The implementation of a competency based assessment system for applicants for a restrictive licence for cadastral surveying

The Surveyors Board of Queensland has the responsibility for assessing the standards and regulating cadastral surveyors within the state. Recent legislative changes have required the Board to implement a competency based assessment scheme. This paper summarises the legislative framework and the theory of competency based assessment. It goes on to describe the development of competency standards for surveyors and the implementation of an assessment scheme. The move to a competency based assessment system was a substantial task undertaken by the Board and the paper discusses some useful lessons that may be learnt by other jurisdictions considering a similar move

A journey into e-resource administration hell

The author discusses the administrative problems which can still occur when looking after a large and complex portfolio of electronic resources, and focuses on some of the recurring ‘nightmares’ involving e-journals in particular. Amongst the subjects discussed are lost archives, activation codes which change without anyone being told, unreasonable expiry dates, poor service, wandering URLs, lack of publicity, failure to keep licensing conditions, and title changes. The article ends with a look at some emerging examples of excellent practice to do with e-journal management, proving all parties involved can work together to ensure a smooth and efficient service

One-Dimensional Palladium Wires: Influence of Molecular Changes on Supramolecular Structure

Nanostructured materials based on one-dimensional (1D) metal wires are of potential utility; however, to date, there is a lack of synthetic methods that allow for variation of structure and therefore properties. Here we report the use of molecular control elements to alter the solid-state structures of 1D palladium wires, including Pd–Pd bond distances and the porosity of the supramolecular framework.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog

Boundaries and the common law

By now most graduates have been introduced to the concept of cadastral reinstatement and the dominant role that the courts play in the determination of boundaries. The power to define boundaries rests with the courts, not the surveyor. The task of a surveyor is to describe the existing boundaries by collecting sufficient evidence and then interpreting the evidence in a way that is consistent with the precedent set by previous court decisions. In much the same way as Tolstoy described families, (All happy families are happy alike, all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way) boundary surveys where the physical evidence fits the documentary evidence are all straightforward, but surveys where the physical evidence doesn't fit are all different. This means rather than apply rote solutions learned by rote surveyors have to apply general principals, laid down by the courts, to arrive at the solutions that they think a court will most likely agree with them

Calculating positional and survey uncertainty for terrestrial observations

The Queensland Cadastral Survey Requirements gives clear guidelines as to the calculation and validation of Positional Uncertainty (PU) and Survey Uncertainty (SU)when using RTK GNSS observations. The purpose of this paper is to give some background and guidance for calculating uncertainty for terrestrial methods

Performance of a Supersonic Ramp-type Side Inlet with Ram-scoop Throat Bleed and Varying Fuselage Boundary-layer Removal : Mach Number Range 1.5 to 2.0 / Glenn A. Mitchell and Robert C. Campbell

Provided sufficient throat bleed was employed, maximum pressure recoveries of 0.87 to 0.88 at Mach number 2.0 were obtained for a fuselage-mounted 14 degrees ramp inlet regardless of the amount of fuselage boundary layer ingested. The addition of inlet side fairings yielded further increases in pressure recovery to 0.90 to 0.91, decreased critical drag coefficients, and increased critical mass-flow ratios. With throat bleed, peak pressure recoveries and calculated thrust-minus-drag values were comparable at two axial positions of the scoop and were highest with the greatest amount of fuselage boundary layer ingested