Bhu-Naksha: The CADASTRAL Mapping Software for Digitized mapping of India Land Parcels
The Government of India have decided to implement the Centrally-Sponsored scheme in the vector of the National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP) by merging two existing Centrally-Sponsored Schemes of computerization of Land Records (CLR) and Strengthening of Revenue Administration and Updating of Land Records (SRA&ULR) in the Department of Land Resources(DoLR), Ministry of Rural Development. The integrated programme would modernize management of land records, minimize scope of land disputes, enhance transparency in the land records maintenance system, and facilitate moving eventually towards guaranteed conclusive titles to immovable properties in the country. The major components of the programme are computerization of all land records and integration of textual and spatial records and mutations, survey/re-survey and updation of all survey & settlement records including creation of original cadastral records wherever necessary, computerization of registration, development of core GIS and capacity building. This document outlines detailed requirements for cadastral mapping solution and the integration of ROR and cadastral maps under NLRMP.
The scope of the system is to facilitate end to end solution for cadastral mapping starting from digital verification of raster and vector data of cadastral maps, its integration with Records of Rights (RoR) and services such as mutation, updation, distribution of RoR and map covering the requirements of NLRMP project in G2G and G2C domain. During the process of development the software will incorporate all organization flows and process of Land Revenue System. The software will be deployed in the tehsils/taluks in the country.
In present scope of work, cadastral maps are maintained within village boundaries with proper village index defining association, direction and orientation among plots constituting the village. This is to ensure “whole to part approach” and keeping errors confined to village boundaries.
Bhunaksha is a cadastral mapping software developed by NIC using Open source applications and libraries to facilitate management of digitized cadastral maps. With proper customization Bhunaksha can be integrated with existing Land Records application of any states that deals with textual data. Back end database Postgresql with Postgis spatial module is used for storing geometry and spatial attributes of plots and other features. Bhunaksha talks to other external ROR database which are mostly in MS Sql Server in implemented states. ROR database can be virtually in any RDBMS.
The scanning, digitization, verification of cadastral maps are the pre-processes and input to Bhunaksha application.
For overcoming diverse structure of ROR database in different states Bhunaksha defines certain interfaces for talking with ROR database. The interfaces are implemented differently for different states based on the structure of that state’s ROR database. In this way the same Bhunaksha application workbench can be used for any state just by plugging the particular state’s implementation of ROR interfaces.
The Features of Bhu Naksha are as follows:
Developed using Free and Open source software.
- Works in Windows and Linux
- Centralized and Distributed architecture.
- Web, Desktop and Mobile apps available.
- Responsive web rendering for smaller screens.
- Plugin architecture to facilitate integration with any state’s ROR/Master database.
- A plot can be divided into multiple subdivisions in a single mutation
- Multiple methods for creating division lines.
- Grid and Background image can be used to help in drawing division lines.
- Multiple plots can be divided in a single operation for cutting road/canal etc.
- History and Audit trail of division is maintained in the software.
- Distance measurement and calculation takes into consideration initial scale and local units
- Plot map and Village map can be displayed and printed to any scale.
- Vector printing of maps.
- SLD based styling of plot and layers.
- Query based thematic maps can be defined by user.
- Bulk import of Shape files and ADF files.
- Maps can be generated from Survey data (LandXML) data and FMB
- Validation reports for comparing data in ROR database and digitized map files
- Helps to correct geometry errors in Shape file.
- Adapts to the authentication and authorization features of ROR database users.
- Online Georeferencing tools for legacy maps.
Centralized Architecture
In centralized architecture the core application and database resides on an array of centralised servers. The application can be accessed through browser or Bhunaksha desktop client. The desktop client consumes REST services provided by the server application. Some of the robust features which cannot be implemented with limited facilities of browsers are implemented in Desktop client application alone. Services which are to be used directly by public has been completely implemented in browser client. This setup will be feasible only when there is remarkably high bandwidth connectivity among the department offices and powerful array of servers. The application can also be accessed via the mobile client which provides some mobile friendly features.
