Valls City Council has implemented a Geographic Information System (GIS) to manage and visualize the data which it has efficiently. This initiative, on the one hand, allows data to be combined to make informed decisions in municipal management and, on the other hand, makes municipal information available to citizens visually and comprehensibly.
The GIS integrates several municipal applications and databases into a single georeferenced database and presents the information through maps. With this system, the City Council offers three services: a corporate viewer for technical staff, a citizen viewer for the population and an urban viewer to consult urban planning information.
This project is documented in theDigiCanvis Observatory as a good practice of local administrations.
Com funciona?
The Geographical Information System (GIS) makes it possible to organize, analyze and visualize the large amount of data generated by the City Council, with the aim of optimizing municipal management and opening the data to the public.
In summary, the GIS:
- It integrates the different municipal management applications and databases (inhabitant register, vehicle register, public safety, service network, etc.) in a single georeferenced database, where each element is assigned coordinates that allow it to be located in the territory.
- It organizes the municipal cartography (street, plot, administrative divisions, etc.) and uses it to present the data through maps and structured in different layers of information.
- It allows the data to be crossed by overlaying layers, which facilitates the analysis of social, economic, environmental and territorial aspects, providing context to the data and a global view that is useful in decision-making.
- It has three viewers to display the information. The corporate viewer, which allows you to consult and filter information quickly and intuitively; the citizen viewer, which offers information on services, administration, security, mobility and other aspects of the city; and the urban viewer which shows the municipal planning plan and other related information.
What advantages does the service bring?
- Increase of the transparènciaThe publication and availability of data relating to the municipality through viewers makes the information more accessible and understandable to citizens.
- Improving data quality. The implementation of the solution involves a previous task of locating, structuring and standardizing the data. In addition, it avoids the dispersion and duplication of files in the organization, ensuring the reliability of published data.
- Support in decision-making. The visualization of multiple data on city maps makes it possible to better understand specific phenomena that would not be seen in a simple list of data, and to make decisions based on evidence.
The service has been in operation since July 2018, with a progressive increase in users using the different viewers. In the last year, the corporate viewer of the Valls Town Council has received 4.503 visits, which means an average of 12 daily visits, the urban planning portal has registered 3.238 visits (11 daily visits on average) and the urban guide, 2.358 visits ( 7 visits per day on average).
You can consult the detailed information of the project, regarding the benefits and impacts, here.eres and difficulties or expenses associated with implementation, in the file Management and open government with Geographic Information Systems.
DigiCanvis Observatory
New space to spread and promote digital transformation projects
It collects innovative initiatives and good practices (DigiCanvis) that have been successfully implemented in Catalan councils and that are a source of inspiration for the rest of the bodies.
If you have implemented a successful digital transformation project or have a pilot experience, please share it!
