THE PROCESS
LUSAKA, ZAMBIA
This is the first part of the land survey in the systematic land titling process. At this stage, areas of interest are selected and an aerial land survey is conducted using drones, aeroplanes, or via satellite to capture high resolution images of features as they appear on the ground. The images are then post-processed, the end result being Georeferenced image tiles of high resolution that can be used in GIS related software to extract the information necessary to produce certificates of title as per land survey and planning regulations and standards.
STEP 1
Imagery
Acquisition
Geographic Information Systems and High-Resolution Aerial Imagery are utilized by a group of specialized engineers and technicians to delineate property boundaries in accordance with planning standards and assign necessary attribute data relating to the properties' unique characteristics. This process is meticulously reviewed by the team to ensure accurate and precise property boundaries through Quality Assurance and Control Procedures.
STEP 2
Pre-
vectorization
Enumeration
Enumeration in the Systematic Land Titling Programme involves the collection of spatial and textual data from property owners in specific demarcation areas. The process is made easy with the aid of the ENUM application used by the enumerators as it contains positional GPS accuracy to solidify the procedure.
STEP 3
Proof of Ownership
Enumerator checks if landowner has the correct documentation which is their National Registration Card (NRC) and any of the following documents as Proof of Ownership:
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Utility Bill
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Council Rate Bill
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Invitation to treat
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Letter of Sale
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Offer Letter
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Deed of Gift
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Land record Card
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Occupancy License
At this stage, data from the field is received with changes on how the boundaries ought to be after being verified with property owners on the ground. The GIS team implements the spatial adjustments accordingly and the necessary textual data is assigned to each property as guided by the community. Throughout this process, careful considerations are made to ensure that land surveying and planning standards are maintained.
STEP 4
Data
Review
Process for property owners
Under the 7th National Development Plan, the Government of Zambia set out a target of issuing 5 million land titles on State Land through national Systematic Land Titling SLT by 2021.
MLG Zambia partnered with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to establish, test, and implement a process for a systematic land titling program and deliver 50,000 titles in Lusaka.
The process in SLT included public meetings, adjudication, verification and corrections and the issuance of the certificate of title.
Though a mobile application that included pre-vectorized high-resolution property images, efficient house-to-house data and signature gathering from homeowners, community verification, and machine learning to validate data accuracy, MLG rapidly gathered the necessary documentation for streamlined land titling on 50,000+ parcels.
Following the success of this pilot, the Lusaka City Council selected MLG to lead its property titling program and to develop and deploy a land governance platform.
Community verification, which is conducted by the field team at central locations and on the ground in demarcation areas, focuses on having the collected and reviewed information subjected to confirmation by property owners. The authentication process is done through the appending of signatures by property owners for the second time in readiness for the production of offer letters. It is during this stage that layout, land use and verification maps are displayed for public awareness of where their properties are sitting and the general knowledge of their community land use while handling the aspect of transparency.
STEP 5
Community
Verification
Confirm that the Council uploads and approves the layout plan and land use plan review and upload the unsigned general plan. Review of the Surveyor Report and send a notification to the surveyor to begin the approval. Upload signed surveyor report and general plan Inform the examiner and government surveyor of area readiness for approval. Ensure the examiner downloads the GP, checks the records and approves the GP.
STEP 6
Government
Approval