As cities venture in to their own 'smart' journey, decision makers are now looking at using advanced smart mapping technologies to help them improve public services and the overall liveability of their communities.
Smart mapping – also known as Geographic Information System (GIS) – is a proven technology already underpinning the planning and development of the world’s emerging smart cities, law enforcement agencies and military.
“At present, city managers are struggling to keep up with a growing population, changing expectations of citizens, and competing demands for better and globally competitive facilities to support businesses, recreation, and transportation among others,” said Bima Priadi, Chief Executive Officer, Esri Indonesia.
“In order to make well-informed decisions and achieve a greater understanding of the trade-offs involved, they require powerful tools such as GIS technology to help them refine their understanding of their data like never before,” Mr Priadi said.
GIS technology integrates and analyses data from multiple business systems to create a dynamic and interactive map-based view of information.
“It goes beyond the simple task of looking at a plot of land to build public housing or the next business district,” he said.
“The technology allows you to understand the various attributes of an area, and answer questions such as which are the locations suitable for good and effective public housing? Would residents have access to social services and community resources? Would the new location have any impact on the lifestyle and health of the community?
“Having this capability empowers planners to not only improve their current practice of identifying and assessing potential commercial and residential sites, but also transform how they serve and engage their constituents,”
The Ministry of Transport, for example, recently deployed a dashboard that integrates real-time information from sensors with social media feeds from Instagram and Twitter to help local authorities monitor the flow of traffic during the recent Idul Fitri exodus.
The technology provided local authorities with greater situational awareness enabling them to efficiently respond to roadside accidents and better manage the flow of traffic.
“By simply factoring the location element of every data into the equation, allows city planners and policy makers to derive smarter insights needed to help them carry out decisions for the community, “Mr Priadi said.
“Citizens can then see the results of these sound decisions by simply looking at the activities underway to make their neighbourhood a great and safe place to live, work, and play,” he said.