Cadastral Systems

Cadastral systems consist of official written records and the corresponding mapped registries of land. They include information such as boundaries of parcels, precise location, value, ownership, and a record of interests in the land (e.g., rights, restrictions, and responsibilities). Cadastral systems are thus composed of two main components: (1) the land registries and (2) the cadastral parcel map based on surveying (Figure 1). Together, they form the legal basis of land ownership in many parts of the world and are used when partitioning the land, when establishing and documenting legal rights to land, for maintaining legal title records, and in property tax assessment by government.

Cadastral systems have a profound influence on geography: The patterns created by cadastral partitioning schemes are among the longest-lasting physical characteristics of the landscape and are difficult to reshape once they have been implemented. We live among and still see evidence of cadastral systems developed hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years ago.

The Cadastre, or Parcel, in Land Administration

The basic building block of land administration systems is the cadastral lot or parcel, sometimes called the cadastre. Each parcel is given a unique code or identifier, such as an address, map coordinates, or a lot number shown on a survey plan or map and cross-referenced to the land registries (Figures 2A and B). Cadastral maps are typically large scale, ranging between 1:500 and 1:10,000 (1 inch equals between approximately 42 and 830 feet; see Figure 3). In the United States, most real property can be described in one or more of three ways: (1) by metes and bounds (using a combination of references to local landmarks such as roads, trees, or geological features; cardinal directions; measurements in feet and inches; and latitude and longitude coordinates); (2) by means of the PLSS (Public Land Survey System, in which property is identified by its location within a grid subdivided by successive grids and referenced to standard meridians); and (3) by platting (lots and blocks).

Geodetic surveying, the profession most closely associated with cadastral systems, includes boundary surveying, land information systems (LIS) and geographic information systems (GIS), hydrography, photogrammetry and remote sensing, minerals and mining surveying, cartography, and geodetic networks and reference systems. The Fédération Internationale des Géomètres (FIG, the International Federation of Surveyors) was established in 1878 as an international body representing all surveying disciplines.

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Figure 1 The two main components of the cadastral system: the written land registry and the surveyed parcel map

Source: International Federation of Surveyors, FIG Commission 7. (1995). Statement on the cadastre (Publication No. 11). Copenhagen, Denmark: Author. Reprinted with permission.