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Oct 08 - Cortes Outlines Government Use of GIS to Overseas Territories Conference

overseas territories gis conferenceThis morning, Environment Minister Dr John Cortes welcomed a delegation of local and Overseas Territories representatives to a conference discussing Geographical Information Systems in UK Overseas Territories.

Highlighting the significance of GIS, Dr. Cortes insisted that mapping had been around for centuries, with the practice of using maps to understand spatial patterns not covering anything new. He added that GIS plays a critical role in the management of both the natural and urban environment, and benefits organizations of all sizes both in the private and public sector.

During his opening speech, at the Rock Hotel, Dr. Cortes noted that he would like to see the two-day conference result in meetings at a technical level between the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.

Commenting on GIS use within Government’s, Dr. Cortes added, ‘In government, GIS is becoming an essential tool to understand the intricacies of administration. Civil servants at the highest levels of government need to use GIS to communicate and manage their competencies. GIS provides a visual framework for conceptualizing, understanding, and prescribing action. Examples range from land use, crime, the environment, housing, utilities, civil contingency, healthcare, defense/security and many more.  Virtually all work carried out within the public sector has a geographical dimension.

‘We often need to think outside of the box to deal with complex environmental problems and the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is one of those tools that helps us move away from traditional problem-solving methods to more innovative ways of dealing with contemporary issues.’

He insisted that the Government’s ultimate goal for E-Government, which will involves developing GIS in the civil service, is to be able to offer an increased portfolio of public services to citizens, in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Dr. Cortes explained that the Gibraltar GIS group involved the department for the Environment, as well as Land Property Services and the town-planning department.