World, cosmic matters? See Survey Dept
Sizing the land: The Survey Department staff outside its offices in 1952 and a class in the 1960s. Before, most of the survey work was carried out by surveyors from Sarawak assisted by Bruneian surveyor assistants. Picture: Rozan Yunos collection
Sunday, May 4, 2008
WHICH government agency do you go to if you want to know the following? Information on the cosmos: when is the eclipse of the moon or the sun or where is the best site to view the planet Mercury? Or, for more spiritual information: when is the beginning and end of Ramadhan, or where is the direction of the kiblat for daily prayers? Or, for more down to earth matters: what is my newly built house number and where do I go to get someone to measure and mark out the boundaries of my land? There is only one government agency which provides all these services: the Survey Department of the Ministry of Development.
The Survey Department celebrated its Golden 50th Anniversary in 2002. It was officially formed as a department in 1952 when its first expatriate State Surveyor was appointed. But the services of conducting land surveys throughout Brunei Darussalam had always been done even before the Survey Department was formed. In those days, surveying was conducted by the various District Offices. By the 1940s, most of the survey work was carried out by surveyors from Sarawak assisted by our own local surveyor assistants.
In the early days, our local assistants used one of the earliest tools, the presmatic compass, at the time the most important and most easily obtainable instrument. With the advent of new survey equipment such as theodolite, additional training had to be given to our local survey assistants.
The survey work intensified after WWII. During the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, most of the documents relating to survey work were burnt and destroyed. Immediately after the War, survey work therefore had to be conducted especially to coordinate the land applications from the public as well as assist in the division of the lands. The Survey Department was then formed. At first it was located at Jalan James Pearce. The building was made completely out of wood with nipah roofing.
In 1953, the Survey Department moved into the newly completed State Secretariat Building. By then, the Department filled an important religious function — to ascertain the hilal new crescent moon to mark the beginning and end of Ramadhan. At first, the hilal sighting was done only in the Brunei Muara District before sightings were held in Tutong and Belait.
In terms of sizing the land for the public, the department managed to survey more than 2,281 land applications despite just using the presmatic compass. By 1955, the land surveys had increased to about 4,192 lots of land. This job was made easier with the new theodolite tool.
As the government appreciated the contribution of survey works, more and more work was given to the Department. This included survey work for the first Brunei Burong Pinggai Resettlement Schemes. Survey maps were also required by the Public Works Department in order for them to lay down new roads, drainages and canals. The British Malayan Petroleum Company also needed surveying to pinpoint the most accurate location for pipes in their concessionary areas.
The first Brunei aerial maps were conducted with the help of the Royal Air Force (RAF). This allowed for new Brunei maps to be produced, such as the three miles per inch maps. The needs of the economy — such as the new rubber plantations at Gadong Estate — also required survey work. The department also undertook a number of steps to increase the capacity of its staff as well as introduced other innovations. This included the bench marks and levelling work along Jalan Tutong and in Kuala Belait.
By the 1960s, the English expatriates who had served as State Surveyors had been replaced by Malays from Malaysia. More topographical work was beginning to be done by then too. For this, the department relied on Field Survey Squadron of the Royal Engineering to carry out ground controls including burying trigonometrical points and altimetres.
Hydrography work at Kampong Ayer was also carried out. The work at Brunei Bay was done with the assistance of HMS Dampier.
In 1967, the post of State Surveyor was replaced by the Surveyor General. District Surveyors were also appointed with the first in Kuala Belait in 1968. 1968 also marked a major change to mapping in Brunei. The mapping which used to rely on the Cassini Coordinates was replaced with the Skew Orthomorphic Projection Coordinates. This new projection allows the consolidation of coordinates between Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak.
By 1969, the department had outgrown its space at the Secretariat Building. It moved to another building along Jalan Kumbang Pasang together with the Land Department.
In the 1970s, surveying work began to rely on electronic equipment. The Brunei Armed Forces through the Navy was able to assist the department in triangulation work especially in Temburong. This allowed for the signal lights to be built by the Marine Department for maritime transportation. Surveying work for the Civil Aviation Department was also carried out.
The need arose for surveyors conducting survey work to be licensed. In 1979, all surveyors had to be licensed under the Licensed Land Surveyor Enactment. Five commercial surveyors, all foreigners, were licensed. The 1980s saw a much larger move towards technology, education as well as expansion of survey work. The Tutong Branch was formed in November 1980. The first local Surveyor General was appointed as well as the creation of several new positions of Deputy Surveyor, Senior Land Surveyors as well as Mapping Officers.
By 1982, there were 239 staff working at the Survey Department including officers.
In 1986, the Department was given the responsibility for numbering the houses in Brunei based on a system pioneered by the Electrical Services Department.
With today's sequential numbering scheme, it is hard to imagine that before, houses in Brunei were numbered haphazardly. A house with number 36 did not necessarily have number 37 after it. The department was also responsible for the junction or simpang numbers. By then it had moved into the new PWD building.
By 1992, Survey Department had 373 personnel. Its revenues from its services had exceeded half a million dollars. The amount of work and services it carried out was vital to many other departments' work. New technology and new equipment had to be harnessed. Personnel development also had to keep pace.
The use of GPS had also become important.
The last decade saw the Astronomy and Hydrography Units being formed to help the agency deal with astronomical aspects and the mapping of maritime areas. The department built more places to sight the new moon as well as gauge the tide. The department also finally moved to its own building.
Developments in the 21st century will become part of its challenges especially in the use of new technology as well the spread of its database to allow customers and other government agencies to be able to utilise them.
The writer runs a website on Brunei at bruneiresources.com.
The Brunei Times
The Survey Department celebrated its Golden 50th Anniversary in 2002. It was officially formed as a department in 1952 when its first expatriate State Surveyor was appointed. But the services of conducting land surveys throughout Brunei Darussalam had always been done even before the Survey Department was formed. In those days, surveying was conducted by the various District Offices. By the 1940s, most of the survey work was carried out by surveyors from Sarawak assisted by our own local surveyor assistants.
In the early days, our local assistants used one of the earliest tools, the presmatic compass, at the time the most important and most easily obtainable instrument. With the advent of new survey equipment such as theodolite, additional training had to be given to our local survey assistants.
The survey work intensified after WWII. During the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, most of the documents relating to survey work were burnt and destroyed. Immediately after the War, survey work therefore had to be conducted especially to coordinate the land applications from the public as well as assist in the division of the lands. The Survey Department was then formed. At first it was located at Jalan James Pearce. The building was made completely out of wood with nipah roofing.
In 1953, the Survey Department moved into the newly completed State Secretariat Building. By then, the Department filled an important religious function — to ascertain the hilal new crescent moon to mark the beginning and end of Ramadhan. At first, the hilal sighting was done only in the Brunei Muara District before sightings were held in Tutong and Belait.
In terms of sizing the land for the public, the department managed to survey more than 2,281 land applications despite just using the presmatic compass. By 1955, the land surveys had increased to about 4,192 lots of land. This job was made easier with the new theodolite tool.
As the government appreciated the contribution of survey works, more and more work was given to the Department. This included survey work for the first Brunei Burong Pinggai Resettlement Schemes. Survey maps were also required by the Public Works Department in order for them to lay down new roads, drainages and canals. The British Malayan Petroleum Company also needed surveying to pinpoint the most accurate location for pipes in their concessionary areas.
The first Brunei aerial maps were conducted with the help of the Royal Air Force (RAF). This allowed for new Brunei maps to be produced, such as the three miles per inch maps. The needs of the economy — such as the new rubber plantations at Gadong Estate — also required survey work. The department also undertook a number of steps to increase the capacity of its staff as well as introduced other innovations. This included the bench marks and levelling work along Jalan Tutong and in Kuala Belait.
By the 1960s, the English expatriates who had served as State Surveyors had been replaced by Malays from Malaysia. More topographical work was beginning to be done by then too. For this, the department relied on Field Survey Squadron of the Royal Engineering to carry out ground controls including burying trigonometrical points and altimetres.
Hydrography work at Kampong Ayer was also carried out. The work at Brunei Bay was done with the assistance of HMS Dampier.
In 1967, the post of State Surveyor was replaced by the Surveyor General. District Surveyors were also appointed with the first in Kuala Belait in 1968. 1968 also marked a major change to mapping in Brunei. The mapping which used to rely on the Cassini Coordinates was replaced with the Skew Orthomorphic Projection Coordinates. This new projection allows the consolidation of coordinates between Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak.
By 1969, the department had outgrown its space at the Secretariat Building. It moved to another building along Jalan Kumbang Pasang together with the Land Department.
In the 1970s, surveying work began to rely on electronic equipment. The Brunei Armed Forces through the Navy was able to assist the department in triangulation work especially in Temburong. This allowed for the signal lights to be built by the Marine Department for maritime transportation. Surveying work for the Civil Aviation Department was also carried out.
The need arose for surveyors conducting survey work to be licensed. In 1979, all surveyors had to be licensed under the Licensed Land Surveyor Enactment. Five commercial surveyors, all foreigners, were licensed. The 1980s saw a much larger move towards technology, education as well as expansion of survey work. The Tutong Branch was formed in November 1980. The first local Surveyor General was appointed as well as the creation of several new positions of Deputy Surveyor, Senior Land Surveyors as well as Mapping Officers.
By 1982, there were 239 staff working at the Survey Department including officers.
In 1986, the Department was given the responsibility for numbering the houses in Brunei based on a system pioneered by the Electrical Services Department.
With today's sequential numbering scheme, it is hard to imagine that before, houses in Brunei were numbered haphazardly. A house with number 36 did not necessarily have number 37 after it. The department was also responsible for the junction or simpang numbers. By then it had moved into the new PWD building.
By 1992, Survey Department had 373 personnel. Its revenues from its services had exceeded half a million dollars. The amount of work and services it carried out was vital to many other departments' work. New technology and new equipment had to be harnessed. Personnel development also had to keep pace.
The use of GPS had also become important.
The last decade saw the Astronomy and Hydrography Units being formed to help the agency deal with astronomical aspects and the mapping of maritime areas. The department built more places to sight the new moon as well as gauge the tide. The department also finally moved to its own building.
Developments in the 21st century will become part of its challenges especially in the use of new technology as well the spread of its database to allow customers and other government agencies to be able to utilise them.
The writer runs a website on Brunei at bruneiresources.com.
The Brunei Times
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