Towards a coordinate-based cadastre in Alberta

Abstract

The current cadastre in Alberta is based on steel posts placed in the ground to mark legal boundaries. This foundation is the result of historical practices and influences dating back to the original township surveys of Western Canada in the late nineteenth century. While serviceable, emerging technology threatens to make this obsolete. The current practice is inefficient, expensive, and incompatible with geographic information system technology. This thesis reviews the influences which shaped the current cadastre, examines new technologies which may supplant it, and discusses potential obstacles to change. A proposal is made to replace the current cadastre with a cadastre based on mathematical coordinates derived from measurements from survey control monuments on earth and in space. Legal, technical and professional ramifications are discussed. Error sources and resolution are examined.