Article content
At Geometa, we take immense pride in our commitment to pushing the boundaries of urban planning and territory development management. As a testament to our dedication to this cause, we are thrilled to announce our role as the general sponsor of the largest conference on urban planning and territory development management in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Our founder and CEO, Alexey Dudarev, took center stage at this prestigious event, where he delivered an insightful keynote address that shed light on the remarkable journey of urban planning automation in the CIS, dating back to our pioneering efforts in 2008. Furthermore, he unveiled the exciting development trends that are poised to shape the landscape of urban planning automation in the years ahead, particularly in 2024 and beyond.
For the discerning readers of the Geometa blog, we are pleased to present the key highlights from Alexey’s recent speech.
At the outset of his address, Alexey emphasized the paramount relevance of digitalization across all spheres of management, underscoring that, “In the absence of digitization, measuring efficiency becomes a formidable challenge. Measurement is the cornerstone of progress, making digitalization an imperative narrative”.
Geometa: A Brief Overview
Geometa stands as the platform of choice for the development of state information systems for urban planning. It is essential to underscore that the creation of this software is not merely a quest to display data on maps or automate documentation processes. Rather, Geometa is rooted in the sincere desire of its developers to be genuinely beneficial. In the contemporary landscape, Geometa serves as a tool, capable of addressing a multitude of challenges that hinge on the utilization of spatial data.
Geometa’s distinctiveness lies in its ability to streamline daily operational processes within urban planning and land management. These processes encompass document issuance, paper authentication, land allocation, urban planning designs, building permit issuance, and decision-making regarding deviations from urban regulations and land utilization policies, among other pivotal managerial tasks. Geometa, furthermore, empowers users to collaboratively access and manipulate spatial data. It also boasts built-in analytical tools underpinned by cutting-edge artificial intelligence and neural networks, thereby significantly reducing the margin for human error.
The Pillars of Urban Planning
In the contemporary landscape, three pillars serve as the bedrock for effective urban planning:
- Territorial Status Data: Typically encompassing city and regional reference maps, as well as a plethora of infrastructure plans, Geometa emerges as the central aggregator, effectively consolidating data from daily operations, thereby offering a systematic and coherent repository of city-related data.
- Design Outcomes: The notion of «digital» urban planning documentation is not synonymous with machine-readability or comprehension. Often, the system encounters unstructured data, primarily in PDF or CorelDRAW formats, which defy automated processing.
- Integration Capabilities: The modern era features numerous government information systems, precipitating a growing imperative to eliminate redundancy. This not only augments data quality but also paves the way for the advent of the «robotic official» concept, a framework governed by stringent formal rules extrapolated from existing data.
What may have seemed like a fantasy a decade ago is now an accomplished reality in regions where Geometa has taken root. For instance, a prospective builder seeking permits for an individual residence can now delineate boundaries and plot the house’s location, with the system providing immediate feedback on compliance or non-compliance. Consequently, all requisite documents can be automatically generated upon submission.
Our Vision
Geometa’s vision extends to the creation of a comprehensive information model for territories and their constituent elements, akin to a digital twin. Such a model proves invaluable for tasks spanning urban planning, forecasting, and scenario modeling. As the system continues to accumulate data and streamline processes, its utility and capabilities grow exponentially. A primary focus lies in the creation and continual enhancement of data structures concerning capital construction projects. This comprehensive data not only factors in parameters from building permits but also encompasses all estimates, schedules, models, and design documents, thereby becoming indispensable at every stage, from inception to operation.
To create robust information models, we need answers to crucial questions, such as the data requirements for each site, the facility’s economic impact, population dynamics, transportation effects, and energy efficiency. Modern technology grants us the opportunity to gather this information, even if not in its entirety initially. Even 5%, 10%, or 20% of the data can serve as a foundation for building information models, provided that users diligently organize data input processes.
At Geometa, we assert that service automation hinges not only on software solutions but also on meticulously designed processes. In this context, the system must possess the requisite data for each task. Our mission isn’t merely data accumulation for its own sake, but rather the assembly of data sets custom-tailored to address specific challenges. This necessitates a system of technical requirements, document collection and preparation, and concurrent data updates. This, in turn, paves the way for effective service automation.
Future Prospects
In the near horizon, spanning one to two years, three pivotal themes merit attention: interactions with utility companies, territory load assessment, and economic impact evaluation.
- Interaction with Utility Companies: A system enriched with data on engineering networks can significantly support regional energy commissions, tariff setting, energy security, and investment assessments for territorial development. Automation of service provision for network connections is poised to reduce both time and costs, benefitting private enterprises and municipal bodies alike.
- Territory Load Assessment and Optimal Facility Placement: Gathering data on residents, their consumption habits, and economic contributions will empower forecasting of social facility requirements such as hospitals, kindergartens, and schools. Additionally, transport data can inform decisions on road network optimization and parking management.
- Economic Impact Evaluation of Urban Planning Transformations: The system will enable assessment of enterprises’ contributions to regional economies, thereby influencing real estate and land valuation. Integration with state cadastral valuation systems will facilitate this endeavor. Public portals, still in their infancy in many regions, represent a critical element of urban planning policy development and data-driven decision-making. They are expected to evolve and merge with investment portals, enabling developers to independently assess and publish data on territorial changes. Such transparency is pivotal in shaping the future of urban planning.
As Geometa continues to evolve and adapt, it remains poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of urban planning, offering transparency, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making. The journey towards the digital transformation of urban management is well underway, and Geometa stands at the forefront, ready to lead the way into a future where urban planning is smarter, more efficient, and more responsive to the needs of our ever-evolving cities.
