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the new housing occupancy, and the desire to secure 
mortgages by registration, all within the framework of 
a Torrens type cadastral system. 
The recognition of the need to establish a National 
Digital Mapping Database, brought with it the need for 
re-mapping. 
2.1 Re-Mapping 
In 1992, following the decision to entrust the Survey of 
Israel with the responsibility for coordination of the 
various government sponsored or funded GIS 
activities, the basic layers and standards for the 
National Digital Mapping Database (NDMDB) were 
defined. 
The foundation layers of the “National G.I.S.” were to 
serve, both map series production by the Survey and 
the national data source for spatial information 
analyses. 
The basic concept is to establish a seamless, unique 
and homogenous database. 
The re-mapping project is based on photogrammetric 
mapping from 1:40 000 scale aerial photographs. 
Private photogrammetric companies were 
commissioned, under bid, to carry out the data 
acquisition. Quality control is in the hands of the 
Survey of Israel. 
Data which have passed the quality control are 
integrated into the NDMDB, by joining the models, 
building attributes tables, marking each feature by its 
source code and refiling the merged data into the 
Survey's database files. 
Look-Up-Tables (LUT) permit derivation of 1:5000, 
1:10000, 1:20000 and 1:25000 map scales. The data 
collection has reached approximately 30% per cent of 
the country’s area, mainly in the developed areas. 
22 Photogrammetry for cadastre 
Mutations to the existing land settlement subdivisions 
require the preparation of a registration plan, which 
complies with the approved planning documents and 
with the Survey Ordinances. A project was undertaken 
by one of the private companies to produce a 
registration plan with an orthophoto background. 
Aerial photography at the sale of 1:5000 was 
controlled by  presignalised GPS points. The 
photographs were scanned at 12p density and the 
solution supplied conformed with the standard of 4cm, 
both in position and elevation. The photogrammetric 
map at 1:1250 scale required some field completion. 
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Following mapping, a DEM was derived with a 5 m. 
density in hilly areas and 8 m. in flat areas. On this 
DEM basis an orthophoto was produced with a ground 
resolution of 8 cm and this served as a basis for the 
subdivision. The subsequent field check proved that 
95% of the subdivision points complied with the 
accuracy standard without any additional field surveys. 
It appears, however, that from the cost/benefit point of 
view, the digital photogrammetry/orthophoto method 
is more expensive than the conventional combination 
of photogrammetric and field surveys. 
The conventional procedure is based on 
photogrammetric survey of detail and field survey of 
boundaries, both connected to uniform GPS control 
network. : 
At the present, some 470 projects are in various stages 
of execution, involving some 120,000 housing units, 
the registration of public housing receiving very high 
priority. 
2.3 Aerial photography and related products 
There are six modern major aerial cameras in Israel, 
the Survey owns an RC 30 and an RC 8, and Ofek, 
Aerial Photography Ltd., the largest private aerial 
photography company, owns an RMK TOP and several 
other cameras. Ofek owns two planes for aerial 
photography, an additional plane for oblique 
photographs and a helicopter for electronic and video 
cameras. 
The Survey has a black and white photo lab., whilst 
Ofek Ltd. handles colour, black and white and infra 
red photography. 
Contact prints and enlargements are very popular 
products with the Israeli customers and the total sales 
of these products in 1995 are estimated at 
approximately $1,400,000. 
Aerial photographs are admissible as evidence in 
courts of law, if supported by an appropriate 
declaration of a photointerpreter and some 40 cases per 
year are dealt with by courts on this basis, pertaining 
to rights to land. 
2.4 Photogrammetry for engineering and 
special surveys 
Urban and rural planners, public works engineers and 
architects, require topographic map background, 
usually in digital output form. It is estimated that some 
400 projects in this field were executed by private 
photogrammetric companies. 
In the year 1993 a special project was carried out for