The national land and property gazetteer: addressing property properly?
| Date | 01 May 1999 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14635789910258561 |
| Published date | 01 May 1999 |
| Pages | 191-205 |
| Author | Peter Wyatt |
| Subject Matter | Property management & built environment |
Practice briefing:
Land and
property
191
Journal of Property
Investment & Finance,
Vol. 17 No. 2, 1999, pp. 191-204.
#MCB University Press, 1463-578X
PRACTICE BRIEFING
The national land and property
gazetteer: addressing property
properly?
Peter Wyatt
School of Land and Property Management,
University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Keywords Databases, Research, Standards
Abstract In the past property research has been constrained by inadequate technology and
unavailable data. In recent years, however, significant advances have been made in both of these
areas. To an extent they are closely related ± as technology improves the ability to collect and
handle large volumes of property data becomes more achievable. This is evident as many
surveying firms computerise their property files and commercial data suppliers collect, integrate
and market increasing volumes of property data. Furthermore, in the public sector, the Ordnance
Survey, Land Registry, Valuation Office, DETR, utilities and local authorities are custodians of
substantial property data sets which are increasingly held in digital form. This paper describes the
key issues that arise when property information is recorded in a database and, in particular, a
geo-referenced database. Some of the issues have been addressed in the British Standard for a
National Land and Property Gazetteer but there is flexibility built into this standard which
inevitably leads to disparity between gazetteers created by local authorities. There are also
particular concerns when the standard is applied in a commercial rather than public sector
environment. These issues are fundamental to the ability to integrate property data from
disparate sources for property research purposes. The paper draws on experience of the use of the
Land and Property Gazetteer in the National Land Information Service pilot in Bristol and the
development of land and property gazetteers by local authorities and private practice. The impact
of the National Land Use Database and the UK Standard Geographic Base initiatives are also
considered.
1. Introduction
Constructing a databasethat records the complex interests in land and property
is a daunting task. Property interests are heterogeneous, if only due to their
unique locations in space. Add to this myriad physical and legal factors that
characterise property interests, it is no wonder that many property information
systems are developed for specific applications. Yet to collect, store and manage
information in digital form is clearly more efficient than any other means.
Consequently the propertyindustry has witnessed the digitisation of substantial
amounts of property datawith the aid of increasingly sophisticated technology.
Central and local government departments, agencies and authorities collect
and maintain vast amounts of land and property information. It is perhaps
unsurprising, therefore, that this sector has led to the development of land and
This paper was presented at the 1998 RICS ``Cutting Edge'' Property Research Conference at De
Montfort University, Leicester, UK.
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