1. Introduction This paper presents briefly an urban GIS
projects currently under operation in the mountain Kingdom of Bhutan where the
author is currently involved. The current urban GIS project is part of a larger
UNCHS (Habitat) initiated and UNDP supported project, namely, “Strengthening
Capacities for Urban Management and Human Settlements Sector Planning, Bhutan”
which aims to introduce urban planning and management activities in the two
largest cities in Bhutan – Thimphu (capital city) and Phuentsholing. The
project, starting November 1996, has broad objectives of institutional
development through strengthening decentralization, community participation and
human resource development in the emerging urban sector in Bhutan. The project
is expected to build capacities for national strategic planning and policy
formulation and for integrated urban management focussing on the major centers
of Thimphu and Phuentsholing. The project is providing assistance on the
following for the two cities of Thimphu and Phuentsholing:
1. Town planning
2. Municipal financial management
3. Legislation on:
a) Municipal Act
b) Urban
Land Registration Act
c) Town and Country Planning
Act
4. Cadastral re-surveys of all plots
5. A
computerized urban land registration system
6.
Geographic Information System
2. Urban Geographic Information System As part of the overall project, an urban GIS is proposed to
be developed to support the planning and management needs of the cities of
Thimphu and Phuentsholing. As sufficient local expertise is not available for
developing such a system, R. M. Software India Pvt. Ltd. (RMSI) got a contract
to provide its consulting support services for developing an urban GIS. The
present author is the full-time consultant from RMSI based in Thimphu to provide
GIS consulting services to Royal Government of Bhutan and UNDP/ UNCHS (Habitat).
The GIS consulting comprises of the following main activities:
a) On site project support
b) Design and implementation of a GIS training program;
Development of a GIS training manual and operational guideline
c) Development of applications; Support and management of
data conversion operations
d) Institutionalization of
GIS activities by forming User Groups for urban geo-information; and setting
up of a GIS Working Group aimed to coordinate all future GIS activities in
Bhutan
3. Current StatusThe current emphasis of
urban GIS development activities is on training, technology transfer and setting
up of technology standards with the objectives of establishing and
institutionalizing a GIS for urban planning and management activities. As the
City is expanding a steady rate of 5-7% per annum, it is putting a lot of
pressure on existing utilities and urban infrastructure. The urban planning
activities in Bhutan are in their nascent stages and they are being organized
using modern approaches. The urban GIS under development is also gradually
evolving through the same processes.
3.1 GIS User Groups Currently the
urban GIS activities are concentrated in Thimphu City and located at the GIS
Unit within Ministry of Communications, which coordinates all urban planning and
management activities in the country. In order to institutionalize the GIS
activities and impart sustenance to activities, User Groups are formed which are
recipients of geo-information products and services. To coordinate urban GIS
activities with other GIS activities in the country, a GIS Working Group has
also been formed which includes a wide spectrum of agencies. As part of efforts,
a number of training sessions and workshops have been organized over the past
few months. The GIS User Groups/ Working Group have been formed with a view to:
a) Facilitate data availability and data sharing among
user agencies to introduce complementarity among user agencies
b) Augment planning and management processes within user
agencies through increased access to up-to-date geo-information imparting
long-term sustainability to efforts
c) Economically
utilize public spending through improved coordination among user agencies in
their GIS related investment planning, and
d) Introduce
GIS concepts, methods and processes to user agencies
Among the user groups/ agencies involved are the
following: Urban Development and Housing Division, Thimphu City Corporation,
Phuentsholing City Corporation, Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Unit, Design
& Planning Cell of Public Works Department, Computer Support Center of
Ministry of Planning, Central Statistical Organization of Ministry of Planning,
Land Use Planning Section of Ministry of Agriculture, Land Information Section
of Survey of Bhutan, Division of Telecom, Transmission Unit of Division of
Power, National Environment Commission, Nature Conservation Section of Forestry
Services Division, Jigmey Dorji National Park Management, WWF-Bhutan Program,
Traffic Division of Royal Bhutan Police, and United Nations Development Program.