This book highlights the latest improvements in cadastre with examples and case studies from various parts of the world. Authors from different continents, in association with national and international organizations and societies, present the most comprehensive forum to date for cadastre, offering a broad overview of land administration and contemporary perspectives on current research and developments, including surveying, land management, remote sensing and geo-information sciences. Cadastre is a universal concept and is defined as “the work of officially mapping and systemically registering the areas, borders and values of all kinds of land and property”. It is normally a parcel-based and up-to-date land information system containing a record of interests in land with rights, restrictions and responsibilities. It may be established for fiscal and legal purposes, to assist in management for better planning and other administrative purposes, and to enable sustainable development and environmental protection. As such, “cadastre” is an important public inventory documenting the records of ownership, bordering and responsibility regarding the land with “title deeds” to parcels and answering the questions of “whose land, where and how much”. The materials included in the book can support courses at universities and related training institutions worldwide, and will greatly improve readers’ understanding of the scholarly fields involved in cadastre: land registration and management, surveying and mapping, and geo-information management, land governance, land taxation and public administration etc.

The genealogist trying to locate families, the surveyor or attorney researching old deeds, or the historian seeking data on land settlement will find Pennsylvania Land Records an indispensable aid. The land records of Pennsylvania are among the most complete in the nation, beginning in the 1680s. Pennsylvania Land Records not only catalogs, cross-references, and tells how to use the countless documents in the archive, but also takes readers through a concise history of settlement in the state. The guide explains how to use the many types of records, such as rent-rolls, ledgers of the receiver general's office, mortgage certificates, proof of settlement statements, and reports of the sale of town lots. In addition, the volume includes: cross-references to microfilm copies; maps of settlement; illustrations of typical documents; a glossary of technical terms; and numerous bibliographies on related topics.

Through its presentation of a holistic view of land management for sustainable development, this text outlines basic principles of land administration applicable to all countries and their divergent needs.

Increased global demand for land posits the need for well-designed country-level land policies to protect long-held rights, facilitate land access and address any constraints that land policy may pose for broader growth. While the implementation of land reforms can be a lengthy process, the need to swiftly identify key land policy challenges and devise responses that allow the monitoring of progress, in a way that minimizes conflicts and supports broader development goals, is clear. The Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF) makes a substantive contribution to the land sector by providing a quick and innovative tool to monitor land governance at the country level. The LGAF offers a comprehensive diagnostic tool that covers five main areas for policy intervention: Legal and institutional framework; Land use planning, management and taxation; Management of public land; Public provision of land information; and Dispute resolution and conflict management. The LGAF assesses these areas through a set of detailed indicators that are rated on a scale of pre-coded statements (from lack of good governance to good practice). While land governance can be highly technical in nature and tends to be addressed in a partial and sporadic manner, the LGAF posits a tool for a comprehensive assessment, taking into account the broad range of issues that land governance encompasses, while enabling those unfamiliar with land to grasp its full complexity. The LGAF will make it possible for policymakers to make sense of the technical levels of the land sector, benchmark governance, identify areas that require further attention and monitor progress. It is intended to assist countries in prioritizing reforms in the land sector by providing a holistic diagnostic review that can inform policy dialogue in a clear and targeted manner. In addition to presenting the LGAF tool, this book includes detailed case studies on its implementation in five selected countries: Peru, the Kyrgyz Republic, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Tanzania.

This book proposes a method to solve land use problems, and has made some significant contributions to the land use analysis and optimization study fields. Firstly, three spatio-temporal logit models for land use change analysis, namely, geographically and temporally weighted logit model (GTWLM), spatio-temporal panel logit model (ST-PLM) and generalized spatio-temporal logit model (GSTLM), are proposed. GTWLM, which considers spatio-temporal non-stationarity, includes temporal data in a spatio-temporal framework by proposing a spatiotemporal distance. ST-PLM incorporates the spatio-temporal correlation and individual effect in one model. By integrating GTWLM and ST-PLM, the GSTLM explores spatio-temporal non-stationarity and correlations simultaneously, whilst considering their individual effects to construct an integrated model. Secondly, a MOO-based two-level spatial planning of land use is proposed. The spatial planning aims at managing and coordinating the land use at different geographic extents and involves spatial layouts and structures of land use at different levels. In spatial planning, GIS and Remote Sensing are used to evaluate, analyze, and measure environmental, economic and social issues. The quantitative relationships between these objectives and spatial land use allocation are then used as rules in the MOO process to simulate environmental conditions under different spatial land use allocation scenarios. The book features a case study of Shenzhen city, the most important Special Economic Zone in China. This book will be of interest to academics and professionals in the fields of urban planning, land resource management, remote sensing and geographic information systems.