29-03-2014, 04:25 PM
Surveyor's Manual for ePlan LISCAD Version 10.1 with ePlan Add-on (Beta)
Surveyor's Manual.pdf (Size: 1.97 MB / Downloads: 46)
Introduction To ePlan
ePlan is a national initiative spearheaded by the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) to
replace the existing paper and PDF plans of subdivision with a new electronic file format. This enables the computerisation
and automation of many industry and government processes resulting in a more efficient land administration business and
higher quality cadastral data.
The ePlan implementation project in Victoria consists of the following building blocks:
• A Victorian ePlan file format
• ePlan supported survey software packages
• Internal government computer systems to manage ePlan through the land administration process
This document supports the first two building blocks. The following sections explain the basic requirements for compiling
an ePlan and an overview of how to perform this in your chosen surveying software package.
ePlan File Format Overview
The ePlan File is a specialised data file for storing and transferring survey information. It is based on the national ICSM
ePlan Protocol which defines a common format for all jurisdictions to capture and transfer survey information. Unlike
conventional spatial file formats such as DXF, DGN, Shapefile and KML which are designed for GIS applications, ePlan is
focused specifically on capturing cadastral information. The significance of this is that not only does ePlan capture
conventional spatial data, it also captures the administrative and land interest information attached to spatial data. For
example, land parcels are defined with their type (single, multipart), class (lot, road, etc.) and identifier (lot number)
attached to the polygon. Because this information is built into the file format, the information is 'intelligent' and can be used
by computer systems for a number of downstream land administration purposes.
Coordinates vs. Dimensions in ePlan
ePlan is primarily a dimension based file. However, coordinates are captured against all vertices for the purpose of
visualisation. They are not used for validation or update of cadastral databases. Coordinates allow the surveyor to distort
the diagram to produce a more appealing visualisation.
ePlan requires dimensions against every boundary, traverse and radiation. Dimensions form the basis of the survey
information in ePlan and are used for survey validation and update of cadastral databases. The only coordinates used for
survey purposes in ePlan are the Permanent Mark and Primary Cadastral Mark coordinates that provide the connection to
MGA. All ePlans must be connected to MGA.
Secondary Interests (Easements and Restrictions)
Secondary interests are defined as parcels with a class of Easement, Restriction and Depth Limitation (a type of
restriction). The method for capturing these types of parcels in ePlan is different to the way they are represented on paper
plans. This is because ePlan is a data centric file, while paper plans are created to be easy to visually interpret.
Easements are captured in ePlan as their individual interests. An easement interest is defined by the purpose and
beneficiary. For example, a pipeline easement owned by a water authority is one easement interest. Its full spatial extent is
captured in one parcel element. If the same area is also a footpath for the benefit of the land in the plan, then this is
represented as a separate overlapping easement. Where an easement overlaps, there is no manipulation of the
overlapping section in ePlan. The polygons simply sit over each other. Easement polygons can also be split using a
multipart parcel to capture each easement segment.