The KZNPG GIS Forum, of which the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health is a member, recently held a GIS Day at the Hilton Hotel in Hilton.

There was a good attendance with over 140 people in attendance. The forum was established in order to try to ensure that data, skills and resources, where possible, could be shared amongst the departments. The forum as a whole decided that GIS was not being seen as a valuable resource and was therefore lacking support from senior management. It was decided that a GIS Day should be held to demonstrate the strategic role that GIS plays in achieving departmental as well as provincial missions.

The day demonstrated that through data sharing and integration between various government departments a GIS can be implemented that is an essential tool for planning in the province. The Office of the Premier acknowledged that this powerful technology was vitally important in helping to achieve the vision of the province.

Sam Yirenkyi from the Department of Housing gave a general overview of what GIS is, which was aimed at people who had little or no idea of the use of GIS. It was clearly illustrated that GIS is so much more than mere map production. Obviously the concern with management lies in the costs and benefits of such advanced technology. Chris Carter (MHP Geospace) gave a comprehensive and informative presentation, which gave management insight into the cost of establishing and maintaining a viable GIS. It was illustrated that a successfully implemented GIS could yield large direct and indirect benefits, which far outweigh the establishment and maintenance costs.

Each department constituting the KZNPG GIS Forum gave a presentation on applications of GIS, which had been used to contribute towards reaching the vision of the Premier's Office for the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. The Department of Health's GIS Unit gave a presentation focusing on disease management and service delivery. The example of cholera was used as a recent application of GIS, which assisted greatly in the management of this disease.

It was generally felt that the day was a great success and it is hoped that all attendees took the measure home that GIS is a useful and necessary technology, which can be used to solve a variety of management problems.

GIMS

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