Land, Data & Decision-Making: How Geospatial Tools Are Rewriting the Land Governance Playbook

Washington, DC — As leaders, experts, and practitioners gathered in Washington DC this past Spring for the World Bank Land Conference 2025, one thread connected the diverse sessions: The growing role of geospatial tools in revolutionising how land is seen, understood, and governed.

Considered the premier global forum for the land sector, the World Bank Land Conference brings together a wide cross-section of stakeholders for deep reflection and dialogue. The Conference is held annually at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC.

From digital parcel mapping to real-time land monitoring, the geospatial revolution is helping to close long-standing gaps in land rights, administration, and development planning.

Satellites, Drones, and the Land Rights Revolution

In countries like Zambia, drone-based land surveys are helping communities document their rights with remarkable accuracy. “We’ve gone from vague boundaries to digital certainty,” says Imasiku Mubanga, a local land officer in Western Province. In Colombia, participatory mapping using open-source satellite tools is strengthening Afro-descendant and Indigenous land claims in regions affected by conflict.

These technologies are not only improving efficiency — they’re empowering communities to tell their own spatial stories, shifting control from elites to the grassroots.

AI and the Future of Land Use Planning

Artificial intelligence is increasingly used to automate classification of land cover, identify tenure overlaps, and flag inconsistencies in land registries. In India, AI-driven systems help municipalities update cadastral records and improve urban planning. In Kenya, machine learning is applied to monitor encroachments in conservation zones while tracking informal settlement expansion.

“These tools allow policymakers to make decisions based on evidence, not guesswork,” notes Dr. Priya Narayan, a geospatial policy advisor with UN-Habitat.

Blockchain Meets GIS

Blockchain technology is making its way into land administration. When combined with GIS, it provides immutable records of land transactions, improving transparency and trust. Pilot programs in Ghana and Georgia are experimenting with blockchain land ledgers tied to GPS-enabled boundaries. While the technology is still maturing, early results suggest promise — particularly for curbing fraud and land grabbing.

Open Data, Open Governance

One of the strongest messages from this year’s Land Conference was the need for open, accessible land data. Civil society organizations argue that democratizing access to geospatial information helps hold authorities accountable and levels the playing field for marginalized communities.

“Access to land data is access to power,” says Emmanuel Ayele, a land governance expert from Ghana. “We need interoperable systems, open standards, and transparency across borders.”

What Comes Next?

As geospatial tools become cheaper and more widespread, governments are under pressure to invest in digital land systems — and to ensure that these tools serve the public good. The World Bank is supporting initiatives to build national spatial data infrastructures in dozens of countries, with new financing mechanisms tied to SDG performance.

But experts warn that technology must not outpace human rights. The call is clear: use digital tools to empower, not exclude.

Conclusion

Geospatial technology is no longer a technical add-on — it is now central to how we govern land, resolve disputes, and shape equitable development. At the 2025 World Bank Land Conference, the message was unmistakable: land governance is going digital, and those left offline risk being left behind.