Modelling legal and administrative cadastral domain : implementation in the Portuguese legal framework

The objective of this thesis is to develop a conceptual model for classification of real property rights and public regulations. The model is called the Legal Cadastral Domain Model.The model is intended to be a terminological framework for cross-border exchange of cadastral information. Parties exchanging cadastral information via the model do not require detailed knowledge of the legal system in which the right or regulation is created.The model is based on the principle that real property rights and public regulations influence real property ownership by being either beneficial or encumbering for the real property owner.The theoretical departure of the research presented in this thesis is in comparative legal theory and terminology. Real property rights and public regulations are important parts of real property legislation as they describe and secure the use and other exploitation of land, water and air.The research is conducted through studies in real property legislation and associated literature. The model has been developed through case studies on real property rights in Portugal, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden and public regulations in Portugal and Sweden.The generated results show that it seems possible to describe real property rights and public regulations regardless of their legal origin, at least in Western legal systems.The thesis also includes a discussion of terminological aspects concerning definitions of three-dimensional (3D) real property.The thesis consists of a summary and 6 papers.