This document discusses how publishing data using geographic information systems (GIS) can improve decision-making. It provides examples of how municipalities in Denmark and Norway are using open GIS data and presentations to increase transparency, public involvement, and trust in political decisions. Key benefits highlighted include making large amounts of municipal indicator and statistical data easily accessible on maps, graphs, and other visualizations, which can help analyze trends, engage stakeholders, and demonstrate the basis for executive actions and policies. Some challenges around data consistency, standards, and broadband access are also noted.

2. Improving decisionmaking through publishing
GIS
• Thomas Øderud
• Michael Froentjes
• Bjørgulf B. Torjussen
• Per Boesen
Cities of Kristiansand and Høje-Taastrup 2
Ruimte voor foto

3. GIS
GIS presentations can be:
– Maps
– Statistical information in graphs with GIS links
– Photographs
– Manipulated photographs
– 3D images
– Simulations, i.e. 3D modelled new houses in a residential area.
– Even more lively presentations in animation-like presentations for
instance in traffic-modelling of new road models.
City of Kristiansand 3

4. (The same) Open data in several contexts
Executive work
Preparing for executive
documents and
administrative and political
decisions.
Analysis of development
and possible known and
unknown correlations.
Third party’s business
development
Long term development
indicators
Give a picture of status and
municipal development
within the strategic fields
chosen:
in:
• Value pr indicator,
• tables,
• graphs and
• GIS (Maps)
City of Kristiansand 4

5. DOES THE USE OF GIS-PRESENTATIONS MAKE
A CHANGE IN EXECUTIVE PRESENTATIONS
AND COMMUNICATION?
City of Kristiansand 5

6. Areas of executive work
Issues demanding some sort of administrative preparations can be:
– Redevelopment of city areas, transformation issues
– Regulatory issues residential areas
– Regulatory issues, i.e. area development, roads, electricity, water,
waste-water, schools, kindergartens, ……….
– Applications for building permits
– Applications for financial support to projects, festivals, area
development
– General questions/investigations into matters initiated by politicians
– Public service decisions like parks, football fields, leisure areas
– Public transport
– And more
City of Kristiansand 6

7. Areas of executive work
Service-provision:
• Health and social-care
• Kindergarten
• Schools
• Library
• Culture
• Clubs for youths
• ……….
The services do not demand executive work preparing for political
issues, but will generate service-statistics, GIS data, local information
for later use/investigation and probable impact on political decisions.
City of Kristiansand 7

8. Documentation
How are information provided for political decisions?
Documents with:
– Written text with problem definition, restraints and possibilities
– Tables of statistical data
– Graphs of different sorts
– Letters of recommendation or visa versa
– Printed excerpts of maps
– Recommendations for decision
All set to a background of plans and policies, and of course the public servants
personal experience, which, of course, is individual and can be biased.
City of Kristiansand 8

9. Case 1
• Local main-line bus-network at present. “Compact city”
example.
• As-is presentation, residential areas, bus-lines, marking
households with less than 300 meters to the bus line, 300-500
meters to the bus line and over 500 meters.
City of Kristiansand 9

10. Municipal Statistical information for
monitoring change and development
presentatienaam 10

11. Strategic fields and Indicators
City of Kristiansand 11
Environment
90 indicators
70 data-sets
At the moment
several data-sets/
sources are
unknown or
undetected
Industrial and
commercial
development
103 indicators
70 data-sets
At the moment
several data-sets/
sources are
unknown or
undetected
Public health
115 indicators
80 data-sets
At the moment
several data-sets/
sources are
unknown or
undetected
Finances and HR
and organisation in
municpality
36 indicators
20 data-sets
Only a few are
missing
Some data-sets, ie demographic data, will be used in more than one strategic field/scope.

12. The indicators will be published on the
municipal web-portal
• Target groups:
– Administration
– Politicians
– Public
• All identified indicators will be published, in tables, graphs
and GIS (when possible)
• All up-loading of data will be automated (hopefully!)
• All data will be directly downloadable or linked to for
interested parties to do their own analysis.
City of Kristiansand 12

13. Fields and indicators are connected to municipal
plan and action plans
• There are close links between the long- and short-term
targets in the plans and poltically decided documents and the
indicators chosen
• Indicators are categorized in A-, B- and C-level, where A-level
should reflects directly with develoment in the municipality,
B-level can do, and C-level is more basic data that is input to
A- and B-indicators.
• The number of A-indicators outnumber the indicators in the
Municipal-plan (long term) and Action-plan, but are thought
to have impacts that are interesting to follow.
• There is still work to do to refine the model
City of Kristiansand 13

14. GIS gives added value!
So what about using a GIS presentation?
– There is an obvious added value to the presentation since the
geography/area concerned is defined
– There is an added value in giving indicators that are transparent and
public, - and can be debated and tried by the public.
– All information is precise and common to/shared by all parties
– A lot of information is gathered from appliances placed with GIS
coordinates
– Most information can be related to a geographical location, that being
population, pollution, traffic-jams, distribution of wealth, and so on.
– BUT, maybe not at the wanted level of detail!!!!, since a lot of
statistics are collected with no geographical reference other than
municipality/city.
City of Kristiansand 14

15. Case 2
For a specific strategic field and indicator is chosen
• Norway
• County
• Urban agglomeration
• Municipality
• Urban district
• Borough
• Basic statistical unit/ward
• Address/ Building point/ …
All in an addable/subtractable structure
City of Kristiansand 15

16. Case 3.0: Free Basic Data in Denmark
TOhNe Tforapm oef wthoisrkwe build the solutions!
• Real Property data as a service
• Terrain-model as a service
• Base map as a service
• Individuals and Buisnesses are
connected to Real Property data
and adresses
City of Høje-Taastrup

17. Case 3.1 – 3D data from open GIS source
Illustration project in 3D – Town development
City of Høje-Taastrup 17

18. Case 3.1 – 3D data from open GIS source
What benefits can we achieve with 3D linked data?
• Municipal saving – everyone has access to the same model.
• Historical and contemporary project
• Future projects (Building and infrastructure projects.)
• Ex: Nærheden at Hedehusene with 4.200 houses and up til 10.000
new inhabitant in the next 25 – 30 years
• Faster planning
• Fast and easy communications between partners
• Better and more secure communications with citizens.
City of Høje-Taastrup

19. Case 3.2 – 3D data from open GIS source
Liquid Spill – see where
the spill flows over
19
Septima solution based on Free
Open Data
When rain falls!
Blue spot for Høje-Taastrup –
available for the public
City of Høje-Taastrup

20. Case 3.0: Free Basic Data in Denmark – some
challenges
• The speed – broad band!
• Consistency of data
• Different standards
What do we do then?
• New data distribution system (2015-2017)
• New or improved data modeling for distribution of data
City of Høje-Taastrup

21. Summing up
Use of GIS
• Increases accessibility
• Increases transparency
• Involves administration, politicians and public in same framework of
statistics
• Increases public interest since information is available in a “ready-made”
form
• Adds democratic value by, hopefully, a better understanding and
greater interest in the public
• Increases the trust of political decisions by being more visual and
thereby controllable
• All presentations are based on the same data that is accessible for
the public, so all presentations can be checked and tested.
City of Kristiansand 21