Scalability, Sustainability and Security – The Three Keys
to Deploying an Effective Land Information System
Government entities charged with deploying an effective and
efficient “fit for purpose” land information system (LIS) require
real-time access to accurate information. Whether the system
supports land registry, land resource management, cadastre,
valuation, or property tax administration or a combination
thereof, it enhances the ability to make sound decisions and
operate within budget while streamlining cash flow.
Benchmarks exist for government decision-makers to use in
the design, implementation and maintenance of an LIS, but
many current efforts risk failure. That’s because they do not
sufficiently capture the full complexity of all the technology
decisions that underpin a land administration system as well
as the entire range of potential citizen services that need to be
provided.
As an answer to this challenge, Thomson Reuters
recommends that governments apply the 3-S decision
framework. The framework provides a set of attributes
against which the strength of an LIS solution design can be
assessed—Sustainability, Scalability, Security. Each quality
considerably impacts the effectiveness and the total cost of
ownership of the LIS system, which in turn determines the
long-term success of a deployment.
Taken as a whole, they serve as a framework to guide
discussions on solution decisions and deployment:
SUSTAINABILITY ATTRIBUTES
• Can the system streamline processes for meeting the
expected long-term demand for government services?
• Has the project design planned for continual system
investment so that the system does not become static
and dated?
• Does the operation’s business model include funding from
increased revenue generation?
• Does the solution provider that deploys the solution have
the capacity and infrastructure to maintain and support the
system over time?
• Is the solution the same system used by the larger user
community that the government agency interacts with in
order to drive improvements in features and functionality?
• Is training available to ensure long-term capacity
development and skill transfer for staff?
SAFEGUARDING LAND RIGHTS
Restoring confidence among citizens and investors
From a numbers perspective, the reform has vastly
improved Cross River’s land management record.
20,724
files delivered*
12,375
files delivered
5,000
files nearly done
* from the Ministry of Lands and Housing to the CRGIA center for electronic
record archiving. As of summer 2013
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA
NGN 1.6M
in fees for title
searches and
registration
!
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA
NGN 471K
in fees collected
the first three
months
More NGN was collected in the first few months of 2013
than the total amount recouped between 2006 and 2010.
Cross River, Nigeria
The Cross River Revival
Once crippled by land management disarray, the Nigeria state
of Cross River is bouncing back with a cutting edge plan to restore
trust and transparency. The new system is restoring confidence
in the security of Cross River land rights, among citizens and
potential investors.
tax.thomsonreuters.com/aumentum/crossriver
SCALABILITY ATTRIBUTES
• Can the system adapt to new technologies such as
mobile, GPS, maps and imagery?
• Does the solution have the ability to take advantage of
new technology platforms over time?
• Is the solution capable of managing increasing data
volumes and users—both internal and external?
• Does the solution enable extended functionality such as
e-conveyances?
• Can it support a living registry (inventory vs. transactions)?
• Will the solution extend to zoning or land-use planning,
including health and industrial planning?
• Does the solution integrate with other government
bodies, such as the courts and the treasury?
• Do the technology and the tools facilitate the
implementation of new laws and regulations?
SECURITY ATTRIBUTES
• Are protections in place to thwart hackers and viruses?
• Will the solution alert the public to property inquiries?
• Does it include a code of conduct and ethics for the staff
to follow?
• Can the system transfer data easily with other systems
and government agencies?
• Can public archives be physically protected, either in
paper or digital format?
• Is information access both secure and private?
• Are there protocols for redacting private information?
• Can locked-down administrative rights be applied?
By presenting a comprehensive set of questions to ask when
collaborating internally and with a solution provider, the 3-S
decision framework helps uncover a majority of the answers
that governments need in order to deploy an effective LIS
solution. They can also ensure they are choosing a modern
system that not only meets their needs today, but also
supports their land management efforts well into the future.
THOMSON REUTERS AUMENTUM:
THE FUTURE LAND INFORMATION
SYSTEM IS NEAR
Thomson Reuters provides the premier proprietary land
information system: Aumentum. The solution’s features
reflect the 3-S framework by relying on our customer
feedback to drive the key areas on which software
development should focus.
Here’s a quick rundown on several key capabilities that the
Thomson Reuters Aumentum solution features:
• Browser-based application and hosting: The Softwareas-a-Service (SaaS) model—where users gain access
from any Internet browser—allows deployments and
software upgrades to be rolled out faster compared to
on-premise solutions. The SaaS model also facilitates
performance monitoring and the application of any
necessary fixes in real time as well as scheduled releases
that allow for formalized release-readiness activities
such as client BETA testing, release notes and featurespecific training. Governments can also tap into end-user
metrics to evaluate how much the software improves
end-user efficiency.
• A core set of features based on customers’ best
practices: The single-line-of-code approach streamlines
the development and updating of the core features that
government agencies rely on most. These core features
are based on customer experiences, so governments
can be assured they are deploying an LIS system based
on market best practices. Because the core features are
provisioned via the SaaS model, the solution capabilities
remain relevant based on current industry needs.
• User-centered interface: Applying a user-centered
design to LIS solutions ensures the interface aligns
exactly to users’ needs and desires while also considering
their limitations. The usability-improvement process
is essentially driven by end users and modern usability
principles, such as where items should appear within
each form, which helps maximize user productivity.
• Security and disaster recover: System transaction
logging and traceability help identify and prevent threats
from infiltrating LIS solutions. In addition, internal
security settings and tracking ensure the integrity of
office staff and their work. Leveraging the SaaS model
also inherently builds a user community over which
Thomson Reuters has complete visibility into malicious
activity and usage spikes. This enhances the ability to
make sure each customer system remains secure and
also enables offsite backups so that the LIS solution is
not susceptible to an onsite disaster.
• Mobile readiness: Using LIS solutions in the field is
critical. The ability to physically visit a land parcel, record
the findings and then automatically upload the data to
the back office system greatly improves field-personnel
productivity.
• Geospatial integration: This capability makes it easy for
personnel to move geospatial mapping and coordinate
systems into the LIS transaction component. Because
information flows faster and transactions occur sooner,
tasks are completed more quickly. Integration also
eliminates the need to re-key information from one
system to another, which means fewer input errors. In
addition, the system integration capabilities enabled by
Aumentum allow data to be exchanged internally and
with other government bodies to facilitate the overall
revenue management lifecycle.
For more information on how your government
organization can leverage the 3-S decision framework to
drive your land information system deployment, please visit
tax.thomsonreuters.com/aumentum.