Hi-tech mapping has good intentions for land rights but can backfire

Authorities are using drones, satellite imagery, GPS navigation systems and AI to map customary lands, fix boundaries, and modernise land records to verify ownership and issue titles. — AFP

New technologies used to map areas in developing nations for granting titles and aiding development could be misused to further marginalise vulnerable people, analysts and land experts warned on Friday.

From Kenya to the Philippines, authorities are using satellite imagery, drones, GPS navigation systems and artificial intelligence to map customary lands, fix boundaries, and modernise land records to verify ownership and issue titles.