Establishment of New Control Point Network at Politeknik Merlimau Melaka (PMM): An Action Research Approach

Abstract

The availability of sufficient and intervisible control points is essential for efficient and regulation-compliant field survey work, especially in academic environments. At Politeknik Merlimau Melaka (PMM), only six existing control points are available across the campus, resulting in students having to queue and wait their turn, which significantly delays their fieldwork progress during practical sessions. Moreover, these existing control points are not intervisible, making them unsuitable for cadastral survey applications and non-compliant with current regulations of the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM). This action research was conducted to establish a new network of control points that is not only sufficient in quantity but also meets visibility and spatial accuracy standards. The method involved GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) static observations to determine high-accuracy coordinates for newly proposed control points. The control points were carefully planned and distributed across the PMM campus to ensure intervisibility and practical accessibility for students during field exercises. The data were transformed into the GDM 2000 coordinate system and adjusted according to national geodetic standards. As a result, a complete set of accurate coordinate data and a reference control point layout plan were successfully produced. This updated control network now serves as a reliable datum reference for student survey tasks, improving the efficiency and quality of fieldwork in teaching and learning (T&L) processes, especially in the Engineering Surveying, Cadastral Surveying, and Geodesy course for Diploma in Geomatic students. The outcome of this study directly enhances survey education at PMM by reducing field congestion, increasing compliance with cadastral standards, and providing students with a real-world survey environment.

Keywords: Control Points, GNSS, Cadastral Survey, Spatial Reference, JUPEM Standards, Land Surveying, Accuracy, Field Measurement