Spatial Information Opportunities for Government

Land administration systems (LAS) are now challenged by new technologies and radically different demands for land information for modern governments. Spatial information is good enough to support spatial identification and location enablement applications available in every significant type of software (word processing, spread sheets, professional applications, Web systems, GIS and databases). A place on earth can be defined with precision on the ground and in computers. Digital data can be attached to a location as never before. With appropriate computer facilities and the underpinning interpretative information layers which translate computer language into understandable descriptions of places, governments can potentially identify ‘where’ their policies are happening. A nation’s ability to reap the benefits of the spatial enablement of information requires the highest level input from its government and private sectors.