Implications of Cadastral Systems on Engineering Asset Management

Abstract

Fixed or immovable assets include engineered infrastructure such as buildings, bridges, electrical and water utilities, roads, railways, and manufacturing and processing plants. These assets are built on land that often have inalienable rights implications, and in most jurisdictions, proposals to acquire and/or establish fixed or immovable assets, or even to deploy and utilize certain classes of movable assets must comply with a multitude of legislative stipulations. For example, the development of land through the establishment of an immovable asset may be embroiled in legal disputes between contending stakeholders asserting inalienable and alienable rights to land titles. Such disputes add to the costs of capital development projects, as well as the cost of utilizing major assets, and influence decisions as to where an asset intensive business venture may be located. Legislation not only provides the means to resolve ownership/custodianship rights but also, it stipulates legal imperatives for control and utilization of engineering assets. It is in this regard that this paper discusses some of the implications of land registration and cadastral systems on the management of major engineering assets.