Training on the use of GIS software was held in Sarajevo (GIS - Geographic Information System), and nine laptops donated by the Government of Japan were delivered, in order to establish a landslide cadaster (geographical survey) in the local self-government units in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on December 12th 2015.
The training is part of the "Landslide Risk Management" project which reduces the risk of landslides, by reconstructing land impacted by landslides and strengthening existing relief institutions, in nine municipalities: Doboj, Goražde, Maglaj, Srebrenik, Tuzla, Zenica, Zvornik, Žepče and Vogošća. The training was attended by 18 employees of local self-governing units who are members of a team dedicated to establishing the cadaster.
After two days of training, the team will then undertake training for independent data entry on landslides, which they can then apply to creating a database for their own municipalities for further planning, risk management and development. The donated laptops from the Government of Japan will be used to manage the data at a local level.
As part of the project, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also helped develop an organisational model for the cadastral data. This model, along with the guidelines for the establishment of landslide cadasters at a local level, helped the UNDP and its partners (The Institute for Geology and The Federal Institute for Geology) synchronise the format of collected information for wider combating of future hazards.
The above databases also collect socio-economic data on the population living nearby or on landsilde zones. As such, local self-government units will be able to prioritise the allocation of funds to support vulnerable groups (single parents, the elderly, disabled people or people otherwise with special needs) and to assist in the development of business entities in the local market. These databases could form a foundation for the spatial and urban planning and strategic development of municipalities across BiH.