The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), also known as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), is the civic body that governs Mumbai. The autonomous institution performs several functions, which include provision and maintenance of medical services, education, water supply, fire services, garbage disposal, drainage development, and improvement of roads and street lighting. In a bid to expedite decision-making, BMC launched the One MCGM GIS portal and the MCGM 24×7 mobile app.
Need for the portal
Over the years, MCGM has realised that the geographic information system (GIS) not only helps in managing the existing infrastructure but also aids in planning development works for the future. Many departments use GIS not only for spatially referenced data, but also for the information needed to carry out further analysis. It helps MCGM’s departments and utility contractors to determine the location of their assets as well as analyse their attributes.
MCGM provides its citizens with public services, the quantum of which depends on the size of the area and the population serves. The local governments over the years have typically managed these utility systems with the help of hard copy paper maps. However, GIS has made it possible to effectively manage these public services. Many municipalities have switched to GIS-based systems because such systems have the ability to combine large quantum of spatial and non-spatial data, and segregate it into various layers or themes, thereby making analysis easier.
MCGM is using a digitised map of Mumbai with the ArcGIS system developed by the National Informatics Centre to manage its services. MCGM started researching ways to update its data and increase efficiency within the departments and set up a centralised system that could be accessed across all departments in the city. To this end, it decided to deploy the Permanent Reference System and Trimble’s real-time rovers to update the database.
In December 2017, MCGM launched a web portal called One MCGM GIS. MCGM selected Esri’s ArcGIS Server technology as its citywide GIS enterprise management solution. ArcGIS Server integrates images, detailed maps and property-level maps, and links them to a wide range of enterprise data used for various city functions. The server also provides a common platform for authorised and secured access to data in order to harmonise the workflow of respective departments and disseminate information for the benefit of the public.
Key features
The portal will help people keep track of different categories under which the land has been reserved in the Development Plan 2014-34, which provides a blueprint of the city’s development. Information about the reservation category of any plot of land can be accessed through a mobile phone with the help of GIS mapping. Apart from information about land reservation, the portal will have information pertaining to other departments of the civic body, such as solid waste management, disaster management, water resources, property tax, road and transport, and sewage operations. This will expedite decision-making and improve coordination among various departments. Further, the portal provides information regarding road repairs by simply typing in the name of a road.
Benefits in store
The One MCGM GIS portal would not only enhance the efficiency of the municipal corporation’s operations but also help in the calculation of accurate fee and creation of management information system reports comprising date-wise, ward-wise and village-wise reports.
In addition to providing information, the portal will reduce the time taken to approve a project, as responses from various departments will be automated and the number of steps involved will be reduced. The move is expected to improve interdepartmental coordination and reduce response time.
Conclusion
MCGM is working towards improving basic services in the city. The launch of the One MCGM GIS portal and the MCGM 24×7 mobile app is an important step in this direction. However, their success would depend on large-scale public participation and the creation of an accurate, up-to-date and well-maintained public database. N