Jaap Zevenbergen (1965) has a Doctors degree (PhD) on Systems of Land Registration of Delft University of Technology (2002), which includes field work in Indonesia and Ghana. In 1990 he graduated in Geodetic Engineering from the former Faculty of Geodesy, Delft University of Technology, and in 1992 in Dutch Law from the Faculty of Law, Leiden University. Between 1989 and 2003 he worked first as research assistant and later as assistant professor in the Faculty, later Department, of Geodesy, and between 2003 and 2010 as associate professor at the OTB Research Institute for Urban, Housing and Mobility Studies (both part of the Delft University of Technology).There he was theme leader 'Supply of Geo-information', which encompassed both geo-information studies and land administration, both with a focus on legal, organizational and other institutional aspects. In 2008 he was appointed professor in Land Administration Systems within the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-information Management (PGM) of the ITC. The first two years as part-timer, and since 2010 as a full-time professor within the faculty ITC of the University of Twente.

Educational activities started out in the former Delft program in geodetic engineering, and later also included the former setup of the MSc International Land Management at KTH, Stockholm, and the continuing interuniversity MSc GIMA. More recently the ITC MSc in Land Administration has become the main teaching activity, since 2010 including the overall oversight as portfolio manager. In addition to teaching and thesis supervision (MSc and PhD), he has been active in Educational Monitoring and Reviewing (including chairman of Program Boards (both Geodetic Engineering and GIMA), participating in (TEMPUS) projects to redevelop programs in Slovenia, Belarus, Guatemala, Moldova, Philippines and Russia, and (vice) chair of the Exam Appeal Board in Delft).

On land administration the focus of his research, advisory services and publications is international, whereas the focus in geo-information studies was usually on the Netherlands. A key publication has been the book "Real Property Transactions; Models, Costs and Comparisons" (IOS Press, 2007), of which he acted as main editor and co-author of two chapters. This book was the final result of a European project 'Modelling Real Property Transactions' (Action G9 of the COST program, of which he acted as vice-chair), and it gives a base for comparing European land administration systems. Currently his main research relates to innovative, pro-poor land tools in cooperation with UN Habitat and the World Bank. In this work knowledge on Geo-ICT and land governance has to be brought together to align these technological and institutional aspects.

Activities in capacity development

Advisory services started out with land parcel related components of the Dutch SDI (mainly through the former RAVI) and cadastral projects in Eastern Europe, and extended to land administration with e.g. UN Habitat and the World Bank in Kosovo, Uganda, Aceh and Ethiopia. Recently the focus is on more normative work with UN Habitat on land administration in combination with enumerations, post disaster, post conflict and transparency, as well as rethinking of land registration systems. Most advisory services are part of and contribute to the research agenda.