S+SNZ Spatial Measurement key terms

A public register of land parcels that records ownership, boundaries and related rights, usually linked to a map or spatial index. It supports land transfer, taxation and land-use planning.

The measurement and documentation of land parcel boundaries and associated rights for registration. It produces survey plans that define parcels in the cadastre and must meet statutory accuracy standards.

A defined area of land with a unique identifier, created by subdivision or survey, that forms a unit of ownership or tenure in the cadastre.

The line or surface that separates one land parcel from another or from a public space. It may be defined by survey marks, natural features or a legal description.

A durable physical object, such as a peg, pin or monument, placed or adopted to mark a parcel corner or boundary line. Its position supports the survey record.

A legal and technical drawing that shows parcel boundaries, survey marks, areas and related information. It is deposited or approved to create or amend land titles.

A land registration system in which the register, rather than the deed, is the authoritative record of title. The state guarantees title, and dealings are recorded against the parcel.

A legal right to use another person's land for a specific purpose, such as access, drainage or services, without owning it. It is usually registered against both parcels.

The division of a parcel of land into two or more new parcels, often with new boundaries, access and services. It requires planning approval and cadastral survey.

The design of buildings, streets, public spaces and layouts to create functional, safe and attractive places. It considers movement, density, character and how people experience the urban environment.

The number of dwellings or people per unit area of land. It influences infrastructure demand, urban form and the feasibility of public transport.

The division of land into areas with different permitted uses and development controls, such as residential, commercial or rural. Zoning guides what can be built and how land may be used.

A formal permission from a local authority to carry out an activity that may affect the environment, such as earthworks, subdivision or discharge. Conditions may govern how the activity is done.

A statutory document prepared by a territorial authority that sets objectives, policies, rules and zones for land use and development in its district.

A provision in a district plan that identifies land for a public work or project, such as a road or school, and restricts other uses.

The Resource Management Act 1991, New Zealand's main law for managing natural and physical resources. It promotes sustainable management and governs consents, plans and environmental effects.

Any change to the environment produced by an activity, including positive or adverse, temporary or permanent, and cumulative effects. It is a central test in resource management decisions.

The combined impact of an activity together with other past, present or reasonably foreseeable activities, which may be greater than the effect of the activity alone.

The marking of design positions on the ground, such as building corners, road centrelines or structures, from survey control and plans, so construction can proceed at the correct location and level.

A survey carried out after construction to record the actual location and dimensions of built works. It is compared with design and used for compliance and future asset records.

A stable mark with a known height above a vertical datum, used as a reference for levelling and construction. It may be a brass plaque, pin or other permanent object.

A line on a map or model joining points of equal elevation. Contours show terrain shape and slope and are used for design, drainage and earthworks.

A survey that establishes a network of points with known coordinates and heights, providing a reference framework for other surveys and construction. It is often connected to a national datum.

A reference framework that defines the position and orientation of coordinates on the Earth, including an ellipsoid and a point of origin. It allows consistent mapping and positioning.

A mathematical method for representing the curved Earth on a flat map. It necessarily distorts distance, direction, shape or area, so the choice depends on purpose.

New Zealand Geodetic Datum 2000, the official geodetic datum for New Zealand. It provides the reference for coordinates and is associated with the New Zealand Transverse Mercator projection.

New Zealand Transverse Mercator 2000, the standard map projection and coordinate system used for national mapping in New Zealand. It is based on the NZGD2000 datum.

Global Navigation Satellite System, a family of satellite positioning systems including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. Receivers use satellite signals to determine position on or near the Earth.

Real-Time Kinematic positioning, a GNSS technique that uses carrier-phase measurements and a correction link to achieve centimetre-level positions in real time.

An electronic surveying instrument that combines an angle-measuring theodolite with an electronic distance meter. It records directions and distances to targets for coordinate computation.

The measurement and mapping of water depth and underwater terrain. It is used for navigation, dredging, coastal engineering and habitat mapping.

A measured water depth at a specific location, often reduced to a chart datum and shown on nautical charts or survey plans.

The vertical reference level for nautical charts and tide predictions, usually set near the lowest astronomical tide so that most depths shown are minimums.

The surveying of water bodies to determine depth, seabed shape, hazards and features for navigation, engineering or environmental purposes.

A geographic information system, software and data framework for capturing, storing, analysing and displaying spatial information linked to locations.

Information that includes a location reference, such as coordinates or an address, and often attributes describing what is at that location.

Data about data, describing the source, accuracy, date, projection and limitations of a spatial dataset. Good metadata helps users judge whether data suits their purpose.

Assigning real-world coordinates to spatial data, such as an image or scanned map, so it aligns with a known coordinate system.

A spatial data model made of a grid of cells, each holding a value such as elevation, land cover or imagery. It is suited to continuous surfaces.

A spatial data model that represents features as points, lines or polygons with coordinates. It is suited to discrete objects such as roads, parcels and boundaries.