Improving Property Management Using Geographic Information System (GIS): A Case Study of Udoka Housing Estate, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

The creation and updating of spatial and non-spatial information on estates is a herculean task. The volume of data that necessitates proper keeping is quite cumbersome and cannot be effectively handled by traditional method or system of record keeping. In Nigeria today, the method being adopted by Estate Surveyors in management of properties is the traditional or analogue system, which presents an inflexible form and format, leaving no easy room for updating. The aim of this study was to highlight the power of Geographic Information System in automating the management of housing estate with a view to proffering solution to the problems that are inherent with traditional or analogue method. In conducting the research, primary and secondary data were obtained. Questionnaire, interview and observation (Geographic positioning system perceiver) were used to collect primary data while secondary data were obtained from maps, journal, books and internet. The map was digitized and imported into the Arc View 3.2a. Attribute tables and queries were also created. A digital map and a database of Udoka Housing Estate were created in Arc View software environment. The developed GIS can be used to provide answers to different types of queries such as; Name of owner, address of property, state of repair, use of which property is put etc. The researcher thus recommends that the old system of storing spatial and non-spatial data in cabinet be replaced with computers and GIS as it will provide improved data.

Keywords: Database, Geographic Information System (GIS), Structured Query language (SQL).