

This publication discusses the importance of open data as a tool for inclusive land governance. It introduces and describes open data, land governance functions, and metadata. It provides an in-depth looks at AGROVOC, the controlled vocabulary about agriculture and related sciences coordinated by FAO for more than 40 years, and LandVoc, a sub-vocabulary dedicated to the land sector. Using these two examples, the article explores why structured metadata is integral for open data to support innovation and improvements in land administration.
Authors and Publishers
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information.
The vision of the Land Portal Foundation is to improve land governance to benefit those with the most insecure land rights and the greatest vulnerability to landlessness through information and knowledge sharing.