The *Land Matrix* is a global and independent land monitoring initiative. Our goal is to facilitate an open development community of citizens, researchers, policymakers and technology specialists to promote transparency and accountability in land and investment decisions.

The *Land Matrix* initiative is led and inspired by the following principles:
Decentralized: In order to provide an unbiased, updated and representative observatory of land deals, the *Land Matrix* relies on a decentralized data-collection strategy. This is achieved through the creation of regional and national networks of information providers, as well as through crowd-sourcing.
Independent: The *Land Matrix* is a public tool independent of any single interest group other than a common belief by its partners in the importance of open data and the need for inclusive and evidence-based decision-making over land resources.
Open: *Land Matrix* data and visualizations are available for anyone to use, for any purpose, at no cost. It aims to provide a comprehensive package for independent multiplications of the model, and will incorporate innovations by its open source community.

Relevant: The *Land Matrix* will be as strong as its relevance for users, and as strong as its actively involved collaborators and co-creators. The *Land Matrix* is conceived as a service provider, offering on-demand support on: data collection and research, decentralized crowd-sourcing strategies, and strategic use of data to influence policy.
The website *http://www.landmatrix.org* is our Global Observatory—an open tool for collecting and visualizing information about large-scale land acquisitions. As an open tool, the observatory allows wide participation in constantly upgrading, correcting and improving the information it contains. In addition to the Global Observatory, the *Land Matrix* initiative supports and is linked to other more specific observatories on land deals that are country-, regionally and thematically based. The *Land Matrix* aims to contribute in an innovative and relevant way to the growing movement towards open development.


Links: http://www.landmatrix.org

*Land Matrix* is coordinated by the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), the German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the International Land Coalition (ILC). It is implemented through a network of in-country partners and data coordinators.