ASaTS - Landonline 2: Son of Landonline

[Alex Liggett]

As attendees of this year's ICS Workshop will be aware, LINZ are currently gearing up for the acquisition of a system to replace Landonline. This has mostly been brought about by the gradual obsolescence of the Powerbuilder software platform upon which Landonline was developed, but LINZ seem to be keen to use the opportunity to embody some enhancements, within reason. Apart from replacing the underlying software, LINZ are committed to:

• Developing a Crown Land Register.
• Developing some 3D capability, particularly with respect to the spatial definition of property rights such as those embodied in Unit Titles

LINZ are currently at the stage of developing a detailed business case, and progress is kept updated here. ICS were briefed as a stakeholder agency in April this year, and will continue to participate as much as possible. So what would you like to see embodied in a new Landonline?
Fully 3D Unit Datasets? Better handling of large datasets. Better manipulation of multiple data fields? Better manipulation of irregular boundaries? Colour CSD/Title plans? Advanced symbol and linestyle editing? A vincular tool? A new paint job and racing stripes?

Go nuts everyone!

[Craig McInnes]

Totally agree that natural boundaries should be done better so that they adjust with any update in the network.

Also, if you could make changes to the dataset, even tiny roundings of a bearing, without having to the re-link a parcel and re-run plan gen and re-do pre-val and amend your survey report and re-attach it... you get the picture. Surely a global update of the dataset and plan gen could be done instantly?

Cheers

[Mark Geddes]

Well said Craig, small adjustments to the dataset during the QA stage cost ourselves time and the client $'s on a very frequent basis. Minor re-jigs will probably always be required to some extent but a global update would make the processes of 'capture' and QA so much quicker and more painless. I'd love to see a dataset and plan global update come in!

[Brent George]

How about following our Aussie bro's with this innovation...

www.12d.com/Newsletter/dd33/dd33-5.html

Imagine plan-gen completely within an external software package, and going from 12d to lodgement in one move.... [it would never work ]

[Alex Liggett]

As long as it is third-party software, not LINZ' own developers. OPG was, er, not LINZ' finest hour.

[Brent George]

An update on ASaTS from LINZ on 20-March 2015.....

Seems like the cost for the business case are a little greater than anticipated.  Probably as anticipated.  Of course, LandonLine1 was the same....

www.linz.govt.nz/news/2015-03/advanced-survey-and-title-services-update

[Alex Liggett]

ASaTS is Go!
Land Information Minister Louise Upston has now given LINZ approval to proceed with procurement of a Landonline Replacement. Link to a badly proofread (I still can't believe that survey and titles data in this country is somehow held at Linz, a town in Austria) news story here:
link

Slightly concerned by this:

Since then the decision had been made to rent ATaTS rather than purchase it outright, but Linz would still the own the property data it processed, he LINZ Deputy CE Russell Turner] said.

Rent it instead of owning it eh? What could possibly go wrong?

[Brent George]

I am sure we are all looking forward to the development of "LandonLine 2.0" or ASaTS as it is more formally known.

I was interesting to read the front page article in this months "Business South" newspaper/magazine (Business South - May2016) which summarises the aims (= to ensure cost and time for title transactions remains low); and notes the improvements (= more interactive, useable on tablets and mobiles, 3D capable etc).

Watch developments and news on the ASaTS section of the LINZ website:  LINZ - ASaTS Website

[Alex Liggett]

Last week the redoubtable Mr George and I attended a briefing on behalf of the Institute in our role as stakeholder representatives. The briefing covered the current state of play with regard to ASaTS and some information on proposed technical innovations.

Where the ASaTS project is at:


As outlined in earlier posts, Ministerial approval to proceed with the project was granted last year. Since then LINZ have completed their detailed business case, gone through an EOI phase and completed the high level design of the system. LINZ are now into the detailed design phase, with an aim to complete this by August 2017. The build and implementation will then get underway with a view to phasing out Landonline by 2021.

As also intimated earlier in these pages, ASaTS is to be delivered under a Software AS A Service (SAAS) model, whereby a third-party provider builds and owns the application. The application will be hosted in a Government approved datacentre in NZ, and LINZ will retain ownership of the data. The hope is that this will save the Crown money in the long run, and will involve more incremental improvements to the application than we have seen with Landonline. It should be pointed out that this model is seen as the way of the future for government IT projects. LINZ are working with the British Columbia LTSA, who have implemented a broadly similar system, although in some ways LINZ would like to go beyond the achievements of this system.

One aspect that is currently under discussion is the integration of third party (or 4th party if you like, as ASaTS is built by a third party) applications into the system (think, for example 12d, Trimble, AutoCAD etc). One possibility that is seriously being considered is that the survey part of ASaTS might have no dedicated user interface, and that the place of the interface might be taken by a piece of third party software. LINZ (and the ICS Executive Committee) are very interested to hear surveyor's views on this matter. LINZ acknowledge that there are risks to this approach in that if no third party provider steps up LINZ would have to scramble to fill the void. Another possible risk is a single provider holding a monopoly, which might lead to cost and support issues. It is noted that some surveyors currently work directly with the Landonline interface and eschew third party software.

In the meantime there will be some changes to Landonline, notably a move away from individual digital certificates to organisation (eg company) certificates and login using the RealMe system, which will be familiar to GETs and NZ Post customers. Signing of plans under this system will move to a 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) model, where a second confirmation of ID such as a text message to a nominated mobile will be required. Landonline is also migrating to a different server model, which the ICS wonders might be responsible for the current laggyness of the system (if you are experiencing Landonline lag, please seek help by calling 0800 665 463 and logging a case - LINZ don't know there's a problem if no one complains).

Technical Innovations in ASaTS:

• The current cycle of Cadastral Survey Data, in which the surveyor engages directly with the online workspace is likely to be a thing of the past. Instead the survey data would be entirely prepared locally, then both prevalidated and submitted over the internet. Hopefully this will be the end of the horrible laggy connections, and suitable lessons will be learned from the OPG farce of a few years ago.
  
• LINZ are aiming at a 3D digital cadastre, in which rights with vertical extents such as units, cross-lease areas, stratum estates and secondary interests limited as to height are captured and visible spatially.
• Linked to the item above the proposal is to display the vertical extents of rights and also non-primary parcels as Spatial Objects, which are objects bound by coordinates. Readers need not fear the encroachment of the coordinated cadastre, as these objects will not be extended to primary parcels or non-boundary infrastructure.
• As noted above, the possibility that the entire dataset is prepared in 3rd party software (ie software that is not supported or funded by LINZ), with no dedicated LINZ 'front end'.
• The elimination of the requirement for a CSD/Survey plan is being mooted by LINZ. Older readers may recall that this idea was floated in the early stages of Landonline, and was vigorously opposed by the profession at the time. Given the progress of viewing technology and software, LINZ would like to hear surveyor's views on whether the time has come to finally dispense with survey plans.
• LINZ do acknowledge that the need for a Title plan remains, as this is a key document for multiple stakeholders in the cadastre
• The discontinuation of SDC mark status is likely to be a feature of ASaTS. For those who are unaware SDC is a status accorded marks which pass various accuracy tests separate to both the RCS and NZGD2000 accuracy standards. Such marks were handled differently in coordinate adjustments of the system. The density of 2k6 marks is now such that SDC is regarded as superfluous. To be honest I suspect that few of us will notice its passing.

LINZ are very anxious to keep ICS in the loop as they progress the design and implementation of the project. We will continue to meet with the project team and to keep ICS members updated. In the first instance, we will be looking for feedback on whether there is a need for a dedicated ASaTS interface or front end, and on whether there remains a need or desire for CSD/Survey plans. We will be undertaking a survey of members on these questions, and will also communicate with our NZIS colleagues on the subject.

Things that aren't clear at this stage, but that readers might like to consider include the costs associated with the change:

• Costs in terms of transition value(downtime; training ; IT infrastructure; system changes etc)
• Cost in terms of LINZ user charges (licenses, transaction costs)
• Costs in terms of longer approval (time getting familiar with new systems, system related requisitions)

LINZ also keep the ASaTS page of their website updated with new information. This can be found here.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, feel free to post them here or to email myself or Brent George, and we will make sure these are passed on.

Cheers
Alex

[Alex Liggett]

As promised, the Exec. would like to seek feedback on some of the issues raised above. We have started an online survey, in which we would encourage all Landonline E-Survey and others involved in cadastral surveys to participate. Click here to take the survey, which will take about 5 minutes.

We will release the results at the annual workshop in Christchurch on 26 August, and subsequently here and on the website.

[Alex Liggett]

The survey will close at COB on Monday 14 August, so make sure you have your say before then.

Cheers
Alex

[Alex Liggett]

Thanks to all who responded to this survey. The results were presented to the ICS AGM on Saturday and passed on to LINZ. From James Mowatt's presentation on Saturday, it does appear that LINZ are quite set on dispensing with CSD plans. With regard to the development of third-party software, LINZ are in discussion with a number of providers. They are hoping that by aligning ASaTS with developments in other jurisdictions in Australia and elsewhere, economies of scale may be achieved with regard to software development. This would obviously make it a more attractive proposition for developers.

The results of the survey are attached.

Attachments:

ICS ASaTS FEEDBACK SURVEY 2017.pdf (835.79 KB)

[Brent George]

Another Member passed on this link The Urban Developer (Australia) 17-Oct-2018  along with a comment wondering if blockchain technology for conveyancing is being considered for ASaTS.

Food for thought....

[As "food" I don't know whether it would be classed as a "good Sunday roast" or a "saveloy soup" meal...]

[Brent George]

Hmmmmm....

... and just when we thought we were coming to grips with this thing called "ASaTS", the following cryptic message is released:
LINZ Press Release 24-Oct-2018


And only slightly further "explained" in the cover note from the NZIS:  [the key words and phrases for me are emphasised in red] 

Cabinet has just approved the ASaTS business case to modernise New Zealand’s land information platform and services. LINZ has been given the green light for the option it recommended, which is to progressively rebuild Landonline.

LINZ believes this is the best option to deliver benefits for their customers, reduce risks and meet expectations in terms of both quality and cost, resulting in a reliable, available and secure platform.

LINZ thoroughly considered two options for improving New Zealand’s land information platform and services. One was to use Landonline as the starting point (rebuild it), the other was to extend from an international supplier’s existing platform. Although both options were viable, working from Landonline enables LINZ to have more control and greater flexibility to meet customer needs.

The new system will be delivered in four stages, known as tranches, over five years with a deliberately phased approach to scaling up, and bringing the skills and practices together for successful delivery.

By the end of tranche 1 (mid 2020), the following new services will be in place:
- Web-based search – this will give New Zealanders the real-time ability to search for and purchase products such as Certificate of Titles and Survey plans, directly from the LINZ website
- Search API (Application Programming Interface) – this will enable others to connect their websites and software directly to Landonline to search and purchase products
- Notice of sale – this gives conveyancing professionals the ability to automatically notify territorial authorities that a sale has occurred when they have transferred a title in Landonline
- Notice to mortgagee – this is the ability for banks/lenders to receive automated system notification when mortgages are registered.

Nick Stillwell is S+SNZ's Lead Consulting Surveyor on the project and is responsible for communicating and providing feedback from the sector to the ASaTS team to ensure that we take the opportunity to deliver a solution that will be able to respond to the changing demands of the sector in the future.

[Brent George]

The following was posted on the GETS (Government Electronic Tender Service) account yesterday.  It provides a notice of information that explains the decision to not award a contract for the "as a service" part of ASaTS to 'modernise' LandonLine.  



LINZ issued an EOI on GETS in April 2016 (RFx ID 17434054) to select a supplier (or Consortium of suppliers) for the provision of the ASaTS solution on an ‘as a Service’ basis. As the developer and owner of the solution, the supplier will be responsible for the design, build, support, operation and enhancement of the underlying solution, with LINZ receiving solution services (in return for a subscription-based payment arrangement).



The procurement process resulted in the selection of a preferred provider and in December 2016 LINZ entered into a discovery phase with the preferred provider.


On 23 October 2018, Cabinet gave LINZ approval to progressively rebuild Landonline, the system used to manage New Zealand’s title and survey transactions. This will provide a reliable, accessible and secure platform. It will also improve LINZ’s ability to respond to customer needs and continue to meet its regulatory requirements. LINZ will progressively rebuild Landonline in four stages (known as tranches) over five years. LINZ has not selected any suppliers as Landonline will be rebuilt in-house using Scaled Agile development and delivered using NZ ICT resources.


There will be opportunities for suppliers to participate in the modernisation of Landonline. Key points to note include:

• Most programme procurement will be for people and professional services.

• The need for Agile expertise and capability will require a combination of LINZ staff, contractor and specialist consultancy expertise

• All procurement will be consistent with the Government Rules of Sourcing, and LINZ will source from AoG and GCDO Marketplace solutions where possible

• While contractual commitments to vendors are intended to be tranche by tranche to avoid vendor lock-in and allow for broad ICT market involvement, the procurement strategy will facilitate programme continuity and retention of knowledge and IP

• Supplier and contract management is key for success, and frameworks will be established consistent with MBIE’s Significant Service Contract Framework

• LINZ may procure some aspects of the solution from 3rd party suppliers, where market capability and capacity provides good choice and on-going innovation.



The Programme Business Case and Cabinet paper will be uploaded to the LINZ web site at the end of November 2018.