(Sarawak Tribune; October 7, 2010)

KUCHING: The Land and Survey Information System (LASIS) Sarawak has been around for quite some time now, 26 years to be exact.

Combining Information and Communications Technology together with the service industry, LASIS has quickened the process involving land such as title registration, surveying as well as revenue collection, among others.

The LASIS system was first initiated by Chief Minister Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud in 1984 and jointly developed by the Land and Survey Department, the Sarawak Information Systems (SAINS) and the Information and Communication Technology Unit (ICTU) of the Chief Minister's Department.

The Kota Samarahan Land and Survey Department held a study tour entitled, "Visit to the ICT Development Club and Media Network", for journalists to have a firsthand look at how a system that has been working for 26 years has came to be good use where efficiency and productivity are concerned.

Also present at the study tour was Land and Survey Deputy Director Ting Sii Chong, Superintendent Taib Belal, SAINS Chief Executive Officer, Dato Teo Tien Hiong and ICTU Director William Patrick Nyigor.

The LASIS system has received international recognition from countries such as Morocco, India and recently Australia, according to Dato Teo.

Apart from that, LASIS aims to address and improve human productivity and efficiency, along with changing the face of conventional methods used in tracking, mapping and planning.

Incorporating the use of a widely connected network throughout Sarawak, Land and Survey has introduced the One-stop Counter where land owners, future buyers as well as planners can go to have a better look at their documents, plots of land and even the processing of sub-divisions, altogether at a click of a mouse.

Members of the press were also shown the technical aspects that were all done over the One-stop Counter.

Separated into two phases, explained Taib, Phase one took a period of 16 years, emphasising on the gathering of raw data for the development of LASIS while Phase Two, in its final stages, gives a platform to process the data by the staff of Land and Survey.

Aspects within Phase one which focused on the gathering of data included Survey Computation Systems (SCS) allowing survey data collected to be uploaded into the SCS, employing a Field-to-finish concept. Cadastral Mapping System (CMS), Revenue System and Title Registration System are all part of Phase one.

Phase two allows for enhancing efficiency in land administration and land management.

The data gathered from Phase one was demonstrated to members of press yesterday at the Kota Samarahan Land and Survey Department.

Phase Two has just been recently implemented in the Land and Survey Headquarters and divisional offices from September this year.

According to Superintendent Taib, "LASIS will be able to provide a service that is systematic, transparent and quick".

"The development of LASIS has transformed the working culture of the department", he added.