4.

SURVEYING AND MAPPING PUBLIC LAND

4.1. Cadastral systems
 Cadastral systems have a long history of application. Such systems have
existed almost from the beginning of formal land ownership.
 The development of cadastral systems was closely linked to the intensive
use of land and the development of private property rights.
 With private rights to land came the need of the government to manage
those rights and provide protection to the landholders for those rights and
also a parallel need to obtain appropriate taxes from land owners.
 Although many cadastres and land registries were originally developed for

the purposes of taxation, alternate uses developed from even the earliest

land registries.

 Today, land registries serve an essential role in ensuring security of title to

land, land planning and regulation, emergency planning, real estate and

financial services, transportation and utility planning, school zoning, and

various other societal functions.

Figure 4.1: Cadastral System
4.2. Components of Cadastre

In order to be able to set a fitting cadastre structure, at least three basic

components must exist and be linked with each other. These are;

A. Cadastral parcel

B. Cadastral records

C. Cadastral parcel number (PID)

A. Cadastral parcel
 The cadastral parcel is a volumetric bounded area of land, where
homogeneous relations or property rights are assumed to exist.
 In the three-dimensional structure of the earth, a parcel covers
the rights of the down and upper use in addition to the rights above the
ground.
 As long as the rights are spread to all three dimensions of the parcel as
homogeneous, the relationship of property is directly related to the spatial
definition (location of the parcel).
B. Cadastral records

 Cadastral records may consist of one or more graphical and textual parts.

 The integrity of a cadastral system is provided by a descriptive code (PID)

that is singular for each parcel in a given region; all parcels are linearly

linked to the cadastral map.

 A significant cadastral record is a land registration book.

 The map, which can display the boundaries of the parcel graphically,

cannot show many other property rights.

 In the land registry, there are legal information including parcel and block

number, location, size, owner, share status, legal rights, reason of

obtaining, annotation, mortgage and similar restrictive rights.

C. Cadastral parcel number (PID)
 The relationship between attribute information (land registers) in the
written records and spatial information (cadastral maps) in graphical
records; the parcel codes, which serve as the access and connection
mechanism and which are singular for each parcel, are set up with parcel
numbers (PID).
 Not only the cadaster’s own records, but also the relations of property
information with other spatial map layers can only be linked with parcel
numbers.
 The parcel number representation may be different in countries that they
choose it according to their cadastral systems.
 For example, the parcel number used to describe any parcel in Turkey;
province name, district name, village/neighborhood name, map sheet no,
block number and parcel no.
 As regards the display of PIDs; examples such as sequential numbers,
parcel/block and sheet numbers, coordinates of the parcel center (called as
geocodes) and / or landowners‘ names, address of the parcel, postal code,
street and street name.
4.3. Types of cadaster
Basically, cadastres can be divided into three types: fiscal, legal and
multipurpose cadastre.
 Fiscal cadastre; aims at taxation and valuation of immovables.
 Legal cadastre; aims to regulate land ownership concepts and records in
accordance with legal regulations.
 Multipurpose cadastre; is a cadastre that can cover both fiscal and legal
cadastre and may include other land information on the basis of parcels
A). Fiscal cadaster

 The fiscal cadastre (also called as tax-based cadastre) is subject to the

evaluation of each parcel for tax purposes and the inventory of the parcels.

 The first occurrence of the cadastre was for tax collection purposes.

There are three basic steps in the realization of the tax cadastre.

 The first of them; determination of all parcels that may be subject to

assessment separately.
 Then each parcel is classified according to usage types and its values are

determined.

 In the last stage, the tax amounts of each parcel are collected from the

related parties based on the determined values.

 The taxpayer may not be only the owner of the parcel. However, the user

is obliged to pay taxes.

B). Legal cadaster

 Legal or legal cadastre is based on parcel registration system.

 In this system, the conditions and how the cadastre should be done are

determined by law.

 The most distinctive feature of the legal cadastre is to measure the parcel

boundaries in the field, as well as to record the rights and property

information on the parcel.

 The main function of the legal cadastre is to determine the size of the

territory of the country, to determine and register the possession rights

belonging to the public and private property and to establish the

immovable law in the country

 Legal cadastre is a register identifying the legal owner and precise

boundaries of each land parcel.

C). Multipurpose cadaster
Multipurpose Cadastre is a system that collects and shares information on
parcel basis, including tax and legal cadastre, as well as other services
requiring property information.
In the multi-purpose cadastre including the main objectives of the land
information system;
 taxation of the land and the establishment of an effective system for the
collection of these taxes
 accelerating the investments in the land
 Contributing to the developments in rural and urban areas

 Providing support to the planning activities to be done in the public

interest by producing large scale property maps and records

 Land use planning

 Agriculture and etc.

4.4. Property registration
 Land registration is a process of official recording of rights in land
through deeds or as title on properties.
 It means that there is an official record (land register) of rights on land or
of deeds concerning changes in the legal situation of defined units of land.
 Land registration is a system by which ownership of real property is
established through the issuance of an official certificate indicating the
name of the individual in whom such ownership is vested.
 It generally describes systems by which matters concerning ownership,

possession or other rights in land can be recorded (usually with a

government agency or department) to provide evidence of title, facilitate

transactions and to prevent unlawful disposal.

 It gives an answer to the question “who” and “how”.

4.5. Types of Property registration

There are three systems for recording rights in land. These are: -

 Private conveyancing

 the registration of deeds and

 the registration of title

A. Private conveyancing

 In private conveyancing, documents agreeing to the transfer of ownership

are passed between the seller (vendor) and purchaser (vendee)

 Generally regarded as inefficient and potentially dangerous since it can be

subject to fraud as there is no easy proof that the vendor is the true owner
 Private conveyancing works best, mostly in countries that are governed by

customary law (unwritten law) to handle dealings in land.

 It is the system whereby two land owners enter into a contract but do not

register the transaction in the registry and therefore no protection under

the law is provided

B. Deeds registration system
 A copy of all agreements that affect the ownership and possession of the
land must be registered at the Land Office.
 As a result, by searching the registry for the most recent document of
transfer, any purchaser should feel confident that the vendor has the right
to sell.
 Inspection of the register will show how the vendor obtained the property
and the conditions under which it was acquired.
 In the deeds registration system, the legal strength of the registry is

enforced if the real owner is documented, and the agreed boundaries are

surveyed as such that the cadastral map is capable of reconstructing the

correct location of the lost or disputed boundaries in the field.

 The type of right applied to the title of ownership is through the authority

assigned by the law and the state.

C. Registration of title to land
 In this system each land parcel is identified on a map and the rights
associated with it are recorded on the register. In addition, the name of the
owner is recorded.
 When the whole of the land is subject to transfer, only the name of the
owner need be changed.
 When part of the land is transferred, the plans must be amended and new
documents issued.
 In registration of title, it is the property object (land parcel, flat/apartment,
and house) itself that is registered and therefore the title is registered
together with the details about the transaction in relation to the real
property object.
 The primary focus is not on the person claiming or
temporarily in possession of a property but on the immovable and defined
real property object that is the basis of record.
4.6. Cadastral data

A. Spatial Data

The spatial component of the cadastral data can be obtained using the

following techniques:-

 Ground surveying

 Aerial photography

 High resolution satellite imagery

B. Non-Spatial Data
The non-spatial (descriptive) information can be obtained from:
Existing Legal Documents
 Field Observation
 Local development plan (LDP)
 Survey Plans
 Existing base maps and etc.
4.7. Socio-economic data
Socio-economic data are data about humans, activities, and the space and/or
structures used to conduct human activities. It includes;
Demographics/age, sex, marital status, and education
 Housing (quality, cost)
 Transportation
 Economic/personal income, employment, occupations, industry,
regional growth
 Retailing (customer location, store sites, mailing lists)
Merits of socio economic data
 Enables to get clear information about the parcels ownerships/users
 Enables to know the density of population on the area
 Helps to find out the social infrastructures used by households
 To search out the social problems and desired service
 To get information about land acquisition type in the area
 Helps to know the amount of tax paid and so on.
Demerits of socio economic data

 Difficult to organize and fill.

 Boring and time taking to collect.

 Difficult to get real information from the society.

4.8. Components of a Digital Cadastral Mapping System
1. Geodetic Control Network
 A geodetic control network consists of monumented points whose
locations on the surface of the Earth are defined with certainty.
 The points may be described in terms of latitude and longitude, but are
more commonly used when projected to state plane coordinates.
 Spacing of control points should be related to the need for accurate

mapping and desire to avoid re-mapping when more accurate information

becomes available.

 Today, professional land surveyors are using global positioning systems

(GPS) usually to locate such points

2. Base Map Layers

 Base maps locate the major physical features of the landscape such as

roads, water features, elevation contours, fence lines, and building

footprints.

 They contain the fundamental information from which the cadastral

maps are prepared.

 Base maps should be tied to the geodetic network

3. Cadastral Map Layers

 The cadastral map layers should be tied to the base map layer and should

show all parcels in the jurisdiction to be mapped.

 Parcel polygons should be attributed with the parcel identifier.

 Parcel record boundary lines should be attributed and/or annotated with

bearing, distance, and curve data.

4. Additional Map Layers
 Depending on the purpose and the scope of the cadastral system to be
developed the full cadastral map will have a variety of layers.
 Polygon map layers that can be of great value to the cadastral system
include municipal and taxing district boundary, appraisal neighborhood,
soil type, zoning, subdivision exterior, and flood prone areas.
 Linear map layers include street centerline, utility, and transit lines.
 Point map layers include fire and police stations and schools.
5. Unique Parcel Identifiers

 Each parcel should have assigned to its a unique identification number or

code that links the cadastral layer with files containing data such as

ownership, value, and use.

 Parcel identifiers provide a common index for all property records and

may help track changes in legal descriptions in a uniform and more

manageable way.
6. Ownership Information

 The current owner, owners, and/or parties of interest should be identified

for each parcel.

 In addition, the basis of ownership (recorded deed, contract, court decree,

and so on) should be documented.

 It is desirable to maintain records of past ownership history.

7. Imagery

 Aerial photographs have long been an essential tool for cadastral mapping.

 All imagery is of much more value when it has had distortions removed so

that it matches the geodetic control, base map, and cadastral layer.

Such images are called orthophotos or ortho images.

 Jurisdictions should acquire new imagery of urban areas at least every five

years and at least every ten years for rural areas.

8. Map Products

 The municipality should make cadastral data available in a variety of

formats.

 Providing internet maps can allow easy public access; an intranet can

give similar access to all offices in the jurisdiction.

 No matter how advanced the capabilities of the office, a set of well-

designed printed maps should be available to the public and staff

9. Cadastral Map Content
Cadastral map should include the following basic information:-
1) Administrative boundaries
2) Block boundaries and their code
3) Boundaries of all adjudicated parcels
4) Unique Parcel identification Code (UPIC)
5) Parcel dimensions and areas
6) Datum projection system
7) Boundaries and names of administrative subdivisions, such as city/towns,
Woreda, Sector, and neighborhood
8) Locations and names of streets, highways, valleys, railroads, rivers, lakes,
and other geographic features
9) Other basic map information (marginal information), including a map
number, date map was
prepared, block, map scale, map legend, north arrow, map key or link to
adjoining maps, map sheet
number, disclaimer, producer information