Week 1: Introduction to Land Administration

Comparison between west and east

Land administration is the study of how people organize land

 Including:
- The way people think about land (have been changing over times, and people view
land different)

-
- The institutions and agencies people build
- The process these institutions and agencies manage

Evolution of land administration involves management of land parcels

- Land parcels: small units of land used by people in their everyday life
- Cadastre: central concept of modern LAS, its core involves land registry, improve
land management and contribute to good governance.

Concept of Land
- Two aspect:
1. Physical (buildings and resources): Land that is marked by fencing
2. Cognitive (theory and concept): A parcel that has an ownership right attached
to it

Week 4:
How we capture or define the spatial extent of land rights: A broadly land
information, and cadastral & cadastral survey are ways to collect that information.
Concept of cadastre: is the core or basis of a land administration system and is Commented [a1]: Dividing land into smallest unit, which is
defined as a parcel based and up-to-date land information system containing a land parcel, assigning right restriction and responsibilities to
record of interests in land (e.g. rights, restrictions and responsibilities). the land parcel.
Cadastres or parcel map and registration system are the techniques used to
manage land administration, are the focus of modern land administration, but
only part of a society’s land management component
Cadastral survey: A process to create land parcels
Key concepts:
1. Cadastre: all the records of land, associated with land rights, restrictions and
responsibilities.
2. Cadastral map: an extract of cadastre, create a cadastre through creating a set
of cadastral maps or plans
3. Cadastral system: equal to the term of “Land administration system”
4. Digital cadastral database: digital representation of a cadaster, a relatively new Commented [a2]: Only digitizing the boundary lines of the
term with the introduction of computers. Information are not accurate as cadastral
cadastral plan, only showing the layout of land parcels.
5. Cadastral surveying: the process of creating cadastral plans.

Boundary – either the physical objects marking the limits of a property or an

imaginary line or surface marking the division between two legal estates.
Monument: any tangible landmark indicating boundaries, EX: fence, brick walls
Demarcation: fixing the boundaries by linking land parcels with physical
monuments; Delineation: show exactly where boundaries are.
Two roles of these two methods:
1. Defining parcel on the ground
2. Evidence for re-establishment of boundaries
Coordinates used for Cadastral mapping and establishment of digital cadastral
database boundaries, but they don’t have any legal significances, while,
dimensions/monuments are legally important
Types of boundaries: Commented [a3]: To determine which boundary options
1. Fixed boundaries: are where the precise line of the boundary is determined, should be used?
physical measurements. Depends on
Is moveable: 1. Value of land
Adverse possession: Entitlement for ownership of others’ land if you maintain 2. Cost of defining and maintain boundaries: general
the land and pay rates for (in Victoria after 15 years) boundaries cheaper to define and maintain
2. General boundaries: are where the precise line on the ground has not been
determined although usually it is represented by a physical feature and shown
graphically on a map. Is changeable, for example, river banks.
3. Approximate boundaries: where the position of the boundary has not been
determined although the location of the title is determined and usually shown
graphically on a map. Generally, not as precise nor as accurate as a “general”
boundary. For example, “from that wall to this wall”
Mapping options
1. Unrectified photomaps: drawing a map from an aerial photo through fitting
the photo to a set of known coordinates.
Scale is not consistent: * displacements increases as close to edges, more
accurate near the centre. * useless in hill or elevated areas, only used on flat
lands

2. Photogrammetry: use overlapping photos to correct the displacements

3. Land surveying: find unknown points form known coordinates based on
relationship (ex. Distance, angle) between those points.
4. Global Navigation system (GPS):
1) Space segment -> control segment -. User segment
2) Ponistion based on time, signal leaves satellite at time “T”
3) Signal picked up by receiver at time “T+3”, therefore, distance
between satellite and receiver = 3* spend of the signal
4) More satellite, more accurate data
5. Map digitization

Comparison:

Other consideration in terms of choosing the right technology:

Commented [a4]: General boundaries: photo map or
1) Form of boundary
photogrammetry
2) Land titling strategy
Fixed boundaries: Field based methods
3) Land use
Commented [a5]: Systematic: for entire country,
4) Availability of technology
photomaps or photogrammetry
5) Cost
Sporadic: gaps between small areas, field based
6) Socio-economic development of the country

Types of Goods
1. Moveable goods:
any society individual people have control over certain goods; If control over
these goods is complete, and the ‘right’ one has over them is then called
‘ownership’. Ownership is transferrable.

2. Immovable goods:
Land, trees, many other plants and most buildings cannot be moved; It might
not be a complete control, but still one can possess a strong right in a piece
of land

In land administration system, main problems are how:

1) Define and protect the ownership of the immoveable goods and
2) Transfer this ownership

Land registration: transfer and secure the rights of land

Types of transfer ownership
1. Oral agreement:
1) Paperless and oral agreement
2) Handing over a small symbol, eg. Throw a blade form the land to the
purchaser
3) Witnesses
2. Introduction of writing
1) Use paper to “witness” the transfer
2) No physical evidence obtained by purchasers
3. Private conveyancing
1) Deeds left in the hands of the ‘new’ owner, passed on through acquisition
2) No one supervise the process of transfer.
4. Land office
1) Storage of deeds entrusted to an independent third party (registires), linits
chances of loss and falsification

Systems of land registration

1. Title registration: record the legal consequence of the transaction Commented [a6]: Title is guaranteed but boundaries may
Content: change
The right itself together with the name of the rightful claimant and the object
 of that right with its restrictions and charges are registered.

Key features:
1) Title depends on the act of registration, not on documents or on judicial
orders
2) The register is ‘parcel based’, and these parcels are well defined (usually
through ‘title plans’)
3) The registrar will, change the name of the right holder listed with the
parcel, dispossessing the previous right holder
4) If anyone who is of good faith will lose his or her rights because of this, he
or she will be compensated for the loss

Main principles:
1) Mirror-principle: the register is supposed to reflect the correct legal
situation Commented [a7]: Make sure up-to-date information
2) Curtain principle: there is no need for further (historic) investigation
Commented [a8]: No need to look into history of this land
beyond the register
3) Guarantee principle: Whatever is registered is guaranteed to be the truth
for a third party of good faith and a rightful claimant who does not appear
on the register will be compensated

Types:
English system: general boundaries; Torrens system: fixed boundaries

2. Deed registration: the deed is registered, it is not the legal proof of ownership, Commented [a9]: Record the track of the transaction
it only proves this transaction had happened
Features: Commented [a10]: Not necessary need cadastral maps,
1) Does not guarantee that the intended changes did really occur need to check the history.
2) the object the deed refers to is not very well described
3) Accepting the deed by the registrar can be very quick
3. Mixed (mostly in European countries)
1) The title register is called ‘land book’
2) Good cadastral surveys
3) A well-functioning deeds registry
4) This system usually does not give a real state guarantee to the registered
owner
Reading: Chapter 5
Land administration: the process of determining, recording, disseminating
information about the ownership, value, and use of land, when implement land
management policies.
Main focus of LA: information.
Land management paradigm:

WEEK 5:
Spatial data and its importance
Spatial data infrastructure: an infrastructure that describes, explains, locates or
otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use or manage spatial information and is
an integrated, on-line mechanism to deliver spatial data and services and
information for applications, better business and policy decision-making, and
value-added commercial activities.
SDI components:
People: applications that people use spatial data for -> System [Access Network:
connect to data (eg. Webs that provides access to spatial data), policy: who can
access, how much will cost to access data, what level of access, standards: Data
standard, helps to model spatial data; Access standards]-> Data
------ access network, policy, and standards are all changeable ----- which are
dynamic
SDI provides access and other information, for example:

Role of SDI in LAS

 Use spatial data as a
key tool for decision
making ---- Spatially
enabled government

Integrate SDI to solve other

problems that are not
necessarily LAS issues
Usually mapping agencies look after SDI, and land
registration agencies look after cadastral.
 If same agencies look after both aspects,
better in decision making --- better spatially
enabled government

ICT: Information and communication technology

any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or
disseminate information
ICT options for LA
Data management: how we collect, store, organize data
Options for management: Data modelling: able to describe how a paper plan
subdivision is related to each other / Data capture/ Database system: how data is
related to each other/ Data catalogue: the way to find wanted spatial data / Data
conversion:

Data dissemination: how we provide access to the data

“web services”
Goals – Enable universal interoperability. – Widespread adoption,
ubiquity: fast! – Efficiently support both open (Web) and more constrained
environments.
Enterprise facilitator: more on business side
Internet banking: ex. Buy land online/ Electronic document/ Electronic signature
E-Land administration system
The capacity to transform land administration through the use of ICT, includes
activities like:
1. The coordination of various subsystems,
2. Online customer services,
3. Online private partnership services,
4. Integrated internal workflow processes and
5. Integrated database management.

Phase:
1) Provides basic information:
 Focused on establishing an online presence for services
 Online presentations of the services and related land information
 Non-transactional
 Increases clients’ convenience, and reduction in the workload on front
office employees
2)
 Focus on connecting the internal systems to online interfaces
 Allowing clients to transact with the land administration system

3)
 Integrate different information into one web interface
 One-stop shopping for client
4)
 Integration of scattered services with different land administration
partners and suppliers
 External integration across different partners of land administration
happens last
 System-to-system transaction
 Example: e-plan
5)
 Assessing, monitoring, and maintaining e-land administration.
 Developing methods and performance indicators.
 Examining clients' needs.
 Investigating infrastructures that underpin the use of e-land
administration.
 Difference: SDI vs E-Land administration system
SDI: Access to data
E-land: improve and facilitate land administration process

Revision for week 5

Answer: b
 Answer: a. b. c. d

Week 6:
Needs for evaluation in LAS:
Many of the LAS around the world are seriously flawed, in one or more of the
following ways:
 Complicated procedures
 Over-designed / over-engineered
 Poor adaptation to local contexts
 Unclear allocation of authority between different agencies
THEREFORE, Evaluation in LAS is needed
Evaluation:: define objectives, measure objectives and provide feedbacks
key words: systematic; provide feedback
Methods of evaluation
 Questionnaires
 Interviews
 Observations
 Tests
 Focus groups
 Document analyses
Can divided into two ways:
 Commented [a11]: Peer review: external

OR:
Commented [a12]: Feedback: formative
Exam: summative

Note: Both formative and summative through the document analysis by an

external assessor.

How to evaluate LAS?

- SET objectives (problems that existed currently) -> strategies to tackle those
problems -> outcomes & indicators -> review total process regularly to see if this
objective still exists or strategies are still effective?
People-land relationship: fundamental of LAS
The people-to-land relationship is central to the context and environment within
which the LAS operates. This will influence:
 Aspects of land (land issues)
 Functions of LAS
 Processes that support functions
 Institutions and agencies that manage these functions
Why it is important in LAS?
1) Understanding the rationale for the LAS will enable the evaluator to better
define indicators/measures of effectiveness.
2) The changing people-land relationship requires LAS to undergo reviews to
remain relevant. Evaluation is key to achieving this.
Land policy
WHY Land policy is considered in evaluation?
Land policies highlight what the important land issues are and sets the tone for
how a country will improve upon these. Land policies articulate:
 a vision or road map
 aspects of land issues
 roles and responsibilities of agencies
 role of a land administration system
HOW land policy is considered in evaluation?
Defined aims, objectives, stakeholders and responsibilities in land policies are
often directly used as evaluation measures of effectiveness and/or progress.

RRRs
What would evaluation activities seek to determine about RRRs?
 RRRs are information about interests in land. This is central to the meaningful
operation of LAS.
 They need to be managed fairly and efficiently • They need to clearly support
above-the-line interests • They can be linked with relevant below-the-line
interests
Typical measures of quality and management would be common; additionally, as
it is a type of spatial data, measures of how well it is integrated would also be
necessary.
REVISON: Fore week 3

ANSWER: All of them are correct

 ANSWER: All of them are correct

FOR WEEK 4:
 Answer: A

Answer: C, D

Revision for week 5