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Assessing cadastral mapping approaches for land information generation within the fit-for-purpose land administration framework: A comparative study of land administration in Ethiopia and Rwanda (13659) |
| Didier Milindi Rugema (Rwanda), Tadesse Amsalu Birhanu, Gebeyehu Belay Shibeshi (Ethiopia) and Simon Hull (South Africa) |
Dr. Didier Milindi Rugema
GIScientist in the land sector
Independent scholar and consultant in land sector
Rwanda
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| Corresponding author Dr. Didier Milindi Rugema (email: milindirugema[at]gmail.com) |
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| [ abstract ] [ paper ] [ handouts ] |
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Published on the web n/a
Received 2025-09-16 / Accepted n/a |
| This paper is one of selection of papers published for the FIG Congress 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa in Cape Town, South Africa and has undergone the FIG Peer Review Process. |
FIG Congress 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa
ISBN n/a ISSN 2308-3441
URL n/a
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Abstract |
| Land administration systems (LASs) are essential for implementing land policies by securing land tenure, supporting land markets, guiding land use, and enabling sustainable land resource management. Conventional high-precision cadastral systems are often costly, slow, and misaligned with local capacities, leading to the adoption of the fit-for-purpose land administration (FFPLA) approach, which emphasizes flexible, context-specific cadastral mapping to rapidly generate land information. Despite widespread implementation, limited research has examined how cadastral mapping processes themselves affect the quality and usability of land information under FFPLA. This study evaluates the effectiveness of cadastral mapping methods in Ethiopia and Rwanda using a comparative case study design, drawing on policy documents, operational manuals, cadastral geodatabases, and primary field data from institutional actors and land information users. The analysis, guided by an FFPLA-oriented framework, considers purpose-driven objectives, flexibility of strategies, and operational outcomes, with emphasis on positional accuracy and data completeness. Results indicate that flexible, ortho-image-based mapping approaches in both countries enabled rapid land rights registration, enhanced tenure security, and supported broader land management, investment, and service delivery goals. However, challenges persist in data quality, boundary consistency, system maintenance, and institutional capacity. Findings show that the effectiveness of FFPLA cadastral mapping depends less on the inherent precision of technologies and more on how mapping processes are designed, implemented, and maintained. The study underscores the importance of process-oriented evaluation and balancing short-term efficiency with long-term reliability and sustainability of land information systems. |
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| Keywords: Capacity building; Geoinformation/GI; GIM; Cartography; Positioning; Bridge surveying; Cadastre; Land management; Security of tenure; Access to land; Land management; land information; fit-for-purpose land administration; cadastral mapping; processes and effects |
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