Estonia has once again broken new ground in digital innovation, and we are proud to be a part of the story. In collaboration with KeMIT (the Ministry of Climate IT Center) we helped to build a pioneering GIS (Geographic Information System) application for the Estonian Land Board. This project establishes Estonia as a leader in utilizing geospatial technology across Europe and shows that impactful solutions don’t always require large teams or funds.
“The Finns say they need 5–6 years and €10 million to achieve a similar system; we accomplished this quickly with a small team and budget,” says Riina Klais-Peets.
Next-level autonomy and precision in land management
The new GIS based system is a core tool for Estonia’s public sector, enabling local governments and state agencies to fulfill their legal responsibilities more efficiently and transparently. “This system is one of the country’s primary information systems,” explains Riina Klais-Peets from KeMIT, “and is critical for local and state authorities to fulfill their public duties.”
This solution allows landowners to manage essential property actions independently so minor tasks no longer require professional help.
Revolutionary point-based mapping system clarifies boundary lines
This new GIS mapping and tracking software replaces traditional polygon-based cadastral mapping with a revolutionary 3D point-based graph approach. In traditional models, each plot is an independent polygon. This can cause overlap or discrepancy in boundaries.
The point-based model connects boundary points by lines, so each property shares one clear boundary with each neighbor. This helps to avoid misunderstandings and disputes over property limits – a crucial improvement in land management.
The solution brings Estonia to the forefront of geospatial innovation. “The Finns say they need 5–6 years and €10 million to achieve a similar system; we accomplished this quickly with a small team and budget,” says Klais-Peets.
A win-win for landowners, government agencies, and surveying professionals
With intuitive online tools, users can view and plan property modifications independently.
- For government agencies, the system streamlines data management and accelerates processing times.
- Landowners can now handle simple property tasks, saving time and money, because they don’t need professional surveyors for minor tasks.
- Surveyors can focus on essential tasks like boundary measurements instead of handling repetitive administrative tasks.
Agile implementation and continuous innovation
Developing this GIS solution required a complete overhaul of data architecture and a shift to a microservices-based model. This change posed a learning curve for all parties involved. The Estonian Land Board also took on an ambitious data-cleaning effort as part of the transition.
Concise team lead, Mariin Kärp says the key to success was close cooperation between the team and the client: “We had effective direct communication between the developers and the client’s product owner, so we could find quick solutions to all development requests. It also definitely helped that our 4-member have been working together for a long time, which means that collaboration runs smoothly, everyone knows their responsibilities, and each other’s ideas are picked up on the go. At the same time, we have brainstorming sessions, to pinpoint potential risks and find the best solutions to mitigate those risks – this approach ensures an innovative and versatile solution.”
Looking ahead, this GIS is just a starting point for bigger developments.
- The team has plans to integrate automated updates in response to topographical changes. For example, when water body boundaries shift over time, the change automatically reflects in cadastral borders. Updating such changes in land records is currently a manual and time-consuming task.
- In the near future, Estonia also plans to implement 3D property registration. Though the current system focuses on two-dimensional mapping, it was designed with future 3D adaptability in mind.
All in all, Estonian Land Board’s new land management software land management software shows how a small team can create a solution that is not only technologically advanced but highly actionable for its users. Estonia’s new GIS model is more than a mapping tool; paving the way for how countries worldwide might approach land management in the future.
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