Kadastral

Kadastral refers to the cadastre, the official record and map of land parcels used to define property boundaries, ownership, and value. The term is used in various languages and contexts to describe systems that document the legal and spatial details of land for administration, taxation, and planning. In English, the adjective cadastral is common, while kadastral forms appear in several European languages.

A cadastral system typically records unique parcel identifiers, precise boundaries, area, coordinates, and the spatial geometry of each parcel. It also includes information on ownership, rights and restrictions (such as easements or liens), land use, and assessed value. The data underpin land registration, taxation, property transfers, mortgage lending, and urban or rural planning.

Cadastral data are produced and maintained through a combination of field surveys, boundary determinations, and legal descriptions, then registered in a land registry or cadastre office. Modern systems increasingly rely on geographic information systems (GIS) to store, visualize, and update parcel data. Many jurisdictions are expanding from two-dimensional maps to three-dimensional or volumetric cadastres to represent subsurface rights, airspace, and building volumes.

Applications of cadastral information include facilitating property transactions, enforcing property rights, assessing taxes, supporting land use planning, environmental management, and disaster risk assessment. Key challenges involve maintaining accuracy across updates, ensuring interoperability between agencies, protecting privacy, and adapting to digital and 3D representations as land administration evolves.