Success factors in cadastral boundary settlements based on land surveyor’s opinions

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to theoretically and empirically explore the success factors in cadastral parcel boundary settlements. Our focus was to study the role of landowners in boundary settlements and dispute management. The issue of landowners’ involvement is highly topical and complex, as the number of disputes stemming from indeterminate landowners’ roles in managing cadastral boundaries and indeterminate roles of the land surveyor as the mediator are considerable. These disputes can be a heavy burden for the country and society as a whole. Our basic research question was very widely set so that the model of success factors of boundary settlements following land cadastre data would go beyond the geodetic and legal framework and would also cover socio-psychological factors. In the literature, this topic is still not addressed, although there are several scientific questions related to it, the focus being on the integration of sociological and psychological factors into the field of spatial management. Based on the opinions of authorised land surveyors, we found for the case of Slovenia that the success of boundary settlement is, along with engineering and property aspects, also influenced by socio-psychological factors. The following factors were found to be essential: previously marked boundaries, preliminary analysis, clear explanation, surveyor’s expertise and communication skills, neighbourly relations between landowners, (psychological) attachment to land, and other personality traits of landowners. Generally, it was found that the surveying procedure and the land surveyor are the most important factors of success in boundary settlements, closely followed by the landowner, while the land data (cadastral data) is the least important factor. We also found that the land surveyor influences the landowner and how the factors related to the landowner will reflect upon the success of the boundary settlement; this confirmed that the land surveyor and the landowner are the most important factors of success in cadastral parcel boundary settlements.