Lands Department

What Lands Department does

Lands Department (地政總署) is a government department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, established in 1981, responsible for land administration, surveying, and mapping across the territory. It serves the general public, property developers, licensed surveyors, architects, engineers, and construction companies through a network of 12 District Lands Offices and 10 District Survey Offices, providing services including land tenure registration, lease modifications, land acquisition, and valuation.

The department operates a portfolio of geospatial digital services built on proprietary government infrastructure. Core platforms include the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI) Portal (launched 2022-12), which enables territory-wide spatial data sharing across government departments and the public; 3D Digital Maps and Open3Dhk providing high-resolution city models; MyMapHK and the Visually Impaired Map for public-facing map services; Walkin'HK, a pedestrian routing application; and SatRef, the satellite positioning reference station network. It also collects and disseminates Mobile Mapping System (MMS) point cloud data and publishes satellite image maps including the Greater Bay Area coverage (GBA400S).

The department's business model is government-funded through annual Hong Kong SAR budget allocations rather than commercial revenue generation. Minor incidental income is derived from map sales and certain land transaction-related fees, but these are immaterial to overall funding. The department's growth trajectory is measured through digital service expansion and geographic coverage rather than revenue metrics, with notable product launches in 2022 (CSDI), 2023 (Open3Dhk expansion), and 2026 (Walkin'HK, MMS service, GBA satellite map).

Name

Lands Department

Legal name

Lands Department

Website

https://landsd.gov.hk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Lands Department (地政總署) is a Hong Kong SAR government department, established in 1981, responsible for land administration, surveying, and mapping. It serves the public, property developers, licensed surveyors, and architects through 12 District Lands Offices and a portfolio of geospatial digital platforms including the CSDI Portal and Open3Dhk.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Land Administration Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Administration & Cadastral Services (Public Land Records, Parcel Management) (BPAIANAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Property & Asset Management (Federal Buildings, Fleet, Land) (BPAIAAAJ)

Keywords

• Land administration
• Cadastral surveying
• Geospatial mapping
• Spatial data infrastructure
• Government land services

Headquarters

HQ city

North Point

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Lands Department is a government bureau funded by annual government budget allocation from Hong Kong tax revenues. No commercial revenue generation.
2. Fees and Charges: Government fees for specific services including map sales, land transaction processing, premium assessments, and surveying services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Lands Department is the HKSAR Government department responsible for land administration, cadastral surveying, and geospatial mapping across Hong Kong. It administers land leases, collects government rent and premium, defines and maintains land boundaries, and produces and distributes digital and paper maps. It operates territory-wide geospatial platforms (3D Digital Map, CSDI, SatRef) and serves the public, property owners, and land-related professionals through District Lands Offices and District Survey Offices.

Product overview

Lands Department operates a unified platform-plus-modules portfolio centered on spatial data infrastructure. The core GeoInfo Map and Common Spatial Data Infrastructure Portal provide foundational mapping and data sharing services, supplemented by specialized applications including Open3Dhk for 3D visualization, Walkin'HK for pedestrian routing, MyMapHK for mobile access, and e-HongKongGuide for electronic navigation. Supporting modules include the Slope Maintenance Responsibility Information System, e-Government Rent and Premium Portal, Street Counter Pass, BIM Data Management, and a Satellite Positioning Reference Station Network. The department also maintains digital cartographic products at multiple scales and has expanded 3D mapping coverage to Kowloon Central.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GeoInfo Map: Geographic information map application
• MyMapHK
• e-HongKongGuide
• Open3Dhk
• Walkin'HK
• Street Counter Pass (街站通)
• e-Government Rent and Premium Portal (地稅及地價電子服務平台)
• Common Spatial Data Infrastructure Portal (空間數據共享平台)
• Slope Maintenance Responsibility Information System

Products and services

• 3D Digital Map Territory-wide 3D digital map of Hong Kong providing three-dimensional geospatial data for government departments, professionals, and the public. Used for urban planning, design, and visualisation.
• Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI) Government-wide platform that integrates and shares spatial data across departments and with the public, supporting smart city development and cross-agency geospatial services.
• GeoInfo Map Web-based map application providing access to official geospatial information, including land parcels, buildings, addresses, and orthophotos, for the public and professionals.
• Satellite Positioning Reference Station Network (SatRef) GNSS-based positioning service providing high-precision correction data to surveyors, engineers, and geospatial professionals across Hong Kong for accurate location determination.
• Map Publications and Map Sales Outlets Printed and digital maps of Hong Kong sold to the public, professionals, and other government departments through designated map sales outlets, including topographic, thematic, and georeferenced maps.
• Land Administration Services (Lease, Premium, and Government Rent) Front-line statutory services delivered through District Lands Offices covering land leases, modification of leases, land exchanges, premium assessments, and government rent collection from lessees and property owners.
• Cadastral Surveying and Land Boundary Services Statutory cadastral surveying, land boundary determination, and maintenance of the cadastral record delivered through the District Survey Offices and the Survey and Mapping Office.
• Hong Kong Map Service (HKMS) / GeoData Online geospatial data services providing access to the department's authoritative digital map data, including APIs and downloadable geospatial datasets for public and professional use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Territory-wide coverage of 3D digital mapping and spatial data infrastructure
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Development Bureau (DevB)coreOthersLands Department operates under the Development Bureau which oversees land and planning matters. Key collaborations include joint practice notes on building standards, BIM guidelines, and development facilitation. The department supports major infrastructure projects under DevB's purview.
• Other HKSAR Government DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLands Department collaborates extensively with Transport Department, Planning Department, Buildings Department, and other agencies on spatial data sharing through the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI), BIM data management, and integrated government services.
• Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJoint implementation of Street Management Scheme for non-commercial publicity displays on government land, with Lands Department managing street counter permits and FEHD handling enforcement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Singapore Land Authority: Singapore's national land administration agency, combining land sales, cadastral, geospatial, and land-resource management functions under a single statutory body — closely analogous in mandate, scale, and customer mix to Hong Kong's Lands Department.
• Ordnance Survey: Great Britain's national mapping agency, the authoritative producer of topographic, cadastral, and geospatial data for the UK. Directly comparable to the Lands Department's Survey and Mapping Office in terms of geodetic control networks, digital mapping products, and open-data distribution.
• Land Information New Zealand (LINZ): New Zealand's statutory agency responsible for land titles, surveying, topographic mapping, and Crown property — a near-perfect functional parallel to Hong Kong's Lands Department across cadastral, geospatial, and government-property domains.
• Landgate: Western Australia's land information authority, operating as a state-owned statutory body delivering land titles, valuations, surveying, and geospatial data — comparable in regulatory remit and product suite to the Lands Department.
• Bureau of Land Management (US): U.S. federal agency responsible for managing public lands, cadastral records, and resource inventories. Comparable as a large-scale, government-operated land administration and surveying body, although broader in geographic scope and resource-management remit.
• Lantmäteriet: Sweden's national land surveying, cadastral, and mapping authority. Directly comparable to the Lands Department's Survey and Mapping Office for geodetic infrastructure, cadastral records, and open spatial-data services.
• National Land Survey of Finland: Finland's national land surveying, cadastral, and topographic-mapping agency. Comparable as a government operator of geodetic infrastructure, land boundary records, and digital map products serving both citizens and professionals.
• Geospatial Information Authority of Japan: Japan's national mapping and geospatial authority, responsible for topographic mapping, satellite positioning infrastructure, and disaster-related spatial data — analogous to the Lands Department's 3D mapping, SatRef, and CSDI functions.
• IGN (Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière): France's national geographic institute producing authoritative topographic, cadastral, and forestry mapping. Comparable in scope and statutory authority over national spatial data infrastructure to Hong Kong's Lands Department.

Broad incumbents

• Esri: Global leader in GIS software and spatial data platforms. While not a direct government peer, Esri provides the broader enterprise GIS ecosystem within which the Lands Department's geospatial outputs are consumed and visualized.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xplatform-cdn.sharethis.com/img/twitter.svg
• Facebookplatform-cdn.sharethis.com/img/facebook.svg
• Instagraminstagram.com/hkmapping

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lands Department