Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 02, 2010 News
…surveying, house lot identification will be enhanced
By Leonard Gildarie
Government is mulling the possibilities of using satellite imagery to speed up the processing of house lots and, once implemented, would even allow housing employees to exactly pinpoint an allocated parcel of land without leaving their offices.
The Geographic Information System (GIS) is being hailed by Government as a cutting edge tool that would not only save time in the work of the Ministry of Housing and Water, but money, too, in its decision making process.
Yesterday, a team from the Canadian government, comprising of Fareed Amin, Deputy Minister of Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing; and his GIS Co-ordinator, Jay Thatcher, met with Minister Irfaan Ali to examine ways to get the programme started.
Also there were the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Emil McGarrell, Chief Executive Officer of Central Housing and Planning Authority, Myrna Pitt, and Germaine Stewart, Development Planner of the Minister.
According to Ali, last year the Guyana Government had met with Canadian housing officials and discussed ways to make the sector more effective and dynamic. The use of GIS in assisting the housing sector was one of the discussions and it was against this background the delegation is here to find out exactly what Guyana wants and to examine and ways to introduce a model here.
GIS use will effectively move the country to the level of the developed countries especially in the areas of planning, the Minister noted.
The idea is to develop a highly functional and technologically driven Ministry which will speedily deliver its work, Ali pointed out.
Thatcher disclosed that the Ministry’s use of GIS and other similar technologies in its work, offers huge potentials that could cross over into other key sectors. The Canadians job will be to pass along the best practices drawing from his country’s experience and would involve the digital mapping of geographical information that will include various databases and could be used to analyze housing projects, transportation networks, among other critical data.
Meanwhile, according to Stewart, the Ministry, GIS will specifically be used to improve the plans of the Ministry of the numerous housing areas with the possibilities of monitoring real time developments.
GIS mapping has already been used by the Ministry in a pilot project in the Diamond/Grove housing scheme, providing critical information for development. The idea is to integrate the current management systems with GIS mapping to give the relevant agencies a clear idea in terms of drainage, roads, and zoning, Stewart disclosed.
Eventually, the entire Guyana will be mapped using GIS technology and at any point in time, authorities would be able to say exactly where housing schemes are located, what developments are taking place and what available lands are suitable to further allotment for house lots, among other things.
It could also be used to monitor construction development over a period of time.
Last week, said McGarrell, an area in Bartica being considered for house lots was mapped using satellite imagery, giving the housing officials a clear idea as to the suitability of the land there as it clearly showed the slopes and other important factors critical to the process. It is a powerful tool, she said.
According to Minister Ali, GIS mapping will be a huge help in regularising especially the squatting areas across the country. One important aspect that would be of immediate benefit to the Ministry is that instead of waiting for weeks for surveyors to provide critical information, GIS mapping will be providing fast, up-to-date data that will allow for fast decisions.
While the interaction with other key agencies like the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission will have to continue, it would hugely minimise the bureaucracy involved.
It is the hope that the work of the Canadians will also help develop a web-based information system that instead of the Ministry having to send out its personnel to identify house lots allotted, it could be done on the computer using detailed maps showing the outlay of the schemes, saving valuable time and resources, the Ministry officials said.
According to the Canadian Minister, the Ontario Government is currently working to develop a system that will give the authorities there ready information to involve zoning, available lands, schools and economic activities.
It could be used to assist investors in finding suitable sites for projects according to specific characteristics.
While Amin acknowledged that the Guyana system will take some time and money to get it up and running, not having such a system can have its downside.
Citing an example, Minister Amin said that should the Guyana government meet with overseas investors or banks for a particular project, online information could be made available that will greatly assist in getting funding.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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