KUWAIT: Navigating one's way to a particular location fast is a necessity for certain institutions, especially those dealing with emergency cases like hospitals, firemen and police. Soon the public will have access to such system. The General Director of the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) Musaed Al-Asousi announced the launch of the Geographic Information System (GIS) project."This system allows PACI to perform its role in the best possible manner by using modern technology to combine maps, building data, and the available institutions in the Civil Information System," he said during the press conference held yesterday morning at the PACI headquarters.
The GIS will provide easy access to all kinds of buildings. "It will be easy to reach any kind of building, including public buildings, houses, and commercial buildings, in addition to agriculture, industrial, sports areas, and chalets. The benefit of this national project is not limited to PACI. Other public institutions will benefit from this system owing to the wide range of maps that are included in this system," added Al-Asousi.
PACI will support institutions like the Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Electricity and Water, Public Authority for Industry, Environment Public Authority and other institutions. "PACI will start providing services to ambulances in cooperation with the operations room of the Ministry of Interior, and the operations room of Fire Department," he pointed out.
This system will easily find a place on the map by entering detailed address or a part of it. "The user can also enter a search by using an electronic number, which is present on the building or printed behind the smarted card. GIS finds the location on the map using data like the number on the building and the electronic number of the address. It can also specify the correct way to reach the address," he explained.
There are different ways of searching for companies and stores. "The user can search using a name or a part of it. He or she can also search using some data of the company like as the commercial license number, the commercial register, or the telephone number," stressed Al-Asousi. The GIS was downloaded on to iPads by PACI employees who perform field work. "The employee automatically receives his daily tasks needs to be checked. The system also specifies the types of mission and documents needed for the task's completion. The employee can register notes on the iPad, which is automatically transmitted to the system. This is will eliminate the need go back to PACI headquarters," he explained.
The second phase of this project will provide geographic information to the public. "People will be able to download this program from the internet free of charge and will be able to use it on their computers and smart phones. We expect to make this service available to public by March 2013," concluded Al-Asousi.
© Kuwait Times 2012
