Modernizing land use planning with GNSS tools and GIS mobile apps

How do you digitize 400-year-old gardens in the heart of the city when the old maps no longer match reality?

That was the real challenge facing GIS consultant Semir Kahrimanovic when he took on a project at St. Ann’s Allotments—one of the oldest and largest Victorian detached garden sites in the UK. With more than 75 acres, managing this historic site using outdated paper records and inaccurate base maps had become a real obstacle.

Semir’s goal was simple: build a modern, digital mapping system that even a small team with no GIS background could use. To do that, he turned to tools he already trusted—Emlid Reach RS2 and ArcGIS Field Maps. Together, they helped replace manual workflows with precise, real-time data collection, bringing a centuries-old site into the digital age of land use planning.

From 400-year-old gardens to smart maps

GIS consultant and founder of Bozmaps, Semir Kahrimanovic, has a passion for digital transformation in public land management. As part of his dissertation at Nottingham Trent University, he performed a hydrology project for St. Ann’s Allotments, a captivating Grade II listed heritage site owned by Nottingham City Council (NCC).

This 75-acre site is considered the oldest and largest collection of Victorian detached town gardens in the UK, and holds the distinction of being one of the biggest urban allotment sites in the world. In total, the site holds 670 allotment gardens, which are offered as garden tenancies for Nottingham City Residents. Each plot is rectangular and enclosed by high hedges.

Around 2019, the site was run by a charity named the Renewal Trust. The organization was impressed with the GIS mapping work Semir completed for the initial hydrology project. As a result, they invited him to join a follow-up project as a GIS consultant. His role was to help replace the existing administrative system and update outdated allotment site workflows using modern mobile GIS technology.

Outdated maps meet real-time data in land use planning

For years, the Trust team used manual processes to manage their vast land, plots, and daily operations. This method made it difficult to accurately track essential details, such as plot locations, water features, and overall allotment usage. Crucial information was often missing, outdated, or incomplete. For example, the map data of the sewage and drainage systems below the allotments often proved to be misaligned or unclear.

The Trust needed a better way to manage daily tasks—something accurate, digital, and easy to use in the field.

Building a modern GIS workflow from scratch

Semir chose a digital-first approach, replacing all paper records with GIS mobile mapping technology. He created a single digital database that stores detailed information on plot locations, water features, allotment use, and all on-site activities. Using Esri’s cloud-based ArcGIS Online, he developed a user-friendly GIS system including digital maps, efficient data management, and integrated field maps. These tools allow staff to perform surveys and monitor site activity with ease.

The allotment team had digitized maps available in Esri Shapefile format, but they did not use them for their daily operations or data management. That file laid the foundation for Semir’s GIS system, was uploaded to ArcGIS Online, and used for creating vector map feature layers for water systems, vegetation, and maintenance.

Next, Semir trained the allotment team to use the system and helped develop new workflows that integrated the technology. This included using GIS mobile apps and GNSS equipment to conduct accurate surveys and monitor on-site activity.

Field data capture with mobile mapping software

Semir then started looking for GIS mobile mapping software that could function as a site maintenance reporting tool for the team. He already had hands-on experience with different Esri apps, and taught the allotment team how to use ArcGIS Field Maps, a mobile app for accessing, collecting, and sharing geographic data in the field. The team continues to use ArcGIS Field Maps to efficiently gather data on on-site features, such as water taps, trees, and fences, conduct surveys, and manage maintenance tasks.

Solving the limitations of phone-based GPS with GNSS receivers

Initially, Semir relied on the GPS of his mobile phone for creating the base layers with the team in the field. The phone’s GPS gave them 3–10 m accuracy, not enough to map drainage covers or small structures. To solve this problem, he rented an Emlid Reach RS2 multi-band RTK GNSS receiver (an earlier version of the Reach RS3 receiver). This made the GIS mapping workflow more efficient and enhanced the data quality in terms of accuracy.

Semir had used the Emlid Reach before for his mobile mapping projects and had good experiences merging it with other mapping technologies. In addition to the ease of use, he explains that there are no unnecessary or hidden costs, unlike subscription packages from other surveying tech companies.

For the St. Ann’s project, Semir chose a multi-band receiver due to the site’s characteristics, which had many trees and hedgerows that could possibly limit signal reception. Pairing the Emlid Reach RS2 with ArcGIS Field Maps proved to be very easy and intuitive, so that no precious time was lost in the field.  

ArcGIS Field Maps allows the allotment team to conduct surveys and monitor on-site activity. With just a phone and Reach RS2, the team logs issues like broken taps or fences in seconds—photo, location, and all synced instantly. The system then automatically records the exact location of the problem.

Along with that position, the field crew member can add a description of the issue at hand. Both are stored within ArcGIS Field Maps, and the data is synchronized in real-time with the ArcGIS Online data management system, ensuring the system is always up-to-date.  

Providing onsite GIS and GNSS education

As the Trust members had no prior GIS experience, Semir provided training and education, including hands-on exercises, tailored workflows, step-by-step guides, and tutorials, to support their learning. After a theoretical training session in the morning, the team would embark on field data collection to practice what they learned that same day.

The training focused on automated data collection to reduce human errors and improve accuracy. The goal was to enable the team to manage sites independently. This would help them fully benefit from the digital transformation within their organization.

How the team boosted accuracy and saved time with GNSS-based solutions

The entire project on land use planning had multiple tangible benefits for various stakeholders, including the allotment team, tenants, and the communities collaborating with the Trust. These include enhanced data accuracy, faster maintenance response times, and improved organizational efficiency.  

Improved data accuracy with GNSS technology

Semir improved the positional accuracy of site measurements down to 10 cm using the Emlid Reach RS2 RTK GNSS receiver. With the addition of a second Reach receiver used as a base station and the Emlid NTRIP Caster, Semir was able to transmit RTK (real-time kinematic) corrections between the base station and the rover receiver, improving the positioning data and achieving even higher centimeter-level accuracy.

“When I first started using the Emlid receiver, I was able to achieve an accuracy of about 5 cm. I was genuinely impressed by how straightforward, user-friendly, and precise it was compared to standard mobile methods,” says Semir.

Fewer errors, faster fixes with mobile GIS

A mobile GIS app such as ArcGIS Field Mapping automates data collection, so the allotment team has less chance of human errors when collecting data in the field. By avoiding manual data entry on a keypad, but instead using automated measurements that a user can confirm with a simple button click, the entire data capture process becomes more efficient.

Boosted site transparency and management efficiency

Now that the Trust uses a single database, the team can respond quickly to maintenance calls as they receive issue reports instantly via email or online messaging. Accurate, up-to-date online maps of site activity and individual plots improve transparency. That allows stakeholders to see how the team manages the site each day. Current and future tenants need to have access to public data, which a GIS can provide in the form of up-to-date allotment maps and documents.

The new GIS system helps the allotment team to use their time more efficiently and improve decision-making. With better and current data, and incident reporting using GIS mobile apps, the team can monitor onsite activity better than before and respond to possible incidents.

Additional onsite GNSS projects with the Emlid Reach

After creating the digital allotment management system, Semir continued to use the Emlid Reach for mobile mapping projects and combined it with other technology whenever possible. For example, he noticed it was easy to combine it with drones and improve drone workflows when performing GCP mapping. These workflows involve placing precisely measured points on the ground that serve as reference locations for georeferencing drone data, and improve the positional accuracy of aerial maps and 3D models. The Emlid Reach helps to precisely position these GCPs, resulting in high-accuracy data.

The Emlid Reach also improved accuracy in an educational project at St. Ann’s, where they mapped hedgerow health and trends. This was a project with the University of Derby to support Sustainability students, who used ArcGIS Online to analyze and visualize their field data captured with the Emlid Reach and mobile GIS apps.

The real impact of accurate mobile mapping

The transformation of St. Ann’s Allotments shows how the right tools can bring even the most historic and complex sites into the digital era of land use planning. By combining GNSS receivers like Reach RS2 with mobile GIS apps, public sector teams can replace outdated workflows with efficient, accurate, and scalable systems.

Semir’s story is more than a success case—it’s a practical roadmap for municipalities and educational institutions looking to modernize their land use planning.

Doing land use planning and ready to upgrade your workflows? Try out the Reach receivers to bring precision, speed, and simplicity to your next mapping project—no hassle, just centimeter-level accuracy.

FAQ

What accuracy do I need for a boundary survey?

Boundary surveys require a high positional accuracy so that property owners have a clear understanding of their boundaries. Local regulations and standards define the exact accuracy a boundary survey must achieve. Surveyors express this accuracy either as absolute accuracy, which specifies a maximum allowable error in millimeters or centimeters, or as a ratio of closure, which compares the survey error to the total distance measured. Professional-grade boundary surveys require an absolute, horizontal accuracy down to 1 centimeter.

How can I create a plot map?

A plot map represents property boundaries, features, and measurements accurately. To create one, surveyors collect accurate data and plot it on an existing map using GIS software. They capture precise boundary data with a GPS device and field measurements, optionally using GNSS (RTK or PPP) correction services to enhance positional accuracy.GIS software enables creating polylines or polygons by connecting individual points of GPS measurements representing parcel boundaries.

What is land use planning?

Planners evaluate and manage land development and use to meet community needs while balancing environmental, social, and economic goals. It involves making decisions about zoning, infrastructure, and resource use to ensure sustainable and efficient land development. They use zoning to divide land into map zones, assigning specific rules for permitted buildings and activities in each area.