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYORS

3.1 A Farm Survey

As in most cadastral surveys, farm surveys are controlled by acts of

parliament, such as the Subdivision of Agricultural Land Act, which prevents
agricultural land from being subdivided to below a minimum size. Farm
surveys can involve subdivisions, servitudes for power lines, pipe lines and
right-of-way.

3.2 A Single Subdivision

This generally involves subdividing a property into two or more parts. Having
obtained the data the surveyor would first check that the survey is feasible in
accordance with the minimum subdivision sizes as required by each local
authority. The property in question may satisfy the cross area criteria but may
then be an odd shape which does not qualify for subdivision.

Satisfied that a property is subdivisible the surveyor would then prepare an

application plan which will contain a detail survey of the property showing
contours, existing boundary beacons and all existing artificial and natural
features.

Once successful, draft conditions for the subdivision are issued and the client
is informed. If there is agreement, final conditions are issued and the beacons
for the subdivision are placed.

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3.3 Beacon relocations

Although most cadastral surveys involve searching and finding existing

beacons and verifying their positions, beacon relocations can be an entity on
its own. They are performed for a variety of reasons i.e. if there is a boundary
dispute between neighbours, to verify if there is an encroachment of a building
onto an adjoining property, for fencing and boundary walls, and for
construction purposes when a structure is to be built on or close to a
boundary, particular in industrial areas.

Once relocated a beacon certificate is issued, which states that the boundary
beacons are correct.

EXAMPLE OF A BEACON CERTIFICATE

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3.4 Sectional Title Surveys

Sectional Title surveys are done in accordance with the provisions laid down
in the Sectional Titles Act 95 of 1986, which “provides for the divisions of
buildings into sections and common property and for the acquisition of
separate ownership in sections coupled with joint ownership in common
property”. The survey can be divided into five parts – the control; the beacon
relocation; the survey of the buildings in relation to the boundaries; the
internal measurements of the sectional units and the demarcation of exclusive
use areas.

3.5 Consolidation Surveys

A consolidation takes place when two or more adjoining properties are joined
together to form one property and can be done by compilation or by survey.
Consolidation by survey is obviously quicker and cheaper to perform, but if
the purpose of consolidation is to then subdivide (using a different
configuration than the two original properties), then the survey route would be
favoured.

3.6 Servitude Surveys

A servitude is registered on a property in favour of a neighbouring property or

a service provider e.g. Eskom or the local authority.

A servitude can be represented and described on a subdivisional diagram

(see “Servitude Note” on SG 356/2008 above). Sometimes a special servitude
diagram is prepared (See SG 3217/ 1970 above).

A servitude can either be represented by a line or a figure. A line structure like

a power line is often represented as a line, and beacons are placed at bend
points and sometimes where the line crosses a boundary line. It is described
as a line having a certain width and for what purpose. In the case of a
servitude described by a figure the entire figure should be beaconed.

3.7 Expropriation Surveys

Expropriation means to dispossess or take away property from land owners. It

normally comes in the form of a written instruction from bodies such as local
authorities, roads departments, Eskom and other government organisations.
The land to be surveyed normally cover features such as proposed roads and
railway lines, road widening, and creating new sites for community facilities
such as schools, clinics, electrical substations etc.

A consent plan showing the area affected would normally accompany the
written instruction. See example below.

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EXAMPLE OF AN EXPROPRIATION PLAN

3.8 Certificate of Identity

This is often required when a property of substantial value is in the process of

undergoing transaction and it is to safeguard the interests of those providing
security. The land surveyor is required to identify that a building is in fact on
the property that it is supposed to be on, and that there are no
encroachments.

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4. CADASTRAL CALCULATIONS

See below an extract of the General Plan for HILLCREST Erven 674 – 827. On this
plan directions of boundaries are given in the format dd:mm:ss and distances
between boundary beacons are given to two decimal places of a metre.

You are required to relocate the boundary beacons at positions A, B, C and D of

Erven 730 and 731, and therefore need to calculate coordinates for these beacons.

Coordinates. System: WG31º

Y X
Constants ±0,00 +3 200 000,00
F43 +18823,23 +93658,34
F47 +18912,61 +93684,03
Y +18889,91 +93632,30
Z1 +18860,51 +93596,38

By using the coordinates above, combined with data from the General Plan,
complete the following:

 Do the join Y – Z1.

 Do the polars Y – A and Z1 – A to confirm coordinates for A.
 Do the join F47 – F43.
 Do the data traverse F47 – B – C – D – F43. The closing error for this
traverse should be negligible, and no adjustment should be necessary.

 Do the join A – C and compare your answer with the data on the
General Plan. Comment on the outcome of this comparison.

 Which Central Meridian was used for this survey?

 On which coordinate system was the survey based?
 How must an indicatory beacon be used when a curvilinear boundary is
involved? (Reg.13). Illustrate your answer with a neat sketch.

SOLUTION

1.1 Join Y – Z1 Checked by Polar

Point Horizontal Horizontal

Name Y X Z Direction Distance
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Y 18889.910 93632.300 0.000
Z1 18860.510 93596.380 0.000 219:18:00 46.418

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1.2 Polar Reductions

Direction Distance Name Y X

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Y 18889.910 93632.300
219:18:10 30.260 A 18870.743 93608.885
=================================

Z1 18860.510 93596.380
39:18:10 16.160 A 18870.746 93608.885
Previous A 18870.743 93608.885

DY= 0.003 DX= 0.000

DS= 0.003 CL A= 0.013

Adopted A 18870.745 93608.885

=================================

1.3 Join F47 – F43 Checked by Polar

Point Horizontal Horizontal

Name Y X Z Direction Distance
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
F47 18912.610 93684.030 0.000
F43 18823.230 93658.340 0.000 253:57:51 92.999

1.4 Data Traverse

Direction Distance Name Y X

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
F47 18912.610 93684.030
253:57:40 30.500 B 18883.297 93675.603
=================================

B 18883.297 93675.603
253:57:40 30.500 C 18853.984 93667.176
=================================

C 18853.984 93667.176
253:57:40 25.000 D 18829.958 93660.269
=================================

D 18829.958 93660.269
253:57:40 7.000 F43 18823.230 93658.335
Previous F43 18823.230 93658.340

DY= 0.000 DX=-0.005

DS= 0.005 CL A= 0.013

Adopted F43 18823.230 93658.340

=================================

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1.5 Join A – C Checked by Polar

Point Horizontal Horizontal

Name Y X Z Direction Distance
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A 18870.745 93608.885 0.000
C 18853.984 93667.176 0.000 343:57:31 60.653

Comment: Both the direction and distance compare well with the values
that appear on the General Plan.

1.6 The central meridian is situated at 31 Degrees East

1.7 The World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84)

1.8 An indicatory beacon shall be placed on a rectilinear boundary to

define its intersection with a curvilinear boundary.

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EXERCISE 1

1. See attached extract of the General Plan for GLENMILL. On this plan
directions of boundaries are given in the format dd:mm:ss and distances
between boundary beacons are given to two decimal places of a metre.

You are required to relocate the boundary beacons at positions A, B, C and D

of Erf 237, and therefore need to calculate coordinates for these beacons.

Coordinates. System: WG31º

Y X
Constants ±0,00 +3 200 000,00
E4 -13357,07 +41293,55
E5 -13371,48 +41332,59

By using the coordinates above, combined with data from the General Plan,
complete the following:

 Do the join E4 – E5.

 Do the data traverse E4 – A – B – E5. The closing error for this traverse
should be negligible, and no adjustment should be necessary.
 Do the polars A - D and B - C. NOTE: CHECK WHETHER DIRECTIONS ON
THE GP ARE OUT BY 180º
 Do the join C – D and compare your answer with the data on the General
Plan. Comment on the outcome of this comparison.
 Which Central Meridian was used for this survey?
 On which coordinate system was the survey based?
 When a corner point of a piece of land or the beacon of a real right falls in an
inaccessible or insecure position, or in a position where it is deemed
inadvisable to place a beacon, such position shall be preserved by means of
an indicatory beacon or beacons. (Reg. 13). Illustrate by means of a neat
sketch the arrangement by which such an indicatory beacon or beacons shall
be placed.

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EXERCISE 2

See attached extract of the General Plan for HILLCREST below.

You are required to relocate the boundary beacons at positions A, B, C and D

of Erf 809, and therefore need to calculate coordinates for these beacons.

Coordinates. System: WG31º

Y X
Constants ±0,00 +3 200 000,00
G42 +18694,00 +93846,32
G48 +18835,68 +93864,00

By using the coordinates above, combined with data from the General Plan,
complete the following:

o Do the join G48 – G42. (2)

o Do the data traverse G48 – A – B – G42. The closing error for this
traverse should be negligible, and no adjustment should be
necessary. (6)
o Do the polars A - D and B - C.
(NB – check if directions are out by 180° or not ) (4)
o Do the join C – D and compare your answer with the data on the General
Plan. Comment on the outcome of this comparison. (4)
o Which Central Meridian was used for this survey? (1)
o On which coordinate system was the survey based? (1)

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