An Independent councillor on Meath County Council has again raised the issue around the accuracy of the GIS (Geographic Information System) at a meeting of the council. The GIS is a computer system that analyses and displays geographic reference information. The system is a digital interactive map that connects location data with descriptive information, Unlike static maps, GIS maps use multiple data layers (imagery, features, base maps) to analyse spatial patterns and relationships, aiding in decision-making across various industries.
The system can be used across various areas including business, facilities management, or environmental management but, in the case of local authorities, for planning purposes related to county development plans.
In March this year Cllr Everard told a meeting of the council that, having looked at the GIS, she had “real concerns” about it. She said that she had noticed that the photographic images had not been updated since 2013. The imagery from 1996 was showing houses and roads that were “not even developed at the time.
She aid that Ordnance Survey Ireland had published a book of maps in 2006 called North Leinster Town Maps. There was large-scale revision from 2004 /2005 and there were some “major discrepancies”, for example some areas were being shown as built up when, in fact, they were only being developed at the moment. “OSI boundaries have been moved hundreds of metres, there’s main roads not lining up. This is just a few examples of this mapping. This questions our entire mapping system for the whole country”.
At the same meeting in March Director of Finance Fiona Lawless said she felt the system of mapping the council had at the moment was accurate. However, she would take a note of the councillor’s remarks and go back and look at the system. The councillor said she wasn’t questioning the mapping as such but the overall scenario on GIS throughout the entire country.
The councillor raised the issue again at last Monday’s meeting of the council saying that she had asked for more information about the GIS system and was told officials would come back to her. She said she had raised the issue three times. She had attended a meeting of the Irish Planning Conference with several councillor colleagues and concerns had been raised about GIS mapping. She said she had first raised the issue on 21 st January and had some difficulty getting it onto the agenda stating, “Four months further on now and no further on”.
Ms Lawless said that one of the GIS team had spoken to Cllr Everard. She said that after the first council meeting when the matter had been raised two individuals had phoned and spoken to the councillor. One official said she had specifically spoken to the councillor and when the councillor had raised the matter at the April meeting she (Ms Lawless) had gone back to the official. Cllr Everard said she had not received any call. The official said she would go back and get the exact date the call was made.
