NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT (NR)

LRIMS Cadastre Module

User Requirements and Functionality

(Seychelles Case Study)

John Latham, NRL

Renato Cumani, NRL
Luigi Simeone, NRL
 Summary
NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT (NR)

Background

User Requirements

Business Model

Application Interface

Integration with Land
Resources Information
Management Systems (LRIMS)
 Background
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Objective
• The Cadastre Module for Seychelles aims at improving the
efficiency of delivery of services for authorities dealing with
cadastre operations, through providing interfaces that effectively
deal with cadastre data integrated
Goals
• Ensuring consistency in cadastre processes through linking
spatial and non-spatial data;
• Enhancing processes related to displaying/finding/identifying
parcels with specific characteristics;
• Improving quality of cadastre-related geographical layers;
• Facilitating maps/reports production for cadastre data; and
• Generating a land utilization layer.
 Implementation Plan
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Phase Description Deliverable

Needs Assessment − Describing the needs, functionalities, Needs Assessment

and Analysis of problems and solutions. and Analysis of
Application Application Report
Conceptual and − Data elements, data structures and Conceptual and
Detailed Database data elements grouping/organization Detailed Database
Design − Geodatabase Schema (database Design Report
structure, database tables and item
definitions, database elements and
relationships)
Development of − Building the database Cadastre Module
Application − Developing the designed application (Beta Release)
(interfaces)
Installation and Testing − Installing the Cadastre Module Final Cadastre
− Testing and fixing problems. Module
− Training the GIS staff on using the
Cadastre Module
 Methodology
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Review Requirements, Needs and Capabilities

Stakeholder Meetings

Identify Application Needs

Identify Data Needs

Indentify Functionality

Design ( Data model, Application Interface)

Prototyping, Debugging and Testing

Deployment and User Acceptance

Documentation and Training
 Review of existing cadastre records
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Definition
• A record of position, form, area, utilization and owner of each individual
parcel;
• Many Applications; and
• Additional Layers.
Characteristics
• Up-to-date; and
• Own aspects and specifications due to different parcel management
systems.
Stakeholders
• Register offices;
• Land-use planning;
• Land survey departments/authorities; and
• GIS appointed entity.
GIS and Cadastre
• GIS offers cadastres the opportunity to link tabular and geographic data;
• GIS technology enables the interested parties to manage parcel data in a
manner not possible with hand-drawn or CAD-generated maps;
• Speed, accuracy, saving space, eliminates confusion
 Cadastre Stakeholders
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GIS Center (MND): responsible for coordinating the governmental activities related to GIS and
providing technical support to other units in the government, as well as hosting Cadastre
Module for Seychelles
Survey Division (MND): responsible for carrying out the surveying projects, in addition to
providing the GIS Center and the Land Registration Department with the parcels
shapefiles/CAD
Land Registration Department: responsible for keeping track record of ownership for each
parcel
Potential Users:
- Department of Natural Resources (MENRT)
- Department of Environment (MENRT)
- National Bureau of Statistics
- Risk and Impact Assessment Sector (DRDM)
- Planning Department (MND)
- GIS Unit, Department of Natural Resources
- Land Management Division (MND)
- Housing and Condominium Department (MND)
 Stakeholders meeting
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The meetings held between the consultant and the stakeholders will aim at assessing the cadastre
situation (and needs) in Seychelles, where each stakeholder is asked to explain his/her organization's
stand-point concerning the following main points:

Existing GIS and/or CAD S/W (or expected on the short run)

Available experience in GIS S/W as well as in dealing with maps

The available H/W (or expected on the short run)

Discussion of the cadastre business-cycle from the organization's point of view (including the role of the
organization)

Major problems/shortfalls/bottlenecks in the cadastre business-cycle from the organization's point of
view

Suggested Improvements in the cadastre business-cycle

The available basemaps or cadastre-related maps, if any (layers/coverage/format)

Available information related to cadastre (Database/tables/reports)

Availability of sample information (related to cadastre)

Discussion on the technical proposal of the Cadastre Module for Seychelles
 Preliminary findings
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Data
• There are some problems with existing data. The project coordinator
will work with other stakeholders to tackle those problems.

• Sample data, covering pilot are available to be used to develop the

module. The delivered sample data has some errors (e.g. missing
attributes/codes), which makes it indicative of the possible existing errors
in the real data, hence adding benefit to the development of the Quality
Assurance Interface.

• It is important to offer the survey division help with the process of

correcting and updating existing maps as they do not have the required
human resources.
 Findings on the proposed module
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The module will be a standalone as it is not possible to use a multi-user

architecture at the moment due to the absence of required network
infrastructure. However, a multi-user architecture might be considered under
the scope of another project later on.

The module will only require ArcGIS license to run

The proposed application interface is reviewed and generally accepted

 Proposed module (continue)
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In order to help with public participation and to support

transparency, any GIS (including the proposed one), should have an
online version that can be accessed by the general public, e.g. to query
about specific information at any time

There is a need to develop a strategy on a National GIS (NGIS)

 Current Cadastre Business Model
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Problems

The current status of cadastre cycle shows that the parcel layer is not linked to the land registration
records (containing all related data).

The absence of the link between the parcel layer and the associated data leads to difficulties in the
searching and reporting operations.

Manual checking of parcel layer results in difficulties/errors in identifying errors.

Inconsistencies between parcel layer and parcel ownership data are different to identify.
 Proposed Cadastre Business Cycle
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Advantages

The geodatabase contains the verified cadastre maps and the ownership data.

A link between the SD parcels map and the LRD records will be established.

Search and query operations will be easily performed on the parcels maps and the associated
land records and in an integrated way.

The quality assurance process is enforced in an automated way.

Flexibility in reports/maps production.
 System Architecture
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ArcGIS customization over FLOSS is chosen due to:

Availability of ArcGIS licenses (no extra license fees needed)

Readily available capabilities/functionalities that will not be sacrificed (since
the module will be built as an extension to ArcGIS)

Familiarity of the staff of GISC with ArcGIS usage

Scalability and flexibility will not be compromised in the ArcGIS environment,
where future modifications/additions are viable. Moreover, moving from
desktop to multi-user (or vise versa) is possible and easy (provided that the
appropriate considerations were accounted-for in due time).
 Item Solution 1 (Desktop) Solution 2 (Multi-User)
Description • A desktop GIS application for cadastre • A multi-user application for cadastre
NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT (NR)

having querying capabilities, reporting having querying capabilities, reporting

capabilities, quality checking capabilities, quality checking
capabilities and generation of Land- capabilities and generation of Land-
Utilization layer. Utilization layer.
• Personal geodatabase (cadastre • Multi-User geodatabase (cadastre
geodatabase can be edited by one geodatabase can be edited by multiple
user at a time). users simultaneously)
• Standard editing operations can be • All geometric editing operations can not
integrated in the application (splitting be integrated in the application and
parcels, merging parcels, adding new needs to be done using the editing
parcels, deleting existing parcels, etc). tools found in ArcEditor.
Software •2 licenses of ArcView • 1 license of “ArcGIS Server Basic
Requirements Enterprise” (the new name of Multi-
User ArcSDE) on the main server
hosting the SQL RDBMS
• 2 licenses of ArcEditor
• 2 licenses of ArcView
• LAN
Advantages • Less complicated environment: • Achieving multi-user environment
straight forward implementation and entails less redundancy, better
easiness of modifications. management/maintenance and future-
• Does not need special hardware setup scalability.
or LAN.
 Systems Architecture
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The desktop architecture will be adopted (the module will only require ArcView to run),
this approach was recommended by all the stakeholders, as it is not possible to use a
multi-user architecture at the moment due to the absence of required network
infrastructure.

The multi-user architecture should not be disregarded. On the contrary, the Cadastre
Module should be developed with the multi-user environment in mind. Appropriate
considerations and measures in programming code and database design should be taken
to ensure that future migration from desktop to multi-user architecture (should this
happen) would only require migrating from personal to multi-user geodatabase along with
minor interface changes (minimal effort).
 Interfaces
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Graphical
Attribute
Map Report
Report
Report

Spatial
Attribute
Search
Search LUT Interface

Quality
QualityAssurance
AssuranceReport
Interface
NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT (NR)

Thank you