Today, local self-government must contribute to the address register, urban planning cadastre, national geospatial data infrastructure and other registers. Therefore, its bodies must have professionals who are well-versed in GIS on their teams.
That is why the training programme “Steps for Specialists. Geographic Information Systems for the Development of Municipalities” was created, bringing together 24 municipalities from different regions of Ukraine. The programme helped participants master practical tools for collecting, structuring and analysing spatial data — skills that are critical for effective resource management, infrastructure development and informed decision-making.
The programme was beneficial for both beginners and those who already had experience working with geographic information systems, such as Bohdan Zhuravel, the Chief Officer of the Land Resources Department in Kozelshchyna municipality. He introduced GIS technologies to his municipality back in 2021. Among his first initiatives was the digitisation of land share layouts: geospatial references were added to scanned documents to easily identify land plots that correspond to a specific share. This approach provided the framework for the subsequent collection and consolidation of all information about land plots into a single database.
U-LEAD training provided Bohdan Zhuravel a chance to structure existing knowledge and master new skills.
“Although I’d already had experience with GIS, I discovered new tools — specifically, for collecting and compiling statistics, as well as for creating new objects. For example, I learned how to easily generate statistics on land plots, by area, form of ownership or intended purpose. I hadn’t used that in practice before. I also learned how to simplify digitisation,” says Bohdan Zhuravel.
He is already applying the acquired knowledge in his work. GIS greatly simplifies and speeds up monitoring the use of land plots and generating statistics.
Throughout the training, Bohdan Zhuravel not only studied himself, but also helped his colleagues from other municipalities with practical tasks. Even after completing the course, Bohdan continued to share his knowledge, advising municipalities on connecting to the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure and working with the Unified State Register of Addresses (EDRA).
Residents are already feeling the benefits of the GIS implementation. Among other things, this technology is useful for the smooth functioning of services in the municipality.
“For example, the address register helps the police or ambulance quickly find the right house. While Google Maps sometimes lack accurate addresses, up-to-date data from the register allows you to respond promptly,” says Bohdan Zhuravel.
The experience of Kozelshchyna municipality showcases how new knowledge and digital tools can transform the daily routine of local self-government bodies and create tangible benefits for people. These are the kinds of results that inspire the U-LEAD team to continue working in this direction.
“As a designated working group, we strive to keep up with the digitalisation needs of municipalities. We are always working on developing and conducting training courses to help municipalities implement modern digital solutions. We are delighted to see success cases where our training translates into large-scale initiatives and, most importantly, brings real benefits to municipalities. This gives us additional motivation to work even harder and support municipalities on their digital journey,” says Pavlo Riabokon, the Head of the Digitalisation Working Group at U-LEAD with Europe.
