Questions/Answers

Department of Lands (DOL) by Information Technology Bureau has developed “the System of Service Delivery in Searching Land Parcel Location by Geographic Information System via Internet” called LandsMaps, as DOL has recognized the problems and troubles of people which occurred from they do not know how to access land information of their property. The followings are problems of the people; 1. Problem from not knowing land parcel location and surrounding area which leads to an effect on security of land possession of the people. 2. Problem from not knowing land valuation price which stipulated by Treasury Department with 4 years period of time. 3. Problem from not knowing condition in land utilization according to town planning which stipulated by Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA), Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning (DPT), which this information is essential for entrepreneur in making decision for investment. From the above-mentioned problems, people and entrepreneur have to travel to land office, local treasury office, BMA, DPT, and other local government agencies, they have to pay the several expenses and spend too much time. DOL has recognized people’s problems, those were our challenges in developing LandsMaps program with primary stage of inputting land registry data and land parcel data from DOL digital database and integrating with GIS and street view of Google Maps, at the final stage in 2020, we have integrated cooperation with 4 partnerships of government agencies in overlaying information of such agency with our land parcel layer. People throughout the country could equally access to our service via DOL website and mobile application called “LandsMaps” with no one left behind.

LandsMaps is linked to Category 2 “Enhancing the effectiveness of public institutions to reach the SDGS”, because LandsMaps increases effectiveness of government agency to achieve SDGs aiming to effectively solving problem for people by using technology as a tool for cooperation and data integration between 5 government agencies (DOL, Treasury Department, BMA, DPT, and DGA) for people to be able to check for land information throughout the country without any cost at anytime and places. LandsMaps also establishes transparency, accountability, harmonization of government policies and agencies for better changes with excellence service delivery to people and becoming digital government.

LandsMaps aimed to solve problem of not knowing land location and information. Started from integration of land registration data and land parcel data in DOL’s existing digital database with data and cooperation between 5 government agencies through automatic data connecting system for sustainable development (SDG 17 - partnership for the goal). LandsMaps is impartial, by providing people from all groups to be able to access to accurate and up-to-date land information and detail without any cost at anytime and places. This benefit helps reduce social gap and inequality of all gender and ages to access government information without discrimination (SDG 10 - reduced inequality). LandsMaps shows land parcel location and boundary, town boundary, street view, satellite image, valuation price, and town plan with zoning layer which will be the essential information for land management and planning and it enhances sustainable development of the country, reduces dispute on land boundary, preserves land possession, and establishes security on land ownership (SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Social term, LandsMaps has been developed and opened for service since 2010, contains information more than 36 million parcels cover 77 provinces of Thailand and has been improved service quality by data integration with other government agencies. LandsMaps has been trusted from people with more than 67 million access times and the number is still growing. In term of economic, LandsMaps saves time, reduces cost of travelling and fee, and reduces procedure and waiting time. For environment, LandsMaps helps DOL to not only reduce paper which in the term of worthiness but also to reduce service and operation cost.

LandsMaps has been developed to supports the policy of quality of life enhancement and accessibility of public service of all group of people in all area of Thailand which reduce inequality in accessing to service essential to life quality development. People are able to access to LandsMaps to check for land information throughout the country with its related details but without any cost by accessing through 4 channels: 1. http://dolwms.dol.go.th 2. Smart device by downloading application LandsMaps 3. Service point at 461 land offices throughout the country 4. Exhibition, conference, seminar Above-mentioned channels help reduce number of people and crowed in land offices especially in the time of Covid-19. Moreover, according to Doing Business in registering property evaluated by World Bank, providing basic land information through LandsMaps reduces procedure, time, and cost in checking land information before travelling to land office for registration of right and juristic act.

People are all able to access to public service. LandsMaps provides government service to all gender equally. It can be accessed by all groups of people impartially. People are able to check for land information throughout the country with its related details (land valuation price and zoning layer) but without any cost. There is no gender inequality in accessing land information in Thailand.

LandsMaps has been developed to supports policy of quality of life enhancement and accessibility of public service of all people which reduce inequality in accessing to service essential to life quality development. LandsMaps’ target groups and outcomes are; 1.Government agency/state enterprise: to evaluate property price, check land for compulsory execution, verify land right possession for the project on helping farmer with low income, and verify property of offender. 2.Lawyer: to attach its information with case on trial. 3.Bank officer: to verify land information to conduct mortgage contract with the customer lodging for bank loan. 4.Student: for academic purpose and as information for thesis on land use problems. 5.Researcher: for researching to develop land utilization in Thailand. 6.Private sector: to verify land location existence before making decision to purchase/sell land and to verify land area before propose to bank for valuation price or to set loan amount using land as collateral. 7.People: as information for their own land location and condition or land they are going to purchase. Moreover, LandsMaps’ data will eventually solve land dispute especially in land boundary, and its street view and satellite image will also help to check the encroachment.

The procedures of implementation LandsMaps system of DOL since Year 2010 for rendering service in land aspect to all ages and genders were comprised of the followings; 1. In Year 2010 – 2014, procurement of hardware, software and database management system. 2. Developing of LandsMaps system on DOL website for connecting land registry and land parcel record from land tenure database of Bangkok Metropolitan Land Office, BKK perimeter, economic provinces in 33 provinces with the amount of 9.5 million parcels and overlapping land parcel cadastral layer with satellite image, mapping layers and street view of Google Maps. 6 categories of land information are revealed to public. All these, people can search by using only title deed number. 3. In Year 2013 – 2017, inputting digital land parcel of the whole country more than 33 million parcels of 461 land offices throughout the country and connecting with LandsMaps system. 4. In Year 2015, connecting with valuation price of Treasury Department and collaborating with Digital Government Development Agency in developing mobile application. 5.In Year 2017, disseminating of increased land record in 14 categories including adding of searching service by using nearby well-known location. 6.In Year 2018 – 2019, integrating zoning layer with Bangkok Metropolitan Administrator and Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning by overlaying land utilization on land parcel cadastral map layer. 7.In Year 2020, implementing the Project of Efficiency Improvement of LandsMaps System with the budget of 50 million Baht for procurement of new computer system for stability and rapidity of the system for people and country as a whole as well as enhance system capacity to support English version for facilitating foreigners.

1. Antiquated system with 6 years of usability and large amount of concurrent access, DOL’s been faced a problem of halted system. DOL has introduced Efficiency Improvement of LandsMaps System Project with 50 million Baht in 2020 and will be completed in 2021. 2. Cooperated service of DOL and Google Maps, DOL has to bear the cost with increasing tendency. DOL has set up sufficient budget in hiring service from Google Maps. 3. Inaccurate land parcel and land registry record of 461 land offices lead to inaccurate dissemination of information, DOL ordered all land offices to verify and update data.

LandsMaps is the new innovation of DOL using technology in all its operation, aiming to provide public land information in the part that can be publicized and providing digital output instead of paper. LandsMaps changes service point from land office to any internet device or mobile phone, changing public service provider from human-based to technology-based.

LandsMaps innovation is developed from the idea and system learned from foreign countries ie. Australia, Canada, and South Korea in registration of right and juristic act system and land tenure database which successfully installed and transferred data from paper to digital. However, it is the original idea of DOL to publicize our existing land information and land parcel in the database together with Google maps service. The idea was adapted from GIS and mapping innovation based on intention to reveal government information gathering from various agencies with service of convenient, quick, and secure digital technology.

Emerging and frontier technologies used with LandsMaps started from digitize land parcel data, transfer from paper to digital, which the operation needs to be delicate and cautious. LandsMaps has been developed to use satellite image of Google maps through API standard to overlay with DOL land parcel data and it’s also been designed its data base and system to connect to and transfer up-to-date data from 461 land offices in real-time. The adaptation of the above-mentioned technologies is new innovation of automatic information integration of government agencies to develop service system for people to become digital government.

1. LandsMaps is one of the key indicators of the World Bank in the assessment of Ease of Doing Business for private sector in the aspect of Registering Property of Thailand. According to DB report, it was found that land registry records all over Thailand were kept in central database of DOL and those data are able to disseminate to public with credibility, accuracy and up-to-date for entrepreneur used as primary data for making decision. Apart from this, people could check land information by themselves via internet without traveling to land office. Thailand was ranked in DB 2020 in 67 from 190 countries around the world. 2. Asian Development Bank: ADB invited DOL representative to deliver a speech on the Development of LandsMaps system in the Conference on Property Tax Reform and Domestic Resource Mobilization in Asia and the Pacific Region in Year 2019 at the Philippines for being the best practice model in delivering service on land information and a primary mechanism in collecting tax of local government. 3. Participants from many countries such as Bangladesh, South Korea, Laos, and Vietnam visited DOL for exchange experience and best practice on LandsMaps system.

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Essential resources in implementing the project comprised of financial aspect and human resource aspect. DOL has been funded by Government in various categories i.e. transferring land parcel records from paper to digital system of all land offices (1,934,388 million Baht in 2013-2017), managing and supervising 461 land offices in updating information, maintenance land information system of all land offices (4.5 million Baht/month), renting cost for using Google Maps (4.5 million Baht/year), procurement of new system for increasing efficiency in rendering better service (50 million Baht). And DOL has consecutively sent our IT officials to study new technology trend.

Since Year 2010 which DOL has launched the project up to present, there are the obvious records indicated the number of people used with the total of 67 million times (average of 40,000 cases/day). In addition, more than 7,000 of local administration government units in Thailand have used LandsMaps in verifying land information for collecting Land and Building Tax in Year 2020. In consequence, DOL has considered the number of users to be our key performance indicator in 2020 – 2021 and set 4.5 million Baht as budget for renting Google maps service annually.

Yes

External evaluations are; 1. 2011: Public Service Excellent Awards in Innovation, excellent level. 2. 2020: Public Service Excellence Awards in Integrated Institutions for Improving Public Services, excellent level. 3. LandsMaps is one of key indicator of WB in assessment of Ease of Doing Business for private sector in Registering Property of Thailand (Ranked 67 in DB 2020 from 190 countries). 4. ADB recommends LandsMaps as best GIS practice and primary mechanism in collecting tax of local government in the regional Conference at Philippines in 2019. 5. DOL received satisfaction assessment from people at score not less than 80%.

1. Number of LandsMaps users trend to increase each year, from our statistic was found that we have average users of more than 40,000 cases/day via website triple times of mobile application. 2. People satisfaction survey through DOL website, we found that people satisfy in using LandsMaps not less than 80 percent. 3. Questionnaire of World Bank’s Doing Business in registering property evaluated by entrepreneurs in Thailand and site visit or video conference for World Bank consultant.

The main findings of external both in-house and international organization evaluation from the above-mentioned have produced strong impact to Government and DOL in sustainable enhancing and developing LandsMaps system continuously. DOL has set up the Committee for supporting the facilitation of private entrepreneur in conducting business and developing of accessing to land information and relevant information from partnership government agencies in order to satisfy with people needs by using sufficient allocated annual budget of Government. DOL has to cope with the challenge in enhancing system towards digital disruption.

LandsMaps is the integration of operation and information between 5 government agencies: 1. Department of Lands (DOL) is system developer and service provider in land digital information which are: 1.1. Land record information: mapsheet number, title deed number, location, dealing file number, sub-district, district, land area, and land office’s contact number. 1.2. Land parcel information: shape file, land parcel boundary, location, and coordinate. 1.3. Other information: survey expense notification, survey queue, expenses calculation program. 1.4. Google maps: satellite image, navigation map, well-known places, street view, and coordinate number of land office. DOL is responsible for eligible contract and fee from Google. 2. Treasury Department provides information on land parcel valuation price. 3. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) provides information on zoning layer, town plan of Bangkok. 4. Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning (DPT) provides information on zoning layer, province town plan of 76 province of Thailand. 5. Digital Government Development Agency (DGA) is the developer of LandsMaps application on mobile for iOS and Android under the project on “Government Access Channel: GovChannel.

From huge number of LandsMaps users, DOL has strong determination in expanding service to cover all over the country, we also have connected and exchanged information between 5 government agencies as “our partnerships for the goals”. Regarding land registry records, those data can be disclosed to public without impact to private information of land owners. At present, there are 14 categories of integrated government information which were disseminated on LandsMaps system with 67,943,840 cases of user via our website and mobile application (as of 20 October 2020). People could equally access our service and no one left behind. Regarding to stakeholder engagement, DOL has listened to opinion of people, entrepreneur and financial institution with broad-minded from satisfaction survey and direct call to system developer including other social medias such as Facebook and Line of executives. Crucial significant enhancement was emerged during 2017 – 2018 from requirement and recommendation of entrepreneurs which they requested for searching from nearby well-known location of interested land parcel beside searching from title deed number and double click on any land parcel appear on screen. For disclosure information that we have disseminated to the public have been confirmed by Official Information Commission, Office of the Prime Minister.

Besides the benefit to people directly, lessons learned from LandsMaps providing service are: 1. Raise awareness of people to preserve their ownership in land. 2. Provide information for people to understand and check any encroachment in their land by considering from information of land boundary, surrounding area, satellite image, and street view. 3. Data from LandsMaps which are land information, data from other government agency, data from Google maps, and zoning layer integrated together is used by people, entrepreneur, and other government agency as an information to plan for future land management, especially Local Government Administration Organization, LandsMaps provide the information essentially for collecting Land and Building Tax. 4. Learn to solve problem by proactive working using technology to apply with rendering service to people. LandsMaps also provides information for every sector to be able to access to data faster, safer, and more convenient leading to the integration of information and cooperation of government agency.