On October 17th and 18th, discussions about the role of geoinformation technologies in Ukraine's recovery took place at the “V International Conference, Geo Space 2023” in Kyiv. The event was co-funded by the EUACI.
Participants included GIS specialists, entrepreneurs, scientists specializing in geoinformation technologies, and representatives from local government and state officials.
The panel was opened by Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine
She emphasized that "GIS enables the collection and systematization of data of the socio-economic life of communities and territories, the development of documents for state regional policy based on indicators of the socio-economic situation, and creates informed decisions based on data analysis."
Dmytro Iakymchuk, the EUACI Senior Project Manager for Integrity Recovery, shared the successful practices of implementation of GeoPortals in partner cities of EUACI (called Integrity cities) and emphasized the importance of implementation of GIS technologies at national and local level.
"Geoportals allow the integration of various data types: geographical, economic, statistical, demographic, and present them in a visually appealing and user-friendly manner, making it easier for citizens to comprehend and for officials to operate with this data and make management decisions. Thus, this tool is mutually beneficial."
The EUACI also supports cities in the development and procurement of server equipment and in training officials in GIS technologies. Cities of Integrity have already implemented nearly 50 GIS modules. GIS modules create data transparency and contribute to prevent corruption.
One such city is Mykolaiv, and Mayor Oleksandr Sіenkevych shared the city's experience in how the tool and the data module on damages and damaged property help respond to the challenges of today.
"At the beginning of the war, we started creating a new layer where we recorded all the damages. Thanks to damage assessment evaluation, we began mapping all objects that were destroyed by shelling. Based on this layer, we started keeping a registry of damaged property, the total damages of which amount to 853 million euros. Currently, we are conducting inspections (technical assessments of objects), and data verification allows us to provide compensation under the eRecovery program," noted the Mayor.