Land surveyors in Ghana have been urged to move beyond traditional measurement and mapping practices and embrace spatial intelligence to support national planning, development and informed decision-making.
The call was made at the 2026 Annual Conference of the Land Surveying Division (LSD) of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) in Accra, held under the theme, “Advancing Land Surveying through Innovation, Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement.”
Delivering the keynote address, Chief Executive Officer of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), Dr. Kwadwo Yeboah, said technological advancement must be accompanied by stronger collaboration among built-environment professionals.
He urged surveyors and other professionals to break down institutional silos and work together to address Ghana’s growing planning and development challenges.
President of GhIS, Surv. Emmanuel Kofi Cobbold, stressed that land surveying remains fundamental to land administration, construction, spatial planning, environmental management and the protection of property rights.
He called on surveyors and surveying firms to continuously build their capacity to respond to changing technological and societal demands.
Chairperson of the Land Surveying Division, Surv. Ing. Dr. Tina Dzigbordi Wemegah, said the modern surveyor must operate at the intersection of technology, governance and community engagement.
She noted that technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), LiDAR, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing and digital twins are transforming surveying practice.
According to her, technology should augment rather than replace professional judgement, with surveyors taking on a greater role in interpreting spatial information and contributing to national development.
Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Surv. Prof. Prosper B. Laari, linked the technological transformation of surveying to some of Ghana’s persistent challenges, including flooding, illegal mining, unplanned settlements, indiscriminate land sales, land disputes and growing pressure on urban infrastructure.
He said many of these challenges have strong spatial dimensions and therefore require reliable spatial information, coordinated planning and responsible land governance.
Guest Speaker, John Asiamah, also drew attention to the increasing importance of data and Artificial Intelligence in transforming spatial information into useful intelligence for better decision-making.
Meanwhile, Acting Director of the Survey and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission, Surv. Naa Abu Seidu Zakariah, highlighted efforts to modernise Ghana’s geospatial infrastructure.
She pointed to the expansion of the Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) network and the strengthening of the national geodetic reference framework to support accurate and reliable surveying and mapping.
The conference discussions underscored a changing professional landscape in which surveyors are expected not only to determine where things are, but also to interpret spatial information and help decision-makers understand its implications for development.
The conference is continuing with technical and paper presentations on emerging technologies, professional practice and new approaches to geospatial development.
It will also feature the Annual General Meeting of the Land Surveying Division, where members are expected to deliberate on key professional and institutional matters and chart the future direction of the profession.
