Cadastral Template -- Field Definitions

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Field Definitions

This page was last updated on 22 Apr. 2003

I. Country Report

Field

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A. Country Context	Top of Page \| Home
Geographical Context:	Description of the basic geographic context, i.e. population, size of country, land use in terms of urban, agricultural, semi natural, mountains, forests etc. as well as other outstanding geographic features.
Historical Context:	Description of the country's history in terms of relevant periods, e.g. colonization, and political development.
Current Political and Administrative Structures:	Description of the current political and administrative structures, such as for example political system, number of states or provinces, etc.
Historical Outline of Cadastral System:	Description of the origins and the development of the cadastral system and what objectives it was designed for.
B. Institutional Framework	Top of Page \| Home
Government Organizations:	Names of the respective agencies that are responsible for land registration and for cadastral surveying, including the ministries to which they are attached and at what level (state or national).
Private Sector Involvement:	Description of the private sector involvement in land registration and cadastral surveying.
Professional Organization or Association:	Description if there is a professional organization or association for cadastral surveyors with the approximate number of members.
Licensing:	Description if there is a licensing system in place for cadastral surveying professionals working in the cadastral system and what the requirements are for the license, for example university degree, practical work, or examination.
Education:	Description of the education system for cadastral surveying professionals, the number of universities offering degrees, and the approximate average annual number of students graduating from those universities.
C. Cadastral System	Top of Page \| Home
Purpose of Cadastral System:	Description if the cadastral system has a legal (land transfer, land market), fiscal (land valuation, land tax), and/or multiple purpose role (planning, local government).
Types of Cadastral Systems:	Description if there is only one cadastral system covering the complete territory (comprehensive cadastre) or if there are several types of cadastres for different purposes, such as e.g. private owned land, state owned land, urban vs. rural areas, forest areas, houses and apartments, customary areas, or national parks. In this context, it also is important to indicate if there are problems with informal or illegal settlements.
Cadastral Concept:	Description of the cadastral concept, i.e. what are the main units in your cadastral system that are surveyed and registered, and on what level (national or state level). This may include the description of terms such as land parcel, ownership units, properties, qualified titles, buildings, etc. as well as their meaning and their relation to one another.
Content of Cadastral System:	Description of the basic cadastral components, or what kind of registers are operated and maintained in your system (e.g. land book, land register, parcel register, cadastral survey, etc.), and what is their information content and level of computerization. Please note that the content of the cadastral map is being covered below in topic D.
D. Cadastral Mapping	Top of Page \| Home
Cadastral Map:	Description of the cadastral map, its content, and if applicable, its data model (e.g. information layers).
Example of a Cadastral Map:	Examples of typical cadastral maps.
Role of Cadastral Layer in SDI:	Description if and how the cadastral map is used for national, state, or local land information systems, and if it is used for other purposes, for example utility mapping or other similar purposes. Please also describe if and to what extent the cadastral layer is being integrated with other spatial data sets for purposes such as e-government, civic empowerment, or ultimately sustainable development.
E. Reform Issues	Top of Page \| Home
Cadastral Issues:	Three most important problems that the cadastre currently is confronted with. This may include issues such as boundary disputes, forged titles, delays in standard transactions, etc.
Current Initiatives:	Current initiatives that are being undertaken to address the above-mentioned issues.

II. Cadastral Principles and Statistics

1. Cadastral Principles

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1.1 Registration System:

1.1 Multiple-choice question if cadastral system is based on deeds registration / on title registration / or other.

1.2 Registration of Land Ownership:

1.2 Multiple-choice question if registration of land ownership is by law compulsory / optional / or other.

1.3 Comments:

1.3 Comments on the actual practice and legal consequences - if felt necessary - to question 1.2.

1.4 Approach for Establishment of Cadastral Records:

1.4 Multiple-choice question if landowners are required to register their properties systematically during the initial establishment of the cadastre / if registration is sporadic, i.e. triggered only by specific actions (such as for example sale) / both / if all properties are already registered / or other.

2. Cadastral Statistics

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2.1 Population:

2.1 Population of country.

2.2 Population Distribution:

2.2 Estimation of population distribution between urban and rural areas in %.

2.3 Total Number of Land Parcels:

Number and distribution of land parcels
In this question, the interest is for the number and distribution of the smallest uniquely identified land units (in a 2-dimensional context), often called land parcels. The use and interpretation of the term "land parcel", however, differs between countries and jurisdictions and is often confused with the terms "property" and "ownership unit". Therefore, a brief explanation of what is looked for in the questionnaire.
We distinguish three different scenarios: (i) In many jurisdictions the smallest uniquely identified (and usually surveyed) unit shown in the land registry is termed a parcel; (ii) in many other jurisdictions, while the smallest uniquely identified (and usually surveyed) unit is a parcel, the land registry only records single land ownership units often called properties, which may include one or more parcels; (iii) in some other countries, there are many properties or land ownership units, often unsurveyed in one legally defined and surveyed parcel.
The following sketches illustrate these three scenarios. While the surveyed or registered units (in thicker lines) may be different for each of the scenarios, the number of the smallest uniquely identified units would be 15 in each case.

Scenario (i)

Scenario (ii)

Scenario (iii)

2.3 Estimation of the approximate total number of the smallest uniquely identified land units, often called "land parcels", including urban and rural areas.
The total number would include all freehold and state owned land, regardless of registered, non-registered or informal holding.

2.4 Total Number of Registered Strata Titles or Condominium Units:

2.4 Approximate total number of registered strata or condominium units. This number would be in addition to the number of land parcels indicated in 2.3.

2.5 Land Parcels in URBAN Areas:

2.5 For URBAN areas, estimation of the distribution between the smallest uniquely identified land units, often called "land parcels" (i) that are legally registered and surveyed, (ii) that are legally occupied but not registered or surveyed, and (iii) that are informally occupied without any legal title (this may include illegal occupation or squatting).
If the estimation is too difficult or complex using land parcels, it may alternatively be based on the number of people occupying these forms of land parcels.

2.6 Land Parcels in RURAL Areas:

2.6 For RURAL areas, estimation of the distribution between the smallest uniquely identified land units, often called "land parcels" (i) that are legally registered and surveyed, (ii) that are legally occupied but not registered or surveyed, and (iii) that are informally occupied without any legal title (this may include illegal occupation or squatting).
If the estimation is too difficult or complex using land parcels, it may alternatively be based on the number of people occupying these forms of land parcels.

2.7/2.8 Number of Active Professional Land Surveyors:

Number of Professionals
Estimation of the total number of academic professionals that are active within the cadastral system and the proportion of the time that they actually commit for cadastral matters (as opposed to work outside of the cadastral system):

2.7 Total number of professional land surveyors, such as licensed surveyors active within the cadastral system.
2.8 Proportion of the time that these land surveyors commit for cadastral matters.

2.9/2.10 Number of Active Lawyers / Solicitors:

2.9 Total number of lawyers/solicitors or equivalent active within the cadastral system or land market.
2.10 Proportion of time that these lawyers/solicitors commit for cadastral matters or land market.