Floss in Cadastre and Land Registration

Can open-source software help?

It is considered that the development of affordable and flexible information 

management systems in developing countries will provide more secure access to 

land and other natural resources in areas where this has not been feasible before 

and therefore for poor rural people. 

Open-source software (FLOSS) 

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, which has become a credible alternative to pro-

prietary software, provides a way forward. Open-source means that, unlike propri-

etary software, developers have access to the software’s “engine”, which can be 

freely modified and adjusted. Open-source solutions are more flexible and adapt-

able to local conditions and languages than proprietary software. By using and im-

proving open-source software, cadastres and land registers can build local know-

ledge and contribute to the public development of open-source projects (via for 

example web communities) that can in turn benefit other cadastres world-wide.

However, little knowledge and experience is yet available on the introduction of 

open-source systems in land registration and cadastral systems. While there are 

several examples of FLOSS used successfully in land records (see Chapter 3 of this 

booklet), land agencies in developing countries generally lack the IT expertise to 

build up a digital land records and mapping systems without external support. 

Open-source database and GIS (Geographic Information System) software is read-

ily available, but there is a lack of awareness and lack of leading samples and suc-

cess stories to encourage others to follow. It is clear, however, that the utilisation 

of FLOSS solutions for land records is a rapidly increasing trend and that the aware-

ness is spreading rapidly. We don’t need to wait for long for a leading sample to 

emerge.