Information about deformation in an area has become vital not only for safety assessment but also for maintenance of geodetic infrastructures. The latter is necessary to support accurate surveying and mapping applications. This research exploits the complementary features of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques to assess the long-term deformation in Johor, Malaysia, which can be induced by natural and/or anthropogenic activities. Furthermore, modelling and mitigation of tropospheric effects in GPS and InSAR are addressed to achieve the best possible precision from the two techniques. Indeed, their modelling and mitigation improve the quality of the estimation as well as provide valuable resources for atmospheric studies. The assessment of long-term deformation in Johor is firstly made by analysing the five years (2007 - 2011) point-specific profile at eight Malaysia Real-Time Kinematic GNSS Network (MyRTKnet) stations. Two processing strategies, namely Precise Point Positioning (PPP) and Double-Difference (DD), are employed to assess their capability for deformation monitoring. The latter also make used of the GPS data from 27 IGb08 stations and 7 International GNSS Service (IGS) stations. Analysis of the results revealed deformation that can be explained by plate tectonic movement and earthquakes in the surrounding region. While results from the PPP processing showed a higher correlation with the recorded earthquakes, the results from DD have improved correlation coefficients at about 4% in the East-West and 5% in the Up-Down components. These improvements are valuable when the rate of deformation is the primary interest. In addition to the point-specific profile, the surrounding deformation of Johor has been assessed with the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity maps from the InSAR time-series. Two sets of ERS-1/2 data, consisting a total of 67 images acquired at two descending tracks (i.e. track 75 and 347), are utilised for the generation of the maps. Moreover, the feasibility of Sentinel-1 satellites is also tested, which revealed improved coherence owing to their short revisit cycle. Some part of Johor showed subsidence and uplift trends, which also agreed with the literature. This information cannot be perceived by the GPS alone due to its limited coverage; hence, further attests to the benefit of their joint analysis. Numerous developments have been implemented in the in-house software (i.e. Punnet) such as the implementation of tropospheric correction, outlier’s rejection scheme, statistical analysis to identify the control point for phase unwrapping, and a new method to retrieve temporal evolution of deformation for a rapidly deforming area.

Performance and throughput rates at South African tertiary institutions are low, especially within the science, engineering and technology fields of study. The causes of this poor performance and throughput are difficult to predict, and incorrect assumptions are often made on which students are most likely to fail. The need to investigate this issue is vital in South Africa, where the contributing factors to poor performance and throughput are exacerbated by recent political and economic disparities in the diverse population. In order to better understand the issue within the built environment sector, this study evaluated the performance and throughput rates of fifteen first-year cohorts within the Department of Quantity Surveying at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The main aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the student population within the department, and to develop a framework for the future prediction of a student’s likelihood of success or failure. In order to achieve this objective, a retrospective longitudinal approach, i.e. a cohort study, was adopted. The study plotted the trends in performance and throughput rates over a period of time; it measured the strength of the relationships between several variables and performance and throughput; and it culminated in the establishment of predictors of performance and throughput rates. Ultimately, the prediction variables could be utilised in the development of influence diagrams as prediction frameworks. The research revealed that the performance and throughput rates of students in the department are improving. This highlights the importance of undertaking a narrow, departmental level analysis; as the findings in this smaller sphere do not match the general theory and assumptions covered in the literature.

This thesis will deal with the hydrographic survey of the BC coast and the international boundary settlement conducted by HM ships Plumper, Satellite, and Hecate from 1857 to 1863. It will examine the geo-political importance of the pursuit of "knowledge as power" in light of American expansionism and the utilisation of the surveyors as a significant force of law and order; their importance to the social and commercial development of BC; and their contribution to the safety of navigation and the exploration of the BC coast. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

This thesis investigates client satisfaction and service quality in the quantity surveyingprofession. Whilst many reasons abound for dissatisfaction with the construction industry,this thesis focuses on client satisfaction with the provision of quantity surveyors' services. To this end, a greater understanding of the psychological processes involved in making a satisfaction decision is required and is achieved by the presentation of the theory of consumer satisfaction. It was found that consumer satisfaction is the result of meeting or exceeding expectation with performance. Furthermore, performance is not measured in technical terms, but as a result of client perceptions. Perceptions are at the heart of this thesis. This study investigates the relationship between client perceptions and quantity surveyors' perceptions of the same.

Bibliography: leaves 137-156. / The purpose of this research was to identify how the distribution and availability of spatial data could be improved. This should then minimize the duplication of data and ensure a better utilization of available data sources. All decisions that are made should be based on information, and especially decisions about our natural resources should be based on geographical information - this is spatial information of our environment. Many users, however, are not aware of the spatial data available or where to find it. In Chapter 2 the literature review reports on the spatial data sources in other countries, and different methods that are used to make this data available to the users. Most of the research was done on the distribution of digital data, and not much on traditional non-digital material. The establishment of national land information systems and data sharing via the networking of databases is receiving wide attention. An investigation was done to establish the spatial data suppliers and the data users, the types of data supplied, and the requirements. Three possible methods were investigated to improve the distribution of spatial data and•to reduce the duplication of data: a comprehensive GIS with a full database; a national spatial data infrastructure (NSDI); a metadata base.

Bibliography: leaf 53. / This thesis report discusses the design, implementation and testing of a non-contact measuring tool based on the principle of stereo photogrammetry. The system uses a pair of CCD video cameras and a frame-grabber in a PC to capture the pair of images this requires. The software on the PC then measures the image co-ordinates of points selected by the user and transforms them into space co-ordinates for the points. The transformation requires knowledge of the relative positions and orientations of the cameras. This is found in a calibration stage from images of a calibration frame. The cameras are mounted on a bar, which guarantees that the relative positions and orientations of the cameras remain invariant within certain limits. This makes the system portable.

Bibliography: pages 132-135. / Transnet possesses approximately 60000 land parcels covering the whole of the South African rail network. These parcels, or polygons, will form the base map in a corporate Geographic Information System (GIS) which will be used for property administration and general railroad operations management. Accuracy requirements are high and unique coordinate values have to be determined for each polygon apex before data are input into the GIS. Railroad property portfolios are characteristically configured in long thin strips. The solution therefore has to cope with poor geometry. The method used to determine apex coordinates must be time and cost efficient, and produce acceptable levels of precision. This study examines the feasibility of using a particular mathematical model with the least squares method in the partial automation of the determination of unique points from sets of differing and, at times, conflicting cadastral data for the creation of a digital cadastral database. The approach is not a mathematically rigorous conventional survey network solution, but a pragmatic application of least squares and network principles, to suit the nature and limitations of the data.

Bibliography: pages 51-53. / This thesis reports on the design, development and testing of a semi-automated system to aid in the mapping of the interior of industrial plants. The system makes use of digital photogrammetry to assist an operator in locating and identifying components of the plants. All of the important photogrammetric theory is discussed in the text, and explained in detail in the appendices. Specifically, this system implements various algorithms used for camera calibration, object point intersection, and a method combining the two techniques. Considerable use is made of the iterative least squares method, which is the basis of many of the algorithms employed in this work. Image processing algorithms are implemented to enhance the digital images, and to ease the identification of objects in the images, and these are fully explained in the text. Adaptive least squares image matching is a method of matching corresponding points in different images and is used to ensure correspondence between points identified by the system operator. A weighted centre of gravity method is used to find the centre of target areas, and an algorithm is implemented to determine the radius, centre and direction of a pipe passing through a number of points. Various aspects of the system design are discussed and explained. In particular the requirements in terms of hardware and software are presented. In addition, the choices of the operating system and of the compiler are justified. Potential problems with the system, and possible enhancements of it are also described. Tests were performed to verify the correct operation of all of the algorithms used in the calibration of the cameras. Together with the point intersection routines, these tests calculated the position of various control points, the correct coordinates of which were previously known. The calculated point positions are compared to the known coordinates of the points to determine the accuracy of the various algorithms. Further tests were conducted to demonstrate and verify the ability of the system to measure distance in three dimensions. These tests illustrate that the accuracy achievable is approximately 0.053 of the total distance measured for an object occupying 803 of the width of the image. The system improves considerably on the method presently used in South Africa and in many industries worldwide which rely on analytical photogrammetry for the determination of object point locations. While the system suffers from reduced accuracy as a result of the use of digital cameras, this problem will become less important as technology and digital camera resolution improve. Possible enhancements include the use of more numerically efficient algorithms, and the introduction of techniques that would partially automate the identification of control points and pipes.

Bibliography: p. 101-108. / Modern geodesy utilises advanced space techniques such as VLBI to further the study of crustal motion as well as tidal and rotational deformations of the Earth. One of the parameters in the model used to determine the baseline length between VLBI stations, is the antenna axis offset. This offset is the distance between the secondary axis and the normal projection of the secondary axis onto the primary axis. For a non-intersecting axes antenna mounting, this offset is usually several metres in length. The accuracy of the offset value directly influences the total accuracy of the VLBI results. This work describes how GPS is used to determine the offset and VLBI reference point. Several algorithms for calculating these parameters are investigated and evaluated. Methods are developed to minimise the size and influence of errors. An evaluation and comparison of the results to previous independent determinations of the offset, which use different techniques and instrumentation, clearly show the feasibility of using GPS. This method has the added advantage of allowing the VLBI, SLR and GPS reference frames to be co-located.

Bibliography: leaves 64-65. / This thesis describes research and development work which led to algorithms, procedures and computer programs which facilitate the cost effective and accurate capture of geometric data. The geometric data for a Geographical Information System (GIS) at a local authority or municipality consist of a number of different data sets. These include inter alia: the cadastral information, zoning information, servitudes, building lines, the outlines of improvements and the reticulation networks and the house connection points of the engineering services. The initial capture of the geometric data appears to be deceptively simple and is often not given the required consideration. The initial data capture phase of GIS projects is usually a difficult and time consuming process. This is even more so in the case of GIS for local authorities. The reason for this difficulty is the large volume of data coupled with the high accuracies required for the cadastral base map and the engineering services. Input facilities of most commercial GIS software packages generally do not provide the most efficient means of data capture. This problem warrants the development of techniques and procedures specific to local authority GIS applications which ensure that data capture can be done effectively and efficiently. The major benefit of these procedures is that they can be implemented on personal computers with low random access memory capacity. This eliminates the need for investment in costly equipment at the initial stage of data capture in the development of a GIS. It allows the capture of data on low cost technology and the postponement of the purchase of an expensive system or workstation until the data capture phase has been completed. The lowest personnel skills required are copy typing in contrast to the traditional methods of using CAD operators who command higher salaries and require more expensive training. The system developed by the author is more productive, both in quality and volume of work produced, than the CAD approach. It also permits the delay of purchase and training on expensive GIS software and hardware, which may be obsolete by the time the graphic database is established.