ABU DHABI — Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) has won a prestigious international award for its innovative use of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping technology.

The UPC’s Spatial Data team has beaten more than 100,000 contenders worldwide, for its impressive Smart GeoPlanner Enterprise Spatial Portal.

They will be presented with the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) award at the ongoing 2017 Esri User Conference from July 10-14 in San Diego, California. The UPC will also be participating at the showcase event along with delegates from the Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA), Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre (ADSIC), Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) and UAE University.

The UPC’s award-winning internal web portal uses state-of-the-art software to allow planners to search, visually identify and track master plans, planning processes and regulations for any location or area.

The team was among 175 winners from different categories, chosen from more than 100,000 Esri clients. President and founder of the Environmental Systems Research Institute, a privately held Geographic Information Systems software company (Esri) Jack Dangermond chose winners based on innovative and intelligent applications of GIS technology.

This award has led to the portal being ranked one of the ‘best practice sites’ using GIS technology, including efficient mapping and spatial data analytics.

The achievements of the Spatial Data team are in accordance with the Abu Dhabi Plan, to provide enhanced Government services and processes, as well as optimizing information and communication technology.

As the government entity responsible for the future of Abu Dhabi’s urban environments, the UPC has integrated the digital mapping technology on some of the most significant plans in the Emirate including Madinat Zayed, Mina Zayed and Mussafah master plans.

Falah Al Ahbabi, Director General of the UPC, said: "It is a proud moment for the UPC to be selected for such an internationally-renowned award with our portal having stood out from over 100,000 entries. This award is testament to the GIS team’s continuous hard work and innovative applications of GIS technology.”

“We pride ourselves on being a global leader in urban planning and that means we must embrace the latest technologies, such as GIS mapping and spatial data, to help our planners and partners deliver what is needed for the future of Abu Dhabi. It is fantastic for this to be recognized on a global scale.”

Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council will receive the award during the five-day conference, while the UPC Spatial Data team will showcase its three main applications - Smart GeoPlanner, The Abu Dhabi Maritime Atlas Portal and the Development Code Spatial Portal.

The Smart GeoPlanner System is an interactive map that facilitates access to the latest spatial data. The system provides planners with smart tools that allow them to perform advance spatial analysis to support informed planning decisions.

The Abu Dhabi Maritime Atlas Portal is an interactive spatial portal, which includes a detailed map showing exactly where each project is located within Plan Maritime – one of the UPC’s strategic framework plans. The Development Code Spatial Portal provides a user-friendly map, where planners can locate and retrieve zoning regulations for designated plots.

A special map gallery section at the event will display the UPCs ‘Implementation Spatial Plan For Future Projects’, its ‘Documented Coastal and Marine Habitats and Species’ project and a map showing the smart functionalities of the Smart GeoPlanner. The UPC will conclude its impressive list of activities by presenting its ‘Spatial Services’ success story to the ESRI audience during the technical workshop.

The Esri User Conference 2017 is the largest GIS conference in the world. Last year, more than 15,000 professionals from the commercial sector, Government organizations and non-profit field of work attended the event.

Founded in 1969, Esri is a global market leader and international supplier of GIS software. It has a dynamic workforce with experts in geographic science, software development and data analytics from 67 countries. — SG