Putting Mineral Licenses on the Map: Bringing Government Cadastres Online

In Conversation with Charles Young
Bringing Government
Cadastres Online

Spatial Dimension
Background
• Founded in 1999 with 4 staff
• Currently 50 staff (business analysts, programmers, database
specialists, project managers, etc)
• Offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Vancouver, Belo Horizonte and
Sydney
• Focus on implementing FlexiCadastre (mining cadastre system) for
corporates and governments
• Extending FlexiCadastre online services

Strategic Partnerships

FlexiCadastre
Corporate Clients

FlexiCadastre
Government Clients

FlexiCadastre Footprint
Corporate and Government User Base

600+ users in 90+ locations
1 million lines of code
> 8 million km2 of land managed

Presentation
Framework
• End Game
– Improve the quality of licensing data
– Improve the general availability of up-to-date licensing data
– Increase transparency in the licensing application process
– Develop tools for civil society and investors to dynamically access
licensing data online
– Develop tools to allow for the application of licenses online
• Online Mining Cadastre Implementation Steps
– Mining cadastre systems
– Online license mapping portals
– Online license application portals

Online Mining Cadastre Implementation
Mining Cadastre Systems

Evolution Introduction
• Paper Based ‘System’
– Only hardcopy records available with no digital data
• GIS Based ‘System’
– Includes a mapping application (ArcGIS, MapInfo, etc) with associated
database (MS Access, MS Excel, etc)
• Mining Cadastre System
– Integrates the relevant Laws and Regulatory business processes and
forces data integrity
• Online License Mapping Portal
– Provides online access to a dynamic license map
• Online License Application Portal
– Allows for online transactions i.e. new applications, renewals, transfers, etc

Current Situation
25

20

15

10

5

0
Paper Based GIS Based Mining Cadastre Tenement Mapping Tenement Online
‘System’ ‘System’ System Portal Transactions

African Cadastre Systems

Please note that this graph is for illustration purposes only and has no scientific backing

Data Access Corruption vs. Transparency
100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Paper Based GIS Based Mining Cadastre Tenement Mapping Online Tenement
‘System’ ‘System’ System Portal Transactions
Corruption Transparency

Please note that this graph is for illustration purposes only and has no scientific backing

Paper Based Cadastre ‘System’

GIS Based Cadastre ‘System’

ArcGIS – Only records the spatial information

MS Excel – Only records the tabular information

Paper / GIS System Data Integrity Drawbacks
• Paper and GIS based systems
– Not possible to handle large application volumes
– Isn't modeled in accordance with the Mining Law and Regulations
– Poor license overlap detection (topographic sheets)
– Poor restricted area overlap detection
– No data auditing
– Creation of disparate datasets

• Results in POOR DATA MANAGEMENT
• Results in POOR DATA QUALITY

• DOESN’T ALLOW FOR THE PUBLISHING OF ACCURATE DATA ONLINE

Cadastre Systems Data Integrity Benefits
• Mining Cadastre Systems
– Processes designed in accordance with the Laws and Regulations
– Provides tools to accurately capture cadastre data
– Validates license overlaps on application
– Reduces possible conflicts with licenses and restricted areas
– Notifies up and coming renewals and expiries
– Ensures full data auditing

• Results in GOOD DATA MANAGEMENT
• Results in GOOD DATA QUALITY

• ALLOWS FOR THE PUBLISHING OF ACCURATE DATA ONLINE

Implementation - Institutional Setup

Implementation - Business Process Modeling
Application for an Exploration license

Applicant: Submit
application Receivability items Receivability items
* Natural person * Legal person
LT: Capture application Full name Full name
Nationality Nationality
Application not C Place and date of birth Legal form
Not receivable Head of LT: Check Immediately
received Profession Capital
receivability
Place of recidense and Address of head office,
Immediately address name and address of its
LT: Scan and upload The type of mineral and representative in Ethiopia
documents geographical Copies of memorandum
coordinates and aritcles of association,
Immediately Any previous right held latest annual report,
LT: Register application in License status: APPLICATION Statements: financial, balance sheet, profits and
Archive technical competence loss statement and auditors
Application rejected Complete overlap or Partial overlap or
and experience reports for the previous
License status: Immediately Work program
max area exceeded over max area three years and a list of
REJECTED
Expenditure members’ name of the
board of directors incl.
Lic overlap and max area check Determine area free of address and nationality and
overlap and/or adjust size any other authorised
Spatial validation
person
Immediately
Immediately The type of minreal and
Shape Validation geographical coordinates
Print letter of modified area is always closed Any previous right held
to applicant successfully. Statements: financial,
Maximum size Result shape is technical competence and
allowed is 2000 km2 Immediately determined by experience
if in area Category 1, Validation Work program
or 3500 km2 if in area No overlap and not exceeding max area Archive: Send letter of Expenditure
Category 2. modified area to the
Maximum total area applicant
allowed for one Immediately
license holder is
5000 km2 for all No response or
resources except Receive response from negative response
construction applicant
LT: Generate Flexicadastre
materials, 20 km2, confirmation letter and
15 days
Gemstones, 200 km2 notification for national
and Industrial newspaper, send to
minerals, 500 km2 applicant via archive
Immediately

Confirmation of
application letter
Applicant: Collect
notification letter from
archive and publish
15 days

LT: Register
publication date

Public: LT:Evaluate objection
Objection
Within 120 days
Within 30 days

No objection

Application rejected

LT: Evaluation License documents are:
Technical program LT: Prepare license License letter (agreement)
Environmental statement Maps and coordinates
documents
Work Program
7 days Unspecified Memo to minister
LT: Print letter to request
outstanding information
from applicant (via archive)
15 days
HOD: Authorisation

LT: Capture Work Program Unspecified
No response or commitments
Application rejected unsatisfactory 7 copies for signature

Unspecified
HOD: Send documents to License fee is
minister/regional bureau calculated based on 3
Head of MOD: Sign head for signature items
rejection of application
Unspecified 10 birr per page
Unspecified 10 birr certificate fee
200 birr per license
License status: REJECTED (20 km2)
License fee: 200 Birr
Receive copy of signed Minister/Regional Bureau
LT: Notify applicant and documents from archive. head: Sign and send back
Applicant: Pay license fee LT: Notify applicant Prepare license fee paper
give reasons for rejection to HOD
and certificate
Unspecified
Unspecified Unspecified Unspecified Unspecified

Licensee: Collect license
License status: ACTIVE
Unspecified (schedule on previous action)
Schedule granting and close on
date of Minister signs. Set license
status to Active
Schedule submission of
annual (2nd and 3rd) work
program 11 months and 23
LT = Licensing Team month after granting
IT= Inspection Team Schedule Expiry 3 years
after granting (date of
minister signing)
Annual land rate is
60 Birr per km2 . Schedule annual report 30
days after expiry The Land rates are
These rates may
calculated differently from
vary from region to
region to region, functionality
region
has to accommodate several
Schedule Land Rates
actions in the workflow, only
the appropriate action (based
on region) must be selected
and used for scheduling the
Copies of approved
application/license to
land rate.
Regional Mines office,
MOD, offices of Minister
and state minister.

Implementation - Historical Data Verification

Implementation – Standard Procedures

Implementation - Spatial Validation

Implementation - Lifetime Obligations

Implementation - Renewal Verification

Implementation - Integrated GIS Map

License Mapping Portal

Implementation Effort Split
• Technology (software) – 10% effort
• Infrastructure (hardware, bandwidth, etc) – 20% effort
• Data (licenses) – 30% effort
• Culture (political) – 40% effort

Technical Architecture
• Service
– Cloud computing methodology
– End users access the online portal through a standard web browser
– Allows for the sharing of resources to achieve economies of scale
• Application Framework
– Initially developed in Esri Silverlight API but incompatible with Apple’s
mobile operating system (iOS)
– Silverlight requires a plug-in download (6 megabytes)
– Plan to expand supported target platforms to HTML5 capable devices (iOS
& Android) using the Esri JavaScript API
• Mapping Framework
– Esri’s ArcGIS Server
• Spatial Database
– Esri’s ArcSDE

Data Structure
• Layers
– Licenses: Hosted in South Africa
– Physical map backdrop: Esri online map service
– Satellite imagery: Microsoft Bing maps
– Geology: Hosted by OneGeology
– Project data: Various
• User Experience
– Seamless data integration
– Integrated datasets presented in one interface

License Mapping Portal Challenges
Legal Framework Solution
• The legal framework needs to accommodate online data sharing /
online payments / online applications
• Solution
– Future World Bank regulatory framework reviews should make provision
for online transactions
– The Zambia government is currently updating the legal framework to
incorporate online transactions
– Tanzania is also undertaking a legal framework review

‘Dirty’ Data Solution
• Portal of limited use if the licensing data is of poor quality
• Solution
– Implement mining cadastre systems to create the basis for ‘clean’ data
– Cadastre implementation includes an initial data verification process
– Ensures good data quality on an ongoing basis
– Not only spatial inaccuracies but attribute errors i.e. active status but
expired
– Tanzania portal used to involve the public in data cleaning verification

Political Buy In Solution
• The most challenging aspect of implementing an online solution
• Solution
– Build on the momentum of other cadastre / online implementations
– Encourage policy makers, funders, civil society and investors to put
pressure on government
– Implement a soft skills approach which includes creating a wave of change
from middle to upper management

Cadastre Head Director of Mines Permanent Secretary Minister of Mines

– Ultimately the key is to build strong relationships with governments. It could
take years to push the shift from a culture of protecting license data to a
culture of sharing license data.
– The bottom line is there are no shortcuts, it takes time and requires patience

Poor Server Infrastructure Solution
• Developing countries generally have poor infrastructure. The online
systems need to guarantee 100% uptime.
• Solution
– Host the servers and online system externally
– Advantages of hosting externally at a Data Centre
– Dedicated and fast bandwidth guaranteed
– Scheduled data backups
– System uptime guaranteed
– Availability of generators and uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
systems
– Provides a reliable remote access connection for support and
maintenance

Funding Solution
• Governments generally don’t have sufficient funds to implement online
systems
• Solution
– The solution needs to be addressed internally (government) and externally
(donors)
– Sell data online i.e. licenses GIS data (government)
– Provide a monthly subscription feature service for a fee (government)
– Follow the route of PNG by including the provision of online services in the
mining cadastre RfP (donors)
– Need to fund online cadastre portals as the ultimate way of increasing
license transparency (donors)

Integrate Extractive Data
• Not only mining data but country wide extractive data showing mining
licenses as well as oil and gas blocks. This problem is pronounced in
East Africa with the newly discovered oil and gas discoveries.
• Solution
– Oil and gas government institutions will require proper cadastre systems to
ensure transparency and good data
– Initial ‘integration’ can be a data extract from existing ‘systems’
– Tanzania will ‘integrate’ oil and gas licenses in the mining portal (data
export)

User Friendly Interface

Data Update Date Stamp

Integration with Bing Maps

Integration with OneGeology

OneGeology geology data for Kenya

Integration with Militarised Mining Areas

Updating Routines

DRC Usage Statistics

Future Plans – Spatial Features
• XY tool allowing for the capture of coordinates for application prescreening
• Overlap detection subsequent to capturing coordinates
• E-commerce module allowing for the purchasing / downloading of licenses
data in GIS format
• Provision of dynamic feature services
• Integration with related data i.e. IPIS Research project in the DRC

Future Plans – Non Spatial Features
• Inclusion of revenue reporting
• Include officially publicly available corporate records for download. ‘Much
of the DRC’s most important corporate information is left to rot away, tied
up in loose bundles at the Tribunal de Commerce in Kinshasa’.
• Increase transparency by providing company information of directors and
shareholders

Including License Transparency in EITI
• In order to be more effective, the database should have a GIS interface to
plot the coordinates of the tenements ……..
• The minimum information to be published for each license should include
– Applicant name
– Date of application
– Coordinates of the license
– Type of applied license
– Date of granting or refusal
– If refused, reasons for refusal
– If granted, date of expiration or first renewal deadline
• The above is addressed with online license portals

System Rollout

Cadastre and Portal Application Combination

Online License
Portal
Desktop License
Portal Analysis

Immediate Text
Message Notification

License Captured
Immediate Application on Application
Receipt Letter

Immediate License
Portal Update

Tanzania Portal Demonstration

Facts
Updated daily
More than 60,000 licenses displayed
Inclusion of oil and gas licenses in the future
Used to distribute data as well as allowing for external data verification

Online License Application Portal

Online Application Portal
Introduction
• Simple to use with a user friendly interface
• Different user registration / access configuration
• Accommodate all business processes i.e. new
applications, renewals, transfers, extensions, cancelations, suspensions,
etc
• Ability to locate ‘free’ areas
• Ability to upload required documents
• Ability to pay required fees
• Relevant cadastre system business processes (new
applications, renewals, transfers, extensions, cancelations, suspensions,
etc) are triggered on saving the online application
• Cadastre staff are notified of online transaction and process accordingly
• User receives email / text message notification

User Access
• Anonymous Users
– Browse maps
– Browse licenses
– Register as user Anonymous Public User

• Registered & Authenticated Users
– Apply for new licenses
– Pay license fees
– Manage account details
– View own licenses Public Portal
– View available work details
– Submit work reports
– Submit licenses renewals, transfers, etc
– Receive reports Registered Public Users

System Login

User Interface

License Details

Payment Process

License Coordinate Capture

Accommodate regular / irregular shapes as well as grid / non-grid based jurisdictions

Application Capture Process

Online Mining
License Renewal System Triggers
FlexiCadastre Workflows
Online Prospecting
License Application

Online Application
System

Cadastre Officer
Processes application

Cadastre Officer
Processes renewal

Poor Infrastructure Solution
• Poor access to the internet and computers in Africa
• Solution
– Generally impacts small-scale miners
– Zambia will be providing an Application Reception Area at the Cadastre
Office
– The Application Reception Area will include computer terminals with
internet access

Payments Solution
• Very low credit card base in Africa
• Solution
– Need to include various online payment options
– Credit card payments
– Mobile payments
– Debit card payments (Africard)
– Bank payments (setup a branch at the Cadastre Office)
– Ensure that local banks make use of an online payment gateway

Rollout

Questions

Charles Young
Senior Consultant
Spatial Dimension

Tel: +27 21 531 3132
Mobile: +27 83 679 1789
Email: charles.young@spatialdimension.com
Web: www.spatialdimension.com

Putting Mineral Licenses on the Map: Bringing Government Cadastres Online

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