ABSTRACT
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
This chapter reports on a research project whose objective was to understand 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
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 automating 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.
