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This paper analyzes Brazil's Ordinance No. 3,242/2022, which establishes guidelines for the multipurpose cadastre, highlighting its alignment with international technical and conceptual frameworks. The research adopts a qualitative, analytical, and documentary approach, focusing on a normative analysis of the Ordinance and documents from institutions such as the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), ISO, and UN-GGIM. Key structuring aspects of the multipurpose cadastre are emphasized, including the definition of land parcels, parcel certification, the concept of territorial objects, cadastral reference networks, and the creation of a Real Estate Market Observatory. The results demonstrate that the Brazilian regulation reflects significant conceptual advances, incorporating principles such as multipurpose use and fit-for-purpose, while also drawing on national experiences, particularly from the rural context. It is concluded that Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 represents a milestone for cadastral modernization in Brazil, aligning the country with international practices and projecting future challenges related to the adoption of multidimensional cadastres and the integration of emerging technologies.
The Multipurpose Cadastre has been studied and implemented in Brazil
since the early 1990s. Academically, the first initiative to address the
topic in a graduate program was at the Federal University of Santa
Catarina, which defined it as a concentration area in 1991. Since then,
a significant number of research projects and technological innovation
works have been developed in the country. These academic and
professional contributions, influenced by advances in international
conceptual frameworks, led the federal government to an important
initiative aimed at encouraging municipal administrations to implement
the Multipurpose Territorial Cadastre: the publication of Guidelines in
the form of a ministerial ordinance (Portaria). The first ordinance, No.
511, was published in 2009 by the Ministry of Cities and was replaced in
2022 by Ordinance No. 3242 from the Ministry of Regional Development,
which is the focus of this work.
The proposal for the current national multipurpose cadastre guidelines
considered recent advances i) in cadastral systems, as seen in academic
publications, ii) in monitoring successful experiences in Brazilian
municipalities and other countries, iii) in discussions held at relevant
events, and iv) in the experience of the Brazilian rural cadastre.
Academic publications underpin terminologies such as territorial objects
and real estate market observatories. Successful experiences in
Brazilian municipalities include database modeling that already
considers the parcel as a cadastral management element, with its
definition based on mass cadastral surveys, enabling the use of the
territorial cadastre for urban policies and citizen services.
Discussions at events have guided the simplification of databases by
adopting the fit-for-purpose cadastre concept, coined by the
International Federation of Surveyors (FIG).
The Brazilian rural cadastre provides the foundation for the
terminologies of certified and non-certified parcels. The enactment of
Federal Law 10.267/2001, known as the Law for the Georeferencing of
Rural Properties, is undoubtedly the most representative legal milestone
of Brazilian cadastral advances and follows the international movement
led by the FIG since the mid-1990s for cadastral modernization
worldwide. This law introduced various cadastral aspects and principles
widely applied in other countries. These include: the concept of the
parcel as a territorial unit, the adoption of coordinate-based
descriptions for parcel boundaries, the connection of coordinates to a
single geodetic reference system, the identification of parcels through
a unique, unambiguous, and stable code, the establishment of positional
accuracy standards for parcel boundaries, and the strengthening of the
objective aspect and the principle of speciality in property titles
through the accurate description of parcel boundaries, among others.
Certified and non-certified parcels are, therefore, concepts and
terminologies adapted from the successful application of Law 10267/2001
in rural areas to the urban context, expressed in Ordinance No.
3,242/2022/MDR. These aspects represent a solution that simultaneously
contemplates the identification of legal and actual boundaries and the
creation of a single cadastral base with all parcels.
The formulation of the current guidance for the multipurpose cadastre,
expressed in Ordinance No. 3,242/2022, results from a historical process
that gradually sought to align with principles and guidelines already
consolidated internationally. The central objective of this work is to
highlight this alignment, emphasizing the main
theoretical-methodological aspects incorporated by the Ordinance and
their relationship with the guidelines systematized by the International
Federation of Surveyors (FIG), an institution that has played a central
role in producing and disseminating technical references on territorial
cadastre on a global scale.
Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative, analytical, and
documentary approach, based on normative and conceptual analysis. The
procedures involved examining Ordinance No. 3,242/2022, combined with a
review of the main technical documents published by the FIG, which
allowed for the identification of points of terminological and
conceptual convergence between the analyzed references. Additionally,
publications from the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global
Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) are also considered, as its
work has stood out in proposing standards and recommendations for
geospatial information governance and integration worldwide. To
systematize the results, a Synthesis Table of correlations was prepared,
comparatively highlighting the relationships between the concepts of the
Ordinance and their anchors in international technical frameworks and
external references.
The publication of Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 must be understood within a historical process marked by advances and discontinuities in territorial cadastre policies in Brazil. Federal concern with the theme dates back to the 1960s and 1970s, when initiatives such as the Federal Housing and Urbanism Service (SERFHAU) and the CIATA program sought to structure methodologies for real estate-based cadastral surveys, with an eminently fiscal bias limited to calculating the Brazilian property tax “IPTU” (Urban Building and Land Tax). Although relevant, these efforts did not consolidate into a permanent national policy, being interrupted by administrative reforms and budget constraints (CUNHA et al., 2019).
It was only in the early 2000s, with the creation of the Ministry of
Cities (2003), that the territorial cadastre agenda was resumed at the
federal level. Following a series of seminars and technical workshops,
the agency published Interministerial Ordinance No. 511/2009, which
represented a milestone by officially introducing the notion of the
multipurpose cadastre. However, its legal nature remained advisory, not
imposing on municipalities the obligation to implement territorial
cadastres.
Although an important milestone for consolidating the debate on the
multipurpose cadastre in Brazil, Ordinance No. 511/2009 was developed
with reference to highly advanced and consolidated international models,
whose full adoption required institutional, technical, and financial
conditions that did not correspond to the reality of most Brazilian
municipalities. By incorporating rigid concepts and highly complex
standards, the regulation ended up imposing practical barriers to its
implementation, especially in small and medium-sized cities, which
lacked technological infrastructure, specialized technical staff, and
budgetary resources to structure territorial cadastres as proposed
(Linheira et. al, 2024).
These limitations highlighted the need for a regulatory review that,
without sacrificing conceptual consistency, could offer greater
flexibility and suitability to Brazilian conditions. It is in this
context that Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 emerges, built from a more
pragmatic perspective aligned with the Brazilian reality – thus adhering
to the fit-for-purpose principle, seeking to balance technical rigor
with application feasibility, and offering a more viable path for the
consolidation of the multipurpose cadastre in the country. Thus, the new
ordinance can be considered an update of the previous one, realigning
its theoretical-methodological approach with international best
practices in the field of the multipurpose cadastre.
Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 and its theoretical-methodological approach are
the result of a process of gradual evolution of cadastral policy in
Brazil: from fragmented and discontinued initiatives in the 20th
century, through initial consolidation with Ordinance No. 511/2009, to
the incorporation of concepts with greater alignment to the
international literature in 2022. Thus, more than a simple regulatory
update, Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 signals an attempt to consolidate a
modern, multipurpose, and fit-for-purpose oriented territorial cadastre
in the country, adjusted to different municipal realities but in tune
with global land administration standards (Steudler, 2014).
From the analysis of the content of Ordinance No. 3,242/2022, structuring elements that evidence the operational basis of cadastres were identified. Among them, the following stand out: the definition of multipurpose cadastre; the definition of a territorial parcel, including the differentiation between certified and non-certified parcels; the definition of a territorial object, contemplating the distinction between physical and legal territorial objects; the definition of a Municipal Cadastral Reference Network; and finally, the Real Estate Market Observatory. In this context – as mentioned in the Introduction of this work – it is intended to demonstrate, throughout section 3, how these elements align with the guidelines consolidated by the FIG in its technical publications on the subject.
Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 presents in Chapter I, called General
Provisions, two articles directed at defining the multipurpose cadastre
as an integrated system that combines the official inventory of
municipal parcels with thematic information of a social, environmental,
housing, infrastructure, tax, among other, nature. Complementarily, it
defines that the territorial cadastre constitutes the geometric
reference base, guaranteeing the integration and consistency of the
different thematic cadastres (Brasil, 2022).
This conception is anchored in the concept presented in the technical
report Cadastre 2014: A Vision for a Future Cadastral System, organized
by Steudler and Kaufmann, published in 1998 by the FIG. The document,
based on the experiences of countries like Germany and the Netherlands,
which at the time already had integrated cadastral systems, presented
guidelines for the future of the cadastre. This approach highlighted the
need for cadastres to represent not only the location and extent of
lands but also the associated rights, responsibilities, and
restrictions. In this sense, the cadastre came to be conceived as a
systematic public inventory of all legal territorial objects, defined by
law, with precise delimitation of their contours and individual
identification, including information about their nature, size, value,
and the pertinent legal rights or restrictions (Steudler; Kaufmann,
1998).
This conceptual update, although seemingly simple, introduced a new
paradigm in the use of cadastral systems. Concretely, the cadastre came
to be understood as a much more comprehensive tool than the mere
function of property registration, assuming a central role in various
fronts related to territorial planning and management, besides
generating benefits related to the real estate market. In practice, the
consolidation of this concept established the initial bases for a
process of international convergence, which, as it was gradually adopted
by countries, paved the way for discussions on more robust
standardizations, aiming to enable data exchange between different
countries and territories, as well as the sharing of experiences and
best practices.
In the case of Brazil, it is worth noting that Ordinance No. 511/2009
presented a conception of the cadastre with limited alignment with the
international vision. Specifically, it restricted its approach and
description of lands to territorial parcels, without clearly explicating
the process of incorporating the associated rights, restrictions, and
responsibilities. In this sense, Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 overcame these
limitations by incorporating the notion of territorial objects and fully
aligning with the definitions established in the international scenario.
The use of the parcel as a cadastral unit has a long tradition in different countries. In continental Europe, for example, the Napoleonic cadastre in France established, in the early 19th century, the cadastre parcellaire, defining the parcel as the basis for taxation, agrarian management, and territorial regulation (Kain et al., 2023). In Switzerland, the cadastral system covers all parcels, including roads and public areas, recognizing them as full cadastral units, endowed with legal, ownership or institutional representation, used for multiple purposes, from urban planning to environmental management (Seiler, 2017). Similar experiences can be observed in countries like Sweden, Canada, and Australia, where the parcel constitutes the basis for multipurpose systems, articulating geospatial information and legal records, serving as a model for subsequent international formulations (Kaufmann, 2017).
The modern conceptual outline of territorial parcels was also consolidated by the "Cadastre 2014" document. In this case, the territorial parcel consists of the fundamental cadastral unit, originating from the legal recognition of the relationship between people and land, being geometrically delimited by geodetic coordinates. Furthermore, the territorial parcel is the base unit to which territorial objects are linked, which consist of entities used to delimit the rights, restrictions, and responsibilities that eventually affect the parcel. Thus, the modern conception treats the parcel not only as a physical unit but as an organizing unit of territorial information, capable of supporting multiple administrative and public policy applications (Steudler; Kaufmann, 1998).
The consolidation of this understanding of the territorial parcel
enabled the development of the Land Administration Domain Model (LADM),
transformed into an international standard in 2012 (ISO 19152:2012). The
LADM constituted itself as a data model and a semantic and IT framework
intended for the standardized organization of geospatial and
legal-administrative information on land, using the territorial parcel
as the basic informational unit.
Concretely, the LADM operationalizes the conceptual approach introduced
by Cadastre 2014, offering a systematic and computerized basis for
modern land management. By defining classes and relationships (e.g.,
spatial units, actors/parties, rights, and restrictions), the LADM also
enabled interoperability between systems, facilitating the exchange,
integration, and automated processing of cadastral data – essential
conditions for the implementation of multipurpose territorial cadastres
and for enhancing their capabilities as information infrastructure.
Thus, the expanded conceptualization of the parcel and its operational
formalization in the LADM provided both the theoretical foundation and
the technical-computerized framework that allow today the articulation
between spatial representation, legal records, and thematic bases.
In the Brazilian context, Ordinance No. 511/2009 defined the
territorial parcel essentially as a cadastral unit derived from its
geometric representation and descriptive attributes, still maintaining a
strong link with the notion of an urban lot or rural property. This
conception, although already seeking to contemplate the multipurpose
nature of the cadastre, remained limited to the recording of spatial
features for administrative use, without explicitly detailing the
association with rights, restrictions, and responsibilities.
With the publication of Ordinance No. 3242/2022, a conceptual advance is
observed, in line with international references. The notion of the
parcel now explicitly incorporates the idea of a legal and
administrative spatial unit, whose relevance is not restricted to
geometry, but to its function as a basis for territorial governance.
Thus, the current regulation approaches the LADM recommendations by
recognizing the parcel as the core for the integration of spatial,
legal, and management information, reinforcing its centrality in the
structure of the multipurpose cadastre. The transition from Ordinance
No. 511/2009 to Ordinance No. 3242/2022 reveals, therefore, a
significant change: from a predominantly geometric and descriptive view
of the parcel to an expanded conception, guided by the perspective of
land administration and the multipurpose nature of the cadastre – in
line with the path historically taken by countries that consolidated the
parcel as the basis of their cadastral systems decades ago.
The introduction of parcel certification in Ordinance No. 3242/2022, with the distinction between certified and non-certified, finds a parallel in international discussions on the quality and reliability of cadastral information. Steudler (2014), when updating the principles of Cadastre 2014 towards Cadastre 2030, emphasizes that the effectiveness of land administration systems depends directly on the quality assurance of cadastral information. This perspective also connects to the fit-for-purpose principle, consolidated in the technical guide "Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration", organized by Enemark et. al and published by the FIG in 2015. The principle establishes that land administration and cadastre systems should be developed in a flexible, inclusive manner adapted to the socioeconomic context of each country, prioritizing low-cost solutions, rapid implementation, and broad coverage. Thus, instead of adopting overly complex and costly models, the focus proposes that systems be built to meet the immediate needs of society and can be gradually improved over time, guaranteeing formal and informal recognition of rights, restrictions, and responsibilities over land.
In Brazil, the experience of the Rural Property Cadastre, managed by
INCRA, had already introduced certification as a central element of
cadastral reliability. Since the early 2000s, land and environmental
legislation began to require that rural properties be georeferenced and
certified by INCRA, as established by Decree No. 4,449/2002 and
subsequent regulations. This requirement resulted in the development of
the Land Management System – SIGEF, implemented in 2013, which automated
the technical analysis and validation of the declared boundaries of
rural properties. Certification, in this context, ensures that the
geometry presented by the owner or occupant does not overlap other
already certified properties, reinforcing the spatial consistency of the
rural cadastral base and increasing the legal security of the records.
This experience contributed to consolidating in Brazil the notion that
cadastral certification is an essential condition for the integration
between spatial data and legal records. Within the scope of Ordinance
No. 3242/2022, the introduction of the distinction between certified and
non-certified parcels can be interpreted as an extension of this logic
already consolidated in rural areas to the multipurpose cadastre. In
line with fit-for-purpose, the Ordinance recognizes that, at an initial
stage, the coexistence of non-certified parcels is admissible, to enable
the implementation of the system. However, it also establishes the
perspective of a gradual process of replacing non-certified parcels with
certified ones, so that, at a more advanced stage, the multipurpose
cadastre is composed exclusively of certified parcels.
Thus, parcel certification, while connecting to international trends of
cadastral quality assurance, directly dialogues with the Brazilian
experience in rural areas, constituting an important step towards
strengthening the country's territorial governance.
The concept of a territorial object, understood as a thematic element intended to identify rights, restrictions, and responsibilities, is in direct alignment with the Land Administration Domain Model (LADM), whose core structure is organized precisely around the RRR triad (Rights, Restrictions, Responsibilities) (ISO 19152:2012). This model establishes that not only the geometry of the parcel should be recorded, but also the totality of legal and administrative relations that affect the territory. By adopting such a perspective, the LADM provides the basis for cadastral systems capable of integrating legal, technical, and social information into a single conceptual structure.
This formulation also materializes the vision of Cadastre 2014,
which argues that public restrictions on land use – such as permanent
preservation areas, risk zones, listed heritage sites, or areas of
urbanistic interest – should be registered with the same level of
importance as private rights (Steudler; Kaufmann, 1998). This position
represented a significant change from the tradition of cadastres focused
only on individual property, recognizing that public interests also
configure legitimate relations over the territory.
In the same sense, the Report The Social Tenure Domain Model,
organized by Lemmen and published by the FIG in 2010, stands out. The
model, known by the acronym STDM, emphasizes the need to register social
tenure arrangements, recognizing the diversity of existing forms of
territorial appropriation, especially in contexts of urban and rural
informality (FIG, 2010). This perspective broadens the scope of land
administration by admitting that tenure security does not derive
exclusively from formal registration but can be guaranteed based on
social practices recognized by the community.
In the Brazilian case, the incorporation of the territorial object concept by Ordinance No. 3242/2022 represents a significant advance by proposing a structure capable of integrating multiple thematic elements related to the territory, overcoming the traditional exclusive emphasis on parcel geometry. This approach is particularly relevant in a country marked by the recurrence of possession as a form of land occupation, a situation that challenges cadastral models centered only on formal property. By recognizing real rights, administrative restrictions, and environmental and urbanistic responsibilities as constitutive dimensions of the multipurpose cadastre, the possibility is created to include and legally represent the plurality of existing relations between society and territory. In this way, the multipurpose cadastre expands its capacity to support public policies, promote social justice, confer greater transparency to territorial management, and offer instruments more adequate to the national land reality, while simultaneously bringing Brazil closer to international recommendations and best practices.
The geometric dimension constitutes one of the central foundations of
any cadastral system, as it ensures the precise and consistent
representation of parcels in space. Since the publication of the
Cadastre 2014 document (FIG, 1998), it has been emphasized that the
reliability of cadastres depends on the existence of a robust geodetic
reference network, capable of guaranteeing spatial integrity and the
comparability of information between different sources and levels of
government. Thus, the notion that geometric precision is not just a
technical requirement but a structural requirement for the effectiveness
of the Multipurpose Cadastre was consolidated internationally.
This guideline was deepened in the Framework for Effective Land
Administration (FELA), a document published in 2020 by the United
Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management
(UN-GGIM). FELA aims to provide an international reference to support
countries in modernizing their land administration systems, guiding them
regarding principles, components, and best practices. In this context,
it is emphasized that the robustness of the geodetic reference is an
essential pillar, as it depends not only on cartographic accuracy but
also on the legal and administrative security of cadastres. The fact
that this recommendation comes from a UN body reinforces its global
legitimacy and impact, promoting convergence between different nations
around minimum standards of spatial reliability.
In the Brazilian case, the official base to meet this principle is the Brazilian Geodetic System (SGB), maintained by IBGE. The SGB constitutes the national geodetic infrastructure, composed of a set of reference stations (GNSS), geodetic markers, and leveling networks that materialize the Geocentric Reference System for the Americas (SIRGAS2000) in the territory. This structure enables the precise determination of coordinates, serving as the basis for all topographic and cartographic surveys in the country. However, the continental dimension of the Brazilian territory, the diversity of regional conditions, and the need for continuous maintenance of the network represent significant challenges for the consolidation of homogeneous and easily accessible coverage in all municipalities.
It is in this context that Ordinance No. 3242/2022 introduces an important guideline: the mandatory linking of parcels to a municipal cadastral reference network and, in its absence, to the SGB. This determination strengthens the geometric precision of cadastres, ensures their interoperability with other databases, and promotes the reliability of territorial information. Furthermore, it functions as a stimulus for municipalities to create and maintain their own reference networks, expanding local capacity for territorial management and promoting the decentralization of the cadastral process.
In addition, Brazil has the recent publication of NBR 14166:2023 – Municipal Cadastral Reference Network, by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT). This standard establishes technical requirements for the implementation, maintenance, and use of cadastral reference networks, guiding everything from the choice and material of markers to positioning methods and precision specifications. The NBR represents an essential regulatory milestone for national standardization, providing clear parameters for states and municipalities to structure their networks, to integrate them into the SGB and, at the same time, meet local territorial management needs.
In the Brazilian case, the experience of implementing municipal cadastral reference networks is still uneven: in large cities, the consolidation of local geodetic markers is observed, while in small and medium-sized municipalities, dependence on the SGB prevails. The normative provision of Ordinance No. 3242/2022 constitutes, in this sense, a stimulus for the creation and maintenance of municipal networks, strengthening local capacity for territorial management and promoting greater decentralization of the cadastral process. This movement evidences that Brazil is in a process of institutional and normative strengthening in the geodetic field, aligning with international orientations and, at the same time, seeking solutions to the challenges inherent to its territorial reality.
The Multipurpose Cadastre has a strategic function that goes beyond the legal and geometric aspects of property, also reaching the economic and real estate sphere. In emerging countries like Brazil, where urban and rural dynamics are strongly impacted by processes of land valorization, speculation, and inequality in access to housing, the integration of cadastral information with market data is fundamental to subsidize fairer and more effective public policies. The property tax (IPTU), the main source of tax revenue for many municipalities, exemplifies the relevance of this dimension: its calculation base depends on the venal value of properties, which should reflect market prices. However, the outdatedness and lack of systematic updating of these values often compromise both municipal revenue and fiscal equity, reinforcing the need for institutional mechanisms for continuous monitoring of the real estate market.
In this context, the creation of the Real Estate Market Observatory,
provided for in Ordinance No. 3242/2022, represents a relevant
innovation by explicitly incorporating the economic dimension into the
multipurpose cadastre. It is a structure intended for the collection,
organization, and storage of data on the real estate market, allowing
for the monitoring of the evolution of land prices, transactions, and
land occupation dynamics in municipalities. This guideline resonates
with international recommendations that assign the cadastre a central
role in promoting transparency and efficiency in the land market. This
vision is supported by FIG's Cadastre 2014, which already highlighted
the importance of cadastres capable of integrating economic information,
to support fair taxation and efficient land management.
In a more recent context, the Framework for Effective Land
Administration – FELA (UN-GGIM, 2020) includes land market analysis
within the scope of effective land administration, recognizing that
monitoring real estate dynamics is an essential component for
subsidizing public policies on housing, infrastructure, spatial
planning, and taxation.
In the Brazilian case, the institution of local market observatories can
contribute to facing historical challenges related to real estate
speculation, lack of transparency in land transactions, and the
difficulty of integrating economic and cadastral data. By linking the
Observatory to the Multipurpose Cadastre, the Ordinance points to a
model in which cadastral information is not restricted to the function
of geometric and legal recording but also begins to directly support the
formulation and monitoring of urban and rural policies, strengthening
territorial governance.
The comparative analysis conducted throughout this chapter demonstrates that Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 consolidates a significant conceptual evolution, aligning the Brazilian Multipurpose Cadastre in a structured way with the most advanced international technical references. As synthesized in Table 1, each fundamental aspect of the new regulation finds direct support in paradigmatic documents produced by FIG, ISO, and UN-GGIM.
Table 1. Synthesis of the conceptual alignment between Ordinance No. 3242/2022 and FIG/UN technical documents
| Conceptual Aspect (Ordinance No. 3,242/2022) | International Technical Reference Document | Main Points of Alignment |
|
Multipurpose Cadastre |
FIG - Cadastre 2014 |
Vision of the cadastre as an integrated public inventory, going beyond property registration to be a data infrastructure aimed at territorial planning and management. |
|
Territorial Parcel |
FIG - Cadastre 2014; ISO 19152:2012 - LADM |
Concept of the parcel as the basic legal-administrative spatial unit, the core for the integration of spatial, legal, and management information. |
|
Parcel Certification |
FIG - Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration |
Adoption of a flexible and evolutionary model (certified vs. non-certified), prioritizing initial coverage and continuous improvement of data quality and reliability. |
|
Territorial Object |
ISO 19152:2012 - LADM and FIG/UN-Habitat - STDM |
Incorporation of the Rights, Restrictions and Responsibilities (RRR) triad, allowing the representation of formal and informal relationships with land. |
|
Cadastral Reference Network |
FIG Cadastre 2014; UN-GGIM - FELA |
Emphasis on robust geodetic infrastructure as a pillar for geometric precision, interoperability, and legal security of the cadastre. |
|
Real Estate Market Observatory |
FIG - Cadastre 2014 and UN-GGIM – FELA |
Integration of the economic dimension into the cadastre, promoting transparency in the land market and support for fiscal and planning policies. |
The conception of the Multipurpose Cadastre is anchored in the
prospective vision of Cadastre 2014. The redefinition of the Territorial
Parcel as a legal-administrative unit operationalizes the concepts of
the LADM, while the distinction between Certified and Non-Certified
Parcels pragmatically incorporates the fit-for-purpose principle. The
introduction of the Territorial Object materializes the triad of Rights,
Restrictions, and Responsibilities (RRR), central to the LADM and STDM,
allowing the cadastre to represent the complexity of society-territory
relationships. The requirement for a robust Cadastral Reference Network
meets the FELA guidelines, and the provision of a Real Estate Market
Observatory integrated with the CTM incorporates the economic dimension,
as recommended by both Cadastre 2014 and FELA.
In summary, Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 positions Brazil in tune with the
global movement that conceives cadastres not as mere static records, but
as dynamic information infrastructures, essential for transparent,
efficient, and equitable territorial governance, and guided by the
principles of multipurpose use and fitness for purpose.
Ordinance No. 3,242/2022 establishes a solid conceptual and
operational foundation for the Multipurpose Cadastre in Brazil, aligning
it with contemporary international best practices. However, the
acceleration of the urbanization process and the advent of smart cities
demand a continuous evolution of land administration systems. The future
of the cadastre points towards the incorporation of new dimensions that
capture the complexity of modern urban space, going beyond the 2D
paradigm.
In this context, the implementation of 3D and 4D Cadastres emerges not
as a mere technological innovation, but as a practical response to the
management needs of complex urban structures. As highlighted by Polat
and Ustuner (2015), the 3D cadastre is fundamental for representing and
managing rights, restrictions, and responsibilities (RRR) over specific
spatial volumes, solving problems of overlapping rights in high-density
environments. Its application is crucial for:
The temporal dimension, which characterizes the 4D Cadastre, allows
the management of the complete lifecycle of territorial assets, from
project and construction to demolition, supporting a more dynamic and
predictive urban management. The LADM (ISO 19152), which already
provides a conceptual basis for 3D modeling, is the natural reference to
guide this transition, ensuring the necessary standardization and
interoperability.
Furthermore, the integration of the cadastre with other disruptive
technologies is an inevitable path. The connection between Multipurpose
Cadastre and Building Information Modeling (BIM) can create a "digital
twin" of the built environment, where the cadastre manages the legal
aspects and BIM models the physical and functional attributes of
buildings. This symbiosis is a pillar for smart cities, enabling
integrated management of energy, infrastructure maintenance, emergency
response, and sustainable urban planning.
Finally, the consolidation of the CTM as the central component of the
National Spatial Data Infrastructure (INDE) for territorial governance
is the strategic goal. In this vision, the multidimensional and
integrated cadastre acts as the main thematic reference platform of the
INDE – a reliable and dynamic database that supports evidence-based
decisions in critical areas such as mobility, housing, environmental
protection, and disaster resilience. The multipurpose cadastre thus
ceases to be a sectoral system to become a public utility, the 'nervous
system' of the national territory within the spatial data
infrastructure.
The journey of cadastral modernization initiated by Ordinance 3.242/2022
is, therefore, not complete. It prepares the ground for Brazil not only
to match current standards but also to embrace the next frontier of land
administration: a multidimensional and dynamic cadastre, positioned as
critical infrastructure for the development of sustainable and smart
cities.
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Guilherme Linheira is a geographer (UFSC), Master's and PhD in Territorial Planning and Socioenvironmental Development (PPGPLAN/UDESC). Experience in teaching, research, and consulting in the areas of Cartography, Geoprocessing, Planning, and Territorial Management. Currently, he works as a Technologist in Geographic and Statistical Information at the IBGE Superintendence in Goiás.
Hatan Pinheiro Silva is a Master's student in the Graduate Program in Transportation Engineering and Land Management at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC). He holds a BA in Geography (2019) from UFSC and a Specialization in Information Technology Management (2024) from the Universidade do Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI). He is a member of the Territory Observation and Transformation Group (GOTT - UFSC) and the Protected Areas Observatory (Observa - UFSC). He has experience in Cartography, Remote Sensing, Geoprocessing, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, with an emphasis on Multipurpose Cadastre and Territorial Management.
Everton da Silva holds a degree in Surveying Engineering from the União das Faculdades de Criciúma (1992), a Master's in Civil Engineering (1996) and a PhD in Production Engineering (2006) from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) where he is a Professor in the Department of Geosciences and the Graduate Program in Transportation Engineering and Territorial Management within in the multipurpose cadastre research line. He has coordinated cadastral survey works and mass appraisal of properties for fiscal purposes in several Brazilian municipalities. He is an Associate Professor at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, where he collaborates on distance and in-person courses. He is of the CTM Community (ReDus). He is the leader of the Territory Observation and Transformation Group - GOTT.
Liane Ramos da Silva is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (since 2015). She holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (2005) and a Master's in Production Engineering (1999) from UFSC, focusing on multipurpose technical cadastre and land management. She earned her degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Amazônia (1996). She has coordinated numerous cadastral survey and mass property valuation projects for fiscal purposes in Brazilian municipalities. Her expertise lies in geomatics, encompassing cartography, multipurpose cadastre, property taxation, topographic surveys, and geoprocessing. She serves as Vice-Leader of the Territory Observation and Transformation Group (GOTT), and is a member of the CTM Community (ReDus).
Francisco Eduardo de Mello Franco Sá holds a degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Universidade Santa Úrsula (2018) and a degree in Industrial Design from Universidade Positivo (2015), including one year of study abroad at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States (2012-2013). He also holds a Master's degree in Transportation Engineering and Land Management at the Universidade de Federal Santa Catarina and is a research fellow of the Territory Observation and Transformation Group (GOTT). He has worked with architecture and urban planning projects in both private firms and public companies. His investigations include GIS, multipurpose cadastre, urban policies, artificial intelligence, BIM, and parametric design.
Diego Alfonso Erba is a Land Surveyor Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina (1987). Master Science in Remote Sensing from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Brazil (1993) and Master Science in Multipurpose Cadastre from Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil (1995). Doctor in Surveying Sciences from Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Argentine (1998). He did Postdoctoral research in GIS for Water Bodies at Natural Resource Center of Shiga University, Otsu, Japan (2000), a Postdoctoral research in GIS for Urban Applications at LabClark IDRISI of Clark University, Massachusetts, USA (2003) and Postdoctoral research in Urban Cadastre at the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Quito, Ecuador (2015).
Guilherme Linheira
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística
BRAZIL
Website: http://gott.ufsc.br/
Hatan Pinheiro Silva
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
Rua João Pio Duarte Silva, 205
Florianópolis
BRAZIL
Website: http://gott.ufsc.br/
Everton da Silva.
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Geociências -
CFH
Campus Universitário Reitor João David Ferreira Lima
88040970, Florianópolis, BRAZIL
Phone: 55 (48) 37218596
Homepage: http://gott.ufsc.br/
Guilherme Linheira
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística
BRAZIL
Website: http://gott.ufsc.br/
Francisco Eduardo de Mello Franco Sá
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
Rua João Pio Duarte Silva, 205
Florianópolis, BRAZIL
Website: http://gott.ufsc.br/
Liane Ramos da Silva.
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Engenharia Civil
- CTC
Campus Universitário Reitor João David Ferreira Lima
88040970, Florianópolis, BRAZIL
Phone: 55 (48) 37212397
Homepage:
http://www.labfsg.ufsc.br/