Fikri Ataoğlu: Initiatives Underway for the Establishment of Geographic Information System

A delegation from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) conducted a series of meetings in Ankara within the framework of the planned cooperation protocol between the Department of Urban Planning under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment and Kuzey Kıbrıs Turkcell on the use of geographic information systems in the public sector.

The delegation included Undersecretary of the State Planning Organization Durali Güçlüsoy, Director of the Department of Urban Planning Türkmen Yiğitcan, technical staff from the Department of Urban Planning including Urban Planner Sinem Sevindik, Architect Narin Güler Gündemir from the State Planning Organization, President of the Chamber of Urban Planners Berkay Ramiz, and representative of Kuzey Kıbrıs Turkcell Tuğberk Yazgı.

During the discussions, initial contacts were made on the draft cooperation protocol. The protocol in question holds significant importance in terms of the contributions Geographic Information Systems can make to the country and inter-sectoral cooperation.

"Numerous Sectors Will Plan Based on This Data"

Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Ataoğlu stated that the government addresses the issues of every sector individually and aims to increase the use of geographic information systems in the public sector and provide important inputs in agriculture, forestry, tourism, planning, public works, and environmental matters through this collaboration. Ataoğlu emphasized that utilizing geographic information systems will create an important tool in the planning, management, and decision-making processes with the use of accurate and up-to-date data.

Ataoğlu continued his speech as follows:

"The geographic information system data aims to provide basic current infrastructure data for the public-net project under the auspices of the Prime Ministry, within the framework of the public-net concept. With today's software and communication infrastructure capabilities, web-based applications will be sufficient for the presentation of this data without the need for any ready-made software packages or licensing, thus eliminating the need for thousands of dollars in software purchases and annual license renewal expenses.

By utilizing high-resolution satellite imagery covering the borders of the TRNC, cadastre data, and digital terrain model;

In the agricultural sector, plans are underway to increase efficiency in processes such as soil analysis, irrigation planning, and monitoring of agricultural products. In the field of forest management, the use of Geographic Information Systems in combating erosion and forest fires, afforestation projects, and determining forestry policies is expected to provide significant benefits for the preservation and sustainable management of forest resources.

The protocol also aims to take important steps for the tourism sector. By using Geographic Information Systems in planning tourist areas, determining tourist routes, providing promotional devices in every language for archaeological sites, and managing tourist facilities, we aim to create a more effective management and marketing strategy in the tourism sector. In the field of planning and environment, the use of Geographic Information Systems is also of great importance in preparing zoning plans, planning and monitoring infrastructure projects.

The protocol aims to provide fast service to citizens in urban planning matters and effective management of infrastructure projects, while also strengthening the environmental policies of the TRNC by providing data on identifying environmental risks, being prepared for disaster risks, and managing water resources."

The implementation of Geographic Information Systems will not only increase efficiency in various sectors of the country but also strengthen sustainable initiatives in the TRNC.