Urban planning and design in developing countries can be supported by compiling and providing high-quality and up-to-date information for the various parties involved in design and by training designers to utilise data and digital workflows.

This kind of work is currently being done in countries such as Indonesia, where the World Bank is supporting local government in the development of sustainable urbanisation and digitalisation. One of the practical channels employed in this effort is the City Planning Labs (CPL) programme, which promotes data and knowledge management perspectives in urban planning and design.

Sitowise got on board an interesting international assignment in the autumn – we joined a World Bank project to develop geographic information system (GIS) infrastructure in the Indonesian cities of Denpasar and Balikpapan. About twenty companies from around the world participated in this open invitation to tender.

The project aims to create a geoportal in Denpasar and Balikpapan. The geoportal will share geospatial data for urban planning and design, and centralise disparate information sources in the same location.

At the same time, the project will enhance the city’s capabilities in data utilisation and improve understanding of the important role of GIS technologies in urban planning and design.

We consult and train Indonesian experts in the deployment of Oskari, instead of implementing the geoportal as a turnkey solution. This will ensure that the local key personnel will have the necessary expertise and understanding on how to use the technology.

Minna Huovinen, head of Sitowise’s Oskari team

The technical platform selected for the geoportal was the Finnish Oskari GIS.

“We consult and train Indonesian experts in the deployment of Oskari, instead of implementing the geoportal as a turnkey solution. This will ensure that the local key personnel will have the necessary expertise and understanding on how to use the technology,” says Minna Huovinen, head of Sitowise’s Oskari team.

Oskari is an open-source solution in whose development Sitowise has been strongly involved. Oskari is now set to be promoted worldwide. The Oskari development community is being expanded outside Finland’s borders.

Sitowise earlier carried out GIS infrastructure consulting in Denpasar and Semarang in Indonesia in 2016-2017. Sitowise is the primary supplier in the project. Our local partner is Geo Enviro Omega, a Jakarta-based company.