Grids & Datums

THE REPUBLIC OF ISLANDS

The contents of this column reflect the views The Deed of Cession of 1874 be- Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland; of the author, who is responsible for the facts gan the Fijian status as a British 1893 – graduated in arts and science and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the Crown Colony. Four different catego- from Trinity College, Dublin; 1893- official views or policies of the American So- ries of land were established. First 1903 – employed by Irish Land Valu- ciety for Photogrammetry and Remote Sens- was land that could be proven to ation Dept.; 1903-06 – Geodetic Sur- ing and/or the Louisiana State University. have become the bona fide property vey of Rhodesia; 1906-09 – with the Fiji consists of over 300 islands of Europeans or other foreigners. 30th Arc Survey in Uganda; 1910-17 – and islets in the South Pacific Second were lands that were in ac- Officer in Charge for Trig Survey of Ocean of which approximately 110 tual use or occupied by some chief Fiji; 1917-18 – Geodetic advisor at islands are inhabited. Chief islands or tribe at the date the deed was British Army General HQ, France; include: Viti Levu, , signed. Third were the lands re- 1919-1936 – Tech Assistant at Geo- , Kandavu, Koro, Ngau, and quired for the probable future sup- graphical Section, General Staff ; with the first three being port and maintenance of some chief (GSGS), British War Office, 1931 – the largest. The capital is (on or tribe. Fourth, all lands not con- first Editor of the Empire Survey Re- Viti Levu) in the Central District. tained in the three previous catego- view; 1942 – G.T. McCaw OBE, CMG With a population of almost 813,000 ries were therefore the property of died. In later years, his protégé, people, the republic gained inde- the Crown. Implementing proper Brigadier Martin Hotine was head of pendence from the United Kingdom surveys according to these catego- the Directorate of Overseas Surveys. on October 10, 1970. Fiji has a total ries proved difficult. The Chief Sec- Hotine addressed McCaw as “Uncle” coastline of over 1,100 miles; its retary of the Commissioner of Lands in his correspondence! lowest elevation point is the Pacific traveled to Sidney to engage survey- The technical instructions ini- Ocean and its highest point is ors for this purpose in 1874. He was tially issued for the Survey of Fiji Tomanivi at 1,324m (4344 ft). En- authorized to offer an annual salary were “to cover Viti Levu with a sys- dowed with forest, mineral (gold of £200 for an initial probationary tem of triangles with sides from 10 and silver), and fish resources; Fiji period of three months and £300 per to 20 miles long; to measure a pri- is one of the most developed of the annum thereafter. Four surveyors mary (baseline) and a check base Pacific Island economies. The main were engaged; one declined before with probable errors not exceeding sources of income are derived from sailing because he was getting mar- 1/50,000 . . . .” The site of the pri- sugar processing and the tourist in- ried, another took one look at mary base was approximately 3 dustry. Fiji was discovered by Levuka, got back aboard the ship miles long and oriented NNE – SSW Tasman in 1643, visited by Captain and returned to Sidney. Government running along the tongue of land be- Cook in 1774, used by escaped con- surveyors were discouraged from tween the Navua River and the coast. victs from Australia from 1804, sur- hiring boats for transportation and McCaw and Rimmer measured the veyed by Commander Charles Wilkes were told to walk instead to keep ex- baseline in 1910 with a probable error of the U.S. in 1840, offered to Great penditures to a minimum. Penny- of ±0.013 feet, i.e. an accuracy of 1/ Britain in 1858, and annexed by the pinching for survey operations con- 150,000. For the check base at UK in 1874. tinued for a quarter century or so , a line 3 miles 5 furlongs in European, American, and Austra- until a comprehensive geodetic sur- length was selected from a point near lian settlers introduced the concept vey was realized to be the only solu- the boundary of the Vitogo Estate. The of land boundaries with monuments, tion to a critical need for unified final check was ±0.067 feet. Field- and surveys of properties derived positional control. work on Viti Levu was completed and from native people started as early On October 26th, 1908, Captain the party returned to England in as the 1840s. Angular measurements Ley, an officer of the Corps of Royal March 1912. The Viti Levu Datum of were recorded in degrees and min- Engineers, arrived in Fiji with Travis 1912 was referenced to the Clarke utes, while linear measurements Rimmer, his civilian assistant. 1880 ellipsoid where a = 20,926,202 were recorded in fathoms or chains Shortly afterwards, Ley was suc- feet (317,063.6667 chains), and 1/f & links. The recognized Fijian unit ceeded by Captain G. T. McCaw, R.E. = 293.4663077. I think it is no coin- of “fathom” was the distance be- (Thanks to Russell Fox of the Ord- cidence that the ellipsoid param- tween the tips of the fingers of a nance Survey of Great Britain for the eters and units used for Fiji are ex- man’s outstretched arms! By 1873, following “micro biography” on actly the same as used in British surveys were recognized only if per- McCaw.) In 1870 – McCaw born in CONTINUED ON PAGE 1180 formed by licensed Land Surveyors. CLIFFORD J. MUGNIER, C.P., C.M.S. Grids & Datums

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1179 lished in 1987 and have an uncer- small.” He developed a correction Africa, since McCaw had already tainty of ±25 meters in each compo- factor for this Datum that resulted in surveyed in Rhodesia and Uganda. nent. This relation is the result of a the most unique projection for a Grid The Latitude of Origin was obtained single station occupation. in the world; the Hyperbolic Cassini- astronomically from station The Trig Survey party returned to Soldner where the abscissae Fiji in September 1912 to extend the (Eastings) are reduced by the factor Monavatu where Fo = 17° 53' 28.285" 1 3 South ±0.75", and the Longitude ori- triangulation of Viti Levu across to /3 X Osin1" and where the factor gin was obtained astronomically at Vanua Levu and Taveuni. The O = ½ ur sin 1". In my column on the station Suva Longitude pillar (con- baseline for this part of the work Czech Republic, the reader may recall crete pier in the rear of the offices was measured from Nasekula to- that the Radius of the Gaussian of the Pacific Cable Board and wards the sea at Tua Tua and the fi- Sphere = [ur]-1/2. The False Northing within a few feet of the high water nal measurement over the 3½ miles = 16,628.885 chains, and the False mark) with telegraphic cable signals was accepted at ±0.015 feet. McCaw Easting = 12,513.318 chains because from both Vancouver, Canada and reported that the Vanua Levu Datum McCaw took theHyperbolic Cassini- from Moreton Bay, Queensland Aus- of 1915 was referenced to the Clarke Soldner coordinates of the “natural” 1880 ellipsoid also, and the Latitude origin in the Viti Levu system of the tralia where Lo= 178° 25' 35.835" East of Greenwich ±0.835". The defining origin was obtained astronomically meridian 179° 20' and the parallel azimuth from north was determined from station Numuiloa where 16° 15'. These manipulations, as I un- at Monavatu to Tikituru to be Fo = 16° 23' 38.36" South ±0.529", and derstand them, were to minimize the the Longitude origin at station Suva distortions in the land areas of the ao = 205° 17' 21.17" from observations at Rasusuva and from Nathova. His pillar on Viti Levu was adopted. The main islands while maintaining a main instrument was a 6-inch diam- defining azimuth from north ob- consistent-appearing Grid coordinate eter theodolite with an alidade served at Naseüla (East Base) to system for Viti Levu, Vanua Levu,

(telescope) level with a par value of Vatia is ao = 123° 57' 28.75". The Grid Tanvenui, etc. The field party left Fiji p = 5". “It was quickly noticed that for the Vanua Levu Datum of 1915 is in 1915 and the final report was pub- the bubble used to ‘jam’ in the vial . where the Latitude of Origin lished in 1917 after meeting the geo-

. . .” He obtained another vial and ( fo) = 16° 15' South, and the Central detic demands of the First World War. observed that “a second alidade Meridian (lo) = 179° 20' East, the An example point in the McCaw re- level was obtained from the makers, Scale Factor at Origin (mo) = 1.0. port lists the Vanua Levu Datum of and proved not a whit better than McCaw was concerned about the 1915 coordinates of “Ndana” (Station the first . . . !” He figured a way orientation of these islands with re- 21) as: f = –16° 50' 29.2435" S, around it, and all of his work served spect to the systematic distortions in- l =179° 59' 39.6115" E. (Thanks to as a model for decades – his own re- herent in the Cassini-Soldner projec- Litea Biukoto of the South Pacific ports of his work in Fiji were used as tion. “If an origin be chosen” (as per Applied Geoscience Commission textbooks on how to do it throughout the Grid Origin above), “and lines be (SOPAC) for a copy of that report.) A the British Empire. McCaw chose the drawn SW and SE from this origin, report printed in 1985 lists the Hyper- Cassini-Soldner projection for the they will be found to traverse cen- bolic Cassini-Soldner coordinates of basis of the Viti Levu Grid where the trally the principal land surfaces. “Dana” as: X = 1,601,528.90, Thus the SW axis, passing near the Y = 1,336,966.00. (Thanks to Mal Latitude of Origin (fo) = 18° 00' South, and the Central Meridian main stations of Mbulembulewa, Jones of Perth, Australia for a copy of Nathau, and Navotuvotu, crosses mid- that report.) (lo) = 178° 00' East (per specifica- tions of the Secretary of State). The way the fine Ndreketi plain and Mbua Russell Fox informs me, “In 1956 Province in the extreme west. The SE the New Zealand Surveyor General’s Scale Factor at Origin (mo) by defi- nition is unity on the Cassini- axis passes up the Mbuthaisau Valley, Office readjusted McCaw’s work on chains (88 miles), and the False crosses about midway the Natewa one datum (Fiji 1956) using the In- Easting = 5440 chains (68 miles). Embayment, passes through the ternational Spheroid and the UTM Note that one meter = 0.049709782 Thakaundrove Peninsula, and leaving Grid. That was used on military chains for Fiji. NIMA Technical Re- the latter near the main station of mapping from circa 1960 onwards. port 8350.2, dated January 3, 2000 Navivvia, crosses Taveuni at about DOS (Directorate of Overseas Sur- lists the 3-parameter shift from Viti one sixth of it length from its centre veys) did Tellurometer (electronic Levu Datum of 1916 to WGS 84 Da- of figure. The important Lambasa distance meter or EDM) traversing in tum as: DX = +51 meters, DY = +391 plain lies so close to the origin that the 1960’s to strengthen and densify meters, DZ = –36 meters. These shift the error of projection in this the trig network.” parameters were originally pub- neighbourhood (sic) will be very CONTINUED ON PAGE 1194 Grids & Datums

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1180 tions required for the primary net- at Origin (mo) = 0.99985, the In 1978, two senior personnel work had been completed. Accord- False Northing = 4,000 km, and the from the New Zealand Department ing to Hannah and Maseyk (Survey False Easting = 2,000 km. The ellip- of Lands and Survey undertook a re- Review 30, 231– January 1989), “In soid of reference is the WGS 72 view of survey and mapping activi- the first instance the complete set where a = 6,378,135 m, and 1/f ties in Fiji. As a result, the Austra- of Ley-McCaw triangulation data as = 298.26. Franck Martin of SOPAC lian Army Survey Corps (RASVY) given by the historic records was ac- lists transformation parameters on established a number of Doppler cepted in total. The only exception their Internet site as: “from WGS84 (TRANSIT satellite) stations for to this being the deletion of five sta- to Fiji Geodetic Datum” as deter- mapping control and determination tions which had been positioned mined by the Forestry Department of of the exclusive economic zone. In weakly by either resection or inter- Fiji as: DX = +35.173 meters, DY = 1984 field work began by the New section.” Note this is the same gen- –136.571 meters, DZ = +36.964 6 Zealanders for further Doppler sur- eral philosophy as adopted by the meters, Scale = +1.537 X 10 , Rx = veys and for the recomputation of U.S. National Geodetic Survey when –1.37 arc seconds, Ry = +0.842 arc

McCaw’s Datums of Fiji. First order they did the North American Datum seconds, and Rz = +4.718 arc sec- astronomic latitudes, longitudes, in the mid 1980s. The result of the onds. I have not verified these and azimuths were observed at a to- New Zealand observations and ad- transformation parameters with re- tal of eight stations. In general justment was the Fiji Geodetic Da- spect to the WGS84 Datum, but in these coincided with either the tum of 1986. A new unified Carte- 1985 the Fiji Department of Lands original McCaw stations or with the sian system was also devised; it is and Survey listed the FMG coordi- Doppler stations. New First order called the Fiji Map Grid (FMG) and nates of “Dana” as X = 2,132,200.63 EDM traverses were undertaken is based on the Gauss-Krüger Trans- m, Y = 4,016,984.99 m. (Thanks to around the periphery of Viti Levu, verse Mercator projection where: John Hagar, retired from NIMA, for through Vanua Levu and across the Latitude of Origin (fo) = 17° 00' his generous help and counsel.) 100 km wide strait between the two South, and the Central Meridian ...... islands. By late 1985 all the observa- (lo) = 178° 45' East. The Scale Factor