Japanese to help updating and digitization of basic national map of Serbia

- The national map of Serbia covers 42% of all the territories, while majority of data in analogue technology are old and originate from the period between the fifties and the eighties of the last century - the CEO of the Republic Geodesic Institute, Nenad Tesla, said today (September 17, 2009).

In order to improve the existing condition, the Republic Geodesic Institute and Japanese Agency for International Cooperation signed the contract today on realization of project "Development of capacities for design of digital basic national map in Serbia".

According to the words of the CEO of the Geodesic Institute, the project, of which realization will start in January 2010 and is going to last for two years, will make it possible for all the citizens to get quality and updated cartographic-topographic information in an easy and quick way.

- The project will help all interested users in various sectors, from ministries and local self-governments to companies and organizations that deal with civil engineering, spatial planning or tourism - said Tesla.

He specified that the project would create conditions for updating and distributing basic national digital map in proportion 1:5000 and 1:10000.

- That is the first step towards full digitization of all topographic-cartographic data and forming of a database - Tesla explained.

The permanent representative of the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation in the Balkans, Masao Shikano, pointed out that the project did not anticipate donation and financial support, but technical cooperation in which the Government of Japan would invest about 1.5m EUR.

- The Government of Japan will send experts from 10 different domains to help realization of the project, and they will also provide necessary equipment - said Shikano.