Introduction
The programme “Advanced Municipal Planning Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)” develops professional practice in Local Government and Municipalities. It connects the subject with workplace challenges by examining existing evidence and practices and choosing methods appropriate to the organization and its available resources.
The learning progresses from spatial analysis and geographic information systems to procedure analysis and work simplification, with practical work on municipal service development and city management, information systems analysis, integration, and service management, public service development and policy outcomes. Participants prepare outputs to support workplace application and review the quality and results of implementation.
Learning objectives
- Prepare a spatial analysis connecting data quality to a specific service or planning question in an application related to “Advanced Municipal Planning Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)”.
- Design a municipal service improvement connecting spatial planning, operations, and beneficiary experience.
- Analyze information system requirements and design acceptance, integration, and operational criteria.
- Analyze a public service and connect its improvement to beneficiary needs and accountability.
- Redesign a procedure to reduce delays and rework while maintaining controls.
Learning areas
1. Spatial Analysis and Geographic Information Systems
- Define the spatial question, unit of analysis, geographical boundaries, and beneficiary groups, and select data that serves the required decision.
- Organize layers, coordinates, metadata, and update sources, checking spatial accuracy, coverage, and consistency across files.
- Select appropriate join, proximity, coverage, or classification operations, document assumptions, and avoid interpreting the map beyond the limits of data quality.
- Design a map with a clear scale, symbols, legend, source, and date, considering privacy and permissions for publishing sensitive locations.
- Present a planning or service allocation scenario using the results, identifying additional data and an update plan before approving the decision. The application examines a case related to “Advanced Municipal Planning Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)”.
2. Municipal Service Development and City Management
- Analyze municipal responsibilities, stakeholders, services, and local assets, and identify a measurable need within a clearly defined geographical area.
- Map a licensing or field service journey, review requirements and interagency handovers, and identify duplication, delays, and unclear responsibilities.
- Use spatial and operational data to prioritize work, checking update accuracy, boundaries, and the privacy of resident and establishment data.
- Design a municipal intervention connecting resources, contracts, operations, and community participation, and define acceptance and service quality criteria.
- Prepare indicators for coverage, responsiveness, cost, and beneficiary satisfaction, and a plan for piloting the intervention and reviewing its effects before expansion.
3. Information Systems Analysis, Integration, and Service Management
- Analyze system users, processes, and the decisions it supports, translating needs into clear functional and nonfunctional requirements.
- Model data flows, entities, relationships, and interfaces, identifying each data item's source and the party responsible for its quality and updating.
- Compare build, buy, integration, and hosting alternatives according to constraints, security, total cost, and available support capabilities.
- Design test cases covering performance, permissions, usability, and integration, and connect each test to a testable acceptance criterion.
- Prepare a transition, operations, support, change management, and backup plan, defining indicators for service availability, fault resolution, and improvement review.
4. Public Service Development and Policy Outcomes
- Define the public value targeted by the service and its beneficiary groups, and review jurisdictional boundaries and responsibilities across agencies.
- Analyze the beneficiary journey, requirements, time, and access channels, and identify barriers affecting equity and ease of use.
- Collect the evidence needed to design service improvement options, distinguishing changes that require a procedural adjustment from those requiring a regulatory decision.
- Define indicators for outcomes, quality, efficiency, and beneficiary satisfaction, and mechanisms for receiving complaints and reviewing responses.
- Prepare a service initiative covering agency roles, resources, data controls, and a plan for piloting and monitoring achieved results.
5. Procedure Analysis and Work Simplification
- Define the procedure's start, end, owner, inputs, and outputs, and collect data on processing time, waiting, and rework.
- Map the actual workflow between roles, identifying approvals, handovers, bottlenecks, and duplicate data entry.
- Analyze the value added by each step and the controls it provides, and propose combining, removing, or running steps in parallel with reasons for the choice.
- Document the improved procedure with clear authorities, forms, timelines, and standards, and review its effects on beneficiaries and delivery teams.
- Test the procedure on a limited case, measure time, errors, and output quality, and document adjustments and the rollout plan.
Practical outputs
- A thematic map, data dictionary, and report on spatial analysis limitations.
- A municipal service profile, needs map, intervention plan, and monitoring indicators.
- A requirements document, data flow map, and testing and acceptance plan.
- A public service profile, stakeholder map, and improvement plan.
- An improved procedure map, service profile, and acceptance criteria for implementation.
Who should attend
- Practitioners, specialists and supervisors whose work relates to the programme subject.
- Managers and teams working in local government and municipalities, according to their practical responsibilities.
- Professionals responsible for applying the outputs of “Advanced Municipal Planning Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)” within their organizations.
Prerequisites
- Working familiarity with the programme field and the ability to discuss a professional case or challenge.
- Confirm the suitability of your experience and any specialist prerequisites with the Union before participation.
Conclusion
The programme “Advanced Municipal Planning Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)” brings together concepts, case review and a practical application. Participants prepare steps that can be adapted to their responsibilities and organizational resources, with an indicator to follow application and review results after returning to work.
Participation arrangements and any special requests are specified in the confirmation issued by the Union.