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.
All functions in the LMS can be broadly categorized under either lease acquisition or administration. There are critical components in each of these categories that help automate entire divisions in the organization. The lease module is a good example to illustrate how an LMS works, since this module's functionality spans across both land acquisition and subsequent management.
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.
The LMS needs to able to accept scanned documents in all commonly used formats and store it as digital data. It must be able to make mass changes to all stored leases to update specific provisions or nomenclature, if such updates are required on a company-wide level. Lease status tracking and workflow configuration are other desirable features.
Integration of disparate modules makes the LMS a lot more efficient. It will mean that data entered at any point is instantly promulgated to all relevant databases that need to be updated. It removes the need to print out everything, store it in files and push it around manually until to all the divisions. Automating this process makes the data more accurate, reduces the costs of redundant entry of the same data in different places, and earns green credentials for the organization due to reduced use of paper.
Apart from leases, specific modules that are essential include GIS mapping and tract management. The system also needs to have two separate system administration areas. One is for user security customization to create user groups that have clearly defined access levels and permissions. The other one is for report generation, which needs to have both standard and customizable reporting capabilities.
Every LMS has standard reporting capabilities that provide comprehensive details about leaseholds, rental payments, expiration, etc. These reports must be scheduled for delivery and the system should be able to generate and deliver the right reports to each user as required, and without any human intervention. Users with the necessary authorizations should also be able to generate custom reports to include tract and ownership data, along with exploration information.
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.
All functions in the LMS can be broadly categorized under either lease acquisition or administration. There are critical components in each of these categories that help automate entire divisions in the organization. The lease module is a good example to illustrate how an LMS works, since this module's functionality spans across both land acquisition and subsequent management.
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.
The LMS needs to able to accept scanned documents in all commonly used formats and store it as digital data. It must be able to make mass changes to all stored leases to update specific provisions or nomenclature, if such updates are required on a company-wide level. Lease status tracking and workflow configuration are other desirable features.
Integration of disparate modules makes the LMS a lot more efficient. It will mean that data entered at any point is instantly promulgated to all relevant databases that need to be updated. It removes the need to print out everything, store it in files and push it around manually until to all the divisions. Automating this process makes the data more accurate, reduces the costs of redundant entry of the same data in different places, and earns green credentials for the organization due to reduced use of paper.
Apart from leases, specific modules that are essential include GIS mapping and tract management. The system also needs to have two separate system administration areas. One is for user security customization to create user groups that have clearly defined access levels and permissions. The other one is for report generation, which needs to have both standard and customizable reporting capabilities.
Every LMS has standard reporting capabilities that provide comprehensive details about leaseholds, rental payments, expiration, etc. These reports must be scheduled for delivery and the system should be able to generate and deliver the right reports to each user as required, and without any human intervention. Users with the necessary authorizations should also be able to generate custom reports to include tract and ownership data, along with exploration information.
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.