LASDO
Mid-Term seminar
CMC –
Mayor’s Centre
18, Sir
Marcus Fernando Mw.
Contents
1. Programme of the Mid-term Seminar
3. Introductory speeches by Dr.
Jayantha LIYANAGE, Municipal Commissioner
4. Mr Shantha N.S JAYASUNDERA, Deputy Municipal
Commissioner, Colombo Project co-ordinator
5. Mr Philippe BILLOT, project general
co-ordinator
6. Mr Fabrice METEL, permanent engineer
1. Programme
of the Mid-term Seminar
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9.00 |
Registration |
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9.30 |
Welcome Address by Dr. Jayantha LIYANAGE,
Municipal Commissioner Address by his Worship, Mr Prasanna
GUNAWARDENA, Mayor of |
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9.45 |
Mr Shantha
N.S JAYASUNDERA, Deputy Municipal
Commissioner, Colombo Project co-ordinator Presentation of project progress and state of
local co-ordination, including local staff involvement, as well as the
extended partnership with other donors’ projects or programmes. |
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10.00 |
Mr Philippe BILLOT, project general
co-ordinator Recall of the project objectives and expected
outcomes. Presentation of the next steps and tasks to be
completed for the second year |
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10.15 |
Mr
Fabrice METEL, permanent engineer Presentation of the basic reference map
layers, including administrative limits, road network, topography |
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10.30 |
Coffee break |
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11.00 |
Presentation of sub-projects’ thematic data
modelling progress : Mr A.D.S. ROHANA, CMC
traffic Division, GIS team (Municipal infrastructure thematic) Mrs. N.I. AZOOR, CMC
Training Centre (Health thematic) Mr A.G. IRSHADH, CMC,
Solid Waste Management Division (environment thematic) |
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11.30 |
Mrs Barbara CHABBAL, project general coordinator assistant / Mr. A.D.S. ROHANA,
engineer, CMC traffic Division, GIS team Presentation of the multimedia tool for urban
communication purposes (sub-project 1). |
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12.00 |
Mr. JAYARATNE, NGO SEVANATHA Presentation of sub-project 3 initial results : survey, methodology
and recommendations |
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12.15 |
Closing of the seminar by Mrs. Thamara Mallawaarachchi,
Director Development |
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The LASDO
Mid-Term Seminar took place on
Around 35
persons attended the event (see programme).
The
objectives of the Seminar were to present the project technical achievements as
well as sub-project progress and perspectives for the second year.
Introductory speeches were made by Dr. Jayantha LIYANAGE,
Municipal Commissioner followed by Mr. Prasanna GUNAWARDENA, Mayor of Colombo.
The latter recalled how satisfied he was after his visit to
In this respect, Mr Mayor stressed the importance of
GIS technologies to ease decision making, in particular regarding physical
planning. He also congratulated project managing team for the fruitful relationships
that they have established with external stakeholders and local NGO
SEVANATHA in order to develop a common approach/methodology of the under-served
settlement issue.
As local
project co-ordinator, Dr Shantha N.S. JAYASUNDERA
recalled the general objectives of the Asia-Urbs programme with particular
focus on its support to sustainable development through European and Asian city
partnerships.
Regarding, the
LASDO project, Dr Shantha N.S. JAYASUNDERA insisted
on its initial goal which is to improve capacity building within CMC and develop
information sharing management process among CMC departments and towards external
stakeholders, including community leaders. In this regards, the development
of co-operation and data sharing between LASDO and PRIMUSS, Poverty
Reduction Project (PRP) projects appears deem important in terms of
work efficiency and multiplier effects of each project achievements.
Finally, Dr
Shantha N.S. JAYASUNDERA listed the foreseen potential development of the LASDO
project even after completion of the Asia Urbs programme. Among them, extension
of data bases as well as further in-service GIS developments were mentioned.
Mr Philippe BILLOT, the project
general co-ordinator for APUR-City of
As far as
the project timing is concerned, Mr BILLOT confirmed the
EC approval for a three month extension which makes the official end of the
project by the end of September 2003.
Until then, Mr BILLOT insisted on the necessity to ensure maximum
sustainability of the project via two major elements :
- the
maintenance and regular updating of the data bases and ;
- the
establishment of a sound and efficient information sharing management
organisation within CMC (which would imply the institutional recognition of an
established GIS team).
Following Mr
BILLOT presentation, Mr Fabrice METEL, project permanent
engineer, described into details the work achieved so far, in particular the
realisation of the
basic reference map, which is the core the three sub-projects. Mr. METEL also explained the functioning of the PMU,
especially regarding data collection and integration processes (thematic
working groups, external stakeholders, GIS team...).
After these
presentations, 3 members from CMC belonging to the GIS team were to describe
the activities which have been carried out in the scope of the project (sub-project 1 data
modelling and sub-project
2 data modelling), as well as its present and expected further achievements
in the remaining time.
As illustration
of the project most completed achievements, the Multimedia
tool for urban communication purposes
which has been realised in the scope of sub-project 1, was presented as prototype.
Last but not
least, Mr JAYARATNE, Director of local NGO
SEVANATHA, presented the progress achieved for the sub-project 3 “GIS
for local operational planning”. Mr JAYARATNE insisted on the bottom up approach
which has been favoured by the project, namely the identification and involvement
of local community leaders while corresponding field surveys and USS mapping have been completed. So far, 62 USS
have been surveyed and mapped (sub-project 3), including at household level, among the two
selected wards 2 and 34. Mr JAYARATNE recalled the importance of mapping for
any further development among the USS, including for the communities themselves
who subsequently benefited from mapping training during completion of survey
activities.
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3. Introductory speeches by Dr. Jayantha LIYANAGE, Municipal
Commissioner
Your Worship Prassanna Gunawardana
Mr Phillip Billot
Ms Barbara Chabball
Deputy Commissioners
Heads of Departments and Directors
Ladies and Gentlemen
It gives me
great pleasure to extend this warm welcome to all of you at this presentation
seminar of the LASDO project that is implemented with the funding from the
European Union and the corporation of the cities of Paris of France and Madrid
of Spain.
It is my duty to
make special mention of Mr Phillip Billot and Ms Barbara Chabbal who have specially arrived in
I would also
like to mention shortly about the opportunity I and the Mayor had recently to
visit
As it would be
evident in the later part of the morning that very significant achievements
have been made during the last two years since the inception. I think apart
from the contribution of our staff, the contribution made by the resident
engineer/ planner Mr Fabrice Metel has been very important.
The presence of
the representative of the European Commission is equally encouraging and the
assistance of the EU for this project is much appreciated.
With these words
let wish you a very fruitful morning which I think will enable you to share
your views on the same with us which will enable us to develop the project
further.
Thank you
4.
Mr Shantha N.S
JAYASUNDERA, Deputy Municipal
Commissioner, Colombo Project co-ordinator
5.
Mr Philippe BILLOT, project general co-ordinator
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
I’m
particularly glad to be again with you for this second seminar of our LASDO
project that we develop in the frame of the ASIA URBS program which links our
respective cities of
We have now
passed half the way of our project, and we thought it important to review the
technical situation of the work we have undertaken together. That is why I
consider this intermediate seminar as a kind of super steering committee.
In order to
plot one’s position, it is important to remember where we started from, where
we wanted to go and what has been achieved since our point of departure.
So, before
leaving the floor to the people who are directly involved in the technical
process of our common project and who will present us the work which has been
completed until now, I would like to remind the general objectives we had in
mind at the beginning.
First of
all, as we regularly insist on it, our project is a technical one and we expect
technical results. Based on the use of Geographic information systems
technologies, it aims at creating spatial communication and decision making
tools and at favouring the development of an information sharing process. This
one should include both the internal management of the Colombo Municipal
Council and its relations with the other stakeholders of the urban and social
planning process.
To reach
this goal, it has been chosen to develop the project through three components,
but before recalling what they are, it appears necessary again to remind that
this process of information sharing must rely on a common vocabulary, designing
the same concepts with the same words, and, as urban planning refers to space
use choices, common cartographic references.
As it was
expressed since the beginning of the project,
the technical objectives are therefore to harmonise data and make it
more accessible to the various participants in land and urban planning in
In that
perspective, one of the main tasks of the project is to prepare a basic numeric
reference map of
The three
components of the project rely on the use of this reference map, as well as
many other projects and activities.
The
sub-project one aims at creating a communication tool, an interactive
consulting post, allowing an easy and quick access to several kinds of located
information about
The second
one deals with sector planning and focuses in priority on health matters, but
encompasses other data and is a first
step towards a more general approach, including the urban and environmental
matters.
The third
one aims at preparing a prototype of GIS tool for local operational planning.
It is more specifically dedicated to under served areas improvement.
To develop
those sub projects, several tasks had to be achieved. Several of them are
completed, some of them are on the way and others must be undertaken.
Most of the
equipment and software have been acquired and installed and the corresponding
training has been provided. The GPS equipment remains to be acquired. Due to
the nature of the project (urban planning) and the budget constraints, a
decision must be taken about its accuracy.
The
presentations which will be done during this morning will give us the state of
the work for the other components of the work : basic reference map
finalization, data collection, data modelling and data base organisation, pilot
under served areas survey, software development.
So, I would
like to emphasise again on the importance of
this information sharing. This implies not only technical aspects,
including data and process documentation, that we try to take into account, but
also a common will of sharing and working in a network way, even if this
doesn’t always appear necessary when taken in the day to day work. This will
allow to develop progressively the various possibilities which are opened by
GIS technology.
Urban
planning is a global matter, it requires a systemic approach and the
participation of every one. We therefore sincerely hope that our project will
contribute to the development of a comprehensive planning process, based on
clear information sharing and participation of all the categories of
stakeholders : political and economic decision makers, administrative and
planning staff, inhabitants...
It is now
time to listen to the people who are in charge of fulfilling the important
amount of work implied by our project. I thank you for your attention.
6.
Mr Fabrice METEL, permanent engineer
7.
Mr A.D.S. ROHANA, CMC traffic Division, GIS team
(Municipal infrastructure thematic) / Mrs. N.I. AZOOR, CMC Training Centre
(Health thematic) / Mr A.G. IRSHADH, CMC, Solid Waste Management Division (Environment
thematic)
Presentation of sub-projects’ thematic data modelling
progress :
Sub-project
1 : Urban Facilities / Data Modelling process
Sub-project
2 : Health and Environment / Data Modelling Process
8.
Mrs Barbara CHABBAL, project general coordinator
assistant / Mr. A.D.S. ROHANA, engineer, CMC traffic Division, GIS team
Presentation
of the multimedia tool for urban communication purposes (sub-project 1).