been digitised and are now available on a single compact disc.

Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott yesterday unveiled the Bermuda Topographic Map Database (TMD) -- a detailed, graphic representation of the Island in digital format.

The large, complex and innovative set of data, which will be regularly updated, is the result of several years of planning, development and implementation.

Mr. Scott noted: "What we are creating is a total system which can be used to improve resource management and service delivery and eventually eliminate many of the costs associated with data duplication and cumbersome work practices.'' The cost of the project, which is close to $500,000, is set to be offset through the sale of TMD sets at $2,400 each -- $1,800 if purchased by the end of June.

There is also an annual maintenance fee of $800 which covers periodic updates to the system.

The idea was hatched in the early 1990s as part of a plan to create an Island-wide geographic information system which would replace the cumbersome set of paper maps which went out of date very quickly.

In 1996 a comprehensive user survey was conducted and the information from this helped the Ministry write a detailed product specification and begin the digitising work.

The paper maps at 1:2500-scale, which were first published in 1966 and updated thereafter every ten years, were used to create the full database.

The project kicked off in mid-1997 and was completed 18 months later. The following 12 months were spent doing quality control, said the Ministry's senior land surveyor Tim Viney.

The vast amount of time was required because every map in the system had to be printed out and checked hundred-metre-square-by-hundred-metre-square against the original maps and on location.

The process uncovered several thousand errors, each of which had to be corrected.

The system offers the capability to view, analyse and plot any combination of features ranging from the Island's 28,097 buildings and its 597.2 kilometres of roads to road centre lines, vegetation and walls.

It is directly compatible with the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Future updates of the TMD will include addresses and every new building will be mapped by the Ministry within a week of being notified of completion by the Planning Department.

Mr. Scott noted: "This new system means that any person or organisation that purchases the TMD will be able to view up-to-date, detailed maps of Bermuda on their computer.'' Government plans similar projects to the TMD, which is set to act as a springboard for the Bermuda Land Information System (BLIS).

But this would take a number of years to complete, noted Mr. Scott, because of the vast amount of information which will have to be coordinated from various Government departments including Planning, Environment, Statistics and Land Valuation along with private sector and Police and emergency service information.

Mr. Scott noted: "BLIS will assist with property ownership and management; environmental protection and monitoring; utility and asset management; terrain modelling and landscape architecture; natural hazard risk analysis; vehicle tracking and transport planning; and epidemiology and disease modelling.'' TMD benefits data can be viewed or plotted at any scale; features can be switched on or off at will thus hiding unwanted information and reducing clutter; all the information on traditional map sheets can be seen yet it is seamless which means there is no restriction of large map sheets when the information required is on several different maps; and data can be updated regularly rather than once every decade.

Alex Scott displays the new TMD CD, a digital database of the entire island.