As India advances its land governance reforms and digital transformation initiatives, technology is playing a pivotal role in shaping more transparent, efficient, and equitable land systems. Building the Digital Foundations of Land Equity: Automation, Standards, and Scale explores how emerging digital tools and data practices are accelerating progress in securing land tenure and improving access and use for the broader society. This session brings together experts who are applying GIS automation to streamline land tenure documentation, promoting standardized data to enable interoperability and equity, and leveraging technology to manage land for critical uses such as renewable energy development. This discussion highlights how scalable, data-driven approaches can help translate India’s digital land governance vision into inclusive, sustainable outcomes on the ground.
Secure and documented land tenure is a foundational requirement for sustainable development, yet nearly 90 percent of landholdings in developing countries remain undocumented or poorly administered. Traditional approaches—paper surveys, manual digitization, and sequential data processing—are slow, error-prone, and costly, hindering scalability and public trust. This paper presents a structured, five-pillar approach for automation-driven GIS workflows that modernize tenure documentation by enhancing data accuracy, interoperability, and efficiency, while reducing operational costs and institutional barriers to adoption.
The proposed framework builds upon global principles such as the Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration (FFPLA) and the UN-GGIM Framework for Effective Land Administration (FELA). It introduces automation as a cross-cutting enabler rather than a discrete technology—integrating standardized data capture, cloud-based synchronization, automated quality control (QC), auto-templated map and document generation, and interoperable data standards. Together, these five pillars enable governments, NGOs, and community organizations to transition from fragmented, manual processes toward agile, tool-agnostic systems that ensure accuracy, transparency, and scalability.
Field data collection through mobile-based survey applications such as Survey123, ODK, or Kobo Toolbox enforces standardized schemas, mandatory attributes, and coordinate precision, eliminating transcription and entry errors. Automated synchronization with cloud databases (e.g., PostGIS or ArcGIS Server) allows real-time aggregation of hundreds of field surveys, ensuring a single authoritative data source accessible to institutions for validation and integration. Subsequent QC routines—implemented through Python, R, or GIS ModelBuilder—automatically detect topology errors, attribute gaps, and coordinate inconsistencies. Validated datasets are then processed for batch map generation and automated issuance of tenure certificates, drastically reducing time and manual effort while maintaining accuracy. Finally, adherence to open data standards (GeoJSON, LandXML, GML) ensures horizontal and vertical interoperability, allowing seamless linkage with cadastral, forestry, taxation, and planning databases.
Three case studies from Indonesia, Myanmar, and India demonstrate the effectiveness and adaptability of this framework. In Indonesia, district-level boundary mapping using automated QC and cloud dashboards reduced validation time from weeks to days. In Myanmar, community-led forest and parcel mapping over three million hectares achieved a five-fold efficiency gain, generating over 30,000 tenure documents via batch automation. In India’s Forest Rights Act (FRA) implementation, mobile-based mapping of 64,000 parcels achieved a 700% efficiency improvement, with 77% claim approval upon submission. Across contexts, automation has enhanced trust in digital outputs, institutional acceptance, and the ability to scale up operations while maintaining technical rigor.
The findings indicate that automation is not merely a technological advancement but an institutional reform tool that bridges the gap between community-driven and government-led tenure efforts. By integrating legal recognition of digital documents, capacity building for technical teams, robust data governance, and interoperable infrastructure, automation establishes the foundation for future-ready land governance. Furthermore, the paper outlines emerging opportunities where such standardized data can feed into Computer-Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) for equitable taxation, blockchain-based registries for tamper-proof ownership verification, and AI-assisted boundary extraction to accelerate mapping.
In conclusion, the five-pillar automation framework demonstrates that scalable, efficient, and transparent land tenure systems can be achieved through workflow re-engineering and digital integration, not just through technological substitution. Embedding automation into policy and legal frameworks will be essential to confer full validity to digital records, ensuring inclusivity, sustainability, and long-term institutional trust in land and forest tenure governance. The framework provides a replicable model for nations and organizations seeking to achieve tenure security at scale through practical, adaptable GIS automation.
Objectives of the Proposed Session: The session aims to highlight practical, scalable approaches for using technology and data to strengthen land tenure systems and promote equitable access to land
About the session speakers
Ms Vaishnavi Patil
Research Associate, Apti
Panelist
Vaishnavi is a social researcher with a passion for technology, climate and spatial justice. She wishes to leverage participatory methodologies to codesign research outputs. Her previous work has focused on sectors like forest governance, housing, tribal rights, healthcare accessibility, gender, and urban resilience. At Aapti, she envisions centering inclusivity and agency to embed responsibility in technological solutions. Her present work seeks to determine ways of downstreaming ethics into the AI value chain.
Dr Reshma Shrestha
Associate Professor, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Panelist
Dr. Reshma Shrestha is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geomatics Engineering under the School of Engineering at Kathmandu University. She holds a PhD degree from the Faculty of Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Netherlands, and has more than 13 years of experience in the academic field. Her research primarily focuses on Land Use Planning and Management and its integration with domains such as health, disaster management, urban agriculture, and transportation, using geospatial technologies as a core
analytical tool.
She has been actively involved in several national and international research projects, including TRANSFLOOD, funded by the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), and Community Resilience of Kamalai Basin, funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC), Nepal. She served as Co-Chair (2015–2018) for the working group “Towards Educating the Land Professional” under the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG). In addition, she is an active member of the Women Scientist Forum, Nepal (WSFN) within the Nepal Academy for Science and Technology (NAST), a Board Member of the Nepal Engineering Council (NEC), and has been nominated by the Cabinet as an Expert Member of the Federal Land Use Council.
Mr Ganesh Hegde
Researcher, Princeton University
Panelist
Ganesh is a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University, specializing in power systems engineering and energy transition research. His current work explores the intersection of climate change, energy system decarbonization, and their socio-economic implications. His research interests include net-zero energy transition, energy system modeling, energy inequality, and understanding the socio-economic and political linkages of energy transition. Ganesh holds a master's degree in Power and Energy Systems Engineering from Bangalore University and earned his Ph.D. from IIT Bombay. His doctoral dissertation delves into the evolution of rural electrification policies in India, concurrently analyzing electricity consumption inequalities within the country. Additionally, Ganesh is affiliated with Transitions Research Goa.
Mr Abid Hira
Project Specialist, Cadasta
Panelist
With over 8 years of experience in project management and GIS, I have successfully led various geospatial initiatives, implemented award-winning GIS systems, and managed global portfolios. In roles like Associate Director at Saath Charitable Trust and GIS Specialist at Cadasta Foundation, I have deployed advanced GIS platforms, streamlined workflows, and driven data-driven decision-making for diverse stakeholders. Skilled in ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, ArcGIS Suit and Enterprise, Azure Cloud Configuration, and Intermediate level of Python and Arcade scripting, I excel in geospatial analysis, data visualization, and workflow automation. I have conducted GIS training across South Asia, mentored academic projects, and developed interactive applications for real-time insights. My ability in collaboration and process optimization ensures impactful and efficient project execution.
I am deeply enthusiastic about using GIS technology to solve real-world challenges and create meaningful impact. Collaborating with diverse teams and partners, I strive to bring innovation, efficiency, and a shared vision to every project, believing that collaboration is key to achieving transformative outcomes.
Ms Leah Kellenberger
Project Manager, Cadasta
Panelist
Leah oversees the implementation of programs and partnerships in South and Southeast Asia for Cadasta, focusing on land and resource governance, community tenure formalization, and strengthening land administration institutions. In her 6 years at Cadasta, Leah has managed relationships with various multi- and bi-lateral donors such as the US Millennium Challenge Corporation and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Prior to Cadasta, Leah worked at the DC-based international development NGOs NCBA CLUSA and ACDI-VOCA, supporting agriculture and cooperative programming. Her professional experience includes work throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Leah holds a BA in International Affairs with a concentration in International Development from The George Washington University.
Ms Preeti Jain Das
Former Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Maharashtra
Moderator
NA