The Punjab government through its Urban Unit has made healthy progress towards implementing a Geographical Information System (GIS) for dynamic analysis of various sectors and government programs. The project called IRIS (www.irispunjab.gov.pk) has been described as one of the hallmark achievements of The Urban Unit by its CEO, Dr. Ejaz Nasir in a recent interview with BR Research. After using IRIS, this column feels that the GIS-based system is indeed a big leap forward for urban planning and promoting transparency in government initiatives.
For the uninformed, GIS refers to any information that has a specific location context with geographical information encompassing satellite images, aerial images/data, topographic and thematic maps as well as ground survey and positioning data. This information is conducive for visual display purposes as well as integration and processing for use in the broader aspects of spatial (urban) planning.
IRIS also aims to be an informative repository of all information related to government departments in Punjab across all sectors that include agriculture, education, transport, social and population welfare and health. The information includes infographics, publications, department contact directories as well as maps showing a plethora of statistics across all sectors.
One example of the ease and impact that IRIS has achieved is the digitisation of the property tax system in Punjab. Tax officials can access a user-friendly dashboard containing past tax collection data, performance of individual tax inspectors as well as a geographical presentation of tax collection according to location. The system will increase transparency and bring about much needed efficiency in tax collection and identify areas where efforts need to be made.
Another example is the details of government programs such as the Khadam-e-Punjab Rural Road Program (KPRRP), which has the aim of widening, repairing, rehabilitating and construction of rural roads in the in the province. IRIS provides detailed information using infographics such as interactive maps and charts providing cost, progress and consultant details.
Again, it is positive to see that the Punjab government is trying to bolster transparency in its projects by providing data such as funds utilised and the progress made against those disbursements. However, the challenge is to use the analysis provided by institutions such as the Urban Unit in a politically unbiased manner otherwise no amount of data collection and analysis will serve any useful purpose.
In this day and age, paper based storage of data has become obsolete with the biggest disadvantage of being unable to analyse trends and retrieve information in a fast and accurate manner. The Urban Unit has managed to build an impressive database for Punjab and although it is a mammoth task and a work in progress, it is encouraging to see the government realising the crucial importance of data analytics using a GIS system.
This is an area which demands urgent attention from other provinces as well and the IRIS system developed by Punjab can be a great example to learn from. Rapid urbanisation and out-dated methods of performing government functions and service delivery demand a comprehensive GIS and a robust database to assist policymakers in informed decision making.
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