Manager, Design and Implementation
GIS Services Division, Khatib and Alami
Dubai, UAE
Email: [email protected]
Abstract
The reconstruction and modernization of Lebanon involves the management and progress tracking of a large volume of projects in various sectors funded by major funding agencies. Information being the basic element in any decision process, spatially enabling this information further enriches and empowers this process as it facilitates locational monitoring. Consequently, Geographic Information System (GIS) was sought as the most appropriate tool to adequately map and identify nationwide projects and contracts.
The Council of Development and Reconstruction (CDR), a government body in charge of the development and reconstruction of Lebanon, opted for GIS in order to visualize and analyze the development of their programs. The main purpose was to track geographically the development and funding of the various sectors managed by CDR such as transportation, education, health, water, wastewater, solid waste and Others. The aim was to integrate GIS within the CDR day-to-day operations by spatially enabling the data in the council's existing Program Management Information System (PMIS).
This paper emphasizes the use of GIS as a support tool at three levels; for multi-sector program, project or contract management. The paper (i) describes how GIS was utilized, (ii) explains the system outputs and results, and (iii) provides the methodology to expand the system to a GIS-Based Decision Support System where GIS can be used not just for tracking but for program planning and development.
