Impact of Physical Condition of Paper Plans on Cadastral Digitization Accuracy: An Applied Study in Idlib Governorate

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the impact of the physical condition of paper cadastral plans (such as tearing, humidity, and wear) on the accuracy of digitization and georeferencing processes in the Idlib Governorate, particularly given the challenges imposed by the war on the cadastral archive. The research adopted a comparative analytical methodology using six cadastral plans with varying scales (1:500 and 1:2000) and physical states (good, medium, and poor). The Triangulation Method based on Delaunay’s algorithm was employed to address paper distortions. The results demonstrated a strong direct correlation between the degree of map damage and the increase in the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) for positional accuracy, which reached 1.10 m in torn maps. However, a crucial finding revealed that the accuracy of area calculations remained high, with relative area deviations not exceeding 2%, falling within internationally accepted limits. The study concludes that the damaged cadastral archive in Idlib is valid for digitization and can be relied upon for property documentation and reconstruction efforts, taking into account the potential spatial error margins in severely damaged plans