OPEN GIS FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION:
THE CASE OF ODESSA OBLAST
STATE ADMINISTRATION
V. Anderson, A. Chukhray
Odessa State University
Department of Economic and Social Geography
Laboratory of GIS
2, ul. Petra Velikogo, Odessa, 270000, Ukraine
Introduction
Public administration by its very nature as an information-rich sphere, has much to gain from the facilities which the new information technology (in first turn - GIS) provides. At the Department of Economic and Social Geography of Odessa State University the work is going to design multipurpose GIS for Odessa regional (oblast) state administration. This GIS has to provide complex planning examination and monitoring of economic and social objects on the base of expert assessment in automated environment and to support in such manner the planning decision making at all organizational levels of public administration in Odessa region.
Conception of Regional Public Administration: the Case of Ukraine
At the present time principles and mechanisms of state regional policy are being actively developed in Ukraine. Practical testing of regional management and forms of interregional collaboration, including the international level, are going on in the regions. Some of the Ukrainian regions have already worked out the conceptions of socio-economic development. Such conceptions for two regions - the Carpathian and Ukrainian Black Sea Coast Region, - are examined at the level of the government and elaboration of State programmes on socio-economic development of these regions has begun according to the special decisions of Ukrainian government (1995).
The conception of Ukrainian regional public administration has to be elaborated on the base of problem-oriented approach in the framework of sustainable development paradigm: for each region the main problem of socio-economic development and environment preservation has to be defined which limits and regulates the development of many economic branches and activities as well as gives common vector of economic/environmental policy making.
For example, Ukrainian Black Sea Coast Region (Odessa, Nikolayev, Kherson oblasts and Crimea) is distinguished mostly by the problem of rational use of seaside areas. World experience testifies convincingly the exceptional role of coastal zones, which have to be considered as unique, polyfunctional, highly valuable national resource. In Ukraine, coastal zones and areas have high attractiveness for population and economy. They demonstrate very high concentration of population, indusries, infrastructure as well as production assets and capacities, which rather exceeds proper indices of region’s continental territories. At the same time the coastal zones with their natural firth-mouth complexes, sea coast and shelf zone execute important biosphere functions (regional and global). Right here the unique natural complexes and biocoenosisses are concentrated, seasonal birds migrations and sea fauna routes cross, many of which have status of severely protected objects and territories. Exactly sea coast, estuary areas of rivers and adjoining shelf shoal are the most vulnerable ecologically.
The regionalism as a state policy has to be a system-forming determinant, which not only determines the direction of the Ukraine statehood development, but is also the effective means of assistance to the country’s democracy, stability and sustainable development through the suitable public administration system.
Nowadays the processes of privatisation of property, decentralization of economic management, development of local self-government are going in Ukraine. They cause the necessity of development and implementation in regional planning the unified principles and methods of economic, social, demographic, ethnic and environmental regional policies. Despite the regional policy should be coordinated at the interregional and national levels, real and effective planning/management of social-economic processes is possible at the regional level only. The ignoration of the economic, social-demographic, ethnic and other regional peculiarities of the ‘territorial collectives’ leads to the growth of the social intensity and tension, the absence of the state regional policy actually provoke the region’s more tough demands to the centre.
As a matter of fact, the soviet regional public administration paradigm was aimed to serve high monopolized empire and had strong sectoral and exterritorial aspects. Despite officially proclaimed course to the ‘balanced socio-economic development of the regions’ the ‘whole soviet state’ interests was dominant. Due to the total ‘economy of deficits’ it was not possible to improve the quality of life in respect of goods and food consumption at regional level. Sectoral approach in economic development led to the aggravation of environment and exhaustion of natural resources. The hierarchy of regional socioeconomic management (national, regional, local) was not be well defined and it prevented co-ordination and co-operation between the various levels of decision-making and the equalisation of financial resources. The local and regional authorities involved in regional/spatial planning policy had not the power to take and carry out decisions, as well as adequate financial means. And it was not possible for the citizen to participate in regional/spatial planning policy making.
GIS-Based Public Administration in Ukrainian Black Sea Coast Region
One of the most promising way of the practical use of GIS is the regional public administration and management. Right here, the main applied function of GIS - to transform spatially distributed data into planning and management decisions, - is brigthtly revealed. As it is known, the final aim of the use any information system is acceptance of a decision. In that sense the geographical information systems are the extraordinary useful means of the supporting spatial decisions. It is really, as world experience testifies, the GIS are used more frequently as a tool of spatial decision support in the such important applied fields, as land use planning and management, infrastructure development, nature resources use, geographical marketing and geodemography. With this, GIS provides accumulation, analysis and visualization of the necessary geographical information. The latter functions (analysis and visualization) make similar GIS-technology with the technology of Decision Support Systems (DSS).
DSS consist of the wide range of information technologies, competent to the rendering of factological, logical, methodical and heuristic help the person, solving the difficult, badly defined problems. Such problems are not so unique to elaborate for them the special methodical apparatus, and at the same time they are not so typical to adapt to them already existing strict schemes of decision. It should be noted that any computer systems, to begin with the simplest database management systems (DBMS) and to end with the program packages of mathematical modelling and optimization, can ‘render support’ in the process of decision making. However, in the case of spatial decisions the ability is required to integrate the various spatially distributed information on geographical environment and to present it to the users in the form of computer maps and atlases. Although analytical abilities of the modern GIS are limited, their combination with the mathematical modelling and technologies of artificial intelligence (expert and consulting systems) occur absolutely new kind of information technology - the Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS). In these systems because of the presence of functional connection between spatial data and spatial models it is possible to create the integral informal analytic environment, promoting the acceptance of difficult spatial decisions.
The Ukrainian Black Sea Coast Region occupies a special geopolitical and especially advantageous transport-geographical position at the waterways - rivers and sea, routes from the Central Europe to the Near East and to the South Eastern Asia, from the States of Commonwealth (CIS), and in the first place from Russia, to the countries of Mediterranean basin and to the World Ocean. The region has developed transport infrastructure and is distinguished by poverful transportation-distributive and transit potential at the interregional and international levels. Considerable rendering the economical situation in the Region healthy demanded and requires a universal approach. The idea of the regional development of the Ukrainian Black Sea Coast, uniting the efforts of the Odessa, Nikolayev, Kherson oblasts and of the Republic of Crimea in the solution of the common tasks, relates to the powerful key-factors of influence on regional economics. Strategically the idea is to be coordinated with the interests of the state and regions, to create conditions for a rational use of local resources and peculiarities of natural and production potential with the aim of the most efficient socio-economic development. Consequently it is very important to create a mechanism of close interaction of central and local bodies of the state executive power, to transfer to the regional level additional authorities in turning economic reforms into reality, in provision of stability of socio-economic formation of the regions. For example, the Regional State Administrations favour businessmen, producing for the Region the primary needs products, including as well conducting a flexible fiscal policy. The Regional Program of Business Activities Development has been approved and is being accomplished. Thanks to it in industry the non-state section share regarding the total production turnover has considerably increased. At the oblast’s level the program of demonopolization has been elaborated, in compliance with which enterprises-monopolists have been defined. It develops various collective and individual types of property and stimulates local business activities in which great reserves have been laid.
In the case of the South of Ukraine we have very mosaic and complex ethnic situation which has been still more complicated after 1991 when Ukraine has obtained its state independency and when the new geopolitical circumstances have leaved their traces on the traditional ethnosocial processes in the region. As contemporary history testifies, the ethnic factor has strong and often unforeseen and unexpected influence on the state economic and political development. In many cases exactly the ethnic conflicts and tensions was a main reason of political unstability or even civil wars as have been happened in Yugoslavia, Chechen Republic or Moldova.
Practically the state management of the region has to be realized by the Regional State Administrations of the Oblasts and Autonomous Republic. The elaboration of the State Program was entrusted to the Odessa Institute of Market Problems and Economic-Ecological Studies, and its practical implementation - to the Academy of Public Administration (Odessa Regional Branch). But due to the financial problems the work almost has stopped. Another problem relates with poor current information on ethnodemographic and ethnosocial processes are going in the region. Official census statistics still is not reliable concerning the ethnosocial phenomena and not reflects the important ethnosocial features at all. Therefore it is necessary to design and measure special composite indexes as the kinds of ethnodemographic, ethnoeconomic, ethnocultural, ethnopolitical ‘portraits’ (or ‘pictures’) of the all ethnic groups resided in the region. It will provide implementation of the ethnosocial monitoring in territorial and temporal context by the Regional State Administrations.
The general goal of GIS implementation in regional public administration is the information providing of complex integrated planning examination and monitoring of spatial economic and social objects (in context of administrative territorial units, settlement systems, interbranch complexes and production systems) on the basis of automation of the integral expert assessment in GIS environment. In the end, the regional expert GIS must be created which will provide the support of decision in the course of regional planning and management. The ability to work and to present in the territorial context various information about the state of regional economic complex and geographical environment in the kind of generalized integral indices is the most important peculiarity, and it gives the possibility to realize practically the principle of integrated regional planning (up to now only proclaimed). Besides, GIS will provide the socio-economic monitoring of the local and regional territorial complexes with the purpose of the prognosis and management. The complex integrated geographical assessment in that case will be based on the results of integrative expert estimate and thematic mapping of:
The main task of the discussed project consists in elaboration and implementation of the effective public administration system for regulation of ethnosocial and ethnopolitical processes in Ukrainian Black Sea Coast Region to avoid ethnic conflicts and resistance as well as to promote sustainable developments in multinational and polyethnic society of the new Ukrainian planning region. This legal objective is related closely with research activity, namely to study the geodemographic, socioeconomic, ethnocultural and ethnopolitical patterns and factors which determine the ethnosocial and ethnopolitical situation in the Region. The research activity has to be accomplished in two main directions:
a) geodemographic exploration of the region by all administrative territorial units, settlement systems and largest cities. Available official census data will be used for design of GIS database to elaborate the electronic geodemographic atlas of the region. Additional ethnodemographic field researches have to be done in the places of compact residence of national minorities and ethnic groups in Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson oblasts and Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Especial attention will be paid to the study of ethnodemographic situation in rayons where the programmes on relocating the displaced nations (Germans, Tatars) and refugees from NIS countries are going. Using GIS technology the electronic geodemographic atlas of the region has to be designed. It will provide the automated thematic mapping of the geodemographic situation and its current trends as well as required detailed geodemographic patterns of all national minorities and ethnic groups resided in the region;
b) ethnogeographic study of the region is aimed to clear ethnocultural patterns and ethnological processes in historic-geographical context. Expeditions and field researches are required in the places of compact residence of national minorities and ethnic groups: Bulgarians, Moldavians and Gagausians - in Odessa oblast, Germans - in Nikolaev and Odessa oblasts, Tatars - in Crimea Republic. Special ethnogeographic field researches are needed to search current conditions in the places of relocating the displaced Germans (Odessa oblast) and Tatars (Crimea). During the research the ethnic patterns in rural households have to be detected as well as various ethnodemographic, ethnocultural, ethnosocioeconomic and ethnopolitical ‘portraits’ of the all ethnic groups resided in the region have to be obtained. It is necessary for ethnodemographic policy making by the Regional State Administrations. In the end of research the electronic ethnogeographical atlas of the region will be elaborated using GIS and multimedia technology. It will be able to produce the composite ethnogeographical maps accompanied by various video and audio records.
With this, the data treated by the system are presented conceptually in the kind of informative ‘cube’, on the axes there are: 1) the requested spatial scale of socio-economic activity (for example, scale line ‘settlement-rayon-oblast-region’); 2) the requested degree of data aggregation in estimations (for example, ‘raw census data-intermediate coefficients-integrated indexes’); 3) the requested scale of time presentation (for example, ‘current-, middle-, long-term’ presentations or stages of the State Program themselves).
The Table illustrates adequate GIS’s dimensions of the regional public administration in Odessa Region.
Regional public administration issues |
GIS activities |
1.Elaboration of conceptions and programmes on regional socio-economic development |
1.Forming of regional socio-economic GIS for needs of state management and local self-management |
2.Setting of prior directions of structural reconstruction of regional economic complexes |
2.GIS-based planning expertise of territorial economic complexes and production systems |
3.Working out and implementation of market mechanisms and structures |
3.GIS-based assessment of invest fitness and commercial efficiency of economic objects and complexes |
4.Making of inventory and cadastral assessment of natural conditions and resources |
4.Elaboration of regional cadastral GIS, GIS-based expert assessment of natural resources |
5.Working out of geographical cadastre on natural conditions, resources and quality of environment |
5.GIS-based monitoring of natural conditions, natural resources and environment quality in spatial-temporal mode |
6.Installation of more updated resource- and energysaving technologies |
6.GIS-based inventory and assessment of resource- and energyusers in environmental context |
7.Realization of regional ethnosocial and demographic policy |
7.GIS-based geodemographic monitoring, electronic ethnographic atlas of the Region |
8.Development of modern sphere of service and social infrastructure |
8.GIS-based geomarketing, retail analysis and service location modelling |
9.Analysis of contemporary geopolitical situation, elaboration of principles and methods of regional foreign economic and innovative activities |
9.Smallscale automated thematic mapping, GIS-based expertise of geographical and social-economic conditions for creating of free business zones in the Region |
10.Elaboration and realization of regional nature protection and relevant socio-ecological policy |
10.Environmental monitoring using remote sensing and GIS-technology, elaboration of electronic atlas of nature reserves and protected areas |
11.Harmonization of architectural-historical environment of Northern Black Sea coast cities and urban agglomerations |
11.Designing of municipal GISs for coast cities and urban agglomerations, elaboration of GIS-based architectural-historical atlas of the Region |