The Survey and Mapping Office provides various survey and mapping services for land, building and engineering developments in Hong Kong. Specifically, it provides maps and aerial photographs, a boundary survey service for land administration and an aerial survey and photogrammetric service plus general mapping. It also establishes and maintains the territory-wide geodetic control network which provides a unique geographical positioning reference system for Hong Kong.

The office administers the Land Survey Ordinance, which governs the registration and discipline of Authorised Land Surveyors, and controls the standard of the land boundary survey. It is delegated with the authority to name roads and streets under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, and to name geographical places on request. To fulfill these functions effectively and efficiently, the office has set up a Land Information Centre housing the Computerised Land Information System (CLIS) and its sub-systems and databases. The Basic Mapping System provides the 1:1 000 basic digital mapping covering all of Hong Kong. And the Cadastral Information System records all land boundaries for identifying land parcels.

The CLIS has been in use since 1989 and will be replaced gradually in order to provide a service with better data quality. An advanced data model will be developed in the new CLIS to facilitate quicker update and data delivery and to support real-time and mission critical Geographical Information System (GIS) applications. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in 2008.

The office has published a series of orthophoto maps in the scale of 1:50 000 and 1:100 000. Orthophoto maps provide a real-world image to scale for use in general administration, planning and engineering projects. The digital orthophoto map covering the whole of Hong Kong is now available for sale to the public.

During the year, the office launched the HKSAR Geospatial Information Hub (GIH) service. The GIH is a web-based information hub delivering high-quality maps, aerial photographs and a vast amount of integrated land and geographical information to government departments through the government's internal network. With a browser, government users can find information about site situations and the spatial relationships between different features.

The Basic Mapping System contains updated digital map databases of graphic map features with attribute information. Licences and permits are issued to private organisations to use the databases to develop their own applications, map products and websites. Utility companies, engineering consultants, computing system consultants and education institutes use the databases to develop their own GIS and other applications.

A Digital Map and Land Records Dissemination System is being developed. The system will provide government departments and the public with multi-format digital maps and land record data through an electronic ordering and delivery service on the Internet. It will greatly improve the efficiency of data ordering, conversion and delivery and will also facilitate the submission, manipulation, integration and dissemination of geospatial data generated under the Data Alignment Measures project initiated by the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau.