Document Type : Original Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Geospatial Information Systems, Faculty of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 The Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructure and Land Administration, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Land administration plays a pivotal role in sustainable development, urban planning, and protecting property rights. In Iran, land information and cadastral systems face challenges such as data fragmentation, the involvement of multiple responsible organizations, and a lack of standardization. The Land Administration Domain Model (LADM), as an international standard (ISO 19152), provides an integrated framework for modeling legal, spatial, and administrative aspects of land. Given the specific characteristics of the registration system and the governing laws of land administration in Iran, it is essential to localize this model according to national needs. LADM allows for the development of country profiles tailored to the legal and institutional structures of each nation. This domain model has been implemented in more than 40 countries worldwide, including the Netherlands, Malaysia, Poland, Brazil, Morocco, Australia, and South Korea. These countries have taken advantage of the model’s flexibility to design modern land registration and three‑dimensional cadastre systems, reduce costs, and accelerate registration processes. The aim of this study is to develop a country profile of LADM for Iran that, by considering the legal, institutional, and technical structures of the country, provides a comprehensive conceptual model for land administration.
Methods: This research begins with an international comparative analysis of cadastral frameworks, followed by a systematic evaluation of Iran's land registration system. Methodologically, the national profile formulation was organized into three distinct phases. First, the scope was defined, including the identification of stakeholders, legal and technical requirements. Then, the profile was designed by mapping LADM classes to Iran’s cadastral elements, creating new classes and attributes tailored to national needs, developing code lists, and designing the Unified Modelling Language (UML) model. Finally, the model was evaluated using ISO 19152 conformance tests and expert surveys. Data collection tools included analysis of registration documents, expert interviews, and review of international models. The analyses were conducted based on conformance assessment at three levels: low, medium and high.
Findings: The analysis results showed that the proposed Iran country profile achieved full conformance with Level two (medium level) of the LADM standard, and several Level three (high level) components were also detected. Key accomplishments of this model include the successful mapping between classes, the addition of specialized classes and new attributes, and the redefinition of existing code lists. Alongside these technical outcomes, expert surveys likewise indicated the model’s strong acceptance and its effectiveness in improving land registration processes, reducing ownership conflicts, and enhancing the efficiency of the national registration system.
Conclusion: The LADM country profile represents a fundamental step toward standardizing and advancing the national land registration system. By enabling three‑dimensional cadastre implementation and integration with the Building Information Model (BIM), it can serve as a powerful tool for cadastre management. Experiences from other countries also confirm that using LADM increases transparency, reduces registration costs, and enhances coordination among executing agencies. However, achieving full compliance with the standard and operational utilization requires technical revisions, infrastructure optimization, and sustained collaboration among the involved institutions. This study recommends that the developed model be implemented in real‑world environments and that its performance be evaluated under Iran’s operational conditions. Furthermore, future research could explore the integration of this model with other information systems and further development of the country profile.
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© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
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