IMPLEMENTATION OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: THE CASE OF BARDO MUNICIPALITY, TUNISIA by FARIS

This thesis addresses the main question of viability of a GIS in a developing country municipal setting and how such a system might support municipal development. It addresses three secondary questions that are crucial to any successful implementation of a GIS: 1) What institutional restructuring is required? 2) What are the relevant maps, databases, and informational procedures and how must they be reinterpreted? 3) What are the technical considerations for computer hardware and software configurations? Following a review of urban planning and management as it relates to GIS, the context of Tunisian municipalities is studied in terms of authority, institutions, and services. General feasibility of GIS in developing countries completes this background review. The case study of Bardo is then analyzed, including its historic, socioeconomic, physical, and budgetary conditions. Special emphasis is placed on the three central components of institutional, informational, and technical contexts. The scope of the recommendations presented is followed by a detailed explanation of the initial measures needed in the three central components. These include staff requirements and roles, training, internal and external information needs, and specifications for hardware and software configurations. Recommendations are then made for the succeeding phase of GIS implementation. In conclusion, the feasibility of a phased GIS implementation in the municipality of Bardo is argued. Recommendations and necessary national policies to enable the replication of such a venture in other comparable Tunisian municipalities are then outlined, followed by suggestions for future research. Thesis Supervisor: Lyna Wiggins Title: Assistant Professor, Urban Studies and Planning