How blockchain benefits surveyors

Satoshi Nakamoto's 2008 research paper Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System described the creation and potential uses of a new and revolutionary type of money, the first of many cryptocurrencies. Cryptocurrency, a form of internet-based money that has not been created by any corporate entity or government, enables online transfers from one person to another without the use of a third-party intermediary, such as a bank.

The technology by which cryptocurrencies can be transferred or used to make payments is called blockchain, sophisticated and powerful software that has created the world's first decentralised, peer-to-peer monetary system. A blockchain is a distributed and public digital ledger that documents transactions across many computers, so that the record cannot be altered retrospectively without altering all subsequent blocks, nor without the consensus of the network. Besides this, blockchain allows a variety of types of digital information or data – digital assets – to be shared or distributed.

A blockchain maintains a growing list of transactions or uploaded digital data that are time-stamped, with the hash of the previous block connecting to the next to preserve the chain's integrity.

Table 1 shows the three main types of platform that emerged after Nakamoto introduced bitcoin and blockchain. There is no universal blockchain format, however, and hybrid blockchains, which are partially centralised and partially decentralised, have been developed from the three core types.

A hybrid seeks to find the balance needed between auditability, security, scaleability and data storage for applications built on top of them. The ability to control access for viewing and regulate who is allowed to upload data without sacrificing autonomy and running the risk of exposing sensitive data to the public is a perfect example. Surveyors, civil engineers, architects, cartographers, construction managers and urban planners who adapt blockchain technology into their work processes will benefit most from a hybrid type.

Land governance or administration involves procedures, policies, processes and institutions by which land, property and other natural resources are managed. This includes decisions on access to land, as well as land rights, use and development. Modern land governance requires effective policies, processes and institutions that can determine, record and disseminate information about the tenure, value and use of land, and is guided by policy and enforcement. Sound policy is built on interpreting high-quality information, providing transparency, strengthening accountability and creating a clearer means of enforcing regulations.

Blockchain is a starting point for the proactive integration of data into land policy and governance. Policy-makers and stakeholders using this technology will therefore be able to leverage data by aggregating and analysing it to improve land governance policy and enforcement.

In conclusion, blockchain technology and land surveying may seem unlikely partners. However, the technology creates a cooperative environment in which all information, data and images from a surveying project can be gathered in a reliable, confident and immutable way.

With surveying tools and instruments becoming increasingly hi-tech and widespread, openness to collaboration and new ideas will increase. This momentum could be leveraged to bring blockchain technology to the forefront.

The adoption of this technology represents a giant leap for surveying practices, professionals and other participants in the discipline. But first, they will all need to be trained in the concepts, capabilities and vocabulary. Assuming the sector can adapt, blockchain will provide significant value for the surveyors of the future, transforming and legitimising cadastres, land governance and land registries around the world.

Related competencies include: Big data, Cadastre and land management, Legal/regulatory compliance