How Geographic Information Systems Can Help Meet These and Many Other Challenges Will Be a Topic of the International Balkan GIS Conference Organized in Sofia Hotel Balkan
On November 13 the Conference on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will bring together representatives of the European Satellite Center, the European Association for Emergency Calls (112), the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Ministry of the Interior, and a number of GIS experts. All of them will discuss how, through Geographic Information Systems, we can more effectively address the challenges we face in areas such as emergency management, environment, security, infrastructure, and more.
The event is held on the occasion of World GIS Day in Bulgaria, which is officially organized by ESRI Bulgaria – the leading GIS company in the country and a representative of the international GIS pioneer Esri, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. GIS Day partners are a record over 40 organizations, and hundreds of representatives of the state administration, business, the non-governmental sector, and the academic community will share experiences and ideas within the conference.
Among the international speakers who will take part in the prestigious forum is Adriano Baptista, Director of Operations at the Satellite Center of the European Union (SatCen EU). It will present the application of GIS technologies for the needs of timely, reliable, and effective support to the common security and defense policy of the European Union. Adriano Baptista will show live satellite-based geo-information systems used by Satellite Center for real-time monitoring, planning, risk analysis, and security management in Europe.
Francisco Nobre, Vice-President of the European Emergency Calls Association (112) will also join the conference, sharing his experience of a number of successful international projects and the implementation of GIS on cybersecurity, crisis management, search and rescue, emergency calls 112, and law enforcement.
The forum will also show the ongoing project to create a Water Management System in the Iskar River Basin, which is the first phase of the National Real-Time Water Management System in Bulgaria. A project whose main purpose is to prevent and manage the risk of floods and the occurrence of adverse effects on human health and the environment through the centralized collection, processing and analysis of real-time information.
A number of other current GIS projects in various fields will be presented during the conference. The main focus of this part of the program will be the GIS-based electronic platform “Single Info Point”, which will be demonstrated live. The system is the basis for development and cooperation in the field of infrastructure and communication networks with the country, integrating data on the entire technical infrastructure of Bulgaria – electronic communications networks, water supply, gas, road, railway and electricity infrastructure, heat pipelines, street lighting and more. Another main focus of the conference will be the implementation of GIS to tackle the challenges of local self-government and territorial planning, where Tanya Hristova, Mayor of Gabrovo Municipality, as well as representatives of Vision for Sofia will take part.
On the occasion of World GIS Day, ESRI Bulgaria also organized a National Card Competition entitled “Stories, Projects, and Dreams on a Map”. The competition is held in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Tourism. All the cards participating in the competition will be included in an exhibition to accompany the GIS conference.
Within the framework of the exhibition will be presented the children’s card “Creating Worlds” by Rada Skumova, a 15-year-old student at the Iliya Petrov Research Institute, Sofia, who this year won the first place at the International Children’s World Map Exhibition Barbara Petchenik in Tokyo.
“For 21 years, ESRI Bulgaria, together with our partners, have been working hard to develop and promote GIS Day in the country, so that today it will become an expected, sought-after event. An event that unites us in a common mission – applying the power of GIS technologies to make organizations where we work more efficient, manage our environment more sustainable, protect the environment and secure a better future by tackling the challenges of today and tomorrow. “, said Evgeniy Karadzhova, Governor of ESRI Bulgaria and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the World GIS Day in Bulgaria.