E-CAD: WEB-BASED INFORMATION SERVICE FOR LAND MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The status quo of the land management and information system in Nepal is a far cry from where the developed world stands. Paper-based system is still the spine of this system which is tedious, less accurate and difficult to store and update. So, there is a need for a digitized system providing country’s land authorities with a powerful tool that creates a unified platform for the creation of an accurate spatial database, timely maintenance and updating of the database in a dynamic web platform. The database including spatial data of land features can be utilized to create a web-based thin-client mapping application which meets the needs of all the stakeholders (government authorities from Survey Offices, Land Revenue Offices, Land Reform Offices, etc.). This paper shows the use of open-source software for the creation of a web mapping system including QGIS, PostGIS extension of PostgreSQL for spatial database, HTML for markup, CSS for styling, JavaScript, Leaflet, Open-Layers for client-side scripting and Geo-Django for backend designing. The developed methodology can be utilised for the preparation of an interactive thin-client web mapping server that enables general users to dynamically view data, zoom, pan and search from the database and obtain land information. The login system enables administrators with various access to upload, verify and edit data along with performing various spatial operations while the super admin is entitled to access to the PostgreSQL database. The major finding is that the use of a thin client application for a land information system is beneficial for all stakeholders. It is also a measure of the performance of land authorities allowing better planning, preparedness, and allocation of resources.