1

Cadastral Surveying And

Land Registration

LaAd 2054

For Land Administration and surveying(BSc) regular

students
Minale K.

2009 E.C School of Land Administration, WLDU

 2

Unit 1
Introduction

Minale K. Land Administration and Surveying, WLDU

 Unit 1 Introduction. cadastral surveying and land
registration
3

Focus points
1.1 definition of cadastre, cadastral survey and land
registration.
1.2 Types of cadastre.
1.3 Basic components of cadastre
1.4 Historical development of cadastre.
 Cadastre definition
4

 The name Cadastre is a Latin base term which refer

s to a registry of lands.

 A cadastre, historically, has meant a record of land

parcels, similar in meaning to tax maps.
 Cadastre…
5

According to Henssen(1995)
 Cadastre is a methodically arranged public inventory of

data concerning properties within a certain country or

district, based on a survey of their boundaries.
 Such properties are systematically identified by means of

some separate designation. (Eg. Zone, UPIN)

 The outlines of the property and the parcel identifier

normally are shown on large-scale maps which, together

with registers, may show for each separate property the
nature, size, value and legal rights associated with the
parcel.
 It gives an answer to the question where and how much.
 Cadastre…
6

 A cadastre usually consists of two parts:

 Geographic part ( map or plan) showing the size
and location of all land parcels
 Descriptive part ( register) that represents the
attributes of land such as land value, ownership, or
use
 Cont.
7

 Graphical indices of these parcels, known as cadastral maps,

show the relative location of all parcels in a given region.
 Cadastral maps commonly range from scales of 1:10,000 to 1:500.
 Large scale diagrams or maps showing more precise parcel
dimensions and features (e.g. buildings, irrigation units, etc.) can be
compiled for each parcel based on
 ground surveys or
 remote sensing and
 aerial photography.
 Information in the textual or attribute files of the Cadastre, such as
land value, ownership, or use, can be accessed by
 the unique parcel codes shown on the cadastral map,
 Thus creates a complete Cadastre.
 Cont…
8

The international association of geodesists (FIG)

statement on the cadastre states that
 A cadastre is normally a parcel based, and up-to-

date land information system containing a record of

interests in land (e.g. rights, restrictions and
responsibilities).
 It usually includes a geometric description of land

parcels linked to other records describing the nature

of the interests, the ownership or control of those
interests, and often the value of the parcel and its
improvements.
 Cadastre…
9

 It may be established for

 fiscal purposes (e.g. valuation and equitable
taxation),
 legal purposes (conveyancing),
 to assist in the management of land and land use
(e.g. for planning and other administrative
purposes), and
 And thereby enables sustainable development and
environmental protection.
 Cadastral surveying
10

What is the difference between cadastre and cadastral

surveying?
 Cadastral surveying
11

 Cadastral surveying refers to the definition,

identification, demarcation, measuring and
mapping of new or changed legal parcel
boundaries.

 Cadastral survey is used to determining property

boundaries including those of fields, houses, plots
of land, etc.

 Cadastral survey, which is simply defined as

 a survey of boundaries of land units.
12

 It usually includes the process of

 re-establishing lost boundaries and sometimes
 resolving disputes over boundaries or other interests in real
property.
 Cadastral surveys are carried out by governmental
officials and private surveyors or by a combination of
both.
 Special certification (licensing) is required and this
can be administered either by the state or by a
professional society.
 It gives an answer to the question where is the land
( the geographical location) and how much( the size
of the parcel or land).
 Classification of cadastre
13

 Most early societies developed basic types of cadastre

to support taxation and other land administration
activities.
 As societies evolved and property transactions
became important, cadastral records began to take on
a greater legal role.
 Today, cadastre often serve many functions and
multiple users.
14

 Through the centuries, many types of cadastral systems

evolved and their differences often depend upon
local cultural heritage,
physical geography,

land use,

technology, etc.

population distribution;

level of technology;

traditional public administration arrangements;

land and property law arrangements;

land policy priorities for the jurisdiction

15

Cadastre may be classified in many ways, e.g. by:

 Primary function (e.g. supporting taxation, conveyancing, land
distribution, or multipurpose land management activities);
 The types of rights recorded (e.g. private ownership, use rights,
mineral leases);
 The degree of state responsibility in ensuring the accuracy and
reliability of the data (e.g. complete state mandate, shared public and
private responsibility);
 Location and jurisdiction (e.g. urban and rural Cadastre; centralized
and decentralized Cadastre);
 The ways in which information about the parcels is collected ( e.g.
ground surveys tied to geodetic control, uncoordinated ground surveys
and measurements, aerial photography, digitizing existing historical
records, etc.)
  Types of cadastre

16

 Depending on their use, type and quantity and quality

of data, cadastre can be divided into three types:
 Fiscal,
 Legal And
 Multipurpose Cadastre.
 1. Legal cadastre
17

 Legal cadastre is a register identifying

 the legal owner and
 precise boundaries of each land parcel.

 Establishing a legal cadastre requires both fixing

parcel boundaries through surveying and mapping,
and fixing legal rights, which may involve
 negotiations among involved parties and
 a judicial determination of ownership (Adjudication).

 In other words the legal cadastre deals with rights to

use land.
 2. Fiscal cadastre
18

 Fiscal cadastre is a record of information necessary for

levying property taxes, which includes location and value
of parcel.
 Frequently, the occupant of the parcel is identified for tax
purpose, and no effort is made to determine the legal owner.
 Governments need income, which generally is generated
through some sort of taxes. One major resource in a
country that can be taxed is land and land related properties.

 Thus, a fiscal cadastre must include enough information to

calculate a value using certain valuation methods.
 3. Multi-purpose cadastre
19

 A relatively new development that incorporates, at

one source, the data concerning the legal and fiscal
cadastre along with information on land use,
infrastructure, buildings, soil and other factors.
 Each parcel must be assigned a unique identifier, so
that all the information can be related to the same
plot.
20

?
 Land registration
21

Land registration is a process of official recording of

rights in land through deeds or as title on properties.
 It gives an answer to the questions
 who is the owner of the land and
 how he/ she/ gets the land.
There are two basic components to a land records
system namely
 a piece of land and

 the rights over that piece of land.

The basic unit in the land registry is a parcel and its

boundaries.
 Options for land registration systems
22

 Oral agreement

 Private conveyancing

 Registration of Deeds

 Registration of Title
 Types of transaction evidence

Means of transaction Evidence

Oral agreement Witnesses

Private conveyance Deed No registration

Deeds registration Registration No guarantee

Title registration Registration proof of title

23 Source: Land Registration and Cadastral Systems (Gerhard Larsson)

24

 private conveyancing, in which the records and

transfers of land are handled by private
arrangements;
 Registration of deeds, in which copies of such
records are maintained by officials or by state; and
 Registration of title to land, where a state
organization maintains the records of land ownership.
 Basic Components of Cadastre
25

Land Registration

Property Taxation

Cadastral Surveying and Mapping

 Land Registration
26

 Land registration and title certification improve tenure security in

order to promote better land management and more investment.
 It is also hoped that farmers may start using the certified land as
collateral for bank loans.
 Certification of land title is also expected to help in reducing
conflicts over land boundaries and user rights among farmers.
 Three methods of recording or registration are identified. These are:
 private conveyancing, in which the records and transfers of land are
handled by private arrangements;
 Registration of deeds, in which copies of such records are maintained by
officials or by state; and
 Registration of title to land, where a state organization maintains the
records of land ownership.
 Property Taxation
27

 Land tax encourages municipal governments to develop and improve

their cadastre.
 Similarly, property tax is the most common local tax and that it
necessitates efficient administration, which basically mean a well-
established land and land related information system or cadastre.
 Thus, property taxation, especially in urban areas, is used as a major
source of revenue.
 The experiences of different countries show variation regarding their
responsibilities of property tax administration.
 In cities such as Bogotá, Bombay, and Nairobi property tax assessment
is freely administered at the local level, while in cities such as Lusaka,
Manila, and Seoul it is regulated by higher level of government.
 Regarding the determination of tax rates, in all the above-mentioned
cities, it is regulated by higher level of government.
 Cadastral surveying and Mapping
28

 Cadastral surveying is
 a survey carried out for the purpose of providing
information for the drawing of cadastral map.
 is simply defined as a survey of boundaries of land
units.
 On the other hand, cadastral map refers to any map on
scale large enough to show every field or plot of land
and buildings.
 Especially a large-scale map sufficiently accurate for
exact boundaries and (if necessary) the ownership of
real property is refereed as cadastral map.
29

 There are three sets of complimentary techniques of

cadastral surveying are common:
 field/ground surveying,
 photogrametry, and
 remote sensing;
 all of which are concerned with the discovery, recording,
and presentation of spatially referenced data.
A cadastral survey generally results in two different kinds of
map outputs,
 the parcel index map and
 the specific parcel map.
30

 Parcel index map (PIM) – showing all parcels in

particular jurisdiction.
This map should reflect unique parcel identifiers
which act as an index to various cadastral and land
registrations attribute data.
 Parcel map - showing details of dimensions (distance,
azimuth) of the parcel boundaries the coordinates of
the parcel corners, a short description of the
monumentation of and other standard map data. This
map serves us as a legal description for all registered
parcels.
31
 Cadastre and Land Tenure
32

 Land tenure is a manner in which land is held.

 Land tenure is the relationship, whether legally

or customarily defined, among people, as
individuals or groups, with respect to land.

 Land tenure is an institution i.e., rules invented

by societies to regulate behavior.
 Cont…
33

 The most important types of land tenure or real property

identified in most Cadastral systems can be characterized as
follows:
a) Ownership usually means the exclusive right to use the parcel
and enjoy the yield from the land and improvements.
 It also includes the right to transfer the parcel to another person,

to mortgage the property and to lease it, the right to enjoy the
use of something, the ability to dispose it and to benefit from
the rights associated with it.
 All of these rights may be more or less restricted by legislation.

This is for the purpose of

 Public benefit
 Environmental protection
 Cont…
34

b) A lease gives the lessee or grantee the right to use

the parcel (or part of a larger parcel) for a limited
time, in accordance with the regulations
stipulated and also in the contract with the
lessor.
 The lessor may be a private landowner or a

government authority.
 The time span of a lease varies from very short

periods
 Cont…
35

c) An easement is a limited right for an owner of one

parcel to use or prevent use of some kind on a
neighboring parcel.
 The right is usually connected to the parcel and exists

in principle as long as the parcel exists.

 Special easements or rights-of-way may also exist for

such uses as construction and access to utility lines.

 There may also be traditional public rights-of-way

over certain parcels to provide access to rivers, the

coast, roads, etc.
 Cont…
36

d) A mortgage is a limited right in which real property

is pledged to secure money.
 If the property owner does not live up to the terms

of the contract (e.g. does not meet monthly

payments on the loan), then the lender has the right
to recover any losses incurred by taking possession
of the property.
 There may be more than one mortgage affecting a

property and the right of recovery for losses will

depend on the priority given to each mortgage.
 Cont…
37

e) Communal or group rights are important in many

countries, especially where
 The land resources have been abundant and
 The land use of a group covers an extensive area.
 In such cases, the right to use the land and resources
belongs to a group such as a family, a community, a
clan, or a band, rather than individuals in the group.
 Such rights are often found in customary tenure
systems, but not exclusively.
 Cont…
38

 f) Other rights: It is common that land tenure is

based on the fact that the land is used by someone
for a certain purpose. Most customary or traditional
land tenure systems are in some way based on this
principle, although the content of the user right
may vary considerably within different
jurisdictions.
 Generally land tenure
39

 Land tenure thus constitutes a web of intersecting

interests. These include:
 •Overriding interests: when a sovereign power (e.g., a
nation or community has the powers to allocate or reallocate
land through expropriation, etc.)
 •Overlapping interests: when several parties are
allocated different rights to the same parcel of land (e.g.,
one party may have lease rights, another may have a right of
way, etc.)
 •Complementary interests: when different parties share
the same interest in the same parcel of land
40

 Competing interests: when different parties

contest the same interests in the same parcel
(e.g., when two parties independently claim rights
to exclusive use of a parcel of agricultural land.
Land disputes arise from competing claims.)
 Tenure rights
41

 Examples of rights
 Aright to use the land.
 A right to exclude unauthorized people from using the land.
 A right to control how land will be used.
 Aright to derive income from the land.
 Aright to protection from illegal expropriation of the land
 A right to transmit the rights to the land to one’s successors, (i.e., a right held
by descendents to inherit the land).
 Aright to alienate all rights to the entire holding (e.g., through sale), or to a
portion of the holding (e.g., by subdividing it).
 Aright to alienate only a portion of the rights, e.g., through a lease.
 A right to enjoy the property rights for an indeterminate length of time, i.e.,
rights might not terminate at a specific date but can last in perpetuity.
 Cadastral Database
42

 Data that may appear in a cadastre include geometric data

(coordinates, maps), property addresses, land use, real property
information, the nature and duration of the tenure, details about the
construction of buildings and apartments, population, and land
taxation values.

 The diversity of data brings the complexity in data management and

requires to be managed by using an advanced database management
system (DBMS).

 A database may have special characteristics according to the

structures of the data managed by, such as spatial databases which
manage the geographical data.
 Cont…
43

 Database definition and modeling has an important

role on database administration and optimizing data
storage and processing.
 The complexity of spatial data structures and the
advances in geographic data management together
with a wide application of GIS have made spatial
database modeling an interesting and challenging
research area.
 Benefits of cadastre
44

Some of the benefits include:

 more security of land tenure
 better access to long-term credit
 increased productivity of land
 lower transaction costs on the real property market
 cheaper information for land administration
 more equitable and cost-effective collection of land taxes
 improved opportunities to implement land policies
 improved opportunities to plan for sustainable
development of land and other natural resources
 Cadastral Trends(History)
45

 The major development in introducing cadastre (with

maps) took place in the early 19 th Century.
 In 1807 Napoleon I, Emperor of France established
cadastre in France and all areas which at that time
were under his rule (most of South and West of
Continental Europe).
 In 1817 Francis I, Emperor of Austria, founded much
of improved cadastre for the whole Austro- Hungarian
Empire.
 At that time it covers most of central Europe.
 Land Registration and Mapping in
Ethiopia(History)
46

 It was Emperor Menilik who issued a decree that brought legislation

to initiate the country’s first cadastral survey in Addis Ababa in
1909.
 Thus, landowners were to be given a certificate refereed as “yrist
woraqat” or “rist-paper” to be written in Amharic and French, with
a map showing the boundaries of land.
 The French are reported to have initiated cadastral works in Addis
Ababa in the 1920s.
 Ethiopian Mapping Agency (EMA) established in 1954
 Since the 1960s the Authority has begun production of large scale
maps for town planning.
 In 1985 the Addis Ababa city administration launched cadastral
project with the core objective of registering property for taxation
purpose.
 Cont’d
47

 Introduction of modern cadastral system in some major

regional towns of the country piloted cadastral projects in
four regional capitals namely: Mekelle, BahirDar, Awassa
and Adama.
 In 1998 in Mekelle, in 1999 Bahirdar and Awassa, and in
2000 in Adama.
 These projects have been launched with the intention of
establishing multi- purpose cadastre that could be updated
constantly.
 By doing so municipalities could be able in establishing
up-to-date data -base system which would be instrumental
in managing their resources efficiently.
48