The SmartLandMaps Approach for Participatory Land Rights Mapping

Claudia Lindner, Auriol Degbelo (), Gergely Vassányi, Kaspar Kundert and Angela Schwering
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Claudia Lindner: Institute for Geoinformatics, University of Münster, 48149 Munster, Germany
Auriol Degbelo: Chair of Geoinformatics, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany
Gergely Vassányi: Institute for Geoinformatics, University of Münster, 48149 Munster, Germany
Kaspar Kundert: Institute for Geoinformatics, University of Münster, 48149 Munster, Germany
Angela Schwering: Institute for Geoinformatics, University of Münster, 48149 Munster, Germany

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: Millions of formal and informal land rights are still undocumented worldwide and there is a need for scalable techniques to facilitate that documentation. In this context, sketch mapping based on printed high-resolution satellite or aerial imagery is being promoted as a fit-for-purpose land administration method and can be seen as a promising way to collect cadastral and land use information with the community in a rapid and cost-effective manner. The main disadvantage of paper-based mapping is the need for digitization to facilitate the integration with existing land administration information systems and the sustainable use of the data. Currently, this digitization is mostly done manually, which is time-consuming and error-prone. This article presents the SmartLandMaps approach to land rights mapping and digitization to address this gap. The recording involves the use of sketches during participatory mapping activities to delineate parcel boundaries, and the use of mobile phones to collect attribute information about spatial units and land rights holders. The digitization involves the use of photogrammetric techniques to derive a digital representation from the annotated paper maps, and the use of computer vision techniques to automate the extraction of parcel boundaries and stickers from raster maps. The approach was deployed in four scenarios across Africa, revealing its simplicity, versatility, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. It can be regarded as a scalable alternative to traditional paper-based participatory land rights mapping.

Keywords: land administration; paper map digitization; cadastral boundary extraction; vectorization; sketch maps; fit-for-purpose; participatory mapping; open data kit (ODK) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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