GIS AS A PLANNING AND MONITORING TOOL TO IMPROVE EFFECTIVENESS OF PARTICIPATORY VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is now recognized widely as a valuable tool for managing, analyzing, and displaying large volumes of diverse data pertinent to many local and regional planning activities. GIS is simply a part of an organization’s information management system. It is the component that best manage data with spatial component and provide platform from which data can be easily sourced, data quality can be verifies, the decision making process can be transparent, and data gathering times can be significantly reduced. This is an effort to develop GIS-based spatial planning and monitoring systems in participatory community development. It is easy to manage development activities on GIS as an effective tool for participatory community development. Attempt was made in this report, to explore how the participatory GIS has been used for community development.
This research report outlines the theory behind how GIS work, and the practical benefits and problems of their use for rural poverty alleviation project. In particular, the module seeks to provide practical support for those considering using GIS. Topics covered in the module include decision-making, data sourcing, data quality management, and GIS project management.
Throughout the module, there are real examples taken from across the villages to illustrate the benefits and potential problems associated with the use of GIS. Other aspects such as web, MIS links are also embedded into the module to other specialist GIS sites, including data providers, GIS suppliers and other members of the GIS user community so that anybody can seek further information.
Simple Google Mapping techniques used for village level participatory planning activities instead of social mapping on the earth. Participatory Rural Approach (PRA) tools improved with GIS technology and simplified for the communities to use in their village planning.
GIS is used mainly within the planning activities in the national level of the project. In this project, community participation is used as collaborative planning exercise and village level information published on web based system. Open source web GIS software (Map bender, Map server, Geo Server, PostGreSQL) were being used for monitoring project activities. The project can thereby monitor what is happening now, what may happen in the future and who is to be benefitted from the project etc.
The survey results and spatial data are collected from the web to the central database that allows for querying and reporting so that the decision makers can understand trends and spatial variations across the country to construct policies towards achieving their goals. The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools and techniques further introduces decision makers how GIS can be used to help make better community development decisions.

RURAL VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT IN SRI LANKA

Numerous changes within the development process are being taking place whilst attention is being referred largely on the participatory development approach. Most of the village development programs are aimed at infrastructure and livelihood development of the rural community and it is noteworthy that all such programs or efforts made in this regard were utter failures. The planning processes of the programs aimed at poverty alleviation in Sri Lanka were top down approaches and as a result, the actual needs of the rural community were not properly identified. Due to these reasons, considerable level of poverty reduction in villages is not yet visible in our country.
In recent times, more attention has been paid by the government on village development and accordingly, development programs such as Gamaneguma, Gemipubuduwa, Gemidiriya, Samudri, Maganeguma, aimed at village infrastructure and livelihood improvement and capacity building are being implemented successfully after year 2000.
Village poverty alleviation was the main objective of all such programs. Attention has been paid on the requirements of the village community such as village roads, service facilities, sanitary facilities, livelihood projects which are the basic needs that largely influence poverty. Poverty, which was the common target of all these programs, yet remains static and that has greatly affected on the results of those programs. Absence of program plan which identify the village requirements is an obvious fact to be considered.

As indicated by the above (Figure 01) maps, the poverty level of the districts such as Badulla, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya, and Ratnapura, Kegalle yet remains high. During the last few years a large number of development programs have been implemented by the government and other non governmental institutions.
Among these programs, Gemidirya Project is being implemented in the districts of which the poverty level is very high through a participatory development approach and in the The Project planning process of this program has followed the traditional participatory development process which lacks formal technical methods.
In developing rural areas, the actual need of the rural community should be clearly and precisely identified. For the Participatory development approach practical and technology and modern methods should be included and applied. Introduction of methodologies that enable the use of Spatial Data such as Geographical Information System as tools of decision making in this process is significant. The main aim of this study is to point out the instances where these modern technical methods can be utilized in village development processes.
The objective of this study is to evidence the possibilities of utilization of methodologies of the Geographical Information System such as the Participatory online mapping" GPS Mapping, Satellite Image Classification (Remote Sensing Technology) in planning, implementation and follow up of these village community development programs.

It is expected to direct each and every program aimed at a common target to a proper planning process and to set up a methodology to follow up whether these programs are being implemented as planned creating quantitative and qualitative results as desired. Accordingly, it is expected to introduce a process to design, implement and follow up process that is in compliance with the physical, economic, political and cultural environment of the rural areas. This will be a preliminary approach to a sustainable village development.

Spatial Village Information System

Mapping Poverty and Selection of Poor Pradeshiya Sabhas

Objective of Pradesiya Sabha Interconnectivity Development In Sri Lanka

Pradesiya Sabha model addresses infrastructure connectivity constraints in and across villages, and enhances socio-economic development in the region. These infrastructure facilities and services will help to promote rural economy in many ways.
· Bringing economic benefits – increase in productions, better prices etc.
· Reducing expenditure and saving time in getting various services – health care, education, agricultural extension, market facilities.
· Improving living conditions through wider and better coverage of essential services. Therefore Interconnectivity development programme envisages development of clusters of villages.
Project has identified this and selected four criteria for the Pradesiya Saba selection

(i) Number of most poor and poor GNDs
(II) Road density
(iii) Population density
(iv) Housing density

The above variables were used to classify all the 48 Pradeshiya Sabhas coming under phase II. The classification produced an index reflecting status of the PS area most deserving for the selection for interconnectivity development to ensure cost effective investments benefiting larger populations living in infrastructure poor areas having potentials to reduce poverty and isolation of the sub-region. The lowest of the index is 1.8 and the highest is 5.0. This was classified to four classes and to facilitate the final selection, all the 14 PSs were selected falling in the last two classes (below 3) which is most deserving.

Use of GPS and GIS with online participatory mapping for Planning community water supply project in rural villages in Sri Lanka

Drinking water or potable water is water of sufficiently high quality that it can be consumed or used without risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually consumed or used in food preparation.
Over large parts of the world, humans have inadequate access to potable water and use sources contaminated with disease vectors, pathogens or unacceptable levels of dissolved chemicals or suspended solids. Such water is not potable and drinking or using such water in food preparation leads to widespread acute and chronic illnesses and is a major cause of death in many countries. Reduction of waterborne diseases is a major public health goal in developing countries.
Typically, water supply networks deliver potable water, whether it is to be used for drinking, washing or landscape irrigation. One counterexample is urban China, where drinking water can optionally be delivered by a separate tap.
According to the Head Count Index, Siyambalanduwa DS division in Moneragala district is the poorest DS division in Sri Lanka. Rideemaliyadda, Meegahakivula, and Kandaketiya DS divisions in Badulla istrict and Mundel and Kalpitiya DS divisions in Puttalam district are ranked in that order as the next poorest five DS divisions in the country.

Aralupitiya GN Division in Badulla district has reported the highest percentage of households without using safe drinking water. Lack of drinking water is a serious issue faced by the people and the women and children have to walk long distances to fetch water spending long hours. This project will benefit the community by improving their health, as well as socially and economically. This study is to give support to the poor communities to have safe drinking water after their own planning exercise. Technology was given their money and labor cost to reduce their cost of project and the save their hard earn money.

SPATIAL PLANNING SYSTEM IN SRI LANKA

PARTICIPATORY GIS FOR RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL LEVEL

Sustainable development can be defined as constant improvement in the quality of life for the current generation, similar or better quality of life for subsequent generations; all from the same source of the earth. As such, knowledge for sustainable development should incorporate diverse knowledge systems, in terms of Geography as well as provenance (formal and indigenous knowledge); even so, it tends to originate primarily from scientific knowledge.

Knowledge divide affects on sustainable development in many ways. Firstly, it increases the communication gap between communities with scientific knowledge and those with traditional knowledge working in grass-root realities. In terms of ICT-enable development efforts, there are numerous examples where this has led to the adoption of scientific technologies which do not fit the ground realities and have negative implications in terms of development and power relations.

Empower of the people generate with information, money and knowledge. Village communities are well informatics on their needs. During the last few decades most village development activities have been implemented by the plans formulated outside the villages at Urban Centers with less understanding on the village realities and imposed upon village communities. With too many variables rural development in Sri Lanka is complex phenomenon and the effectiveness of the rural development program is even more complex. Rural development should look beyond project initiatives and governance. It has to be participatory at grass root level. New possibilities besides being transparent and holding people accountable have to induce beneficiary participation and ownership to arrest the problem of rural poverty, inequality and environment degradation in a sustainable manner.

Information Communication Technology (ICT) can play a significant role in decision support, improving services and empowering society at rural level. In the context of “digital divide”, it is important to have “digital participation” at the village level. Participatory GIS is empowerment and inclusion of marginalized population, with less voice in the public arena.
Government, non-government organizations and non-profit groups are a major force behind many programs. It is believed that access to information is the doorway to more effective governance for community empowerment. Many centralized poverty alleviation programs have been introduced to Sri Lanka without considering the community needs due to lack of spatial information during the last two decades. Lack of Regional Information was a significant barrier behind this failure. Information Technology should be used in rural sector more often to make information and data base development plans. This study draws a wide attention to increase the productivity, efficiency, competitiveness and growth in all spheres of human activity.

GIS Based Monitoring System

Good governance practices are prerequisite in a project of this nature to enable target communities and their organizations to get things done logically and in harmony with the principles, approach, strategies, norms and values of the project. Accurate data collection and data processing, analyzing are main activities at Pradesiya Sabha level. Monitoring project activities and evaluation are main activities for effective and efficient project implementation, sustaining project goals and ensuring civic engagement in project implementation.

In economical and social development, eliminating regional development differences and providing a nation wide balanced improvement, Pradesiya Sabha should be accepted as main units. When considered that a planned improvement consist of local, regional and national stages, PS forms the most important administrative step for planning and determination of strategies at local level

Setting up a DBMS within a PS offers many advantages both in terms of facilitating the use of GIS and also for effective data management. These include having a centralized data repository which prevents time-costly and error-prone data duplication as well as data redundancy.