VPRS 8605 Record Plans 160'=1" Alpha-numeric

This series is part of the M.M.B.W.'s system of survey and plan records. The functions of these records and the relationships between them are described below.Survey and Plan Recordsof Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works and Melbourne WaterAll of the survey and plan records relate to the survey of Melbourne metropolitan areas subsequent to subdivision (for which, see records of Crown lands for survey, subdivision, and sale/alienation). They document the administration of water supply, drainage, and sewerage responsibilities.Further research is required to establish what relation (if any) existed between M.M.B.W. and the Surveyor-General in carrying out surveys of metropolitan areas. For example, were M.M.B.W. surveyors exclusively responsible for carrying out surveys in the metropolitan area, supplying information to the Surveyor-General?The Base Plans were drawn directly from the Survey Books on a scale of 40'=1" (later 500m=1cm). The Record Plans (on various scales - e.g. 160'=1"; 200'=1"; 400'=1"; 800'=1") were drawn from the Base Plans. The planning process has passed through four systems :-* c1890s - c1950s : numeric system"All plans produced between 1892 and 1953 were based on a random format; they were not related to a grid but to the general street pattern. Plans were numbered serially" M.M.B.W. Engineering Manual 1T-1S-O2 (December 1981) p.6.* c1950s - c1970s : alpha-numeric system"In 1953 the Board devised the `Local Plane Rectangular System of Grid Co-Ordinates ... The subsequent map and plan series was produced on an imperial grid system based on an alpha-numeric, row and column method of identification." M.M.B.W. Engineering Manual 1T-1S-O2 (December 1981) p.6.* c1970s - by 1992 : metric systemThe grid system was converted to metric and a regular programme of plan replacement from earlier systems (begun under the alpha-numeric system) to the new metric grid was continued.* by 1992 - : Facilities Information System (FIS)Plans were and are being progressively converted to optical disk storage.Plans in each of the systems preceding the FIS continued in current use until superseded by FIS. When a plan from an earlier system was re-drawn, it was cancelled and the new plan was renumbered in the system current at the time of re-drawing. Some plans from the numeric and alpha-numeric systems, however, were not subsequently re-drawn and remained in current use long after the system to which they belonged had been superseded.As at December 1992, some plans from earlier systems have not been captured by FIS, so some plans in each of the preceding three systems remain in current use at the time of registration of the series.Books of index plans exist. Using coloured transparent overlays to identify the controlling numbers/symbols in each system for each area, it is possible to identify the control number for a plan on any scale of the nominated area. Access to a copy of a book of index plans is necessary to retrieve the plans.Water; Drainage; Sewerage FunctionsThese were three main functional areas of M.M.B.W. (later Melbourne Water). Copies of DP Plans and Record Plans were apparently made for each area on which were marked data relevant to their activities. In the 1950's, some of the plans were copied onto aperture cards.Apparently all three functional areas worked out of a central plan room in Melbourne until the 1950's when a process of devolution to Regional Offices began. Water and sewerage functions were "regionalised" and the relevant plans went with them. The drainage function remained centralised.While the position is not altogether clear, it appears that the set of plans transferred in 1992/1993 comprises plans which were drawn/redrawn at various times and kept in operational areas until M.M.B.W. began to assemble an "archive" or "record" set (? in the 1950's). If this surmise is correct, each plan now contained in the series in custody represents merely one generation of the plan with markings appropriate to that drawing and is not necessarily a complete historical record of works on the site.Status of Plans at PROVIt is unclear whether or not the set of plans in custody contains a mixture of drawings from all three functional areas of M.M.B.W.. It is also unclear which generation of data is represented on each plan and whether superseded ("historical") data can be retrieved.At one time, it appears that M.M.B.W. was depositing plans with the State Library (VA 2923). What status these copies have and how they relate to plans deposited with PROV and those still with Melbourne Water remains to be determined.Survey Level Books (VPRS 8599)Survey Field Books (VPRS 8600)Survey books are the work books taken out by surveyors into the field. Each page contains drawings, plots and/or annotations showing angles and distances from guide points and (in some cases) the outline and details of subdivisions and constructions thereon. Familiarity with survey techniques is necessary to make full use of these records.The books in these series are used by surveyors in the field to survey :-* allotments ("Field Books")* water levels/tables ("Level Books")The books are numbered from 1 and are more or less chronological. A book may deal with one or several areas, depending on the tasks assigned to the surveyor whose book it was.Older books in the series were examined as part of the transfer of M.M.B.W. archives in 1992 and were kept in storage at Melbourne Water's Mill Park facility (M.M.B.W. Archives). There were few gaps in the earlier part of the numerical sequence but these gaps grow more numerous towards the higher (later) part of the sequence. These more recent books were still in active use within the agency but it may be that the book numbers were allocated in blocks and that there were not books for all numbers.It was said that there was no index to the books other than references to the survey book number on the "DP" plans, but there is reason to believe that a card index system exists (or existed).For the first 500 or so of the level books, there are frequently two books (one red, one black). The black books are in series with the later part of VPRS 8599. It remains unclear what purpose was served by the red books, but by the time the books were filed at Mill Park, the two sequences were filed as one and it was decided to keep this order until the different purposes of the books could be ascertained.Information from the Field and Level Books is used to draw up the Detailed Base Plans ["DP Plans"]. There are references on each of the DP Plans (by book number) back to the Field and Level books from which the information upon the Plan was derived. These references may be the only way back into the books unless indexes existed and can be found. Not all of the surveys in the books are cross-referenced on the Plans.Detailed Base Plans ["DP"] 40'=1" Numeric (VPRS 8601)Detailed Base Plans ["DP"] 40'=1" Alpha-Numeric (VPRS 8602)Detailed Base Plans ["DP"] 500m=1cm (VPRS 8603)Information from the Field and Level Books is used to draw up the Detailed Base Plans ["DP Plans"]. There are references on each of the DP Plans (by book number) back to the Field and Level Books from which the information upon which the Plan was derived.There were apparently two sets of Base Plans from which were drawn copies for use in Water Supply, Drainage and Sewerage. DP Plans were then made up for use in each of the three functional areas of M.M.B.W. :-* base plans (water)* base plans (drainage)* base plans (sewerage).From these, "Record Plans" on larger scales were also made up.Record Plans : 160'=1" Numeric (VPRS 8604)Record Plans : 160'=1" Alpha-Numeric (VPRS 8605)Record Plans : 2500m=1cm Metric [records not transferred] (VPRS 8606)Record Plans : 200'=1" (VPRS 8607)The term "Record Plans" refers to plans on scales of 160'=1" and larger.Plans : Not Otherwise Classified (VPRS 8608)This series contains plans on a scale larger than 160'= 1" (2500m = 1cm) as well as small runs of plans in various formats and scales or used for various purposes. The series comprises :-* VPRS 8608/P1 : Record plans (topographic) 400'=1"* VPRS 8608/P2 : Record plans 800'=1"* VPRS 8608/P3 : Chronoflex plans : detailed plans 40'=1" alpha-numeric* VPRS 8608/P4 : Chronoflex plans for various purposes (various scales)* VPRS 8608/P5 : Not otherwise classified* VPRS 8608/P6 : Restored drawings (became part of VPRS 8609/P25)Cartographic Department ManualsA set of manuals dating from the 1980's was provided at the time of transfer of plan records from Mill Park in 1992. These contain historical and technical information about the conduct of the survey and mapping function.Index MapsM.M.B.W. maintains an "index" to the maps which uses transparent overlays to* show the map/grid reference at each projection, and* indicate which areas have been plotted in each projection.Further research is required to ascertain how the index maps are used to identify the maps in custody. PRO holds an example of an index book marked "Chief Surveyor" of unknown date.Survey Field Books Register (VPRS 8680)There survives one volume of a "Field Book Register" for Field Books (VPRS 8600) Nos.1 to 2510. This Register appears to have been compiled somewhere around 1900 and contains entries up to c1929. Early entries provide some guide to the area(s) covered by the book but are not to be wholly relied on as a complete summary of the contents of each book. Later entries which simply contain the statement "Additional Surveys" offer no help in identifying the contents of each book.

本系列属于墨尔本大都会水务局（Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works, 简称MMBW）与墨尔本水务（Melbourne Water）测绘与规划档案体系的组成部分。下文将详述此类档案的功能及其相互关联。

所有此类测绘与规划档案均与墨尔本都会区土地分割后的测绘工作相关（相关王室土地测绘、分割及售卖/让渡档案可参见对应记录），其内容涵盖供水、排水与排污职责的管理流程。

目前仍需进一步研究，以明确MMBW与测量总监（Surveyor-General）在开展都会区测绘工作时存在何种关联（若存在的话）。例如，MMBW的测绘人员是否专属负责都会区的测绘工作，并向测量总监提供相关信息？

基础图（Base Plans）直接源自测绘手册，绘制比例为40'=1"（后调整为500m=1cm）。记录图（Record Plans，比例各异，如160'=1"、200'=1"、400'=1"、800'=1"）则由基础图衍生绘制。

该规划流程历经四类编号体系：
1. 19世纪90年代至20世纪50年代：数字编号系统
"1892年至1953年间生成的所有图纸均采用随机编号格式，未基于网格系统，而是以街道整体格局为参照，采用串行编号规则。"——引自《MMBW工程手册1T-1S-O2》（1981年12月）第6页。

2. 20世纪50年代至70年代：字母数字混合编号系统
"1953年，水务局推出"本地平面矩形网格坐标系统"。后续的地图与图纸系列均采用基于字母数字行列标识法的英制网格系统。"——引自《MMBW工程手册1T-1S-O2》（1981年12月）第6页。

3. 20世纪70年代至1992年：公制系统
网格系统转换为公制标准，并启动了将早期体系（始于字母数字混合编号系统）下的图纸批量更新为公制网格的常规计划。

4. 1992年至今：设施信息系统（Facilities Information System, 简称FIS）
图纸正逐步转换为光盘存储格式。
此前四类体系下的图纸在被FIS取代前，均持续处于现行使用状态。当某份早期体系下的图纸被重新绘制时，原图纸将被作废，新图纸将按照重绘时的现行编号规则重新编号。不过，部分数字与字母数字混合编号体系下的图纸未被后续重绘，即便所属体系已被取代，仍长期处于使用状态。
截至1992年12月，仍有部分早期体系下的图纸未被FIS收录，因此前述三类早期体系下的部分图纸在本系列归档时仍在现行使用中。

现存索引图册。通过使用彩色透明叠层标识各区域对应体系下的控制编号/符号，可快速识别指定区域任意比例图纸的控制编号。如需调取图纸，需查阅索引图册副本。

### 供水、排水与排污职能
此为MMBW（后更名为墨尔本水务）的三大核心职能领域。针对每个职能领域，均会制作详细基础图（DP Plans）与记录图的副本，并标注与该领域业务相关的数据。20世纪50年代，部分图纸被复制至穿孔卡片（aperture cards）中。
20世纪50年代前，三大职能领域均设于墨尔本中央绘图室办公，此后逐步向区域办事处下放职权。供水与排污职能实现"区域化"，相关图纸随之移交至对应区域办事处；而排水职能仍保持中央集中管理。

尽管具体情况尚未完全明晰，但1992/1993年移交的图纸集合，似乎涵盖了不同时期绘制/重绘的图纸，这些图纸最初留存于业务区域，直至MMBW开始组建"档案"或"记录"档案集（推测始于20世纪50年代）。若此推测属实，本系列保管的每份图纸仅代表该版本的原始图纸，带有对应绘制阶段的标注，未必能完整反映场地工程的历史沿革。

### 维多利亚公共记录办公室（PROV）馆藏图纸现状
目前尚不清楚馆藏图纸是否涵盖MMBW三大职能领域的全部图纸，也无法明确每份图纸所代表的数据版本，以及是否可调取已失效的"历史"数据。
据悉，MMBW曾向州图书馆移交过一批图纸（档案编号VA 2923）。目前仍需确认这批移交副本的现状，以及其与PROV馆藏图纸及墨尔本水务现存图纸之间的关联。

### 测绘野外手册与水准手册
测绘水准手册（VPRS 8599）
测绘野外手册（VPRS 8600）
此类手册为测绘人员野外作业的工作手册，每一页均包含绘图、标注及/或注释，记录自基准点起的角度与距离，部分页面还标注了土地分割的轮廓与细节，以及其上的建筑工程。需具备测绘技术知识才能充分利用此类档案。
本系列手册供测绘人员野外测绘使用：
* 地块测绘（"野外手册"）
* 水位/水位表测绘（"水准手册"）
手册从编号1开始，大致按时间顺序编排。一本手册可涵盖一个或多个区域，具体取决于对应测绘人员承担的任务。
本系列较早期的手册于1992年MMBW档案移交时完成核验，此前留存于墨尔本水务的米尔帕克设施（MMBW档案库）。编号序列的早期部分几乎无缺失，但越靠后的编号段缺失越多。这些较新的手册当时仍在机构内部活跃使用，不过也有可能手册编号是按批次分配的，并非所有编号都对应有实际手册。
据称，除"详细基础图（DP Plans）"上标注的测绘手册编号外，并无其他手册索引，但有迹象表明存在（或曾存在）卡片索引系统。
在前500余本水准手册中，通常会同时存在红色与黑色两种版本的手册。黑色手册属于VPRS 8599的后续序列。目前仍无法明确红色手册的用途，但在将手册归档至米尔帕克设施时，两类序列已合并归档，并决定维持该顺序，直至明确两类手册的不同用途。

### 详细基础图（DP Plans）
野外手册与水准手册中的信息用于绘制详细基础图（Detailed Base Plans, 简称DP Plans）。每份DP Plans上均标注有对应的手册编号，可追溯至提取数据的野外与水准手册。除非找到并使用索引，否则此类标注可能是追溯至原始手册的唯一途径。并非所有手册中的测绘内容均在图纸上建立了交叉引用。

详细基础图（DP） 40'=1" 数字编号体系（VPRS 8601）
详细基础图（DP） 40'=1" 字母数字混合编号体系（VPRS 8602）
详细基础图（DP） 500m=1cm（VPRS 8603）
野外手册与水准手册的信息用于绘制详细基础图（DP Plans）。每份DP Plans上均标注有对应的手册编号，可追溯至提取数据的野外与水准手册。
此前似乎存在两套基础图，分别为供水、排水与排污三个职能领域制作副本。随后，针对MMBW的三大职能领域，分别制作了DP Plans：
* 供水基础图
* 排水基础图
* 排污基础图
在此基础上，还制作了更大比例的"记录图"。

记录图：160'=1" 数字编号体系（VPRS 8604）
记录图：160'=1" 字母数字混合编号体系（VPRS 8605）
记录图：2500m=1cm 公制体系[档案未移交]（VPRS 8606）
记录图：200'=1"（VPRS 8607）
"记录图"一词指比例为160'=1"及更大比例的图纸。

### 未分类图纸（VPRS 8608）
本系列包含比例大于160'=1"（2500m=1cm）的图纸，以及少量不同格式、比例或用途的图纸。本系列包含以下子系列：
* VPRS 8608/P1：记录图（地形） 400'=1"
* VPRS 8608/P2：记录图 800'=1"
* VPRS 8608/P3：Chronoflex图纸：详细基础图 40'=1" 字母数字混合编号体系
* VPRS 8608/P4：多用途Chronoflex图纸（比例各异）
* VPRS 8608/P5：未分类图纸
* VPRS 8608/P6：修复图纸（后归入VPRS 8609/P25）

### 制图部手册
1992年从米尔帕克设施移交图纸档案时，一并移交了一套20世纪80年代的手册。其中包含测绘与制图职能的历史与技术信息。

### 索引地图
MMBW维护有地图索引系统，采用透明叠层标识：
* 显示各投影区域的地图/网格参考
* 标注各投影区域的绘图范围
目前仍需进一步研究，以明确如何通过索引地图识别馆藏图纸。PROV馆藏有一本标注为"首席测量师"的索引手册，具体年代不详。

### 测绘野外手册登记册（VPRS 8680）
现存一本野外手册（VPRS 8600）的登记册，涵盖编号1至2510的野外手册。该登记册约于1900年编制，收录内容截至约1929年。早期条目可大致指示手册覆盖的区域，但不能完全作为每份手册内容的完整总结。后期条目仅标注"额外测绘"，无法用于识别对应手册的内容。