Improving the positional accuracy of traditional cadastral index maps with membrane adjustment in Slovenia

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the improvement in positional accuracy (PAI) of cadastral boundary points’ coordinates through the adjustment of a large set of digital cadastral index maps of rural regions based on traditional Franciscan-origin maps of heterogeneous geometric quality. The distribution of residuals of local coordinates of reference points onto the as yet unconnected neighboring points is researched. In this article, we use the adjustment method based on neighborhood transformation with a mechanical membrane model deriving from Hooke’s Law and consider a general case study of a Slovenian traditional cadastral graphic database of various historical origins. The number of geometric errors in fieldbook information from outdated measurement technologies and inappropriate implementations of cadastral index map geometric maintenance reduces the number of complying datasets of relative geometry by 50%. Previous experiments in traditional cadastral index maps of rural regions, with triangle-based piecewise affine plane transformation (RMSE = 2.4 m), have been improved by the membrane method (RMSE = 1.0 m), based on tests at 623 control points. Positional accuracy improvement of cadastral geospatial data and the integration of geometric subsystems provided recognizable benefits for the future maintenance of a unique, integrated, centralized graphical cadastral subsystem, which is in the testing phase in Slovenia.