[2016-06-18] ET: Sweden tests blockchain technology for land registry

[polynesia]

Sweden tests blockchain technology for land registry

http://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/residential/sweden-tests-blockchain-technology-for-land-registry/52809748

Sweden is conducting tests to put the country's land registry system on blockchain, the underlying technology supporting the digital currency bitcoin, the Swedish Land Registry said on Thursday.

The Scandinavian country is working on the project with Swedish blockchain company ChromaWay, consulting firm Kairos Future, and telecommunications service provider Telia, the registry said in a statement.

[skang]

In all honesty this is not a good idea because land is not fixed.

Think about it, this is year2016 and we have really good GPS systems yet we never define land in terms of coordinates but relative to nearby geographical features. Even developed countries don't, why so?
Because the geography constantly changes. Rivers shift course, mountain ranges shrinking, himalyas getting higher each year consuming in the land on colliding tectonic plates, continents move metres in a decade, new land is always being created, old land i destroyed, etc.

Ownership of land is relative. Not absolute. Mapping it to an absolute entity like a blockchain token would cause conflicts.

[polynesia]

In all honesty this is not a good idea because land is not fixed.

Think about it, this is year2016 and we have really good GPS systems yet we never define land in terms of coordinates but relative to nearby geographical features. Even developed countries don't, why so?
Because the geography constantly changes. Rivers shift course, mountain ranges shrinking, himalyas getting higher each year consuming in the land on colliding tectonic plates, continents move metres in a decade, new land is always being created, old land i destroyed, etc.

Ownership of land is relative. Not absolute. Mapping it to an absolute entity like a blockchain token would cause conflicts.

We do have digital land records. I don't see why we cannot use the blockchain to replicate it.
If indeed we need relative marking, can't that be achieved through the blockchain as well?
Since complicated assets can be stored on the blockchain as well, relative coordinates shouldn't be a problem.

[skang]

Digitalization is not a use case for blockchains, any database will do..
Decentralized or atleast mediator-less transfer of ownership is the use-case & with dynamic relative coordinates a dispute resolver would be needed.

[polynesia]

Covered by Firstpost as well.

http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/blockchain-technology-being-tested-by-sweden-for-land-registry-321227.html