Open Maps For Europe releases open cadastral map prototype and data updates

Open Maps for Europe has released an Open Cadastral Map prototype which provides large-scale coverage for four countries.

The data is now available via the Open Maps interface and this first iteration includes Poland, The Netherlands, Czech Republic and Spain. The map takes INSPIRE open data and allows the user to find out what is available from national sources in one place before obtaining the data from the official provider. The cadastral map comprises four data types: Administrative Units, Cadastral Parcels (and Cadastral Zones), Buildings (and Building Parts) and Addresses.

The Open Maps For Europe project, which is co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union, is coordinated by EuroGeographics in partnership with the National Geographic Institute (NGI) Belgium.

Angela Baker, Programme Manager, Data Access and Integration, EuroGeographics  says: “We have used our unique data integration process to produce the Open Cadastral Map prototype using members data, and we expect to add more coverage in the future.”

“The Open Cadastral Map is a service to show the end user what is available from the Cadastral Agencies, it does not replicate the data that our members provide.  Features can be identified via the map interface and can be consumed via the WMS. Links are available to access the full national data.”

“In addition to the Open Cadastral Map prototype, we are also pleased to announce that the second release of Open Maps for Europe includes updated versions of EuroGlobalMap (EGM 2022) and EuroDem, a pan-Europe open data elevation model providing height data.”

Data from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Isle of Man and Montenegro are now available in EGM 2022, which also includes updated Administrative Boundaries, Transportation and Settlement themes. These have been fully generalised from EuroRegionalMap (ERM), multi-themed topographic open data at 1:250 000 scale. The EGM metadata was updated and its compliance with the INSPIRE metadata regulations was checked.

The latest version of EuroDem has increased coverage and now includes data from Germany, Hungary and Switzerland with open data infilled from a further 11 countries.

The Open Maps For Europe online interface, developed by thinkWhere, an Idox company, enables users to discover, view, license and download the open datasets. These also include an open gazetteer service providing authoritative multilingual geographical names with data provided by 36 National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities, and Pan-European Imagery provided by Germany’s Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy created from data taken from the European Union´s Earth observation programme Copernicus (Sentinel-2, L1C-L2A).

Angela Baker adds: “By working together to deliver pan-European open data, our members are demonstrating not only what can be achieved through Europe-wide cooperation but also the benefits that result for the wider public good, specifically in support of policy decision-making at the European level.”

“Our unique approach to interoperable pan-European datasets unlocks the value of authoritative geospatial information and is one of the key ways members are supporting The Open Data Directive, which recognises that the value of data lies in its use and re-use.”

“By working to ensure their data is interoperable, readily available and easily accessible, they are demonstrating a commitment to delivering Open Maps for Europe both now and in the future.”

Open Maps For Europe runs until 31 December 2022.

EuroGeographics is an international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration:  833 607 112) and the membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities.

The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of EuroGeographics and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.

French General Directorate Cadastral Bureau joins EuroGeographics

EuroGeographics has welcomed the French General Directorate Cadastral Bureau as an Associate Member.

The Bureau’s membership of EuroGeographics will see the two organisations work together to deliver the Permanent Committee on Cadastre (PCC) conference in May as part of France’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

“Joining the EuroGeographics’ community enables us to access and contribute to knowledge exchange across a Europe-wide network of National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities,” said Marina Fages, Head of the French Cadastral Bureau. “We are very pleased to be part of an association with such a long and successful history of bringing organisations together to participate in joint projects and policy developments.

Léa Bodossian, Secretary General and Executive Director, EuroGeographics added: “I am delighted that our members have unanimously voted to approve the membership application of the French Cadastral Bureau and warmly welcome them to our community.”

“For people across Europe, cadastral data underpins many aspects of everyday life and our members fulfil an essential role by providing official, detailed, secure and reliable information on property rights and registration. Delivering official cadastral data and high-quality services is therefore vital for achieving so many European policies, including the Next Generation EU agreement, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the European Green Deal.”

“EuroGeographics’ dedicated forum – the Cadastre and Land Registry Knowledge Exchange Network – shares best practice in providing official information on property rights and registration, and is a great example of the cooperation at the heart of our association. We look forward to the insight that the French Cadastral Bureau will bring as a result of its experience in maintaining the only large-scale parcel cadastral map covering the entire territory of France.”

The French General Directorate Cadastral Bureau is based in Paris and responsible for listing all owned properties, identifying them with unique cadastral references, searching for their real or apparent owners, recognising and defining the cadastral limits of these properties, and describing and assessing them.

EuroGeographics is an international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration:  833 607 112) and the membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities. It currently brings together members from 46 countries, covering the whole of geographical Europe.

Survey shows agile approach to authoritative cadastral and land registration vital for Europe’s resilience and recovery programme

Interoperability, security, accessibility and transparency are the key strengths of official cadastral and land registration data in contributing to Europe’s resilience and recovery programme, a survey has found.

The joint questionnaire by EuroGeographics and the Permanent Committee on Cadastre in the European Union (PCC) gives an overview of the role of National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities (NMCAs) in post-Covid 19 economic and social stability. It reveals that artificial intelligence, APIs, crowdsourcing and automation are already in use by national cadastral systems and thus demonstrates the value of authoritative data and information in enabling digital transformation and providing opportunities for innovation.

Dr Daniel Steudler, Chair of EuroGeographics Cadastre and Land Registry Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN), said: “Cadastral authorities and land registries fulfil an essential role by providing official, detailed, secure and reliable information on property rights and registration. Indeed, 13 of the countries questioned replied that cadastral data are included in their national list of High Value Datasets.”

“An agile approach to delivering trusted, reliable, authoritative cadastral data and high-quality services is vital for achieving the Next Generation EU agreement, its key instrument the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the European Green Deal. As a community used to constant and far-reaching change, we have a proven ability to respond to new ways of working, and the results of this survey show that NMCAs remain committed to adapting their activities to meet user needs and ensure lasting recovery.”

Mr Tomaž Petek, General Director, Surveying and Mapping Authority of the Republic of Slovenia added: “Digital geospatial information, including cadastral and land registry data has become a very important basis, upon which governments, organisations and businesses base their decisions on and implement their services. The aim is to foster public services that are, by default, digital, cross-border and interoperable, user-centric, inclusive and accessible, open and transparent, trustworthy and secure, and require users to supply information only once.”

The Joint PCC and EuroGeographics Cadastre and Land Registry KEN conference and plenary was held under the Presidency of Slovenia.

Key results

• Of the 25 countries responding to the survey, 20 said that their national cadastral system was relevant to achieve results or contribute to the aims of the European Green Deal which is described by the European Commission as ‘our lifeline out of the COVID-19 pandemic’.
• The top 3 strengths of a cadastral system’s contribution to the Next Generation EU agreement were identified as:
  • Interoperable, digital data.
  • Public, transparent, complete, secure, reliable data with a legal basis.
  • Data that is open, full, and easy to access.
• The top 3 areas for improvement were identified as:
  • Expanded databases in terms of user experience and flexibility.
  • Integration with Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) and the creation of single platforms.
  • Extension of data content and an additional building database.
• The top 3 opportunities for cadastral data to be used by businesses and other organisations for delivering new and innovative applications, products, and services were:
  • A key role in other geospatial data and SDI, interoperable web services, including APIs, and as a basis for innovative products and services.
  • Open data.
  • As a high potential, strategic asset to stimulate economic growth.
• The top 3 new technologies being used to maintain national cadastral systems are:
  • Artificial Intelligence – used for change detection, to detect properties which are not taxed, and for managing older documents and texts.
  • Web portals, web services, APIs - for easier linking of data and providing services.
  • Crowd sourcing, automation of processes - to increase accuracy, gamification to raise interest and chatbots to answer questions from users.

The survey results and presentations from the conference are available here. 

EuroGeographics is an international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration:  833 607 112) and the membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities. It currently brings together members from 46 countries, covering the whole of geographical Europe.