Assessing the efficiencies of using GPS and total station technologies in district boundary demarcation and survey in Ghana

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2015-11-15
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Revenue mobilization is an important component of the socio-economic development of any country in general and at the district level in particular. Therefore, it is important that every district has its district boundaries clearly defined, set out (demarcated) on the ground and surveyed to avoid confusion, misunderstanding and open hostilities between adjoining districts as has been happening recently in Ghana. Hence the adoption of a good survey technique and data collection strategy that will show the exact location of district boundaries on the ground is a crucial factor in order to gather information accurately and efficiently at any given time in the district. This thesis is aimed at assessing the suitability of GPS and Total Station technologies in the setting out and survey of district boundaries by comparing the parameters of accuracy, cost and time per the two survey methods. Ga East and Ga West District boundaries having a rural setting and Ga South and Ga West, having urban settings were used for the experimental process. Thirteen boundary points selected in both rural and urban districts were observed with Static GPS measurements for thirty minutes and were processed using Topcon tools software. The results were adjusted using least squares methods. The results of the coordinates from this adjustment were held as reference. These same selected points were also surveyed using RTK GPS, Fast static GPS (5-, 10-, and 15-minutes) and a Total Station technique and their results also adjusted using least squares method. The coordinates of the boundary points from each of the methods were compared with the reference, which was the outcome of the 30-minutes Static GPS measurement. All the methods used satisfied the cadastral accuracy requirement. However, the 15-min Fast static GPS method achieved the best positional accuracy of 0.03m± 0.03m for Northings and 0.03m ±0.02m Eastings coordinates respectively. The RTK-GPS obtained the lowest Positional accuracy of 0.06m±0.01m for Northings and 0.05m ±0.02m Eastings coordinates respectively. The RTK-GPS spent shortest operational time. The Total station method with a Positional accuracy of 0.05m±0.05m for Northings and 0.05m±0.05m Eastings coordinates respectively is the most expensive technique operationally with a cost of GHȼ 2500.00 for the rural district and GHȼ2170.00 for the urban district respectively while the 5min-Fast static GPS technique was the least expensive for both the urban and rural district boundary survey. The most efficient technique in terms of accuracy, cost and time for setting out (demarcation) and subsequent survey of the district boundaries for both the rural and urban settings was the combination of the 10-minutes Fast iv static GPS Technique in conjunction with a high resolution satellite image. However, when boundary conditions vary a combination of the 10-minutes Fast Static GPS and the Total Station techniques together with the high resolution satellite imagery is the preferred option.
Description
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Master of Science in Geomatic Engineering, 2015
Keywords
Citation