PETALING JAYA: The use of technology by individuals who are not fully competent in geomatics, encompassing survey and mapping, has led to the collection of "poor quality" geospatial data, said the authorities in charge of geomatics in Malaysia.
"The use of these technology by incompetent persons has led to data that is lacking in integrity, causing millions of loses to the government," said the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES), the ministry in charge of geomatics through the Land Surveyors Board (LJT), as well as the Survey and Mapping Department (Jupem).
In an email reply to The Star, NRES said there have been instances where geomatics activities were undertaken by those without deep knowledge in survey and mapping.
"For example, based on the Auditor General's Report 2015 (second series) that mentioned the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), data acquisition through the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) method did not provide the correct specifications, and the party undertaking the LiDAR work did not follow professional convention in data collection," said NRES.
LiDAR is a sophisticated technology for determining ranges by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver, and this is commonly used to make high-resolution maps, with applications in surveying, archaeology, geography, geology, geomorphology, seismology, and forestry, among others.
"In view of the need to safeguard the interests of the government, users of the services of Licensed Land Surveyors, along with the transformation and development of survey technologies, the ministry is of the view that there is need to amend Act 458 to broaden the scope governing LLS so that work specifications comply with the requirements of Jupem, which is the competent government agency to regulate quality related to land survey and geomatic measurements.
The Ministry, with the cooperation of LJT and Jupem, organised a town hall on Sept 9 to brief stakeholders on the need to amend Act 458, with explanation on the need to comply to Jupem requirements when it comes to using "survey-accurate techniques" for any submission to any government authority, or for public purposes, or for any purpose required by the government, including government-linked companies or companies appointed by the government.
In relation to this, fields such as engineering, geology, hydrography, town and country planning, construction, air traffic control, marine navigation are not impacted as they do not use survey-accurate techniques that is governed by Jupem, and as such, can still carry out their tasks without any hindrance.
NRES added that a six-month grace or transition period will be given for experienced geomatics practitioners to register with LJT, while those without sufficient experience will be given an opportunity by the board to "bridge the gap" to enable them to be registered, and proceed to be a licensed land surveyor (LLS).
"The amendment will bring positive impact to increasing the professionalism and career progression of LLS, protect government and public interest, as well as ensure legislation pertaining to geomatics in the country will be in line with global advancements in the field," added NRES.
