DOHA - After the successful launch of "Qatar Explore", the Centre of GIS-Geographic Information System- (CGIS) at Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA) is working on two more online data providing products (digital maps); Electronic Route Finder (ERF) and the Electronic Place Finder (EPF).
While ERF is a product initially meant for Civil Defence Department, EPF is intended for general public. Both the products are developed on the technology provided by GIS software leader ESRI, said Mohamed Abd El Wahab Hamouda, Head of Planning and Projects Division, UPDA.
ERF is a product, which will enable the Civil Defence to make a quick response to the emergency calls from public. The system, to be installed at its headquarters, will have its links with all the five Civil Defence offices functioning in the country.
"Suppose the Civil Defence office receives an SoS call from a resident, ERF will provide the entire data regarding the location of the caller. It is just a click away from the mouse. The system will provide details including under which civil defence office they received the call, the street on which the building situates, the shortest route to reach there", El Wahab Hamouda told The Peninsula.
Through the Route Finder, the local civil defence office can find out how to reach the destination, the distance to the place and how much time they will take to reach the spot and the maximum speed limit on the route. The nearest landmark is also available in the Route Finder, he said.
"As of now, we have covered only main landmarks However, in the next phase we will be covering the entire 4, 500-odd landmarks and the whole Qtel numbers", El Wahab Hamouda added.
The Electronic Place Finder (EPF) mapping provides different geographical information including boundaries of seven municipalities, various zones and cities.
The users can also find out the street numbers, their names, plot numbers, video footage of landmark locations and even how to pronounce the name of the place and its meaning.
It will cover 4531 landmarks in Qatar and would be divided into 20 categories including commercial, diplomatic, government offices, hospitality industry, clinics, mosques etc. The user can reach out to details like post box number, contact telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of the concerned organisation through EPF.
"On commercial point of view, both the products are ideal for those who are engaged in service sectors including hospitality industry, call taxi operators etc. We are printing user manuals and booklets to familiarise customers with our service", said Shakil Anwar Quadri, Head of the Division.
While ERF is a web-based application, EPF is based on Desk Top application. We are working on two more similar products", he added.
The CGIS is the official mapping agency for Qatar. Its `Qatar Explore' digital map was an immediate hit.
© The Peninsula 2007
