GIS Utilizing Outdated Technology, says OAG report

The Office of the Auditor General has recommended financial assistance for the Geographic Information Service (GIS) for it to carry out its work effectively.

In its latest report, the OAG found that the aerial photography dataset of the geo-spatial database is very outdated, as the last aerial photography of Montserrat was taken in 2010. 

It was revealed in the report that GIS had made numerous proposals for financial aid to procure a drone to collect the latest geo-spatial data of Montserrat but has been unsuccessful. 

The Office of the Auditor General says it strongly recommends that MATLHE purchase a drone for the capture of aerial photography of Montserrat’s current terrain, in order to update the very outdated imagery dataset.

GIS technology has been utilised in various ways and in several sectors, on island, such as Crime; Telephone and Network services; Disaster Management; Land Information; Surveying; Tax Management; Statistical Information; Volcanoes; Coastal Management; and support for Geothermal Energy project. The report also found that the Lands & Survey Department has not been continuously updating the GIS data with cadastre maps as they do not have any work protocols that mandates the updating of the database.

Efforts are already being made by the department to resolve the issue.

The purpose of the audit was to find out whether the MLI Online Mapping Portal met the original project objectives, adhered to the requirements of the system development methodology, and establish any plans for future enhancements.