Terms and Conditions of Use of Geodetic Survey Website


  1. The Geodetic Survey Website (under the domain name “geodetic.gov.hk”, “Geodetic Survey Website”) is provided by the Survey and Mapping Office of the Lands Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the “Government”) to the public for obtaining certain information and data services.

  2. In these Terms and Conditions of Use of Geodetic Survey Website (“Terms of Use”), “Information” means all the contents and materials made available by the Government to the public on the Geodetic Survey Website including but not limited to all data, digital maps, text, graphics, drawings, diagrams, photographs, compilations of data, data specifications, metadata, Application Programming Interface (“API”), and other materials on the Geodetic Survey Website, except the items specified in paragraph 3 of the Terms of Use.

  3. The Terms of Use is not applicable for the following items:-
    • Geodetic Survey Control Station Database
    • GNSS Raw Data Streams (RTCM Format)
    • Other information on Open Data Protal (DATA.GOV.HK) or CSDI Portal (portal.csdi.gov.hk) with hyperlinks to the Geodetic Survey Website
    • SatRef GNSS Raw Data (RINEX Format)

    4. Use of Information on Geodetic Survey Website

  4. Subject to paragraph 5 below, the Government is the owner of the intellectual property rights in all contents available on the Geodetic Survey Website, including but not limited to all Information. You are allowed to browse, download, distribute, reproduce, hyperlink to, and print in their original format the Information of which the intellectual property rights are owned by the Government for both commercial and non-commercial purposes on a free-of-charge basis on the condition that:-
    • you shall comply with the Terms of Use;
    • you shall identify clearly the Government and the Geodetic Survey Website as the source of the Information, and acknowledge that the Information is subject to intellectual property rights owned by the Government and such identification and acknowledgement should also be made in all copies thereof including but not limited to paper copies, digital copies and copies placed on other websites;
    • you shall indemnify the Government against any allegations or claims of infringement of the intellectual property rights or any other rights of any person and all costs, losses, damages and liabilities of whatsoever nature incurred by the Government, arising directly or indirectly out of, in connection with or in relation to your reproduction, distribution and/or any other use of the Information; and
    • the Information must be reproduced accurately and must not be used in a manner adversely affecting the moral rights of the identified author, director and/or performer.

  5. Please note that the permission in paragraph 4 above only applies to Information of which the intellectual property rights are owned by the Government. Where the Information involves works or materials of which the intellectual property rights are owned by third parties, permission to reproduce or otherwise use such works or materials must be obtained from the third party intellectual property rights owners concerned.

  6. In paragraph 4 above, “commercial purposes” includes without limitation the following:
    • an offer to supply goods, services, facilities, land or an interest in land;
    • an offer to provide a business opportunity or an investment opportunity;
    • an advertisement or promotion of goods, services, facilities, land or an interest in land;
    • an advertisement or promotion of a business opportunity or an investment opportunity;
    • an advertisement or promotion of a supplier, or a prospective supplier, of goods, services, facilities, land or an interest in land; and
    • an advertisement or promotion of a provider, or a prospective provider, of a business opportunity or an investment opportunity,
    in the course of or in the furtherance of any business.

    7. Disclaimer

  7. The Information provided by the Government on the Geodetic Survey Website is for reference only. Whilst the Government has endeavoured to ensure the accuracy of the Information on this site, no express or implied warranty is given by the Government as to the accuracy of the Information.

  8. The Geodetic Survey Website also contains information input by other parties and links to other sites to facilitate access to information provided by other parties (collectively called “the other information”). The Government expressly states that it has not approved nor endorsed the other information contained on or in connection with this site.

  9. The Government does not accept any responsibilities for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from any cause whatsoever in connection with this website. The Government is entitled to delete, suspend or edit all information on this site at any time at its absolute discretion without giving any reason. Users are responsible for making their own assessments of all information contained on or in connection with this site and are advised to verify such information by referring to its original publication and to obtain independent advice before acting on it.

  10. The Government does not undertake to provide any updated version of the Information, and reserves the right to suspend the provision of the Information at any time.

  11. The Government does not guarantee the reliability of the online network through which information or data are transmitted to and from the Geodetic Survey Website. Neither the Government nor their officers or employees shall be responsible for any delays or failure in transmission, receipt or execution of information or data due to a breakdown or failure of communication facilities or to any other cause whatsoever and they shall not be liable for any losses, fees, costs, expenses, damages and liabilities suffered or incurred as a result thereof.

    12. Privacy Policy

  12. We are committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of the personal information we hold by complying with the requirements of Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance with respect to the management of personal information. We are equally committed to ensuring that all our employees and agents uphold these obligations.

  13. We pledge to comply with the requirements of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. In doing so, we will ensure compliance by our staff with the strictest standards of security and confidentiality.

    14. Personal Data Collection

  14. The Government will record visits to the Geodetic Survey Website without collecting any personal identifiable information of users. The record may include the IP address, operating system and version, the type of network, the type and configuration of your browser, the geo-location information and identifiers of the device used. Such general statistics are collected for the compilation of statistical reports and the diagnosis of problems with or concerning computer systems to help the Government improve the Geodetic Survey Website.

  15. For different purposes and at different times you may be invited to provide personal data to the Government through the Geodetic Survey Website on a voluntary basis. Personal information may include name, post, telephone number or e-mail address. The Government will specify the collection purpose and intended usage of your data when it invites you to provide such information and advise you how you may request access to or correction of the personal data provided.

    16. Disclosure of Your Personal Data

  16. Unless permitted or required by law, the Government will not disclose your personal data to any third parties without your prior consent. All personal data you provide to the Government via the Geodetic Survey Website are secured, and access to them is restricted to authorised personnel only.

    17. Governing Law

  17. The Terms of Use shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (“Hong Kong”). You also agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Hong Kong Courts.

    18. Chinese text

  18. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the English text and the Chinese translation of the Terms of Use, the English text shall prevail.

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