Department Of Lands Research Articles

The effect of smart contracts (blockchain technology) on Jordan’s land registry and survey department for sustainable development

This study explores the implementation of blockchain technology, specifically smart contracts, within the Land Registry and Survey Department to enhance sustainable development in Jordan. Utilizing a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design, the research targeted 12,450 employees of the Jordanian Department of Lands and Survey, with a stratified random sample of 448 respondents. The data, gathered through online surveys and analyzed via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), reveals significant positive relationships between blockchain implementation facets—such as Security and Fraud Prevention, Efficiency and Automation, Regulatory Compliance, Transparency and Trust, and Accessibility and User Experience—and sustainable development outcomes. Despite these promising results, the study acknowledges critical challenges such as the need for technical expertise, regulatory frameworks, and initial investment hurdles. Addressing these challenges is crucial for balanced implementation and sustained engagement with the technology. The model accounts for 77.6% of the variance in sustainable development, highlighting blockchain's potential to simultaneously tackle multiple land administration challenges. This research provides empirical evidence of blockchain's impact on sustainable development, offering a comprehensive framework for its application in land registries, particularly in developing nations. The findings hold significant implications for policymakers, land registry administrators, and technology implementers, underscoring the importance of integrating technological innovation within existing regulatory and institutional contexts to achieve sustainable economic, environmental, and social growth.

Land dispute of agricultural cooperatives in the early 1920s: growing pains or indicator of peasantization

Importance. The purpose of the study is to highlight the problem of economic self-identification of the peasantry at the beginning of the 1920s recovery period. The main emphasis is placed on the land conflict use in the agricultural environment as an economic and social consolidation indicator of the peasantry. Research hypothesis: in the survival strategy of the peasant community, the traditional economic usefulness (functionality) restoration was a physical and social self-preservation guarantee. Participation in collective forms of management acted as a “corporate elevator” of economic recovery with the prospect of reviving the individual peasant economy, which allows the use of the term okrestyanivaniye. Land conflict in this case is a traditional way of ensuring the agricultural community functionality, regardless of its organizational form (family, community, collective). The empirical basis of the study is the materials of the land dispute between the Troekurovskaya volost of the Lebedyansky district artels of the Tambov province.Materials and Methods. The source base of the study is made up of documents from the Regional state Institution “State Archive of the Lipetsk Region” (SALR), including correspondence from provincial and county land departments and commissions, reports and correspondence of surveyors with land authorities, plans, land plots, acts, statements, complaints from Lebedyansky County artels’ representatives. Most of the submitted documents are being put into circulation for the first time. Statistical and reporting materials of the Tambov provincial Executive Committee, provincial and county government bodies meetings are also used in the research process. A systematic approach, general scientific and historical research methods are used.Results and Discussion. The dynamics analysis of collective construction in the Tambov province is conducted, the land management results of the Lebedyansky district artels in the first half of the 1920s are revealed. Regional features of the peasant attitude to socialist forms of management are revealed. The evolution of the inter-artel land dispute is considered: causes, motivation, conflict course, parties’ arguments and land authorities reaction of the Tambov province and Lebedyansky district. Based on the artels’ evidentiary documents analysis, the economic and social components of the land dispute are revealed.Conclusion. The goal-setting of border groups of peasants to participate in artel forms of farming is determined. Based on the analysis of the dynamics of the land conflict, a conclusion is made about the desire of farmers in the conditions of the economic crisis of the beginning of the recovery period to use collective forms to ensure economic, social and physical survival, as a basis for the subsequent revival of individual farming. The term peasantization is used in relation to the designated process

The Regulating Legal Provisions of the Removal of Commons by Disposal: The Real Estate Ownership Law of 2019

This study examines the legislative framework governing property disposal in Jordan, focusing on the Real Estate Property Law. Through a detailed analysis of the law’s provisions and their practical implications, the research highlights several key insights. The amendments introduced by the Jordanian government aim to streamline the process of disposing of communal property, emphasizing economic value enhancement. However, criticisms exist, particularly regarding the lack of specialized resources dedicated to addressing decommunization matters within the Department of Lands and Surveys. Despite these challenges, the Real Estate Property Law is crucial for resolving property disputes and fostering economic development. Addressing identified deficiencies and ensuring effective implementation of the law will be essential for realizing its intended benefits and promoting a fair property disposal process. Practical recommendations are provided to enhance the protection of owners’ and renters’ rights and to address deconsolidation issues within the Department of Lands and Survey. Future research should focus on potential revisions of the Real Estate Property Law to streamline processes and ensure fair proceedings.

Policy network evaluation of China’s rental housing market from the perspective of text measurement

In recent years, the Chinese government has gradually paid attention to the development of the rental housing market and began to issue a large number of relevant policies by the central and local governments in 2016. In view of the lack of systematic evaluation of rental housing market policy in China, this study constructed an interdependent multi-layer network of ‘policy objective-policy instrument-issuing department-stakeholder’ from the perspective of text measurement, and used network indexes to measure the global features of the four-dimensional sub-policy network and the differential characteristics of the network evolution process, the results are as follows: (i) The four policy instruments in the network of policy instruments, namely, instruction, supply leading, management system and management system reform, are leaders in the network. (ii) The absolute central node in the policy objective network is to increase the effective supply of rental housing. (iii) The central nodes in the issuing department network are housing development department and the land department. (iv) Market subject and public are the central clusters in the stakeholder network. (v) The network nodes of stakeholder policy instruments have the strongest correlation, and there are three clusters with obvious spatial distance segmentation.

Antecedents of user attitude toward e-government services use: Empirical study on department of lands and survey

This qualitative study examined the impact of social media characteristics on the attitude of users toward the use of e-services by the Department of Lands and Survey. The study population comprised users of Department of Lands and Survey e-service, while the study sample comprised 407 users. Data from respondents were analyzed using SEM run using Amos (23). Results showed reliability, security, website design, ease of use, awareness, and digital divide as direct significant antecedents of user attitude toward the use of e-services from the Department of Lands and Survey. Also, all antecedents showed direct significant relationships with user attitude. Results showed a direct significant relationship between user attitude and the use of e-services from the Department of Lands and Survey. Through mediation of user attitude, five indirect significant relationships between the antecedents and the use of e-services from the Department of Lands and Survey were found. The inclusion of new antecedents such as privacy and site content may enhance the understanding of how users use e-services provided by the Department of Lands and Survey.

Sliding scales for assessing and communicating human and ecological risks and complexities for restoration, remediation crises, and decisions

Many lands were degraded or destroyed by human activities, including contamination from industry and military facilities. The United States and other industrialized counties have legacy wastes remaining from the Second World War, the Cold War, and industrialization. There is increasing need to return degraded land to suitable future land uses, including ecological parks and preserves. This paper proposes a conceptual model of the different levels of information needed to understand the risk to human health, the environment, and ecological resources. I propose a four-part approach: (1) general model for assessing ecological resources, (2) model for assessment needed for remediation or restoration projects, (3) a sliding scale, conceptual model for causes, events, and sources that lead to exposure and risk, and (4) an additional step that includes environmental justice (equity, diversity, and inclusion) as a necessary consideration of traditional exposure assessment. While the factors involved in ecological risk assessment are well established, the combination of human health, ecological health, and environmental justice determining risk for remediation or restoration projects is not. Major factors useful for human health, environmental, and ecological evaluation include causes, events (earthquakes, accidents, chemical releases), sources, exposure, and informational challenges, as well as barriers to exposure. I propose that exposure through an environmental justice (diversity, equity, and inclusion) lens should be a key component of risk assessment. Each of these factors involves a sliding scale or continuum that must be considered in evaluating risk and communicating with the regulators, resource trustees, land managers and the public. The conceptual model also serves as a template for obtaining information about the environment that will be useful for communicating the importance of different risk factors. The model was developed for consideration of remediation on Department of Energy lands, it can be applied more broadly to other projects.

Errors in Arabic-English Translation of Documents from the Department of Lands and Survey in Jordan

Errors in Arabic-English Translation of Documents from the Department of Lands and Survey in Jordan

Становление Харбина как русского центра аграрного производства, земледельческой культуры и науки. 1898–1931 гг. (к 125-летию со дня основания)

In the article dedicated to the anniversary date – the 125th anniversary of the founding of Harbin, in retrospect, the author analyzes the cultural and industrial and technological influence of Russia on the modernization of the agricultural and industrial complex of the north-eastern frontier of China – the NEC (Manchuria). A brief analysis of the history of Harbin's development as a major center of the formation of Russian agricultural pro-duction, agricultural culture and science is given. The role of the Land Department of the KVZhD, the Manchuri-an Agricultural Society (MAS), the Society for the Study of the Manchurian Region (OSMR), as well as 3 agricul-tural Centers identified by the author in the process of research, with experimental fields at them, including the Harbin Experimental field, which played a leading role in the zoning of new crops for the region. The contribu-tion of Russian agricultural scientists and agricultural practitioners of Harbin to the development of the agricul-tural complex of the region is assessed. It is concluded that in the 1910–20s. By the beginning of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1931, Harbin was formed as the basic center for the formation and development of the modern agrarian-industrial complex in the economic organization of the region at that time, which served to transform the traditional agrarian structures of this region of China.

WA’S FIRST LARGE SCALE BENEFICIAL USE BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECT: LESSONS LEARNED

Port Beach, a popular beach in the metro area of Perth, Western Australia, is the result of 130 years of development of Fremantle Port. During many stages of development, dredged material has been disposed of at Port Beach which has resulted in a source of sand as well as undesirable material on the beach as well and in the nearshore environment. Erosion of this beach became noticeable in the 1990s and a major storm in 2003 resulted in damage to infrastructure. In 2018 Port Beach was designated the highest erosion risk beach in the Assessment of Coastal Erosion Hotspots in Western Australia by DoT and the Department of Planning, Lands, and Heritage (DPLH). In 2017, the City of Fremantle completed a Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP) for the Port, Leighton and Mosman Beaches in partnership with the Town of Mosman Park. Through this process, Port Beach was identified as being at extreme risk from erosion in the short term to 2030, and it was recommended that the City implement either (i) a seawall and nourishment or (ii) dune stabilisation, revegetation, and nourishment. In the longer term to 2050 onward, protection or retreat was recommended.

A Proposal for a Residential Housing Price Index in Cyprus Through Analysis of Transaction-Based Data and Comparison With Existing Indices

This research suggests improvements to the macroeconomic housing indices of a thin real estate market, such as that of Cyprus, by testing various index construction methods with transaction-based data. Authors employ around 80% of the total number of apartment transfers documented at the Department of Lands and Surveys (DLS) of Cyprus, spanning from the first quarter of 2015 to the second quarter of 2022. They utilize this data to generate comprehensive indices at both the national and district levels. Authors studied, analyzed, and identified the deficiencies of the DLS database and tested the sample with six different methods. Log-linear time dummy hedonic models were found to explain the variation of prices better than other methods, mainly due to their ability to handle the diversity of properties in terms of location and physical characteristics and proposed techniques to deal with the issues of the standard time dummy (STD) and rolling time dummy (RTD) methods, regarding index revisions and low transaction volume during periods of downturns, respectively. Furthermore, a hybrid dependent variable of actual and appraised prices, that is, the accepted price, extracts explicit significantly better statistical measures. Additionally, the overall model fit was enhanced by introducing locality dummy variables and, through different combinations of attributes, captured the optimal results per district. Eventually, when the introduced transaction-based indices were compared to the corresponding existing published indices, which are based on non-actual data, we saw some resemblances, but overall, there were wide deviations.

«Громадная пиявка, присосавшаяся к государственному сундуку»: Китайско-Восточная железная дорога в оценках российской прессы начала XX века

The article examines the attitude of the Russian press of the early 20th century to the large-scale project of construction and operation of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER), which began in the 1890s. Despite the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, state interests did not allow the Russian government to abandon expansion in Manchuria. However, the new domestic political conditions forced it to redefine its goals and objectives in the colonization of the Far East. The Chinese Eastern Railway, built on desolate Chinese lands, over a short time turned into a kind of “state within a state” with its own head (manager), ministries (Land Department, Traction Service, etc.), police and army (Border Guard of the Zaamursky District), court, system of municipal government, education, and healthcare. Since the operation of the road required significant financial costs, this circumstance could not go unnoticed by journalists and the public. The problems of financing railway construction were the subject of consideration at the State Duma meetings. The data of the Budget Commission of the Duma became public. This resulted in appearance of a number of publications in the press. The state of the CER affairs was widely discussed in various circles. Of greatest interest were the publications of people who knew the situation from the inside. They sharply criticized the Manchurian project of penetration into the East, considering it erroneous. Since it was impossible to liquidate the unsuccessful commercial project in foreseeable future, a number of measures were proposed to streamline the operation of the road. These were to include introduction of state control over the CER, reduction in funds allocated for the maintenance of the Road Administration and the Board of the CER Society, as well as reduction of official transportation. It seemed to minimize the losses in the road operation.

Harnessing Blockchain for Transparent and Efficient Land Asset Value Creation in India

Blockchain offers a decentralized and transparent ledger system that can be utilized to streamline land transactions, property management, and the overall land registry process. By implementing blockchain, the UAE aims to improve efficiency, reduce fraud, and enhance trust in the land market. Through the use of smart contracts, blockchain can automate and enforce the terms of land transactions, ensuring that all parties involved adhere to the agreed-upon conditions. This can lead to faster and more secure property transfers, as well as increased transparency in verifying ownership and property rights. Additionally, blockchain-based platforms can facilitate fractional ownership and tokenization of real estate assets. This means that properties can be divided into smaller units and represented as digital tokens on the blockchain. Investors can then purchase and trade these tokens, providing increased liquidity and accessibility to the real estate market. The UAE government, specifically the Dubai Land Department, has been at the forefront of exploring and implementing blockchain technology in land asset management. In 2017, they launched the Blockchain Strategy, which aims to transition all government transactions to blockchain platforms by 2020. The Dubai Land Department has also introduced the "Blockchain in Real Estate" initiative, focusing on utilizing blockchain for property-related processes. These initiatives and advancements in blockchain technology are expected to have a significant impact on land asset value creation in the UAE by increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and fostering greater trust in the real estate market. Keywords— Tokenization, asset, Blockchain

ভূমি ব্যবস্থাপনায় শুফ্‘আ আইনের ভূমিকা: একটি তুলনামূলক বিশ্লেষণ |Role of Shuf’a Law in Land Management : A Comparative Analysis

The Shufʻa (preemption) or 'Side-Land Pre-Purchase Right Law' is a land by-law of Islamic Shari'ah law. The role of Shuf’a Law in land management is immense. Because Shufʻa law preserves the rights of all classes of partners and neighbors of the respective land. In the year 622 AD, the first practical application of this law took place in the state of Madinah Munawarah established by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). For around 1400 years, this law played an incredibly important role as an acclaimed land law of Muslim empires. Note that the amount of per capita land is gradually decreasing as the current global population increases. In such a situation, the land department along with the land owners are going through a transitional period in the purchase and sale of these poorly fragmented lands. In this situation, the land management law including the land pre-purchase right law need to be made more rich, practical and up-to-date. This article presents an authentic and evidence-based discussion of various aspects of Shufʻa Law. In addition, an attempt has been made to make a comparative analysis between the Shufʻa Law and the existing law of the country. The article has been prepared in a descriptive, analytical and comparative manner. Analyzing the results of Shuf'a law and relevant issues, presented in this article, it can be seen that the elements of this law can play an important role in the land management including the upgradation of Shufʻa Law.

Performance tests of geodetic receivers with tilt sensors in obstructed environments using the NRTK GNSS technique

Abstract The Department of Lands (DOL), Thailand, has adopted the Network-based Real-Time Kinematic (NRTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) surveying technique using a Virtual Reference Station (VRS) to support cadastral surveys since 2011. Determining accurate coordinates of parcel boundary markers at building corners or near fences and walls is difficult because a GNSS range pole cannot be leveled with a circular bubble. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the receivers equipped with tilt sensors for horizontal and vertical positioning. Two types of tilt sensors used for evaluation were a magnetometer and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). Conducting the NRTK GNSS surveying tests was based on the pole tilt angles of 0°, 15°, 25°, 35°, and 45° from a plumb line in controlled and obstructed environments. The IMU-based tilt sensor had more advantage of accurately positioning over the MEMS sensor. The results showed that using the IMU, better than 4 cm horizontal positioning accuracy was achievable when the pole was tilted by 15° or less under non-multipath and open-sky conditions. The vertical accuracy was of a few centimeter levels and least sensitive to tilt angles using either type of sensor. However, none of the sensors precisely compensated for pole tilt in strong-multipath and complex environments, causing increased horizontal errors in decimeter levels.

Constraints Facing the Effective Implementation of Affordable Housing Programme in Kiambu County

Affordable housing remains a major problem for National and County Governments as the increase in population, particularly low-income earners, rises significantly annually. It is evident that despite efforts from both the national and county governments, Kiambu County still lags in the provision of affordable housing. The housing development agenda seems not to be getting the required traction at the county level with little participation by the private developers. This paper therefore, aims to establish the constraints experienced in the effective implementation of affordable housing in Kiambu County. The research design adopted in this study was survey research whereby questionnaires were used. The target population is comprised of 60 real estate developers who have an intention or have ongoing projects in Kiambu County and 100 housing officers and sub-county planners from the department of lands involved in the policy-making of affordable housing in the Kiambu County government. A sample size of 67 was adopted and a response rate of 83 per cent was achieved. The study established that the provision of affordable housing in Kiambu County is faced with various challenges such as inadequate incentives by the government, limited building technology, ineffective housing policies, inadequate supporting infrastructure, lack of access to project finance, high cost of building materials, high cost of land, and lengthy approval process. These have led to the inadequate provision of affordable housing in the county. The key recommendations of this study include; shortening the process of approving building plans and acquiring the necessary permits, making efforts towards reducing the cost of local building materials such as building stones by reducing or scraping cess fees collected from trucks transporting building materials, and the provision of adequate incentives to developers of affordable housing in the county

The Architecture of Territory: The Lands Building and State Expansion in New South Wales

ABSTRACT The New South Wales colonial project was a land-centred enterprise that became dependent on the surveying and sale of land. The process of land alienation was a significant factor in the configuration of the colonial territory as well as the development, distribution and typologies of architecture. This article considers a building that was central to this project: the Lands Building in Sydney that housed the Lands Department, the bureaucracy responsible for implementing the governmental instruments relating to Crown land. An analysis of the building suggests that systems of governance were deeply entwined in its form, planning and use. Of particular concern is the integration of symbols and technologies of surveying and land recording that are integrated into the design of the building and its subsequent adaptation. These include the configuration and expression of the façade, the organisation of the plan, a domed observatory and measuring instruments. At stake is the reframing of the architecture of the State as a technology of governance with territorial reach.

The Badlands Guardian: A Human Portrait with Feathered Headdress

This is an analysis of a large facial formation set within a glacial moraine along the southeast corner of Alberta, Canada, known as the Badlands Guardian. The formation is presented in one aerial and three satellite images acquired over the past 70 years by the Alberta Department of Lands & Forests and Google Earth. The images reveal a profiled portrait of a human head wearing a feathered headdress. The facial features include an eye, nose, mouth, chin, neck, and jawline. The headdress consists of a headband containing a staggered set of feather-shaped extensions. When taken together these aesthetic features create the visual impression of a left-facing portrait of an indigenous tribesman wearing a feathered headdress. A claim of intelligent design is offered and a geologist and geoscientist examine natural mechanisms that could contribute to the formation of these aesthetic features. A comparison of the iconographic tribal motifs of both North and South America is presented and a request for an extensive ground exploration and additional satellite images of this formation is encouraged.

Challenges of Regularisation of Informal Land Holdings in Lagos Mainland, Nigeria

This study investigated the regularization of informal land in Lagos Mainland in order to identify the challenges that are militating against formalization of such holdings. The objectives were to identify all areas that can be regularized by the public authority, to examine the factors militating against public efforts on informal land holders within Lagos-Mainland. The study was conducted with a survey of residents of Odogunyan-WAEC acquisition land community. A second survey was carried out for all professionals in the field of Town Planning, Estate Management and Valuation who were staff of the Directorate of Land Department in the Lagos State Lands Bureau. The data were analyzed mainly with descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Findings showed that factors such as high land charges by the government, complexity of modern methods of land holdings, increased rent seeking behavior, high land values, were considered as problems that hindered residents from formalization. Reducing the charges attached to land regularization is expected to have significant positive impact in Lagos State in general.

Digitalization of land information: problems and prospects for territorial communities

The article substantiates the need to update the data of land cadastral information in the effective management of the land-territorial complex of communities in Ukraine. The rights and obligations of territorial communities in the use of land resources within their boundaries have been established. The legal framework is considered, on the basis of which the right to use and dispose of state-owned lands in territorial communities is formed. The problems faced by the newly formed territorial communities in the management of land resources are analyzed. Priority steps for information accessibility have been established. The actual areas of work of the land department for the digitalization of land information in territorial conditions are determined. The positive aspects of the digital possibility of territorial communities in Ukraine are highlighted. The main problems of introducing digital registers of land resources into the activities of territorial communities are identified. Prospects are considered and measures aimed at overcoming the problems of digitalization of land information are proposed. Attention is focused on the need to create a single land registry in each new community, which in turn will improve land management and increase revenues to the local budget. The relevance of introducing open registers of information on land resources of territorial communities to attract investment is substantiated.

An overview of experimental Gray Wolf (<i>Canis lupus</i>) poisoning programs in northern Ontario, 1956 to 1964

In the late 1950s, the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests commenced an experimental Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) poisoning program in northern Ontario, the results of which were documented in a series of unpublished reports. Most projects consisted of distributing baits poisoned with strychnine on frozen lakes in late winter; 12 were conducted by district staff and typically consisted of <10 bait stations monitored for two to four months. An intensive three-year program was completed in the Allanwater area, about 250 km north of Thunder Bay, where up to 56 bait stations were distributed on a grid covering >25 000 km2. Thirty eight wolf kills were reported in the district projects and 81 in the Allanwater study. In total, where sex was identified 56% were male and 44% female. Adults made up 51% of the kill in the Allanwater study, subadults (<2 years old) 44%, and 5% were of unknown age. Two hundred and sixty five kills of species other than wolves were documented from all studies, comprising 10 mammal and nine bird species. Common Raven (Corvus corax) and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) made up 54% and 24% of the non-target mortality, respectively, and were recorded in most studies. Kills of wolves and non-target species were probably under-reported because animals left bait stations before dying, were buried by snow, were removed by bounty hunters, or monitoring for non-target species was poor. Although completed over 50 years ago, the studies summarized here provide context on the ecological impacts and ethics of poison use to control wolves.