Harare, Zimbabwe (News of the South)-The Department of Surveyor General has released the latest Harare map which has been produced by a Japanese firm , 30 years after the last one came out in a move expected to assist in infrastructure development.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) undertook the project of developing a Geospatial Information Database for Harare which also included capacitating DSG personnel in various areas such as digital photogrammetry, Aerial Triangulation, Data Capture using Digital Photogrammetry Workstation and data management.
The last topographic maps of the 1:5000 scale for Harare and its environs were last produced in 1985 and had lost use after succeeding developments and changes, such an increase in the capital population from 650 000 in 1982 to 1.6 million by 2012, rendered them less informative about the capital city.
Speaking at the official handover the Surveyor General Edwin Guvaza said the development had come at a right time for the city.
“The Greater Harare area was chosen for this project mainly due to the glaring gap between the urgent need for massive infrastructure planning rehabilitation and re-designing from water and sanitation to housing and transportation and the requisite up-to-date topographic data upon which all these developmental plans are premised”
“I have no doubt that the City of Harare shall find the products of this project most invaluable in the execution of their mandate of providing critical services to the general populace of Harare”, he said.
“We strongly believe that the Harare street map is going to be of great help to organisations such as ZRP in terms of monitoring traffic and crime within the city, utility and tele-communications companies like ZESA, Tel One, Zol and Econet”, he said.
The DSG said they were planning on expanding the same project to other cities such as Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare, Masvingo, Chinhoyi, Kwekwe and Kadoma so as to facilitate developments.
The Resident rep Mr Shumon Yoshiara said lauded the project which is a product of the bilateral assistance requested from Japan by the Zimbabwean government with JICA as the implementing partner.
The main objectives of the whole project are to develop a Geospatial Information Database of the City of Harare and its environs based on the requirements of the 1:5000 scale topographic mapping and capacity building of the Department of the Surveyor General, and it’s expected to finish in May.
The new Harare maps, which don’t have street and road names for newly built towns, will be distributed to the public from July.
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