Use of Geoinformation Systems for Optimisation of City Management

Abstract

The study aims to answer how city halls and municipal departments of territorial communities can cope with numerous tasks related to providing city services. This issue is quite relevant in our time. As a solution, there has been a proposal to use geographic information systems (GIS) and a unified geodatabase to provide local governments, municipal organisations, and citizens access to reliable information about the urban area. This information has to be systematised, structured, and stored for efficient use. Experts suggest utilising a geodatabase as a primary tool for managing massive amounts of spatial information to solve these issues. The analysis shows that this is the direction that most European and American cities have chosen. As a result of the study, the authors propose the geodatabase structure for local-level urban planning documentation. It defines a set of objects, attributes, relations, and topology rules used to represent urban planning documentation in electronic form (in the form of a city GIS). Such an approach will allow for reliably storing all the diverse information necessary for the city’s life, analysing this information, and making the right management decisions. In this study, the authors analysed existing geographic information systems of some large cities. We defined weaknesses and strengths and found out based on which software products these city GIS were developed. Then, we proposed the main structural elements (layers) of the unified geospatial database of the city GIS that would ensure the solution of all issues related to the existence of a modern city. The authors prove that the combination of a clear structure of the geodatabase, convenience, and data relevance can determine the success of city GIS, making it a core tool for ensuring harmonious development and improving the quality of life in the city. Only such an approach will facilitate the creation of a technologically advanced urban environment that will meet the modern requirements and needs of citizens. Keywords: geoinformation technologies, geoinformation system, database, protection of historical heritage, urban planning.