Other publications
Selected publications related to surveying are published on this site.
These publications are published by FIG partners and organisations that
FIG co-operates with. To get the publication, please contact the publisher
or your local bookshop.
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GIM International FIG Special 2011
For the FIG Working Week, which was held from 18th to 22nd May
2011 in Marrakech, Morocco, GIM International has created a
dedicated edition. This edition is available
online.
The theme of this issue is cadastre and the developments that
specialists expect in the time to come: an interview with
Hernando De Soto and the series of articles Beyond Cadastre
2034.
30 May 2011 |
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Geoinformation for Disaster and
Rish Management - Examples and Best Practices Published by
Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies (JB GIS and United
Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) 2010.
Editors: Orhan Altan, Robert Backhaus, Piero Boccardo, Sisi
Zlatanova.
The primary aim of the booklet is to explain to governments,
decision makers and disaster professionals the potential uses of
geoinformation technologies for reducing disaster risks and losses,
based on the knowledge and experience of experts in these fields.
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Informal Urban Development in
Europe - Experiences from Albania and Greece UN-HABITAT has in
cooperation with FIG, GLTN - Global Land Tool Network and Technical
Chamber of Greece published the publication "Informal Urban
Development in Europe - Experiences from Albania and Greece". The
publication is an in-depth study about Albania and Greece on
informal settlements. The study provides the background and
objectives of the Athens workshop, then provides separate in-depth
background and analysis of the informal development solutions being
adopted in Albania and Greece. Following a review of just how
‘pro-poor’ the solutions are, the final chapter provides a series of
lessons learned, many of which can be applied to other countries
experiencing informal development issues. Principal author is Dr.
Chryssy A Potsiou, Assistant Professor, School of Rural and
Surveying Engineers at the National Technical University of Athens,
FIG Commission 3 chair (2007-2010).
To obtain the full version of this report - which includes
references to the literature - please contact the
Technical Chamber of Greece. |
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Joint WB/FIG/GLTN/FAO publication on
Innovations in Land Rights Recognition, Administration and
Governance The World Bank has published a joint
WB/FIG/GLTN/FAO publication on “Innovations in Land Rights
Recognition, Administration and Governance”. This publication is
based on papers presented mainly at the joint FIG/WB conference on
“Land Governance in Support of the Millennium Development Goals:
Responding to New Challenges” that was held in Washington DC, USA
9-10 March 2009. |
Joint WB/FIG/GLTN/FAO publication on Innovations in Land
Rights Recognition, Administration and Governance. Joint
Discussion Paper published by The World Bank, GLTN, FIG and FAO.
Edited by Klaus Deininger, Stig Enemark, Clarissa Augustinus and
Paul Munro-Faure. Proceedings from the Annual Conference on Land
Policy and Administration.
Joint Organizational Discussion Paper—Issue 2. April 2010.
Available on web at
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTARD/Resources/335807-1174581646324/InnovLandRightsRecog.pdf
(8.41 MB - 251 pages) - copy is also available on
FIG web site.
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European Union accession and land tenure data in Central and
Eastern Europe On 1 May 2004, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia
joined the European Union (EU) in its largest and most significant
expansion to date. On 1 January 2007, the two accession countries,
Bulgaria and Romania, are expected to join the EU, though this can be
postponed until 2008. Other countries from Central and Eastern Europe
are likely to be admitted to the EU in due course. Croatia has been
granted the status of candidate country. A process has started that
could eventually lead to EU membership for Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Serbia and
Montenegro (including Kosovo). The EU has a long tradition of offering
membership to countries with the intention of strengthening democracy
and the rule of law in them, and the present expansion into Central
and Eastern Europe should be seen in this context.
EU membership has profound implications for all parts of a country’s
economy, as well as for its relationships with the other countries in
Europe and its internal political structures. Members of the EU must
be democracies governed by the rule of law and which guarantee human
rights. They must have functioning market economies able to withstand
the competitive pressures that EU membership brings, and governmental
structures capable of discharging the wide range of obligations
imposed on EU Member States. Countries joining the EU are obliged to
adopt a wide range of laws in order to harmonize their legal
structures with those of the EU.
This note is concerned with only one limited aspect of entry into the
EU, namely, the impact on land tenure. The EU is a single market in
which citizens and companies in any Member State are free to work,
invest or set up businesses in any other Member State. No Member
State, therefore, may place discriminatory restrictions either on
where its citizens and companies are permitted to invest or on the
investments made in it by citizens or companies from elsewhere in the
EU. Such restrictions can also impede the free mobility of workers and
businesses. Therefore, membership of the EU is not compatible with
discriminatory constitutional or other restrictions on the assets that
can be owned by foreigners from elsewhere in the EU. |
European Union accession and land tenure data
in Central and Eastern Europe. FAO Land Tenure Policy
Series Number 1. Published by the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations. Rome, 2006.
ISBN 92-5-105497-5
Available on web:
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0464e/a0464e00.pdf
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FAO guide on Access to rural land and land administration
after violent conflicts
The FAO guide on Access to rural land and land administration
after violent conflicts has been prepared to assist land tenure
and land administration specialists who are involved with the
reconstruction of systems of land tenure and land administration in
countries that are emerging from violent conflict. Providing secure
access to land is particularly complex in such situations. Violent
conflicts typically result in the displacement of much of the
population. At the end of the conflict, people returning home may find
that others occupy their property. There may be several competing,
legitimate claims to the same land as a result of successive waves of
displacement.
Many people may not be able to recover their lands and have to settle
elsewhere. At the same time, weak capacity in central and local levels
of government may hamper the process of resolving claims to land, and
especially claims of the vulnerable which almost invariably include
women and children, and may also include ethnic or political
minorities.
The guide provides advice on specific issues that should be considered
by land tenure and land administration specialists when working in
post-conflict situations. It provides an overview of the conditions
that typically exist in a country after a violent conflict, and shows
why it is important to resolve issues of access to land and land
administration. The guide identifies key aspects that should be
analysed during initial assessments, and gives examples of short-term
actions that may be implemented relatively quickly. It presents policy
considerations for the restitution of land to rightful claimants and
the resettlement of people who are landless or who cannot return to
their homes. |
Access to rural land and land administration after violent conflicts . FAO Land Tenure Studies
8. Published by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome, 2005.
ISBN 92-5-105343-X
Also available in French, Spanish and Arabic
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The FAO guide on Decentralization and rural property taxation
has been prepared to assist land administrators who are involved with
the design and implementation of rural property tax systems.
Increasingly, land tenure institutions are being called upon to
support the decentralization of services to local governments.
One expectation of decentralization is improved delivery of services
by the level of government that is closest to the beneficiaries of
those services. While the scope of services being allocated to local
governments has expanded, many rural local governments lack the
revenues needed for them to fulfill their new responsibilities.
Revenues can be increased through the use of local property taxes. The
guide provides advice to countries that wish to introduce new property
tax systems or to expand or reform existing systems.
It shows why local governments should have a reasonable degree of
fiscal autonomy If they are to make the delivery of rural services
more efficient and effective, and It describes how rural property
taxes can be a vital source of revenue for rural communities. The
guide identifies policy, administrative and technical issues that
should be considered In the design of rural property taxes, and
provides a chronological checklist for the implementation of reforms. |
Decentralization and rural property taxation . FAO Land Tenure Studies
7. Published by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome, 2004.
ISBN 92-5-105144-5
Also available in Russian
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The FAO guide on Leasing agricultural land is designed to
provide information on leasing arrangements in a format that can be
used by grassroots organizations that work with small farmers and
others in rural communities. Fair and secure leasing arrangements that
balance the interests of the tenant and the land owner can lead to
improvements in access to land for farming, better agricultural
production and improved access to food.
At the core of most land-leasing arrangements are three issues shared
by tenant and land owner alike: risk, security and trust.
The success of the land owner-tenant relationship depends on the level
of trust that can be established between them. A proper agreement can
lay the groundwork for such trust, through flexibility for the land
owner and security for the tenant. In this way, many potential
problems or disputes can be avoided. The guide provides information
for tenants and land owners who are interested in benefiting from
having a clear leasing agreement. It supports the preparation of
mutually beneficial lease contracts by identifying key features that
make such contracts effective for both the owner and the tenant.
This publication is available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
This document in .html-format (English):
http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/docrep/007/y5513e/y5513e00.htm
This document as a .pdf-file (English):
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/y5513e/y5513e00.pdf
More information:
http://www.fao.org/sd/dim_in1/in1_050101_en.htm |
Leasing Agricultural Land.
FAO Land Tenure Notes 1. Published by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome, 2004.
ISBN 92-5-105167-4
Also available in Russian
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The Future of Cities is a report of a parallel event
held on the occasion of the nineteenth session of the Governing
Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
(UN-HABITAT). Includes presentation of Prof. Holger Magel, FIG
President "About the Future of Cities". |
The Future of Cities.
UN-Habitat, Nairobi 9 May 2003
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This
FAO guide on The design of land consolidation pilot projects in Central
and Eastern Europe has been prepared to support land administrators in
land agencies responsible for the technical design and implementation of
land consolidation pilot projects in transition countries. Land
consolidation can be an effective instrument in efforts aimed at making
agriculture in the region more competitive and at promoting rural
development. The success of integrated rural development projects will
depend to a large extent on how they address the great number of small,
fragmented farms that currently exist. The guide provides advice on what
countries can do to start a land consolidation pilot project. It shows why
land consolidation should be considered within agricultural and rural
development policies and programmes. It describes the essential elements
of land consolidation and how it can be introduced in different
situations. Carrying out a pilot project is an effective way to lay the
foundation of a larger, long-term land consolidation programme. The guide
identifies what rules are needed to govern responsibilities and procedures
during the pilot, and describes activities that have to be carried out in
order to start the project.
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The Design of land consolidation pilot projects in Central and
Eastern Europe. FAO Land Tenure Studies 6. Published by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome, 2003.
ISBN 92-5-105001-5
Also available in Russian
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The FAO guide on Gender and access to land has been
prepared to support land administrators in governments and their
counterparts in civil society who are involved In land access and land
administration questions in rural development. It is frequently the
case that gender issues are left out or misunderstood in such
situations, often with negative results. This guide is designed to
show where and why gender inclusion is important in projects and
programmes that aim at improving land tenure and land administration
arrangements. It provides material to raise awareness of some of the
most critical gender issues that threaten access to land and its
benefits.
The guide emphasizes the importance of developing a better
understanding of the situation for women and men when societies are
subject to great economic, social and environmental changes. In order
to help inform policy and Implementation decisions, It identifies
indicators for measuring the quality and quantity of access to land
and housing before, during and after an intervention. The guide
outlines recommended principles for land administration projects from
the perspective of national and international organizations, and
concludes with more detailed principles for land administration
professionals. |
Gender and access to land. FAO Land Tenure Studies 4. Published by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome, 2002.
ISBN 92-5-104847-9
Also available in Russian
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The SDl Guide for Africa aims to provide a blue print for SDl
implementation. Real experiences, examples, and documents are
presented from African countries and other countries around the world
It is meant as a ‘virtual reference kiosk' for information managers,
data technicians, and technology innovators who are interested in
building information infrastructure in their country.
It has been compiled as a cooperative effort of the Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA), the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure
Association (GSDl) and ElS-Africa , with the collaboration of the
International Institute for Geoinformation Science and Earth
Observation (ITG). The objective of compiling this handbook is to
assist African countries to improve the management of their
geo-spatial data resources in a way that effectively supports
decision-making by governments and ensures the participation of the
entire society in the process.
Selected experts from Africa and abroad, possessing a wide knowledge
and experience in advancing GI development at national, regional and
international level s contributed to the various chapters of the
guide. They provided their country experiences, solutions and
opportunities on the different issues the handbook addresses.
For more information contact
The Director
Development Information Services Division (DISD) Economic Commission
for Africa P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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