Digital Pen Method

One innovation in cadastral data collection is in using satellite images and drawing boundaries in the field with land right holders as witness (Lemmen and Zevenbergen 2010). This chapter presents an evaluation of the use of a digital pen method as an example of a new unconventional approach in cadastral data acquisition. Conventional approaches, often of historical footing, are inadequate in many jurisdictions. For example, highly rigorous and accurate methodologies and procedures, practiced by registered or licensed surveyors, are characterized by long duration and delays in completing acquisition. These delays are represented by insufficient coverage of the registered land, and the required accuracy leaves much potential for errors. As these are not pro-poor approaches, alternatives to this mighty accuracy tradition in land administration are needed. Flexibility is needed in relation to the way of recordation, the type of spatial units used, the inclusion of customary and informal rights, the data acquisition methodologies, and in the accuracy of boundary delineation. It is less important to produce accurate maps. It is deemed more important to have a complete cadastral map and to know how accurate that map is (Lemmen and Zevenbergen 2010; Lemmen 2012). The hypothesis in this chapter is that the use of a digital pen method allows cadastral data acquisition can to be done in less time, with the same number of people, whilst preventing duplication of errors.