1. ESTABLISHING A MODERN LAND ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM: THE CASE OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Vít Suchánek
Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre
Conference WB and FIG: „Land Governance in Support of MDGs: Responding to new Challenges“
Washington D.C., USA, March 9, 2009

2. Outline Historical roots of Czech Cadastre
Cadastre of Real Estates of the Czech Republic
Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre
Information system of Czech Cadastre
Creation, basic description
Services and advanced features
Consolidation
Basic registers of the Czech republic
Digitalization of cadastral maps
Conclusions – lessons learnt

3. Historical roots of Czech Cadastre
Common origins from Austria-Hungary empire
Land Cadastre 1817, Land registry 1873
Czechoslovak Republic 1918
No major changes till 1950, Cadastre Act 1927 – changed mainly technical issues
1948 communists seized power
1951 Land Registry was closed
1964 Real Estate Inventory system – some cadastral features, but oriented towards usership relations to land
1989 – change of political system – shift towards market economy
– commencement of Czech Cadastre and COSMC

4. Cadastre of Real Estates – „Czech Cadastre, CRE“
CRE is a collection of data about real estates, inclusive of their list and descriptions and their geometrical and positional determinations.
Files on proprietary and other rights in rem form a component of CRE.
CRE is kept as an information system about the territory of the Czech Republic predominantly in computerized form.
Main parts:
Descriptive Information Files – (written data on real estates and owners, fully computerized)
Survey Information Files – cadastral maps mainly, digitized from 34% only

5. Rights recorded in Czech Cadastre
Following rights are recorded to real estates in Czech Cadastre:
Proprietary rights
Mortgages
Encumbrances
Pre-emptive rights
Recordings into Czech Cadastre are:
Entry (changes of legal relations on contractual base. These rights originate, change or extinct by entry into the cadastre based on decision of a competent Cadastral Office.)
Record (e.g. transfer of rights, based on decision of court or some state administration body)
Annotation (recording of informative facts, e.g. in cases of distraints)
And their deletions.

6. Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre
COSMC is top umbrella governmental body for both
Cadastre of Real Estates
Administered by 14 regional cadastral offices with 107 cadastral workplaces, regional competence, about 5000 employees
Central database in Prague at COSMC
Surveying
Administered predominantly by Land Survey Office with country wide competence,
Geodetic control, State map series, ZABAGED – basic GIS, GEOPORTAL, surveying along state borders,, network of permanent GPS stations, …

7. Structure of the Branch of the COSMC

8. Information system of Cadastre of Real Estates („IS CRE“) - predecessors
Computerisation of Real Estate Registry
Uniform batch processing began in 1976, data corresponded to usership relation
Till 1990 updates only in computer processing
After 1990 – a need for a rapid change
1992 – 1995 introduction of PC at Cadastral Offices, system and data structure were still derived from the old system, many deficiencies
Decision – to create a quite new system

9. IS CRE - creation
Created in , application SW delivered by the Czech software house NESS Czech
Not only the smooth development – very complex task – everything in the „one jump“, need for changes during development
Complete renewal of IT infrastructure
Subsystem of migration of data from the old system – testing since summer 1999
Launch of operation in September 2001

10. IS CRE – basic attributes
Client / server architecture
Common Oracle database for written and mapping part, mutual harmony is ensured
Central database and 107 local databases interconnected via WAN
Replication of changes from local databases every two hours – central database is up-to-date
Uniformity is ensured – the remote SW installation to all CO in one moment, replication of classifiers from the centre

11. IS CRE – features of an advanced system I.
Supports of all demands of state administration of Czech Cadastre, including legal rights to real estates
Uniform for the whole country
Checks data on owners against Registers of Inhabitants or Companies
Possibility to view „historical“ and „future“ data
Outputs are equipped with time of validity data
Integration of written and mapping parts in one database ensures the mutual update written and mapping data

12. IS CRE – features of an advanced system II.
Good security of system, username and password are necessary, all operations are logged permanently – any author of a given operation may be traced retroactively
Real time data in the centre, which is the sole point for Internet services
Internet service - Remote access to Cadastre data started already in 2001, enables to obtain a detailed Cadastre data from the whole country
Continuous incremental further development since 2001

13. IS CRE – an overview of current services for clients
Three ways of obtaining Cadastral information
At counters of Cadastral Offices
Data files (both descriptive and survey) in proprietary exchange format on media. There is a possibility to obtain only incremental changes in since the last time of getting data files
Via Internet:
Remote Access since 2001
Viewing at Cadastre since 2004
Web services since 2007

14. Remote Access Open for the public, but contract is necessary
Search according to the identification of an owner or the address of real estate
Full range of detailed information
Excerpt from Cadastre and Copy of digital cadastral map procured with e-Mark (electronic public documents)
Three slightly different versions for:
General public (paid service)
Public administration (free of charge)
Authorising persons (notaries, contact points of public administrations, …, a small fee)

15. Copy of digital cadastral map via Remote Access procured with e-signature

16. Mapové výstupy z DP ISKN – orientační mapa parcel – rastr+ ortofoto+ geometrické plány

17. Number of clients of Remote Access in years 2001 - 2008

18. Certificate of non-registration in Cadastre
Cadastre is obliged by law to issue electronic certificates that a person is not registered as an owner neither has some other rights to real estates
Name, surname and PIN are needed
In case that a person with identification data corresponding partially to the given identification is registered in Cadastre, this fact is stated in the certificate
Service has been available since

19. Viewing at Cadastre
Access to basic selected information about parcels, buildings, flats and the identification of the owner
Orientation map of parcels
Simple switching between written and mapping data
Data depicting how proceedings are processed at Cadastral Offices – status of specific proceeding, overview of all proceedings.
Free of charge services, enormous interest of citizens

21. Orientation map of parcels with othophotos and centroids

22. First web services
IS CRE has been providing web services, which deliver some outputs (e.g. Excerpt from Cadastre, overview of ownership, information on parcels, buildings, apartment units) in .PDF format since 2007
These documents are available also in XML format since January 2009
It enables to incorporate cadastral information into information systems of users directly

23. Notice service – January 2009
For citizens – announcement is sent ( and / or SMS) in time of finishing the registration (only if citizen wants it and gives the addresses) – free of charge service
For companies (banks and etc.) – Watch dog
Warning about received proposals for registration, concerning real estates to which a user has ownership or other factual rights (e.g. from mortgages)
Enables also to follow the progress of some proceedings (e.g. registration of mortgage)
Pilot run in 2009

24. Registration of rights by entry into the Cadastre (in thousands of cases

25. Registration by record into the Cadastre (in thousands of cases)

27. Digitizing of cadastral maps
Digitized from 34 only %,
carrying out registering
has not allowed more
Governmental decision
from July 2007: COSMC
will receive extra budget – approx. 8,25 mil.
EUR in each year for hiring new 300 employees and for the involvement of private surveyors in order to speed up digitizing of cadastral maps
Digitizing has to be completed by 2015

28. Further development of IS CRE
Consolidation, centralisation of CRE
Three tier architecture
Easier implementation of new services
Delayed by the cancellation of tender for new central HW, migration in the first half of 2010
System of basic registers of Czech Republic
Parallel development of Register of Territorial Identification, Addresses and real estates (Czech Office) – mutual cooperation
Implementation of INSPIRE Directive

29. Conclusions – lessons learnt
Project of IS CRE – „big bang“, but very complex and demanding task
Close cooperation with the deliverer of system necessary
Necessity of careful testing
Possibility to take over written data from the old system speeded up the creation of modern system
Creation of digital cadastral maps based on old maps is very complex and demanding task.

30. Thank you for your attention!
Vít Suchánek