ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the benefits that the implementation of geographical and land information systems (GIS and LIS) can offer local authorities with regard to the management of their property assets. It examines the developments in Local Authority Property Management (LAPM) following the Audit Commission's enquiry and assess whether the initiatives put in place remain appropriate after the re-organisation of local government. A survey of the handling of property data in the Eastern Thames Corridor revealed some of the important issues surrounding the implementation of GIS and LIS within a local authority environment. The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) has 57 sets of property data and 70 percent of their information relates to council owned property. An interesting example of inter agency co-operation at the state government level is provided by the Western Australian Land Information System (WALIS). This project illustrates the benefits and problems encountered in attempting to take forward a multi agency information sharing exercise.
