Smart digital mapping saves time and money

GIS stands for Geographic Information System. For the past ten years, the municipalities of Boden, Luleå, Piteå and Älvsbyn have worked together through a cooperation agreement on GIS.

Sharing knowledge

The collaboration has resulted in a shared application called GIS4web. It is a simpler and more user-friendly system that helps municipal employees analyse information and make better-informed decisions.

At the Community Services Administration in Boden Municipality, GIS engineers Eva Blomgren and Robert Johansson work with the system.

"Our GIS collaboration has been invaluable for sharing knowledge," says Robert. "Over the years we've also built strong relationships with colleagues in the neighbouring municipalities. It's easy to pick up the phone, exchange experiences or ask for help when a problem arises."

Better-informed decisions

Many geographical areas in the region overlap, and many decisions benefit from cooperation between municipalities. Eva gives an example.

"In the event of a forest fire, we can quickly provide an up-to-date digital situational map and visualise how the fire is spreading, based on information supplied by the emergency services."

In day-to-day municipal work, digital mapping systems are mostly used for less dramatic—but equally important—matters that affect residents. The systems compile and display information such as population statistics, environmental conditions and road networks. This information is then used to support different types of permit applications and planning decisions.

"For example, applications for ground-source heat pumps, requests to install traffic-calming measures in residential streets or building permits," says Robert. "Our smart GIS technology speeds up decision-making and helps us provide faster responses to residents' applications."

This news article was also published in Boden Bild issue 2–2025. Curious about more news from Boden Bild? Explore the full collection. External link.