Nuku’alofa — Tonga is turning to modern surveying technology and the expertise of tertiary students to tackle a long-standing backlog of land allotments awaiting surveying and registration, with more than 3,000 allotments identified for work.
In an exclusive interview with the Tonga Chronicle, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Lands, Survey, Planning and Natural Resources, Mr. Taaniela Kula, confirmed that the Ministry has been using newer surveying technologies and additional human resources to accelerate the process.
Mr. Kula said the Ministry had engaged tertiary students in Tonga to assist with the extensive surveying work, helping the Ministry make significant progress in reducing the backlog.
According to the CEO, the initial workload involved more than 3,000 allotments, but following the work undertaken, the number of outstanding allotments has now been reduced to less than 1,000.
The development represents a significant step towards addressing one of the persistent challenges facing land administration in Tonga, where delays in surveying and registering allotments can affect landholders waiting for their boundaries to be formally established and their land interests properly recorded.
The Ministry’s Surveying Services Division is responsible for a range of technical functions, including boundary surveys, the physical division of town and tax allotments, subdivision work and the modernisation of Tonga’s national geospatial reference system. Its Geodetic Survey Section is also responsible for maintaining modern national positioning infrastructure across Tonga.
Tonga moves towards GNSS technology
Mr. Kula also confirmed Tonga’s participation in the use of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology, an important development in modern land surveying and geospatial management.
GNSS is the collective term for satellite-based positioning systems that allow a receiver on the ground to determine its precise location using signals transmitted by navigation satellites.
While GPS is the American satellite navigation system, GNSS is the broader term covering multiple satellite constellations, including GPS, Europe’s Galileo, Russia’s GLONASS and China’s BeiDou.
For professional land surveying, GNSS can be used with specialised survey receivers and correction services to determine positions with very high accuracy. In Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) surveying, for example, a rover receiver receives satellite signals together with correction information from a reference station or network. Under suitable conditions, this can allow surveyors to determine positions at centimetre-level accuracy.
This technology can significantly improve the speed and efficiency of cadastral surveying because surveyors can digitally capture the coordinates of boundary points and other features and integrate those measurements directly into geographic information systems.
Why GNSS matters for Tonga’s land system
For Tonga, the potential benefits extend beyond simply completing individual surveys faster.
A modern GNSS-based positioning infrastructure can help establish a consistent national reference framework, allowing land boundaries, mapping, infrastructure projects, environmental monitoring and other spatial information to be tied to a common geographic reference.
The Ministry itself identifies the modernisation of Tonga’s National Geospatial Reference System as part of its surveying responsibilities, while its Geodetic Survey Section states that its goal is to provide modernised national positioning infrastructure, both horizontal and vertical, throughout Tonga.
The technology can also support the development of more accurate digital cadastral maps and geographic information systems, making it easier to locate, manage and update information relating to land parcels.
This is particularly important as Tonga continues to modernise its land administration systems and improve access to reliable spatial information.
From traditional surveying to digital mapping
Traditional surveying can involve considerable fieldwork, including the establishment of survey control, measurement of distances and angles, marking boundary points and subsequent processing of the information before plans can be prepared and registered.
GNSS can streamline several of these processes by allowing surveyors to obtain coordinates directly in the field.
The technology does not, however, eliminate the need for professional surveyors. Rather, it provides surveyors with more efficient tools to collect and verify spatial information. Factors such as satellite visibility, atmospheric conditions, obstructions, equipment quality and the reference system being used can all affect GNSS measurements, meaning appropriate professional checks and quality control remain essential.
A major opportunity for young professionals
The Ministry’s decision to involve tertiary students also provides an opportunity for Tonga’s young people to gain practical experience in surveying, geospatial technology and land administration.
The Ministry’s recent recruitment information shows the growing importance of specialised skills in areas including surveying, GIS, geography and land registration.
For students studying related disciplines, participation in the allotment programme can provide practical exposure to technologies that are increasingly being used internationally in land management, infrastructure development, disaster planning and environmental monitoring.
A step towards clearing the backlog
With the number of outstanding allotments reportedly reduced from more than 3,000 to fewer than 1,000, the Ministry’s use of modern technology and additional surveying support could mark an important turning point in addressing Tonga’s land-registration backlog.
