Context
Access to a property’s official parcel identifier (helyrajzi szám – HRSZ) is a prerequisite for many administrative, legal and market processes in Hungary, from property transactions to utilities and municipal procedures. Yet discovering the correct HRSZ has long been cumbersome. Information was typically obtained from old contracts or official papers, while online options were fragmented, often required registration or payment, assumed specialist knowledge, and offered limited mobile usability or visual confirmation.
The Lechner Knowledge Centre, the legally designated custodian of national spatial and land information and part of the Digital Hungary Agency (Digitális Magyarország Ügynökség – DMU) holding structure, identified this as a structural access bottleneck with disproportionate downstream effects. Within the policy context of Hungary’s Digital Citizenship Programme (Digitális Állampolgárság Programot – DÁP), which promotes interoperable, user‑centred public services built on common design standards, the HRSZ‑kereső project was launched as a focused yet systemic intervention.
The service provides a login‑free, mobile‑first, map‑based interface that enables visual parcel identification using address or location search, relying exclusively on regularly refreshed authoritative state data. In doing so, it directly operationalises the EPSA Category I focus on data‑driven public administration and user‑centric digital reform by changing how a foundational public dataset is accessed and understood.
Objectives
The primary objective of the HRSZ‑kereső project is to remove cognitive and procedural barriers that prevent citizens and professionals from confidently identifying the correct parcel identifier at key life events, such as buying, selling, or renovating property. Rather than digitising an existing bureaucratic step, the project simplifies the discovery phase that precedes many formal administrative and market transactions.
Specifically, it aims to enable instant, registration‑free access to HRSZ information; reduce reliance on intermediaries for basic parcel identification; improve confidence through visual, map‑based confirmation; and demonstrate that authoritative public data can be exposed in a form that remains intuitive for digitally less confident users.
A secondary, institutional objective is to validate a cross‑disciplinary delivery model within Lechner, combining geospatial data stewardship, modern software development, and user‑centred design in a single product team. Externally, the service functions as a conversation starter that makes the value of high‑quality spatial data tangible for organisations that already recognise its strategic importance.
Together, these objectives position the project as a concrete citizen‑facing solution and a proof point for data‑driven, standards‑compliant digital governance.
Implementation
The project is implemented as a standalone digital service operated by the Lechner Knowledge Centre, under the Digital Hungary Agency holding structure. Product ownership is clearly defined, with a dedicated product owner responsible for prioritisation and alignment with policy objectives, supported by a multidisciplinary team spanning software engineering, geospatial expertise, and user‑centred design.
Implementation follows an iterative, evidence‑driven delivery model. User research was conducted prior to development to validate real‑world needs, and since the launch the team has maintained a weekly programme of user interviews complemented by continuous usage analytics. This approach enables rapid validation of assumptions and incremental improvement without service disruption.
From a technical perspective, the service is mobile‑first, login‑free, and built on automated deployment pipelines that support frequent, low‑risk releases. Authoritative datasets managed by Lechner are used exclusively, with progressively increased refresh frequency as operational maturity grows. National DÁP design standards are applied to ensure consistency and accessibility.
The project was launched nationally in October 2025 after a controlled pilot phase, and continues to evolve through incremental feature delivery, including the recent extension to condominium sub‑units (albetétek). Governance, resourcing, and operational practices are designed to support sustainability beyond the initial project timeframe.