Uncertainty Reigns over Land Registry

Just when we thought we had a fully dead parrot it seems there's still life in the bird. Whitehall is refusing to confirm or deny press reports that the industry secretary has thrown out plans that would pave the way to the privatisation of the work of Land Registry. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has yet to respond formally to a consultation it issued in January on creating a "service delivery company" with possible private shareholding, to work alongside a shrunken office of the chief land registrar. The proposals attracted a storm of criticism from staff, conveyancers and the... (read more)

2017-01-06 11:26:45

RICS Responds to Land Registry Privatisation Proposals

In May the Government published proposals to privatise the Land Registry, even though a similar consultation only two years ago had resoundingly rejected such a move. Below we summarise the RICS’s response to the latest scheme. The land and property transfer market in England & Wales adds approximately £8 billion to the Treasury’s coffers every year, one of the highest in the world and accounts for 4.2% of UK GDP. Understandably any change to how this important market operates needs to be thought through very carefully. Can privatisation really prove a better option than the status quo? What’s wrong with... (read more)

2016-12-23 04:19:13

HM Land Registry Looks to the Future

Andrew Trigg, Chief Geospatial and Data Officer at HM Land Registry, sets out exciting developments leading to new products, better interoperability between agencies and innovation. Our data is everywhere. Walk down any street in England and Wales and there’s a strong chance we’ll know the recent history of every property. Read any report on the housing market and it’s a good bet the writer will have consulted our Price Paid Data or the UK House Price Index. Download a new app for home hunters and you can almost be certain the innovators behind the technology will have used our data... (read more)

2018-11-08 12:47:50

Land Matters

Summer is on the way at long last and RICS Geomatics has been very busy on an ever-increasing UK and global portfolio. The early summer months see several of our key annual events take place – GeoBusiness 2018 (22-23 May) and the FIG Congress in Istanbul. Now into its 5th year, GeoBusiness goes from strength to strength. RICS will again join our colleagues from AGI, TSA, ICE and CICES on a joint stand at the front of the exhibition space (stand C2), we are again a station on the legendary ‘Ale Trail’ and have been heavily involved in the conference... (read more)

2018-05-15 11:05:30

Land Administration

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2017-02-22 11:32:07

Ogilive Geomatics Acquires Malcolm Hughes Land Surveyors

Ogilvie Geomatics has expanded its land and building surveying operations with the acquisition of Manchester based Malcolm Hughes Land Surveyors Limited. The business will operate alongside Ogilvie Geomatics’ other subsidiary companies of Loy Surveys and Longdin and Browning. The combined operation will have an annual turnover of circa £7.5million and employ over 100 staff in offices in Renfrew, Livingston, Manchester, Swansea and Milton Keynes. The acquisition is part of a planned strategy for growth in the surveying business and will enhance Ogilvie Geomatics’ well-established reputation for quality and customer service. The incorporation of Malcolm Hughes allows Ogilvie Geomatics to provide... (read more)

2017-02-17 03:53:56

FIG 2017 - Land of the Midnight Fun

Self-appointed chair of the FIG FUN Commission, John Brock reports on the highlights of this year’s working week where he found just the right hotel and that the sun never sets on Finnish lager! After paying the registration for two deserving Finn students, Olga and Tommi, I found the perfect accommodation for an Aussie at the 4-star Hotel Katajanokka, a former prison where the staff had black & white striped uniforms with the phone number across the front, while breakfast was off tin plates and cups in the basement solitary confinement block. Just the place for a colonial Irish convict... (read more)

2017-07-04 12:15:49

Photogrammetry Tool for UAV Land Surveying Missions

Before the introduction of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for aerial photogrammetry, planes, helicopters and metric cameras were used. Aerial mapping projects were often not only costly, but also complex due to the images being taken from high altitudes. UAVs have provided more affordable and faster aerial mapping solutions. When it comes to planning survey missions for small UAVs, UgCS is suitable software for the job. It supports most UAV platforms and provides useful tools such as a photogrammetry tool and an image geotagging tool. The photogrammetry tool in UgCS (designed by SPH Engineering) allows creating and flying photogrammetry missions... (read more)

2017-03-08 11:54:19

Topcon Helps DEC! Attract Land Surveyors

In the latest stage of a five year commitment to Design Engineer Construct! (DEC!), Topcon GB & Ireland is helping to launch a new land surveying programme for schools in the UK to educate students and spark their interest in land surveying careers. Topcon’s support includes the donation of ten comprehensive surveying kits containing the most cutting-edge surveying hardware and software. The team will also be working closely with both DEC! and the schools to make sure students and teachers are getting the most out of the equipment. Developed in 2012 by Class Of Your Own, DEC! is an accredited... (read more)

2017-02-08 05:48:11

UK Land Movement Mapped with Unprecedented Accuracy

TRE ALTAMIRA has processed more than 7,000 satellite radar images acquired over the UK since 2015 to generate a nationwide database of displacement measurements with unprecedented accuracy. Radar satellites have acquired images of the Earth’s surface by emitting radar signals and measuring the reflected echo. Their electromagnetic waves can penetrate clouds, which makes this technology an all-weather system operating day and night. By processing multiple satellite images taken of the same area over time, the evolution of surface deformation can be extracted and measured with millimetric precision. Various industrial and environmental organisations have used InSAR technology since the 1990s to... (read more)

2018-05-31 12:25:49