GIS and Evidence-Based Policy Making - Chapter 10

Part II Making Policy 2007 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. 2007 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Section I Engaging with Policy-Makers 10 Application of GIS to Support Land Administration Services in Ghana Isaac Karikari, John Stillwell, and Steve Carver CONTENTS 10.1 Introduction............................................................................................. 241 10.2 Progress towards Land Policy and Land Information Systems ..... 242 10.3 Need for Self-Determination................................................................. 243 10.4 Land Types and the Role of Land Agencies in Ghana .................... 244 10.5 GIS Implementation: Institutional and Technical Considerations......................................................................................... 245 10.6 Prototype Software................................................................................. 249 10.6.1 ArcView 3.2 User Interfaces.................................................... 252 10.6.2 Microsoft Access Metadata Structure.................................... 253 10.6.3 Access Interfaces....................................................................... 253 10.7 Respondents’ Reactions to the Initial Prototype Software............... 255 10.8 Observations............................................................................................ 256 10.9 Conclusions.............................................................................................. 258 References ........................................................................................................... 258 10.1 Introduction This chapter reports on a research project whose objective was to under-stand the factors and processes that will underpin the successful adoption, implementation, and use of geographical information systems (GIS) by Ghana’s land-sector agencies. In recent years, Ghana has formulated a land policy under the Land Administration Program (LAP) and made progress towards the development of a land information system (LIS). The country 2007 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. had previously received support from external donors in the transfer of GIS technology but with limited benefits for the administration of land by the relevant organizations. Thus, only slow progress has been made in auto-mating the procedures for collecting and managing data on land ownership and transfer. In response to the challenge for improvement, a customized application (prototype software system) has been developed to support some of the tasks involved in routine administration by the Accra Lands Commission Secretariat (LCS), the main institution responsible for managing public lands in Ghana. The technical structure of this prototype constructed using ArcView and Microsoft Access is the focus of this chapter. However, some attention is also paid to the institutional context and the roles of the agencies that operate in the sector. 10.2 Progress towards Land Policy and Land Information Systems Themainagenciesoperatinginthelandsectorhavenotdirectlybenefitedfrom any specific project introduced by international donors. However, some land agencies have been involved in projects related to land and natural resources implemented by other sectors. Since these projects had land ownership and mapping components, it became imperative that the land-sector agencies like the LCS were involved. Such projects include the Urban II project and Ghana Environmental Resource Management Project (GERMP), both of which have now come to an end. In fact, the Government of Ghana had approved the GERMP in 1991, a projectaimed at implementing the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) under the coordinating role of the Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA). The Lands Commission, together with the Land Admin-istration Research Centre (LARC)of the University of Science and Technology (UST), took responsibility for the land ownership aspects under the Land and Water Management Component of the project. Until the outset of GERMP in May 1993, no attempt had been made to computerize activities or information in the land sector. The commencement of the project was therefore welcomed in this respect and the LCS, like the other participatory agencies, inherited some GIS equipment from the project that is still available for use today. In1999,theGovernmentintroducedalandpolicydocument(LPD)aimedat establishing and developing a LIS. It was noted that the basis of better man-agement of information within the land sector might be brought about by analyzing and costing existing tasks, abandoning unnecessary procedures, and developing a better use of resources (UNCHS, 1990). One key objective wastoreduceduplicationinthestorageofinformationandtoreplaceregisters, physically damaged through handling, with electronic versions. However, progress towards automation has been very slow in the agencies under the Ghanaian Ministry of Lands and Forestry. This can be attributed to inherent 2007 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. difficulties with the introduction of the technology itself and with problems of data conversion that confront organizations in this sector. Even though the Survey Department under GERMP used computers to perform land-survey computations, the development of GIS has remained very limited. The aware-nessofthepotentialofthistechnologyappearstobegrowingyetthetechnical, economic,andinstitutionalproblems,eventhoughoutlinedintheLPD,areyet to be addressed in practice. In 2001, however, the Government initiated the LAP to provide a platform to translate its national land policy into action. As expected,anup-to-dateLISthatsupportsgoodmanagementoflandrecordsis now to be constructed, and this provides the context for our research. 10.3 Need for Self-Determination Africa still remains heavily dependent on donor support and development assistance from the West. GIS are regarded as a Western artifact and its introduction still requires assistance. This presents enormous challenges to countriessuchasGhana.Itisworthnotingthattheintroductionofgeotechnol-ogy in Africa by expatriate consultants has been positive in the main but has led to certain difficulties, particularly following the life span of GIS project implementation. Problems have included noncommitment or inaction by the adopting agencies, leading to nonmaintenance of equipment and therefore failure to incorporate Western GIS into their own systems. Even though Ghana is still subjected to the ebb and flow of donor thinking, it is imperative that the country seeks channels for more control over GIS project design and implementation. We therefore concur fully with the view that, if GIS are to be introduced successfully, then their development, modification, and control must begin with indigenes who have a deep understanding of the socioeco-nomic and political context of the situation as well as technical capabilities of GIS (Taylor, 1991). The reason for this position is straightforward. In Ghana, GERMP had been a notable precursor to the development of GIS in the land sector.Attheendoftheproject,mainlydesignedandintroducedbytheWorld Bank, our investigations at the Accra LCS reveal that the adoption and assimi-lation of GIS had brought certain difficulties with it. After the consultants had departed, there appeared to be no one with the commitment to continue the process that had been started, and no plans were made to ensure optimum utilization of GIS equipment still available for use, i.e., that no integrated analytical tools are available in the Accra LCS. The above observations suggest that there is a need for greater levels of self-determination and debate within Ghana in relation to the role of expatriate and indigenous experts and other areas of GIS diffusion policy. Cash et al. (1983) have noted that, since developing countries have distinct-ive environmental conditions that differ from developed countries, the formulation of effective strategies for developing computer-based informa-tion systems requires a good understanding of their special macro-external 2007 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. ... - tailieumienphi.vn