Cadastral Surveying - LA 381

• This material contains lecture notes for the course "Cadastral Surveying and Multi-Purpose Cadastre" (LA 381).
• Assoc Prof Cynthia B. Boye compiled the lecture material in January 2025.

Course Outline

• Key topics include:
  • Functions of the Lands Commission and the Survey and Mapping Division (SMD).
  • Cadastral surveying techniques.
  • Cadastre and survey records and reference systems.
  • Technical instructions specific to cadastral surveying in Ghana.
  • Demarcation of boundaries and subdivisions of parcels.
  • Maps/plans used for deed and Title Registration combined with their planning purposes.
  • Multi-purpose cadastral systems.
  • Land consolidation and resettlement surveys, including boundaries at sea.

Course Objectives

• Primary goal: equip students with cadastral surveying knowledge for land administration.
• The course emphasizes roles of the Lands Commission and SMD in achieving land administration targets.
• Students will:
  • Understand the Lands Commission and SMD's importance in land management in Ghana.
  • Learn fundamental legal provisions for cadastral surveying in Ghana.
  • Become familiar with cadastral surveying concepts and field procedures for producing cadastral plans.
  • Learn about maps/plans for deed and title registration, and broader planning.
  • Learn the cadastre term and its role in effective land tenure and administration.
  • Understand multi-purpose cadastre and how to model it for Ghana's effective land administration.
  • Understand land consolidation and resettlement surveys.
  • Conduct land boundary surveys, process data, and use AutoCAD to prepare cadastral plans.
  • Review multi-purpose cadastre literature and explore development of a prototype for land administration in Ghana.

Course Plan (2024/2025)

• Week 1: Introduction to the course (Jan 22), local/global perspectives and functions of Lands Commission/SMD (Jan 24).
  • Assignment: Read about cadastral surveying and the Land Commission Act 2008 (ACT 767).
• Week 2: Introduction to cadastral surveying concepts (Jan 29), field survey using handheld GPS (Jan 31).
  • Assignment: Survey Computations.
  • Practice using Measure Map App on phones.
• Week 3: Technical instructions for surveying and representation in Ghana (Feb 5).
• Week 4: Manual plotting of surveyed points (Feb 7), boundary surveys via GPS/Measure Map (Feb 12), concepts/benefits of multipurpose cadastre (Feb 14).
  • Assignment: Watch video and plot using AutoCAD.
• Week 5: Review publications on multi-purpose cadastre (Feb 19), review assignment on MPC (Feb 21).
• Week 6: Group discussion and proposal (Feb 26), subdivision of parcels (Feb 28).
• Week 7: Maps/plans for attachment of Deeds and Title (Mar 5).
• Week 8: Technical instructions for surveying and representation in Ghana (Feb 7), manual plotting of surveyed points (Mar 12).
• Week 9: Field Survey of Boundaries (Mar 14), concepts/benefits of multipurpose cadastre (Mar 19).
• Week 10: Group Review (Mar 21), group review discussion (Mar 26), group presentation (Mar 28).
• Week 11: Land consolidation (Apr 2), resettlement surveys and boundaries at sea (Apr 4).
• Week 12: Tutorial (Apr 9), revision (Apr 11).

Course Assessment

• The course grade will be calculated with 40% from continuous assessment and 60% from the semester final examination.
• Continuous assessment will include class and fieldwork attendance, quizzes, and assignments.
• Results from the continuous assessment will be provided to students at least a week before the semester exam.

Introduction to Cadastral Surveying

• Course aims to teach cadastral surveying and multi-purpose cadastre in land administration.
• Land Administration involves numerous organizations working to achieve land tenure, value, use, and development.
• Land Administration Systems (LAS) facilitate the implementation of land policies in developed and developing countries.
• LAS:
  • Includes social, legal, economic, and technical framework for land managers.
  • Supports efficient land markets.
  • Supports the administration of land as a natural resource for sustainable development

Four Land Administration Functions

• Land tenure: Processes securing land access, allocation, recording, security, cadastral mapping, surveys, creating new properties, transfer of property, and dispute resolution.
• Land value: Processes for land value assessment, calculating revenue via taxation, management, and adjudication of valuation/taxation disputes.
• Land use: Processes for controlling land use via planning policies/regulations and managing/adjudicating related conflicts.
• Land development: Processes related to building infrastructure, implementing construction plans, land acquisition, granting permits, and distributing development costs.
• These functions are interrelated because the conceptual, economic, and physical uses of land affect land values.

Defining Land

• Land means the solid surface of Earth without permanent water cover.
• Land is where most human activities occur and is seen as a wealth source with minerals like gold, bauxite, diamond, oil, and gas.
• Land ownership is a measure of wealth, protected via registration by the Lands Commission.

Characteristics of Land

• Free gift of God.
• Major factor of production.
• Immovable.
• Varies in value.
• Commodity with single or multiple legal interests/rights.
• Fixed quantity.
• Continuous but varies in fertility.
• Cannot be permanently destroyed.
• Has multiple uses.
• Differs in location.

Lands Commission Functions

• The Lands Commission was established by Parliament of Ghana, Act 767 in 2008, integrates public land service.
• Aims to ensure effective land administration.
• It manages public lands on behalf of the government.
• It advises on policy for land development.
• It Formulates national land use policy.
• It assists in land title registration.
• It registers land-affecting deeds and facilitates land acquisition for the government.
• It provides surveying/mapping services and licenses cadastral surveyors.
• It provides land valuation services.
• Commission ensures sustainable land use via sound planning.
• It collaborates to instill order in the land market and to minimize land disputes.
• It promotes community participation in land management.
• It Promotes research into land ownership.
• It imposes/collects service levies and establishes land information systems.
• It performs other ministerial functions