Application of Geospatial Techniques for Urban Land Records Management; Case of Werabe Town, SNNPRS

Abstract

Effective urban land records management is one of the most important elements to be considered in the context of urban development. All the elements for effective development depend upon an effective records management infrastructure. Most of the Ethiopian urban centres lack a comprehensive and well organized archiving system for the land records. The Werabe town municipality 2018 and 2019 annual and land inventory report documents stated that in the town land records management system are still dependent on the age-old methods of creating and maintaining the land records. Due to lack of proper land records management, poor records keeping, the poor inventory of land records, inadequate update of land information has resulted the problems such as; increases the chance to a bad management, acquisition, the manipulation of registration information, cumbersome technical and administrative processes, affect property transactions, violation of planning and building regulation, overlapping allotment of land, missing archive files and development of land related corruption are amongst some of the problems. This study would develop a geodatabase model using ArcGIS software to retrieve, update and store the required data. The designed model is validated and tested via sample data which can store, retrieve, and update the required data as per the user requirement. Developing this type of urban land records management system, therefore, facilitates and increases the efficiency of land registration and related activities at the municipality level. Thence, the town would be satisfied by the service delivery of the municipality. Furthermore, any spatial and non-spatial data related with the system can be stored in the database which will be ready for more analysis as to be able to use by policymakers, urban planners for the purpose of sustainable development of urban area infrastructural developments and land use policy. The research will lay ground for another task to develop 3D modelling for the study area thereby contributes to spatial data infrastructure development to Ethiopia.