New PA MapServer allows users to report illegalities while remaining anonymous
A new MapServer launched by the Planning Authority allows users to report an illegal development by clicking on a particular site.
Users will also be given the option of remaining anonymous and of uploading photos of the alleged illegal works.
The changes were announced by the Planning Authority on its website on Wednesday.
The PA said the changes come as part of its online mapping “revolution.”
This online geographic information system (GIS) will improve the users interface experience online and will bring them closer to the ‘real-time’ planning data and services that the authority provides to the public, the PA said.
Ing. Stephen Ferrito Director for ICT, Mapping and Digital Services said “with expectations of interactive mapping having changed enormously over the past few years, we have continued to invest in our infrastructural software to ensure that we increasingly integrate GIS into the heart of our operations. Today, we are well aware that digital maps are an important public tool, able to take the data clutter of our urban areas and make them comprehensible.”
“After having launched a new basemap for the Maltese Islands last year, our next step had to be the upgrading of our GIS. This is another important piece of the bigger picture as we keep developing Malta’s National Spatial Data Infrastructure. Our MapServer connects the voluminous planning data that we collect from different sources onto a map, integrating location data with all types of descriptive information.”
An important function that has been added to the MapServer is the slide functionality. With a simple click of a button and without needing to change screen, users will now be able to easily compare between aerial photos of different years or with the basemap.
Users will also have the possibility of retaining personal preferences by logging into the system using their e-ID. A bookmarking function allows the user to save, edit, and/or remove locations that are of interest and to which the user wishes to return to. A setting has also been added giving users direct access to the last “saved state” when loading the MapServer again. Conscious that Google Maps is a prevalent navigation system, the new system allows a user to search for a location using the Google co-ordinates. Additional drawing tools have been plugged in enabling a user to generate a site plans showing the drawn objects. Through a universal standard projection, the new Mapserver will enable any user to make use of any of the data through any other GIS system. A dual language (Maltese/English) function has been built-into the menu option.
Ing. Ferrito pointed out “we are far from over. Our next goal is to link our MapServer directly with our e-Applications system. This will enable users to have direct access to all plans, drawings and other documentation that are site specific. With our environments rapidly changing we have also started the laborious task of updating the basemap for Malta. This is being done through drones and new technological infrastructure.”
The MapServer may be accessed from on the Planning Authority’s website at www.pa.org.mt. In the coming days, the Authority will be organising a number of online sessions to assist users on how to maximize their online interface experience.