Next-level Spatial Planning to Tackle Future Challenges

New technologies allow us to share our work more easily, providing a larger platform for society to discuss spatial planning. The frontier we are working on now is to embrace the possibilities of 3D fully, says Frank Tierolff, CEO of Kadaster.

The Netherlands has been constantly battered by the North Sea. With one-third of its land under sea level, the country is the most fragile under climate change-triggered sea-level rise. What’s the role of land registers and cadastre in supporting measures that aim at adapting to and mitigating climate change?

The Dutch have a long history of fighting the North Sea. Economic development by reclaiming the land has been a feat that has made us famous world wide. One of the first things to be done after reclaiming land, before developing it, was to measure it and create maps accordingly.

In that way, the Dutch Kadaster provided insight and oversight of our fight against the sea. Nowadays, we still provide insight, but the thinking has changed. Instead of fighting, we try to work with the seas and rivers to create safe and sustainable living environments. For example, we are redeveloping our river delta.

To create space for rivers to expand in times of extensive rainfall, habitats for wildlife to thrive, and save distances between housing and the river edges to guarantee dry feet. This is no easy feat on such a small landmass as the Netherlands. But we can make it happen by using our extensive knowl edge of the land, the vast amounts of data available, and working together with all parties involved.

With the technological developments of today and tomorrow, combined with our data and expertise, I am confident that we can support the high level of spatial planning needed to face the challenges climate change poses.

What is the Dutch Kadaster vision for truly inclusive sustainable development? For Dutch Kadaster and me personally, it is all about people. Connecting people from different backgrounds, expertise, and experiences. Bringing all these views together, combined with reliable data and insightful visualizations, is key to providing society with development made to last generations to come.

We need people from all walks of life to share their knowledge, experiences, and concerns. If we want to serve all people, we need our work to reflect the society we serve. That includes inviting your everyday partners to the table and the people you usually don’t speak to and see. This demands continuous attention.

The data comprised in the land information systems are also useful to facilitate government policy. How can geospatial data and analysis enable policymakers to advance SDGs? Many government agencies, both national and local, use our data. It provides agencies with the information to perform their basic tasks and the possibility to expand on that task, implementing new policies to create better living environments and higher levels of public services.

For example, we provide professional data and analysis for our Ministry of the Interior about developments in the housing market. With a huge housing shortage in the Netherlands, innovative policies are needed to provide citizens and refugees with proper housing. Almost one million houses are needed in 2030, so there is no time to lose. Our in-depth research provides policymakers with the tools to stimulate affordable and sustainable housing across the country.

With housing being one of the basic human needs, as reflected in the SDGs, this is an important contribution to our national goals and the United Nations’ SDGs. Therefore we are very active within UN-GGIM and in supporting other countries.

With the increasing availability of the cloud, fast connectivity, and the overall shift in the spatial marketplace from services to customized on-demand solutions, do National Mapping Agencies and Surveying bodies need to reimagine their roles? The urgency and the direction to go are very time and space dependent. But it is for all mapping agencies increasingly important to be conscious of our surroundings, I would say. Societies are changing. Our environments are changing. The challenges we face are changing all the time. But change is not a negative development in itself. It also grants opportunities. Opportunities to (re)connect with others, to learn from each other, and to implement the latest tech- nological developments for the good of all. Keeping in touch with the people we serve and listening to their needs is critical here.

Land registry and classification are key components of development planning and determining usage to figure out sustainability planning. How do you see its future evolution?

The future is bright. New technologies allow us to share our work more efficiently, providing a larger platform for society to discuss spatial planning. The frontier we are working on now is to embrace the possibilities of 3D fully. Connecting and projecting data on 3D visualizations gives a whole new dimension to our work. It provides so much more insight into our living environment. We only just touched on the possibilities of this development. But the quality of our work stands and falls with the quality of our data. Ensuring data is reliable is key to providing a sustainable planning framework.

Furthermore, the responsible use of AI allows us to improve our services across the board. Often, there is a focus on the cost-effectiveness of AI. Still, I would argue that AI also makes our services and data more accessible for citizens who are not geospatial professionals.