Department of Town Planning and Housing-Urbanguard


Preparation of a GIS Based Monitoring Tool Based on ArcGis

To facilitate the monitoring and assessment of these indicators, a GIS-based tool has been developed. This tool is based on a customised Microsoft Access database tool designed in accordance with the calculation methods specified in the methodology sheets. The database is coupled with ArcGIS, a Geographic Information Systems software package by ESRI.


Fig. 1: Digitised Methodology Sheet Fig. 2: Access Database sample

The main functions of the GIS tool include:
· Importing geospatial data via the ArcGIS interface
· Importing indicator values, methodology sheet text and metadata through the database entry interface
· Evaluating and analysing indicator data
· Graphically displaying spatially distributed indicator data
· Facilitating report preparation in the form of maps, tables and text

Fig. 3: GIS-generated thematic data map Fig. 4: GIS-generated spatial data map

The GIS system developed is a complete tool that can simultaneously calculate the value and spatial distribution of all indicators included. The tool comprises a series of basic data to which indicator-specific data are overlaid in order to provide spatially distributed information related to the selected indicators. For the successful implementation of the tool, the following geographic and demographic data of the area under study is required:
· Environmental Area (EA) boundaries, as designated by published Development Plans and used by CYSTAT
· Survey Area boundaries, as designated by CYSTAT; these are generally subdivisions of each EA
· Ring area boundaries, as defined by the URBANGUARD project through roughly concentric rings coinciding with major traffic arteries around the centre of each urban agglomeration
· Administrative boundaries of local authorities
· Land uses as designated by published Development Plans
· Building densities as designated by Development Plans
· Development boundaries, designated by Development Plans
· Road networks as designated by Development Plans
· Population distribution, derived from census
· Household distribution, derived from census
· Cadastral maps, provided by the DLS



GIS tool manual (el)
Tools Evaluation report
URBANGUARD system quidelines

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