Situation of Territorial Information Systems usage for municipal management: case of the Greater Metropolitan Area (GMA), Costa Rica, 2018

Abstract

When referring to Municipal Geographic Information Systems (GIS) the underlying principle remains unaltered as that in Corporate GIS, namely: a system that has been designed to meet multiple objectives within different departments of the same organization.  For M-GISs to be successful it is important for the organization to plan in advance the scope and expected results sought by their implementation based on realistic objectives.  The present article exposes the current status prevailing in the 31 municipalities that comprise the Greater Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica (locally known as Gran Area Metropolitana (GAM)), regarding the degree of progress in the development of Territorial Information Systems (TIS) as management tools for the execution of different municipal processes and how it has been possible, or not, to feed institutional relevant information, of geographical and non-geographical nature, into M-GISs; the presented situational data stems from a survey carried out between May and October, 2018.  For this study, the geographical delimitation is that established in the Regional Urban Development Plan of 1982 (Plan GAM 82) even though it is fully recognized that it has undergone multiple unofficial modifications and reform proposals since its enactment in 1982. Plan GAM 82 remains as a consultation document and is even utilized as an instrument for territorial planning by municipalities that lack or possess a partially approved territorial regulatory plan.

SIG, SIT, Municipalidad, Plan Regulador, Ordenamiento Territorial, GAM, Plan GAM 82.