Case Study: Millennium Challenge Corporation achieves modern land titling and a national CORS geodetic network in Benin with Trimble

Big Step for a Small Country Trimble Technology Helps a Developing Country Move Forward

Trimble worked with the National Geographic Institute of Benin, the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the U.S. National Geodetic Survey to address Benin’s chronic lack of secure land records, which was preventing property ownership clarity and investment. Benin needed a modern geodetic reference frame and accurate parcel mapping to convert informal occupancy permits and document rural land rights.

The solution deployed a seven‑site Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) network using Trimble NetR5 receivers, Zephyr and choke‑ring antennas, GPSNet software and Trimble field GNSS units (GeoXH, R8) with H‑Star and post‑processing. This approach delivered 20–30 cm parcel accuracy, enabling conversion of roughly 30,000 urban permits to land titles and issuance of titles or certificates to about 85,000 rural households, with plans to densify the network and offer real‑time DGPS services.

Millennium Challenge Corporation

Kevin Barthel

Senior Land Tenure Specialist