Conceptual boundaries of real property A socio-technical analysis of the cadastral system

1
Conceptual boundaries of real propertyA
socio-technical analysis of the cadastral system
Presentation Aalborg
Maarten Ottens
Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Technology,
Policy and Management
2
Existing concepts/theories regarding (complex,
technical) systems

• Social sciences Actor-Network Theory,
  descriptive, Callon, Latour
• All elements are taken as intentional
• Physics Complex Systems Theory, predictive
• Nonlinear dynamics, modelling systems by
  modelling the elements with simple rules and
  interacting
• Engineering sciences Systems Engineering,
  prescriptive
• All elements as rational, logic, within laws of
  physics and logic

3
Static and dynamic system views

• Static system view, complexity in amount of
  elements, sorts of elements and relations
• Dynamic system view, complexity in phases in
  design approach, e.g. life-cycle design

Structure Process Structure
Process Structure
4
Basis model (static)

• Intentionality
• Functioning depending on laws of nature
• Social versus nature laws

5
An example
Systems differ qua involvement of actors and
social factors
without actors with actors
without social institutions landing-gear airplane
with social institutions ? civic aviation
6
What is the cadastral system

• Ownership of real property

7
actors in cadastral system

• Physical humans (intentionality) (professionals/u
  sers)
• Organizations (collective int.) (formal)
• Groups (informal)
• Owner (user)
• Companies (Professionals surveyors, lawyers
  Financial institutes Banks, .. Computing
  Software and Services)
• Authorities (Government, judiciary (and police)
  government officers)
• Schools (Universities etc)
• Groups (squatters, social movements)

8
social elements in cadastral system
Formal Informal
Norms/values (trust) Norms/values (trust)
Legislation (Establishing rights) Customary law
Standards (of technical nature) Tacit knowledge
Statutes (of organisations, etc)
Study programs Socialization
Rituals Procedures
Sign systems Symbols
9
technical elements in cadastral system

• Satellites
• Computers and networks
• Coordinate measuring devices
• Databases, archives documents and maps
• Markers (boundary, control points, sign posts)
• Are markers symbols/signs?

10
Designing What are the boundaries of the static
cadastral system? (What to be designed?)
Essential for functioning ( open for design)
Open for design Not open for design
Systems engineering perspective Technology, Companies (as social elements) Social elements, Actors
Socio-Tech system perspective Technology, Companies, Formal social elements Professionals Informal social elements, Intentional actors (users),
Trust (in others, in authorities), sense of
beruf
11
Designing How to design?

• Engineers if it exists, use it, dont design it,
  but if needed improve it (standards, open source
  software)
• This is then only applied to elements considered
  open for design. In cadastral systems however,
  certain other elements are so important to the
  functioning that they need to be
  designed/improved as well.
• For social elements the process design seems more
  important then the product design

12
Discussion theory

• Social elements have material grounding
  (documents, boundary marks, legislation, ..)
• abstract social versus physical technical
• Is there a conceptual distinction between formal
  and informal social elements as being designed
  and emerged?
• Markers, social or technical elements? Data?

13
Discussion designing

• For design next to structure also process design
  is needed. Engineers do it, but only for
  technology
• Social elements are in Cadastral systems more
  important then in technical socio-technical
  systems like transportation systems for
  functioning
• The classical sense of engineering design does
  not work for cadastral systems, because informal
  social elements and trust etc are not taken into
  account

14
Conclusion

• To deal with intentions and non-designable
  elements we must look at the dynamic system
• Because these elements are merely influenced
  then designed, and influencing happens through
  processes rather then designed structures.