University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2004 Cadastral management and maintenance in Costa Rica using the geodatabase model. Esteban A. Mora Vargas The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Mora Vargas, Esteban A., "Cadastral management and maintenance in Costa Rica using the geodatabase model." (2004). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 4783. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/4783 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The University of Montana Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. **Please check "Yes" or "No" and provide signature** Yes, I grant permission No, I do not grant permission Author's Signature: _____ Date: A prt 1 7b, Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with the author's explicit consent. 8/98 THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA CADASTRAL MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE IN COSTA RICA USING THE GEODATABASE MODEL by Esteban A. Mora Vargas A thesis presented to the Department of Geography in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts May 2004 ;d by: Dean, Graduate School Date UMI Number: EP40247 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation M sitfwtg UMI EP40247 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Mora Vargas, Esteban A., M. A., May 2004 Geography Cadastral Management and Maintenance in Costa Rica Using the Geodatabase Model Committee Chair: Paul B. Wilson The Costa Rican cadastre is in the process of becoming a digital land information system (LIS). This is being accomplished by means of converting the cadastral datasets (both geographic and alphanumeric) into digital formats for its use with geographic information systems (GIS). The geodatabase model developed by ESRI® for use with their ArcGIS™ 8.3 software, can be used for cadastral purposes in Costa Rica if a suitable database schema is designed. Feature datasets, feature classes, object classes, relationship classes, attribute domains, and topology rules can be created to aid in the storage, management, and maintenance of cadastral datasets, both spatial and alphanumeric in kind. The main goals of this work were the creation of a geodatabase schema and a cadastral maintenance model, suitable for the cadastral datasets and information needs of Costa Rican municipalities. In order to develop a suitable cadastral geodatabase schema for Costa Rican municipalities, several elements affecting the cadastre and the cadastral system need to be considered and studied. Modem concepts of multipurpose cadastre (like the “Cadastre 2014” work by the International Federation of Surveyors), specific cadastral information needs in the Costa Rican setting, modem GIS and database technologies, and geodatabase schema templates (like the ArcGIS™ Land Parcel Data Model by ESRI® and Fairview Industries) among others, are important factors in the development of a geodatabase schema. A total of five feature datasets, fifteen feature classes, eight object classes, twelve relationship classes, twenty-one attribute domains, and seven topology rules were created within the geodatabase schema designed in this work. The schema developed is suitable to aid the Costa Rican municipalities in the fulfillment of their cadastral information needs, and in the accomplishment of their functions as local governments. To my family, my friends, and everybody who helped me in order to accomplish this work CONTENTS ABSTRACT u CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1 The Purpose of this Work CHAPTER TWO CONCEPTS IN CADASTRE AND GIS 7 The Beginnings of the Cadastre Modem Cadastre Multipurpose Cadastre Cadastre 2014 Geographic Information Systems Components of a GIS ArcGIS™ 8.3 Reality Representation Conceptual Models of Geographic Phenomena Conceptual Models of Space Geographic Data Models and Geographical Data Primitives Modeling with Objects The Geodatabase Model Chapter Review CHAPTER THREE COSTA RICAN CADASTRAL SYSTEM 25 National Cadastral System Costa Rican Cadastral Unit: The Predio Chapter Review iv CHAPTER FOUR METHODOLOGY 33 The Interviews The Functions at Municipality of Barva County The Functions at Municipality of Heredia County Chapter Review CHAPTER FIVE GEODATABASE SCHEMA DESIGN AND CADASTRAL MAINTENANCE MODEL ............................... 45 Feature Datasets and Feature Classes Parcels and Survey Feature Dataset Predios Feature Class Blocks Feature Class Boundaries Feature Class Comers Feature Class Monuments Feature Class Value Assessments Feature Dataset Buildings Feature Class Land Value Zones Feature Class Interests on Land Feature Dataset Zones Feature Class Encumbrances Feature Class Separated Rights Feature Class Restrictions Feature Class Administrative Divisions Feature Dataset Provinces Feature Class Counties Feature Class Districts Feature Class Transportation Feature Dataset Street Network Feature Class Object Classes Assessments Object Class Condominiums Object Class Real Estate Object Class Owners Object Class Services Object Class Topography Object Class Patents Object Class Billing Object Class Relationship Classes Ownership Relationship Class Value Assessments Relationship Class Real Estate Data Relationship Class Buildings Data Relationship Class Terrain Data Relationship Class Services in a Predio Relationship Class Predios and Condominiums Relationship Class Predios and Patents Relationship Class Owner and Bill Relationship Class Assessment and Bill Relationship Class Condominiums’ Assessments Relationship Class Comer and Monument Relationship Class Topology Rules Predios Must not Overlap (Rule 1) Zones Must not Overlap (Rule 2) Blocks Must not Overlap (Rule3) Comers Must be Covered by Endpoints of Boundaries (Rule 4) Boundaries’ Endpoints Must be Covered by Comers (Rule 5) Boundaries Must not Have Dangles (Rule 6) Predios Must not Have Gaps (Rule 7) Suggestions for a Maintenance Model Maintenance of Feature Classes Case 1: Parcel Comer Resurvey Case 2: Combine/ Merge/ Join of Parcels Case 3: Split of a Parcel Based on a COGO Line Case 4: Split of a Parcel based on a New Deed Maintenance of Object Classes Final Comments on Cadastral Maintenance Chapter Review CHAPTER SIX EVALUATION AND CONCLUSIONS ............................... 108 Evaluation of the Custom Cadastral Geodatabase Schema Implementation of the Suggestions from Cadastre 2014 Benefits from the Geodatabase Model and the Geodatabase Templates from ESRI® Conclusions SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 130 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Governments nowadays manage a considerably large amount of data about the land and the land parcels under their jurisdiction. Information about the legal owners, possessors, usufructuaries, or awardees is also stored. Other interests on land such as encumbrances or restrictions are also recorded in order to have a complete legal description of the land. Usually, the purpose of the data is to accurately describe the land and its value for taxing purposes. However, it may be used for many different governmental applications such as planning and resource management. Cadastral data is usually of two types: the graphic representation of the land objects, and the attribute data describing them. This collection of data is usually referred to as Cadastre.1 The graphic representations may be in the form of paper or digital maps, and are commonly referred to as geographic or spatial data.2 The cadastre is “a methodologically arranged public inventory of data concerning properties within a certain country or district, based on a survey of their boundaries.”3 Modern cadastral systems all over the world are maintained using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). A GIS is a stand alone computer program or a cohort of programs that are used to manipulate attribute and geographic datasets.4 1 The terms “cadastre” and “cadastral datasets” are used interchangeably throughout this work. 2 The words “geographic” and “spatial” are used interchangeably throughout this work. 3 Jo Henssen. Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World, in Proceedings of the One Day Seminar held during the Annual Meeting of Commission 7, Cadastre and Rural Land Management, of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), Delft, The Netherlands, May 16, 1995, page 1 [ paper on line]; available from http://www.fig.net/figtree/commission7/reports/events/- delft_seminar_95/paper2.html;