National Geoportal of Armenia Cadastre Committee of the Republic of Armenia

Overview

The National Geoportal of Armenia is a government-operated online spatial data platform developed and maintained by the Cadastre Committee of the Republic of Armenia. It serves as the country's central hub for geographic information, offering public access to cadastral maps, land parcel data, building records, orthophotographic imagery, and a range of thematic spatial datasets.

History and Founding

The geoportal emerged from Armenia's National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) initiative, which gathered momentum following legislative reforms enacted in 2022 and 2023 to standardize and coordinate national geospatial, geodetic, and cartographic activities. With technical support from the Asian Development Bank and in collaboration with EuroGeographics, the Cadastre Committee launched the national geoportal as a key deliverable of this infrastructure program. The maparmenia.am platform, a predecessor cartographic service, was launched on July 29, 2022. The full national geoportal followed, integrating digitized cadastral and cartographic layers derived from aerial orthophotos and making them publicly accessible.

Collections and Holdings

The portal hosts automatically updated spatial layers including land plots, buildings, land-fund classifications, ownership types, and standard cadastral data. A Metadata Catalogue allows users to view, create, and search metadata for both raster and vector spatial datasets. The platform also incorporates a database of approximately 35,000 standardized geographic names and over one million addresses structured for the Unified Address Registry. Cadastral maps are now maintained almost entirely online, providing 24/7 public access without requiring in-person visits to government offices.

Access and Usage

Search and map-viewing functionality on the geoportal is available free of charge to the public. Some analytical and data-processing functions require registration. The platform supports the OGC web service standards WMS and WFS, enabling interoperability with other geospatial systems. A Cadastre Committee mobile application launched in 2023 extended mobile access to its services. The geoportal is also available to state bodies for administrative analysis and decision-making.

Significance

The NSDI and national geoportal represent a significant step in Armenia's e-governance modernization. By integrating data from multiple state bodies and reducing the need for physical visits to government offices, the system has cut inter-agency applications by approximately one-third compared to 2022 and broadened access for private-sector, scientific, and public users.