Government of India Government of India

Urban and Regional Information System

Urban & Regional Information Systems (URIS) Division is one of the Division in TCPO  and has handled several prestigious projects and schemes such as National Urban Information System (NUIS). The need for the development of URIS was formally expressed in a comprehensive manner at the Annual Conference of Chief Town Planners of States / Union Territories in late seventies. Since then TCPO is engaged in the development and promotion of URIS and related activities. A Steering Group was set up in 1979 to identify the data needs and suggest ways and means to implement the system. This group presented two reports, one on urban and another on regional information system. Based on these reports, two pilot studies on system analysis were carried out. One for Changalpattu (Tamil Nadu) and another on Anand (Gujarat) with the help of respective State Town Planning Departments under the financial assistance and technical guidance provided by TCPO. TCPO also organized a number of training programmes/seminars on URIS. Study visits were undertaken by UN Consultants Mr. Coiner in 1977 and Dr. Cartwright in 1985 for the development of Urban and Regional Information Systems.

The National Commission on Urbanisation (NCU) has also made a number of recommendations for the development of URIS and has suggested strategies for its implementation through case studies, research programmes coordination and creation of essential databases for monitoring the urban environment. Keeping in these in view, TCPO has made a comprehensive proposal for the development of URIS at National and State levels. Seeing the work undertaken by TCPO in the areas of URIS, the Ministry decided to create National Urban Observatory in TCPO.

Recognizing the unique efforts of TCPO in developing Urban & Regional Information System, the Planning Commission recommended Ministry to launch the National Urban Information System (NUIS) Scheme in March 2006 to develop GIS databases for 152 cities/ towns in the country at two scales i.e., 1:10000 using satellite images and 1:2000 using aerial photography. URIS Division has successfully implemented NUIS Scheme and completed in March 2017.

Taking the Urban & Regional Information System mapping forward, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has launched ‘Sub-Scheme on Formulation of GIS-based Master Plans for 500 AMRUT Cities’ which is being implemented by TCPO through URIS Division. The Sub-Scheme is aiming to formulate Master Plans through GIS enabled platform. The direct and indirect benefits of the Sub-Scheme are enormous.

The URIS Division also takes pride in the successful implementation of an International MoU signed between TCPO, Govt. of India and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE), Govt. of Singapore, for Urban Planning and Governance in Nov.2015. The Division coordinated with Govt. of India, State/UT Govts. and Govt. of Singapore to train 99 Central and State Government Officials at Singapore, in four runs planned over a period of two years.

Besides technical work, the Division also contributes in office administration, management of IT facility and store, representing Medical Reimbursement Committee, Prevention of Harassment of Women at the Workplace Committee and several other functions assigned from time to time. The Division is also instrumental in establishing Space Technology Application Cell for Urban & Regional Planning in TCPO,  website updations and maintenance and now implementing e-office in TCPO.

Presently, the URIS Division is headed by Town & Country Planner and assisted by Two Assistant Town and Country Planners, Five Research Assistants and Three Planning Assistants.

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