Spatial Services is responsible for maintaining the official State Control Survey Network, a reliable and accurate spatial referencing system that underpins surveying, land information and mapping systems in NSW.
Spatial Services’ role is to manage and improve the database that is the core of this network, while public and private sector surveyors (including our own surveyors) contribute to the currency of the system by placing and coordinating new permanent survey marks that extend the network on the ground.
The State Control Survey provides certainty and confidence when surveying the location of land and property for asset management, establishing property boundaries and constructing public infrastructure.
An essential tool for surveyors, State Control Survey data is available to registered users in SCIMS Online through the Spatial Services portal.
Control surveys and SCIMS
Surveyor-General’s Direction No. 12 – Control Surveys and SCIMS (PDF ) is a guide as to what is required before coordinates and heights will be placed on public record in the Survey Control Information Management System (SCIMS). Issues covered include mark construction, positioning technologies, best-practice surveying techniques, observation processing, least squares network adjustments and reporting.
All submissions to update SCIMS with control survey data are required to include a Survey Report (ZIP 2.1 MB) and Locality Sketch Plans for all marks placed. An example of a good Survey Report is provided in the Sample Survey Report (ZIP 2.1 MB).
To assist with the submission of GNSS observations, a resource pack (ZIP 2.1 MB) is available for download, containing a generic GNSS logsheet in Excel format.
The surveying profession is also encouraged to contribute to maintaining and improving the State Control Survey Network by submitting suitable GNSS data and AUSPOS processing results for potential inclusion in SCIMS – please refer to our AUSPOS Submission page for more details.