Land management software (LMS) is essential for organizations and businesses engaged in extensive acquisition of lands and for managing development and use of said lands. It largely automates the complex legal, financial, operational and regulatory processes involved with such activities. Listed below are the desired features commonly found in a professional LMS used by oil and gas companies, brokerages, and government or records agencies that have massive spatial management needs.
Broadly speaking, the system can be divided into two parts, with one focused on the acquisition process and the other one for administration afterwards. Each of these parts has multiple and critical components that help automate specific areas or divisions within the organization. For instance, the lease module handles both acquisition and management of leases.
The initial phase of the transaction before the lease execution involves heavy paperwork, including offer letters, amendments and contracts. The LMS must have the capability to provide the necessary forms and documents for standard leases as well as other types such as receiverships, remainder and third-party leases, etc. Once the transaction is concluded, the system must be programmed to produce LPRs, banker's drafts and payment checks in a timely fashion.
Scanned documents in different formats have to be saved within the system as data. The LMS must be capable of mass updates to all leases, if such changes are required across the board. Lease status tracking and custom workflow configuration capability are desired features.
The automation will be much more efficient if all the modules are integrated properly. Data that enters the LMS at any place must be made available across the whole system. It will eliminate the need to maintain paper files and move it around manually between isolated divisions. The integration improves the accuracy of the available data, and cuts down on redundant data entry costs. The lack of paper usage also makes the organization more environmentally friendly.
In addition to the lease module, other important components of an LMS include tract and ownership management and GIS mapping. It's also necessary to have certain system administration features. One is the ability to create user groups and assign access levels to each group and user. Another necessary administrative feature is standard and custom reports generation.
The standard reports must include leaseholds, expirations, rental payments and so on. Report generation must be automated and set for pre-scheduled delivery to specific user groups or individual users. An authorized user must also be able to create and view reports that include data on tracts, ownership and exploration details.
One of the key innovations that has made land management software a lot more useful these days is web-based applications that are device independent. LMS packages can be accessed on the Internet from anywhere by a user with a laptop, tablet or smart phone using a secure connection and a log-in ID. With 24/7 access to the system and instant availability of information even out on the field, the LMS has a huge amount of potential to improve productivity and enable informed decision making without delays.
Broadly speaking, the system can be divided into two parts, with one focused on the acquisition process and the other one for administration afterwards. Each of these parts has multiple and critical components that help automate specific areas or divisions within the organization. For instance, the lease module handles both acquisition and management of leases.
The initial phase of the transaction before the lease execution involves heavy paperwork, including offer letters, amendments and contracts. The LMS must have the capability to provide the necessary forms and documents for standard leases as well as other types such as receiverships, remainder and third-party leases, etc. Once the transaction is concluded, the system must be programmed to produce LPRs, banker's drafts and payment checks in a timely fashion.
Scanned documents in different formats have to be saved within the system as data. The LMS must be capable of mass updates to all leases, if such changes are required across the board. Lease status tracking and custom workflow configuration capability are desired features.
The automation will be much more efficient if all the modules are integrated properly. Data that enters the LMS at any place must be made available across the whole system. It will eliminate the need to maintain paper files and move it around manually between isolated divisions. The integration improves the accuracy of the available data, and cuts down on redundant data entry costs. The lack of paper usage also makes the organization more environmentally friendly.
In addition to the lease module, other important components of an LMS include tract and ownership management and GIS mapping. It's also necessary to have certain system administration features. One is the ability to create user groups and assign access levels to each group and user. Another necessary administrative feature is standard and custom reports generation.
The standard reports must include leaseholds, expirations, rental payments and so on. Report generation must be automated and set for pre-scheduled delivery to specific user groups or individual users. An authorized user must also be able to create and view reports that include data on tracts, ownership and exploration details.
One of the key innovations that has made land management software a lot more useful these days is web-based applications that are device independent. LMS packages can be accessed on the Internet from anywhere by a user with a laptop, tablet or smart phone using a secure connection and a log-in ID. With 24/7 access to the system and instant availability of information even out on the field, the LMS has a huge amount of potential to improve productivity and enable informed decision making without delays.
