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Parcel-Based Geo-Information System: Concepts and Guidelines

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Parcel-Based Geo-Information System: Concepts and Guidelines Parcel-based Geo-Information System: Concepts and Guidelines Arbind Man Tuladhar Parcel-based Geo-Information System: Concepts and Guidelines Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Technische Universiteit Delft, op gezag van de Rector Magnificus prof. dr.ir. J.T. Fokkema, voorzitter van het College voor Promoties, in het openbaar te verdedigen op maandag 11 oktober 2004 om 10.30 uur door Arbind Man TULADHAR, Master of Science in Photogrammetry, International Institute for Aerospace Surveys and Earth Sciences (ITC), Enschede geboren te Kathmandu, Nepal Dit proefschrift is goedgekeurd door de promoteren: Prof.dr.ir. M.J.M. Bogaerts Prof.ir. P. van der Molen Samenstelling promotiecommissie: Rector Magnificus, voozitter Prof.dr.ir. M.J.M. Bogaerts, Technische Universiteit Delft Prof.ir. P. van der Molen, Kadaster en ITC Prof.dr.ir. P.J.M. van Oosterom, Technische Universiteit Delft Prof.dr. I. Masser, ITC en Universiteit Utrecht Prof.mr.ir. J.L.G. Henssen, ITC Dr. M. Radwan, ITC Mr.dr.ir. J.A. Zevenbergen, Technische Universiteit Delft Published and distributed by: ITC Printing Department, Enschede ITC Dissertation Series No. 115 CIP- Data Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Den Haag ISBN: 90 6164 224 8 © 2004 by A. M. Tuladhar All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by the copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any other form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the Netherlands Preface Topics on building and operating geo-information systems in an organisation environment have attracted me since the beginning of the 1970s. Late 1970 in the Republic of Yemen, I felt that there were real difficulties and challenges in organising and carrying out surveying and mapping tasks during my work in the Survey Department, especially with regard to land acquisition and registration. Yemeni society and the people stimulated me to manage the surveying tasks in line with their system thinking, enabling the jobs to be performed satisfactorily. At that time, I also thought that the jobs could be done effectively with the help of the computer. In 1991, when I was appointed assistant professor of multipurpose cadastre GIS at ITC, I met several people in the Netherlands, including the experts of Dutch Kadaster, who were really dedicated to the concepts of system thinking. Working closely with them stimulated me to choose my path towards system building for cadastral applications, using GIS techniques and software tools. In those days, Prof.mr.ir. J. L.G. Henssen used to discuss the registration of deeds and titles, as well as cadastral maps, with me, laying emphasis on automation and databases for cadastral information. Later on, I began to supervise the MSc research projects of ITC students (from many developing countries) relating to geo-information systems for cadastral applications. During consulting activities in Asia, Africa and Latin America, I also experienced many difficulties and challenges related to the institutional, legal, financial and technical aspects of setting up cadastral information systems. These problems and our students’ research outputs motivated me to go further in researching the development of parcel-based geo-information systems. The issues related to land tenure security and economic development are complex and are deeply rooted in society. The use of modern Geo-ICT tools in the developing countries further complicates the operations of cadastral information systems, because of the lack of infrastructure and resources. Prof.ir. R. Groot supported me in starting this research, and later on Prof.ir. P. van der Molen encouraged me to complete this piece of research work. Completing the study took longer than intended. But my regular duties as director of studies, and such tasks as teaching, supervising students, consulting activities, writing papers and giving presentations at various conferences, contributed towards the success of this research. I hope the outcome will be useful to the land administration communities around the developing world, as well as to Nepal and Bhutan. Arbind Man Tuladhar i ii Acknowledgements It is my great pleasure to express my sincere gratitude to my first supervisor, Prof.dr.ir. M. J. M. Bogaerts, who guided me in my research work by providing intellectual advice. His valuable comments have been most helpful in improving this thesis. I would also like to thank Prof.dr.ir. P. van Oosterom and Mr.dr.ir. J. A. Zevenbergen for providing their advice for the completion of this work. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Prof.ir. P. van der Molen, my second supervisor, for his intellectual and professional comments on my research work. His ocean of knowledge in this complex discipline, and close cooperation, allowed me to reach the ultimate goal of my research. Thanks also go to Prof.mr.ir. J. L. G. Henssen for his untiring inspiration, continuous encouragement, and sound advice during my research period. My special thanks go to Dr. M. Radwan, who has provided me with continuous support and motivation, as well as the benefit of his intellectual knowledge. I would also like to thank C. Paresi, J. de Meijere, W. de Vries, B. Raid and C. Lemmen, who always helped me a lot during difficult periods, making time available from other duties. I would not like to forget Prof.ir. R. Groot, who actually provided the opportunity to get this research started during the time of the former Geoinformatics Management and Infrastructure (GMI) division. He personally helped me on many occasions, including the visits to the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering, University of New Brunswick, and the Geographic Information Corporation, New Brunswick, in Canada. I would like to acknowledge my deep appreciation to Prof.dr. J. McLaughlin for spending his valuable time discussing this research with me. Thanks also go to all my colleagues at ITC and in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-Information Management (PGM) for their kind support, and I want to express my sincere thanks to Prof.dr. W. van der Toorn and Prof. dr. D. Webster for their kind supports. I would also like to extend my deepest appreciation to my colleagues in various departments of the Ministry of Land Reform and Management (MLRM) in Nepal, and the Survey of Bhutan in Thimphu. During my field studies, they warmly welcomed me and provided easy access to many documents and data within their departments; they also arranged meetings with many of the staff. With regard to Nepal, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Y. Shah (former Secretary of MLRM), Mr. A. R.Pandey (Secretary of MLRM), iii Mr. B. R. Acharya (Director General of the Survey Department), Mr. B. N. Shrestha (former Director General of the Survey Department), Mr. P. P. Oli (former Director General of the Survey Department), Mr. T. B. Pradhananga (Head of the Topographical Branch), Mr. R. K. Sharma (Head of the Planning Division and Chief Surveyor), Mr. N. Ghimire (Director General, DoLIA), Mr. R. K. Shrestha (Director General of the Department of Land Reform and Management), Mr. N. R. Budhathoki (GIS specialist, DoLIA), and Mr. T. Pradhan (GIS Manager, Kathmandu Metropolitan City). With regard to Bhutan, I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. U. Tenzing (Deputy Surveyor General), Mr. D. Tshering (Head LIS), Mr. M. Sepi (GIS specialist) and Mr. T. Gyeltshen (GIS specialist) for their valuable support, and for material and data for the completion of this research. Lastly, I cannot wait to express my sincerity and thanks to my loving wife, Selina, for her patience and total support in dedicating all her time to our family and home, while providing full encouragement and care and waiting for me to complete this research work. Finally, I want to give my love to my two sons, Anil and Ajin, for providing me with great inspiration. iv Dedications To my late mother and father & To my wife and sons v vi Table of contents Table of contents Preface..............................................................................................................i Acknowledgement..........................................................................................iii Dedications...................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ..........................................................................................vii List of Apppendices........................................................................................xi List of Figures ...............................................................................................xii List of Tables................................................................................................xiv Chapter 1 - Research Background and Objectives 1.0 General Introduction.................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................... 1 1.2 Prior works ................................................................................................ 4 1.3 Research Problems .................................................................................... 8 1.4 Research Objectives ................................................................................ 12 1.5 Research Approach.................................................................................
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