We’re pleased to see the results of our work on the Welsh Government common land digitisation project now supporting the electronic common land register system for local authorities across Wales.
As outlined in our original announcement, gi Perspective played a key role in the digitisation of historic common land maps and registers. The project represents an important step forward in modernising how this information is managed, maintained and accessed, while ensuring valuable historic records are preserved for future generations.
Bringing Historic Common Land Records into the Digital Age
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Across Wales, all 22 local authorities are responsible for maintaining registers of common land and town or village greens. Many of these records date back more than 50 years and were traditionally held as paper maps, handwritten registers and supporting documentation.
Managing these historic records presented several challenges, from the deterioration of original documents to the difficulties of accessing, updating and sharing information between organisations.
To address these challenges, the Welsh Government initiated a major programme to digitise existing records and support the development of a modern electronic register.
gi Perspective’s Role in the Project
As part of the wider programme, gi Perspective was commissioned to undertake the specialist scanning, GIS data capture and digitisation of historic common land maps and registers held by local authorities across Wales.
Our team carried out an extensive programme of on-site scanning at all 22 local authority offices, carefully capturing thousands of historic maps, large-format plans and register documents.
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However, scanning was only one element of the work. A significant part of the project involved converting the information contained within these historic records into structured, usable digital data.
This included the detailed GIS capture of common land boundaries as polygons, translating the information shown on historic maps into spatial datasets suitable for use within modern GIS systems. Alongside this, extensive textual data capture was undertaken to extract information from the accompanying registers, much of which was handwritten and required careful interpretation.
As the digitised information was intended to form the official legal record of common land rights and boundaries, accuracy and data integrity were paramount. The records also contained sensitive personal information, including the names and addresses of individuals holding common land rights, requiring careful handling throughout the process. All digitisation work was undertaken in accordance with BS 10008, the British Standard for the evidential weight and legal admissibility of electronic information, helping to ensure the reliability and legal integrity of the resulting digital records.
The captured geographical and textual information was organised into a complex structured relational database, linking the mapped areas with their associated register entries and supporting information. This required a consistent approach to data capture and quality assurance to ensure that the historic records were accurately represented in a digital format. The work also involved standardising terminology across the records, ensuring that variations in historic descriptions were consistently classified within the structured database.
The scale of the project was significant, encompassing approximately:
- 1,700 commons, towns and village greens
- 12,500 maps
- 25,000 register pages
- nearly 70,000 land and rights entries
The result was not simply a collection of scanned documents, but a comprehensive digital dataset combining spatial boundaries and register information, ready for integration into the new electronic system.
A Modern Digital Register for Wales
The wider programme, delivered by CGI, has resulted in a single electronic register system for common land and town or village greens across Wales, replacing the reliance on historic paper-based records with a modern, geographically enabled solution.
The system brings together digital mapping and structured register information through a geospatial portal and back-office administration tools. This allows local authorities to view and manage common land records, update geographical boundaries and maintain associated land and rights information within a consistent digital environment.
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Importantly, the system has been designed to support a more joined-up approach across all 22 Welsh local authorities, while allowing each authority to retain responsibility for its own register information. The digitised records also provide a foundation for improved data quality, more efficient administration and easier access to information.
The project has now moved beyond its initial development phase, with CGI awarded a further contract in 2026 for the ongoing support, maintenance and development of the electronic registers.
This represents an important transition from historic paper records to a maintainable digital resource, supporting the long-term management and preservation of common land information across Wales.
Preserving the Past, Supporting the Future
It’s rewarding to see the extensive scanning, GIS capture and data conversion work undertaken by gi Perspective contributing to a wider digital transformation initiative.
What began as a collection of historic paper maps and handwritten registers has been transformed into a comprehensive, structured digital database, designed to become the official legal record of common land rights and boundaries across Wales.
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