MalaysiaGIS.com

Source: Computimes, New Straits Times (page 6)

DID's IT director Rozaini Abdullah said the department had submitted a proposal to the government for budget allocation to support the IT initiatives.

The department, she added, spent about RM7 million under the Seventh Malaysia Plan in developing the GIS modules and putting up its IT infrastructure.

Speaking to Computimes in Kuala Lumpur last week, Rozaini said the department currently has five core system in place.

These, she added, are the coastal engineering information system, hydrology system and urban drainage system and irrigation system. Rozaini said the first four systems have already been integrated with GIS functionalitites while the irrigation system will be dealt with much later.

According to Rozaini, DID will continue to develop the GIS within its work environment because of its dynamic nature and it has proven to be an important tool in assisting the management in decision making and furnishing useful information to the public.

On a related development, Rozaini said the department, through the Malaysian Hydrological Information System (MHIS), has developed a flood monitoring system which provides on-line real-time information pertaining to the water level for most rivers nationwide.

The system, which is expected to be launched soon, is intended to help residents in flood-prone areas to be on the alert and prepare for any eventualities, she explained.

Rozaini said the system makes use of telemetry technology to indicate water rise.

"The data will first arrive in the respective State DIDs, where it will be submitted to the national command centre for further action, including uploading the information on the spot to the Web," she said.