Geographic Information System (GIS) Project & Website Launch  
The municipalities of Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Al Khader launched the GIS Project and Website, Tuesday, April 27, 2010 in Vienna Hall of Bethlehem Municipality. The launch was the culmination of a three year project sponsored and funded by the Municipality of The Hague in coordination with VNG International/Netherlands Municipalities, the Municipality of Deventer, Municipal Alliance for Peace in the Middle East (MAP), and the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA). The project was implemented by Good Shepherd Engineering and Computing, under the management of Mr. Michael Younan.
The central GIS unit is located in Bethlehem Municipality while compatible units were installed in Beit Sahour and Al Khader Municipalities. The website, www.bethlehemarea-gis.org, which contains all the data mentioned above, is now available for the public. The impact and possibilities of GIS applications can not be underestimated: increased efficiency, organizational process improvement, better informed decision making for leaders, site analysis, property appraisal, map making, web mapping applications and so on. The international partners hope to follow with a second phase for the project. |
GIS harnesses the power of framework geographic information by providing locational context for almost any municipal data. GIS software allows public agency data to be processed, analyzed, and displayed quickly and effectively to support better decision making. Municipal framework data, the foundation for GIS, typically includes transportation (streets, highways, and street addresses), property ownership (tax parcels and land surveys), boundaries (city, district, census, etc.), natural features (streams and topography), and imagery (digital aerial photography).