Edited Conference Papers

Smart technologies are no exception in Cadastral Surveying for fast and cost-effective cadastral plan production. Cadastral plans are the basic documentation for land ownership in Ghana. Accurate cadastral plan of land improves the land administration system and prevents land disputes. By incorporating smart technologies, this study surveyed twenty-one thousand acres of land in the Jomoro District of the Western Region, Ghana, with mountainous terrain full of lush vegetation and farms and bounded by the sea at one side. The objective of the study was to produce a cadastral plan and collect auxiliary data on stool land, farmland ownership and selected buildings for Land Information System (LIS). Smart technologies used include Mobile Topographer and Open Data Kit (ODK) android applications, Google Maps and Google Earth. During the reconnaissance survey, the digitized proposed plan of the area was superimposed in Google Earth software and pillar points were generated. Using the Google Earth mobile application, these points were set out on site. Local personnel were trained with the use of Mobile Topographer and ODK applications to aid in data collection of auxiliary data for LIS. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) mapping was conducted to produce additional data for LIS. The final developed cadastral plan was approved and endorsed by Survey and Mapping Division (SMD), Lands Commission, Ghana. By incorporating smart methodologies, the proposed duration of twenty months reduced to four months with reduced operational cost. The approach proved effective and efficient for producing Cadastral plans for large areas where timely data acquisition is required for policy making and development.