Calibration of survey equipment

Legal traceability

Surveyors have a legal obligation to ensure that their equipment is standardised (s. 20 of the Survey and Mapping Infrastructure Regulation 2014). For distance measurement, this means that measurements are traceable to the national standard. This can be achieved by doing a comparison test on an electronic distance measurement (EDM) calibration range which has a valid Regulation 13 certificate under the National Measurement Act 1960.

Although tests carried out during instrument servicing provide a level of confidence that the equipment is performing correctly, they may not give legal traceability of length measurement.

To assist surveyors, we maintain electronic distance measurement equipment (EDME) calibration baselines throughout Queensland.

EDME comparison procedure and booking sheets

We recommend that surveyors use the following procedure and booking sheets to achieve legal traceability of length:

Calibration baselines

Use these links to find information on baseline location, design, access and Regulation 13 certificate.

Warning notices

For enquiries regarding baselines, software and calibrations, contact the appropriate Regional Calibration Officer listed on the baseline information pages.

EDM calibration processing software

We have worked with our counterparts in other states to develop calibration processing software for use nationally.

The baseline software can be downloaded from the link below. Read the software guide before downloading the software to ensure correct operation:

In addition to the software, you will also require the instrument-specific values, which can be obtained from the relevant manufacturer. The instrument values required are shown when adding a new instrument in the software.

Future EDM calibration software

Landgate (Western Australian Land Information Authority) is in the process of developing a new EDM calibration software which is intended to replace the current software which is nearing end of life. The Department of Resources is contributing to the testing of the new software with some details to note are as follows:

  • New calibration software is intended to be used nationally across all jurisdictions.
  • New calibration software will be online and accessed via a portal with a user login.
  • Manual entry of raw observations will not be supported. Observation data must be uploaded in a Comma Separated Values (CSV) text file format. The Department strongly encourages electronic recording of observation data to the instrument wherever possible, to maximise efficiency and minimise transcription errors.

More information will be released in future Survey Alert notices.

Also consider...

  • Last reviewed: 13 Sep 2024
  • Last updated: 20 Sep 2024