About GIS

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has been entrusted to supply cost effective and sustainable infrastructures in the area of rural, urban and water sectors throughout the country. To enhance the capacity of planning and monitoring of such type development program in an efficient way, LGED adopted the technological advantages of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Management Information System (MIS) in early 90s. The GIS Unit of LGED is the first setup of its kind in any public sector offices in Bangladesh. LGED not only institutionalized GIS within own institution, also playing pioneer role to disseminate the technology by providing database and technical support to other organizations in the country.

Purpose of GIS Unit

The main purpose of GIS Unit is to develop local government infrastructure database in GIS platform to facilitate local level planning and participation with modern planning tool. Geo-spatial database in different thematic layers becomes essential basic information for project planning and monitoring. LGED maintains the GIS database and maps which enable the local stakeholders to take part in the process of planning and decision making with more technical and information-based manner. The overall purpose of GIS Unit is to provide platform of Geo-spatial database and technology for planning of a wide range of development activities, not only for LGED, but for other local and national level development program also.

Development of Spatial Database

GIS Unit of LGED has completed digitization of Upazila Base Maps at 1:50000 scale in early 90s for the whole country which comprises of various layers including administrative boundaries, physical infrastructure, educational institutions, settlement pattern and other agriculture and socio-economic infrastructure. The basic spatial data were captured for Upazila Base Map with the help of 1961’s topographic maps of Survey of Bangladesh (SoB), old (1942) thana maps of Department of Land Revenue and Survey (DLRS), aerial photograph of SoB (1983-84), SPOT Satellite Image of 1989-90 and also Global Positioning System (GPS) survey & ground truthing with the help of Upazila level technical staff.

For digitization of Upazila maps, following steps were carried out:

• Digitization of features by using digitizing Board
• Editing and Edge matching
• Topology development
• Geo-referencing.
• Projection (LCC)
• Datum (Everest 84)

Geo-Spatial database development

• Database structure (ArcInfo coverage- Arc, Tic, PAT, AAT)
• Attribute data
• Data layer

Projection System : Lambert Coniformal Conic (LCC)

Task done by GIS Unit

With the introduction of GIS technology in Bangladesh during early 1990, its use and application has widened considerably. It has opened a new horizon for the planners, decision makers for a comprehensive and perspective planning. The major application areas of GIS in infrastructure development activities under LGED can be summarized as follows:

• Rural Accessibility and Transport Planning
• Prioritization and selection of development schemes
• Local level disaster management
• Mapping for Infrastructure development planning