SaLIS Vol. 67, No. 1, March 2007

Corruption and Land Administration, by Paul van der Molen and Arbind Tuladhar

KEYWORDS: Corruption, transparency, land administration
ABSTRACT: The paper* addresses corruption in land administration and land management. Based on information published in the free press, the conclusion was drawn that various forms of corruption occur as a result of abuse of discretion for personal gain, and nepotism or favoritism involving family or party members. Although the actual reach of corruption in land administration is difficult to determine, some measures are proposed on how to curb corruption.

INTRODUCTION: While there is no universally agreed definition of corruption, UN/Habitat defines corruption as “the misuse of office for private gain” (UN/Habitat and Transparency International 2004). Some common forms of corruption are:

• Bribery (abuse of discretion in favor of a third party in exchange of benefits given by the third party);
• Fraud (abuse of discretion for private gain without the involvement of third parties); and
• Favoritism, nepotism and clientelism (abuse of discretion not for self-interest but for the interest of one’s family, clan, political party, or ethnic group (UN/Habitat and Transparency International 2004).

Corruption has the most devastating effects in developing countries because it hinders advancement in economic growth and democracy (UNDP 1998). Land administration is the process of determining, recording, and disseminating information about ownership, value and use of land; this function is crucial when implementing land management policies (UN/ECE 1996). Because land administration is closely related to land management (which it facilitates), in this paper we discuss both land administration as well as land management issues. Access to land and land-related benefits is an important factor in reducing poverty and creating economic growth (World Bank 2003). Preventing the “abuse of discretion” in the public sector, where most issues pertinent to the administration and management of land belong, is crucial, since registering a property, granting a mortgage, imposing or lifting restrictions, or allocating certain land use all imply the use of discretionary powers. Curbing nepotism, favoritism, and clientelism applies to the land issue, as access to land under customary law often depends on kinship. Thus, in a world where corruption is increasingly becoming an issue in fighting poverty (see e.g., UN/Habitat and Transparency International 2004; Törhönen 2006; OECD 2000; UN Update 2006), paying attention to it is a must. To avoid the impression that corruption is a matter of concern in developing countries only, we begin with our own country, the Netherlands, although the land issue seems not to be a dominant element here. Then we report on desk research on the occurrence of corruption worldwide. No selection was done in advance: we searched the web for free press and free publications. Although corruption is usually hidden, we were amazed by how much openness exists about malpractice in land administration and land management. We attempt to categorize the forms of corruption as we found them and then provide some ideas about how to curb corruption. The last section comprises conclusions and some recommendations.

Determination of Flight Vehicle Position and Orientation Using the Global Positioning System, by Kendall Heckroth, Kandiah          Jeyapalan, and Jerald Vogel

In this paper we document the development of a numerical method for the determination of the position and angular orientation of a body using the Global Positioning System (GPS). By using data collected from multiple antennas on board a single flight vehicle, and by employing differential corrections supplied by a fixed ground receiver, this numerical method can produce Earth Centered Earth Fixed (ECEF) coordinates for a specified point on a vehicle, as well as the Euler angles (pitch, roll, yaw) expressing the angular orientation of the vehicle at that point. This analysis has applications for any mobile platform where position and orientation information is desired. The particular application we tested is in regards to aerial photogrametry.

Evaluation of the Newton-Raphson Method for Three-Point Resection in Photogrammetry, by Said M. Easa

KEYWORDS : Photogrammetry, three-point resection, image, objects, polynomial, unit vectors, Newton-Raphson
ABSTRACT: Three-point resection in photogrammetry (based on measured distances between three object points and the corresponding image coordinates) has been a viable approach because it does not require data on the object coordinates. Many iterative and closed-form solutions of the problem have been developed. The problem may have up to four solutions for the distances between the exposure station and the objects. Due to the complexity of the closed-form solutions, a simple method involving Newton-Raphson (N-R) search has recently been suggested for determining the unique (correct) solution for the Grunert’s quartic polynomial. The N-R method, however, may not converge to the unique solution. This paper first describes the geometry of the three-point resection and the difficulties with the N-R method. A new Excel-based method that identifies all four solutions of the quartic polynomial is then presented. The method does not require initial estimates of the roots. Situations in which the N-R method is useful are highlighted. Application examples are used to illustrate the issues and concepts addressed. The proposed method, which provides insights into space resection, should be of interest to both researchers and educators.

A GIS Data Modeling Approach to Port Ballast Water Bioinvasion, Samuel Amoako-Atta and Peter Kuntu-Mensah

The design and implementation of proactive strategies are the best and most cost-effective method of addressing port ballast water bioinvasion. Currently, no single comprehensive monitoring program provides the data necessary to produce an integrated assessment of the potential for ballast – water mediated species introductions into specific ports and/or coastal regions. The project uses a GIS-based data modeling approach that links relevant trade, climatological, water quality, and biological data sets to produce an integrated assessment tool for port-specific management of invasive species. The result is a database for assessing the risk, developing risk-reduction strategies, and preparing (e.g., predicting impact and budgeting for control) for the possibility of introduction.

U.S. and Pennsylvania Law of Writings as Indispensable Evidence to Prove Ownership of Real Property,
       by G. James Dronick and Wesley Parks

National and Pennsylvania law of writings as indispensable evidence to prove ownership of real property is examined. General concepts from standard legal resources are presented. A relevant federal statute is examined, and a representative case is reviewed. A Pennsylvania statute and relevant case are examined. A hypothetical land surveying example is presented, and principles developed from the review of law are applied to resolve the example.

Review of Recent Literature: September 2006 - February 2007, compiled by Mike & Mary Craymer

Editors’ Note: This is a collection of selected articles on geodesy, surveying and land information systems published in English in other subject-related journals. This information has been compiled from Tables of Contents in Geodesy, a free Internet-based contents service for journals in geodesy. Because of space constraints, coverage may not be complete for all journals. For more complete coverage and information about TCG, article reprints and journal publishers, visit the TCG web site at <http://www.craymer.com/tcg/>.