SUMMARY

This paper presents the results of a research project which examined the suitability of Ireland's modern surveying infrastructure to meet the needs of the planning, development and surveying sectors for precise surveying, and resulted in the publication of "Best Practice Guidelines for precise surveying in Ireland" The accuracy needs of the development and surveying sectors are presented and the examination investigates the potential of the surveying infrastructure in meeting those needs. The Passive and Active GPS Networks, the geoid model, the old and new co-ordinate reference frames and co-ordinate transformations are all examined to develop a set of preferred methodologies for precise surveying. Although Ordnance Survey Ireland and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland have collaborated to provide the an infrastructure suitable for the 21st Century the next challenge is to get surveyors and their clients to adopt it