Terraes: How Our Cadastral Management Platform Works

Terraes was born from operational frustration. After executing our first cadastral projects with generic tools — combinations of QGIS, spreadsheets, and ad hoc scripts — we understood that cadastral operations at scale required a dedicated platform. Not a GIS with bolted-on modules, but a system designed from scratch for the Colombian cadastral workflow under the LADM-COL standard.

Technical architecture

Terraes is built on an open-source technology stack that allows us to scale without depending on commercial licensing:

Database: PostGIS

The heart of Terraes is PostgreSQL with the PostGIS extension. The database directly implements the LADM-COL model, with all relationships between administrative units, rights, parties, and spatial sources defined at the schema level.

This means integrity validations are not a subsequent step — they are integrated into the data structure itself. A property cannot exist without its geometry; a right cannot exist without an associated party.

Backend: Python

The Terraes backend is developed in Python, with services that handle:

• Field data ingestion (from tablets and GNSS devices).
• Topological validations (overlaps, gaps, geometric consistency).
• XTF file generation for delivery to IGAC.
• REST APIs for communication with the frontend and mobile app.

Web frontend

The web interface allows operators, supervisors, and cadastral managers to:

• Visualize project progress by zone, status, and operator.
• Review and approve property records.
• Execute bulk validations.
• Generate progress reports for territorial entities.

Main features

Native LADM-COL model

Terraes does not "convert" data to LADM-COL at the end of the process. Data is captured, stored, and managed in the LADM-COL model from the first moment. This eliminates conversion errors that are common when working in an internal model and then transforming for delivery.

The implemented model includes:

• Basic administrative unit (COL_UnidadAdministrativaBasica): The property as the central unit.
• Right (COL_Derecho): Ownership, possession, and occupation rights.
• Party (COL_Interesado): Natural and legal persons linked to the property.
• Spatial source (COL_FuenteEspacial): Topographic surveys, orthoimages, cadastral documents.
• Point (COL_Punto): Boundaries defined by points with coordinates and accuracies.

XTF export

XTF file generation is probably the most critical feature from the perspective of delivery to IGAC. In Terraes:

• Export is done directly from the database, with no intermediate steps.
• Before export, a battery of validations is executed that replicates the rules of the official IGAC validator.
• Partial XTF files can be generated by zone or property batch, facilitating incremental deliveries.
• A historical record of each export is maintained with its validation results.

Virtual office

The virtual office is the Terraes component that connects the cadastral operator with property owners and citizens:

• Owners receive notifications when their property has been visited.
• They can review the preliminary property record and report observations.
• An interaction record is generated that serves as evidence of the socialization process.

This component has been decisive in reducing citizen objections in the municipalities where we have implemented it. When owners actively participate in validating their information, acceptance of the final result is significantly higher.

AI validation

The AI validation module is the most recent addition to Terraes. It automates verifications that previously required manual review:

• Geometric consistency: Detects polygons with invalid geometries, self-intersections, or duplicate vertices.
• Topological validation: Identifies overlaps between properties, gaps in the cadastral mesh, and inconsistencies in shared boundaries.
• Attribute validation: Cross-references cadastral information with external sources to detect inconsistencies in areas, addresses, and owner data.
• Anomaly detection: Identifies properties with atypical characteristics that require human review — for example, a residential property with a reported area of 50,000 m².

Terraes Ciudadano: the mobile app

Terraes Ciudadano is the mobile extension of the platform, available on Google Play. It is designed so property owners can:

• Consult their property's cadastral information.
• Verify that the data captured during the recognition visit is correct.
• Send observations and requests to the cadastral operator.
• Access simplified explanations of cadastral concepts — what a cadastral appraisal means, what a boundary is, what the update implies.

The app requires no technical knowledge. It is designed so that anyone with a smartphone can interact with their municipality's cadastral process.

Municipalities in production

Terraes is currently in production in 9 municipalities, managing properties at different stages of the cadastral process — from cadastral formation to conservation and updating.

Each municipality generates learnings that are incorporated into the platform. The particularities of each territory — informal tenure, properties in hard-to-access areas, absent owners — become business rules and validations that make the system more robust with each project.

Open-source technology as a strategic decision

Terraes is built on open-source software for a strategic reason, not just an economic one. In a context where territorial entities need technological autonomy, depending on commercial licenses for cadastral management is a risk.

PostGIS, Python, GeoServer — each component of the stack can be maintained, audited, and extended without depending on a specific vendor. If a municipality decides to change operators, their data is in open formats and standards.

What comes next

Terraes is in constant evolution. Current development lines include deeper integration with IGAC systems, improvements to the AI module for predictive validation, and expansion of virtual office capabilities to include complete online cadastral procedures.

If you want to learn about Terraes in detail or evaluate how it can integrate into your territory's cadastral operation, the platform is available at terraes.com and the citizen app on Google Play.