The creation of tomorrow’s cities cannot be conceived without the participation of Geographic Information Systems or GIS. These have brought a set of features and possibilities to urban managers that make them much more efficient in their day-to-day work, optimising the results of the projects they work on. If you want to know more about this new approach, we encourage you to read on.
GIS or Geographic Information Systems have arrived to completely change the way in which urban planners approach their projects, providing them with new and very valuable resources and tools to manage and design cities.
As we will see, among the most prominent functions of GIS for urban development are data visualisation, geospatial information analysis, mapping and modelling.
The GIS makes it quicker and simpler to consult all types of data (topographical, economic, social, etc.) so that managers can know the reality of the city better than ever before, identify its needs and act accordingly.
In addition, they allow for the crossing and overlapping of variables and data, making it easier to find relationships that were previously more difficult to identify.
Why are GIS necessary for today’s urban management?
GIS are very necessary in urban planning for one simple reason, and that is that cities do not stop generating data continuously. Even more so now, with the development of smart city systems and infrastructures, loaded with sensors, cameras and all kinds of devices for capturing information.
A spatial component can be added to all these data, so that municipalities have a very rich and varied information base (census, land registry, urban furniture, roads, public transport, mobility, lighting, sewerage, waste collection, tax payments, etc.).
Therefore, a system is needed that is capable of managing them efficiently, storing, updating and exploiting them properly.
In addition, it is also necessary to point out another series of advantages that make GIS essential for urban planning work. On the one hand, they bring interactivity to the information, which makes it easier to understand the territory.
On the other hand, GIS has taken a great step forward in terms of communication between all parties involved, as it greatly favours the sharing of data among urban planning professionals themselves, and also with the general public, promoting citizen participation.
How are GIS used in urban planning projects?
There are many different ways in which urban planning professionals can take advantage of Geographic Information Systems or GIS. Here is a list of the most important ones:
- Production and maintenance of base cartography and topographic cartography.
- Maintenance of the cadastre and its relationship with the payment of taxes, such as Real Estate Tax or IBI.
- Maintenance and publication of urban planning, which can be linked to related regulations and the granting of building permits and activity licences.
- Georeferenced inventories of all types: heritage street furniture, green spaces, leisure and sports areas, business parks, etc.
- Control of signalling for road and pedestrian traffic.
- Mobility studies to understand the flows of citizens, as well as to recognise hotspots.
- Preparation of feasibility reports for the realisation of projects. For example, that a construction project should not be carried out in areas that are easily flooded.
- Drafting of impact studies for projects.
- Information on telecommunications, electricity and similar networks.
- Optimisation of public services: rubbish collection and cleaning, maintenance of parks and gardens, etc.
- Selection of the best location for public centres and services (health centres, sports centres, public transport stops, etc.).
- Maintenance of the Register.
- Management of grants and subsidies, as well as municipal taxes and fees.
- Georeferencing of incident notifications for prompt resolution.
- Identification of areas with the greatest public security problems.
As you can see, the list of GIS applications for urban planning is extensive and focuses on key aspects of city management, providing cities with resources that will make them a friendlier environment for their inhabitants.
If you don’t want to miss out on any of the benefits that come with them, Geograma can give you a hand with the deployment of these solutions for your municipality. Contact us and we will tell you everything we have for you and your fellow citizens.
