HANDOYO S.  

The joint border maps between Indonesia and Malaysia

The joint border maps between Indonesia and Malaysia

Sri Handoyo
Researcher at the Geomatic Research Division, BAKOSURTANAL, Cibinong, Indonesia,
and Lecturer at the University of Pakuan, Bogor, Indonesia
srihandoyo@bakosurtanal.go.id and yshandoyo@yahoo.com


Abstarct

The establishment of the land boundary between Indonesia and Malaysia is based on the agreements between the British and Dutch Governments in the years of 1891, 1915, and 1928. These are then developed by the Governments of Indonesia and Malaysia with the Memory of Understanding (MoU) between two Governments on the 26th November 1973 to affirm the land border, and followed by regular meetings up to present.
Referring to the MoU the joint survey and demarcation of the land border between Indonesia and Malaysia was started in 1975 to affirm the land border by surveying and planting the border markers. The joint survey was completed in 2000 and continued with the joint work of investigation, refixation, and maintenance of the border markers (IRM) in 2001 up to present.
The land border, with the markers, between Indonesia and Malaysia is watershed boundary lines along the border from Tanjung Datu in the West Kalimantan to the Island of Sekapal in the East Kalimantan. While the land border in the Island of Sebatik is specifically agreed in the form of straight line from the most west to the most east points of the island at the latitude of 0410’ North. This line has also been demarcated with markers.
In terrestrial methods the surveys and affirmations of the land border are carried out jointly in the phases of reconnaissance the border line paths, clearing the border point areas, positioning and planting the markers, tachometric surveying of the watershed situation, traversing survey between markers, and mapping of the field plan at the scale of 1:2,500.
From the years of 1975 to 2000, from Tanjung Datu to Sebatik Island, there are results as follows: 2004 kilometers length of the land boundary line, 19,328 demarcated markers in various types, 1,318 sheets of the Traverse/Height and Field Plans at the scale of 1:2,500.
The joint works of the land border establishment continued, and in 2004 there was an agreement to produce 45 sheets of the joint border maps at the scale of 1:50,000 along the 2,004 kilometers border line. The problem is that these joint border maps, which are supposed for joint purposes and operations, are not in a unified cartographic system, i.e., the system of symbol specification of the maps, which in turn give a “confusing” appearance of the maps visualization.
The paper describes the disadvantages of the unified system of the joint border maps and the cartographic analysis on the visualization of the maps. Since this situation is an obstacle for the use of maps, so a proposal of pointers on cartographic improvements is outlined.

Keywords: joint border maps, Indonesia and Malaysia, land boundary, cartography, cartographic specification.

 

Abstracts file: Abstract Sri Handoyo.doc


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