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Technology experts gathered at the War Museum to talk about ways in which geographic information systems can be used to ease the lives of ordinary citizens.
Joburg's corporate geoinformatics unit provides a range of detailed maps
CITY officials and representatives from other municipalities joined the private sector to discuss trends in technology and ways in which geographic information systems (GIS) can be improved to benefit the public.
Hosted by the Geoinformation Society of South Africa (Gissa) and held at the National Military History Museum in Parkview, on Wednesday, 5 March, the workshop brought together various organisations and individuals that have an interest in geoinformation science.
Johannesburg has a corporate geoinformatics unit (CGIS) in the development planning department. It provides geographic feature maps and detailed information, including density, height zone, parking requirements, building lines, full area report and zoning certificates, on all Johannesburg properties. Besides enabling the council to manage its city, the unit's information has a number of uses for a number of organisations and individuals.
Participants at the workshop included those involved in management, marketing, monitoring or planning of property, environment, safety and security, programme development and engineering. They were able to interact, network and explore ways in which GIS can be adapted to technology trends and can be used to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.
Gissa also used the platform to tell participants about developments, applications and news in their fields of interest, as well as about development trends in GIS and using the technology in a broader context.
Software system
GIS is computer software that allows users to collect, manage and analyse large volumes of spatial information and associated data. They can perform geographic queries and analysis, create maps and do modelling, and identify spatial patterns and trends.
Stuart Martin, the director of business development at GeoTerraImage, said Gissa's objectives were to fast-track education initiatives and to provide a valuable service to the geospatial industry. GeoTerraImage is an independent consultancy that deals with digital image analysis and related geospatial technologies.
Francois Venter, the manager of information management in the Gauteng provincial government, noted that GIS should be used to promote sufficient access to information for all citizens.
The CGIS is working on a spatial information strategy that will guide it in planning and managing spatial information as an integrated and strategic resource.
It is also tailoring a system that will allow all seven of the City's regions to monitor urban management, using global positioning system, or GPS, technology and GIS to log, track and trace breakdowns in service delivery, such as potholes that are unfilled and water and sewerage leaks.
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