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Problem and prospects of adopting GIS in urban development

Tapas Ghatak
Head, Environment Cell
Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority. Govt. of West Bengal
srimal@vsnl.com

Lack of availability of the infrastructural maps in the municipal level is posing a great problem for adopting these technology

A Geographical Information System is one of the latest addition in the field of information based management system and will play an important role in the coming decades. Initially, the use of GIS was restricted in the macro level planning like forest cover, land use, weather forecasting etc. In these fields, availability of maps and data was comparatively easier and required a large scale maps (1:50,000 or more). Moreover, available software needed a costly workstation for its operation, which kept common planner away from using Geographical Information System for their daily use. With the change of time and need, the present day Geographical Information System are P.C. compatible and accepting major operation has become relatively simpler. A few problems remains for the system for wider use. The areas where GIS can be adopted for daily use can broadly be divided in two groups with distinct difference in applicable areas and their users. These are:

Base line information for planners in development authorities: which will require database in the following areas : mouza maps, police stations maps, having demographic information like population, education, mouzawise crop pattern and annual production information, infrastructures maps with present status and projected future, specific development programme maps, legal status of acquiring lands etc. For this, they must be provided with resources like computers with large storage capacity and good graphical capabilities, high quality plotters, GIS software, persons with computer degree or diploma, Networking option and proper financial back up. This will require an initial investment of 15 to 18 lakhs at present per GIS operating centre.

The detailed planning and for daily execution in the Municipal local bodies and Gram Panchayet: This will need ward maps having demographic details, census details, holding with basic structures, sources of revenue, infrastructures maps of water supply network and sources,transportation net work, specific facilities and other amenities, sewage & drainage facilities, future development programmes, natural and technololgical hazard areas etc. The resources which will be required for these areas are : computers with high capacity hard disk and good graphical capabilities, high quality plotters and GIS software as central facilities (which could be shared by few municipalities), persons with computer degree or diploma. This will require about Rs. One lakh of initial investment and around Rs.20,000/-to Rs. 50,000/- of monthly financial expenditure.

While working in an urban development authority, it becomes easier to mobilise such amount of financial and human resources for GIS development in the development authority for its planning as well as execution of work. But looking towards the future planning related with 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment, wherein the local bodies like municipalities and panchayets will be required to create their planning for themselves, it is essential that these areas are strengthened with the modern technologies and facilities. While trying to take on such an exercise, the problems are currently the absence of skilled persons in the municipalities and the non availability of proper maps ("sometimes even the present holding map of a municipality are not in proper order"). While synthesising these available data the problems for adopting the GIS for the local bodies, it is seen that no compatible hardware for using GIS are presently available in most of the municipalities, nor do they have proper knowledge for independent use of GIS. No provision for keeping a trained computer person for GIS alone is kept in any of the municipalities or the gram panchayets. Funds to purchase hardware and software is simply not included in their budget. The lack of availability of infrastructural maps at the municipal level is posing a great problem for adopting these technologies. They are likely to be dependent on the numerous vendors trying to take away the job just for a business promotion and there is fear of incomplete or half-compolete GIS system with the local bodies.

As these problems are being faced in most of the local bodies under urban sectors, it will be wiser to create a centralised facility within the urban development sectors having the Geograpghical Information System based planning for all these local bodies, so that within a few years they in a position to handle this important area for future independently.

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