ArcGIS powers Survey Department’s online Land Information System

Wednesday, 22 April 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Detailed Map of Land Parcels The Survey Department of Sri Lanka (SDSL) completed a recent upgrade to its online Land Information System (LIS) which was implemented using ArcGIS as the software platform. ArcGISis the world leading software in geographical information systems (GIS) is distributed in Sri Lanka by GIS Solutions Ltd., a subsidiary of Just In Time Group. SDSL is the authority for the LIS, which has now given the public online access through this active system. SDSL continues to be in the forefrontof all developing GIS projects in Sri Lanka as it is the national surveying and mapping organisation in Sri Lanka. TheLIS platform will provide the general public of Sri Lanka easy access to details of their, property related information online. This is an important source of information to the public, which now provides users 24/7 access with accuracy. Individual land parcels of the published area can be interactively visualised with the required attributes.

Land Information System (LIS) Information of the land areas and availability of field surveyed data will be published online and the system updates for new surveys will also be completed in due course. As an example, the Divisional Secretary Area Land information can be viewed through the LIS online through the option categorised as ‘Land parcel information’ on the SDSL corporate website, http://www.lis.survey.gov.lk/lismap/. The Land Information System gives access to; 1) Surveyed individual Land (land parcels or blocks of land) information through all mobile devices 2) Additional vital details of the land i.e., claimant’s name (subject to finalise the land ownership by the Land Settlement Department), type of land (commercial or otherwise) 3) Computed extent of land (based on the surveyed land parcel boundaries at the time of survey) 4) Name of land (where applicable) Having the above information accessible online has made this system current and a valuable resource for the public. This saves the public’s time and cost with the advantage of access from their home or office space. From a national perspective, GIS will provide the foundation to e-governance or smart government activities for the future of the ICT roadmap in Sri Lanka. LIS is a tool for legal, administrative and economic decision making support and an aid for planning and development, which has been sourced with the field surveyed data under the Land Title Registration Project, which currently goes as ‘Bimsaviya’. The digital geo-spatial data collected for preparation of cadastral maps are processed to create a parcel based LIS, attributed with tenement information, which is then collected for the requirements and issuing of land title certificates by the Registrar General’s Department. SDSL is a user of ArcGIS Technology which is distributed in Sri Lanka by GIS Solutions Ltd., since the 1990s appointed by the global GIS Technology leader ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, USA). Deputy Surveyor General and Head of LIS Shyamali Perera states: “The introduction of this e-service to the public is in keeping in line with the Sri Lanka Survey Department’s organisational mission of providing the public with high quality land information products and services through professionally qualified and dedicated personnel.” Surveyor General P.M.P. Udayakantha similarly stated: “LIS at the SDSL has endorsed the e-services of the Government and working towards taking the next step to create further dynamic links with the identified stakeholders to provide additional ‘people friendly services’ from the SDSL.”