VISION - MISSION
The Department of Lands and Surveys
"DLS"
Is probably the most important pillar of socio-economic development in our country, as it deals with the land, which is one of the leading factors for progress, prosperity and development in the Cypriot economy. With its present operational structure and responsibilities, through a wide range of Laws and Regulations, the Department is one of the most essential services of the Public Sector, making a most important contribution to all sectors of activity of the Cypriot society.
The DLS provides the basis for the design of all development programs relating to immovable property, offering services to many public sector entities, such as local authorities, bodies governed by public law, banking and other organizations and more generally all citizens.
The Department has the exclusive
responsibility for
- immovable property
- registration
- valuation
- general assessment (for tax purposes)
- tenure
- surveying
- cartography
- geodesy
- hydrography
- as well as the management of all property belonging to the State.
Undoubtedly, the DLS is the main source of data relating to real property. The data in conjunction with the procedures generating and supporting them are the main and core asset of the Department.
Their further use and utilization becomes an imperative need, as these data in order to be productive, should first of all be structured correctly and at the same time, through interoperability, be available primarily horizontally, across the Public Sector, to other bodies, businesses, researchers and ultimately the citizen himself.
The Department collects a plethora of data relating to real property- manuscripts of over 100 years old and computerized data more than 25 years old. Data collection is part of its daily operations, as well as part of broader data collection projects, both in the field, and through new technological forms.
DLS IT Strategy
The New Strategy is
The New Information Technology Strategy of DLS
The DLS IT Strategy shall promote automation of re-engineered business processes, integration of information and processes from other government and local authority systems based on an open, flexible and interoperable architecture and shall change the view of the DLS land registration system as a "Closed Register" to an "Accessible and Open Register" while maintaining the requirement of the provision of information to the public on a need and entitlement basis".
The Efficient Services for Citizens
And the two-way communication with them is the top priority for the Department. This is achieved through the necessary redesign and simplification of time-consuming procedures, investment in people, as a power factor, implementation of IT technology and particularly e-government services and enhancing access and services through a friendlier building infrastructure.
Certainly, functional evolution and improved efficiency through increased productivity, efficiency and cost optimization, require optimal use of resources through a stable automation framework. Especially in times of reduced public spending, automation is particularly useful in the effort to modernize business operations with reduced manpower, and acts as a catalyst in tackling the various challenges to be faced in the future, both by Cyprus as a country, and the Department in particular.
The redesign and automation of the Department's processes, together with the upgrade of its systems based on the latest flexible and stable technologies that provide enhanced unified functionality, are expected to lead to more efficient processes and to the provision of new services, thus contributing to improved productivity, new areas of growth and a more citizen-friendly approach.
The above is in line with the overall approach of the Republic of Cyprus regarding e-Government.
