The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria had the pleasure of participating as a partner in the 26th World GIS Day, organized by ESRI Bulgaria.
The 26th World Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day in Bulgaria was held on November 19 at the Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia and brought together more than 900 experts from the state administration, local government, business, academia, and the non-governmental sector. The official organizer of the prestigious forum was ESRI Bulgaria with 70 leading partners from various sectors.
The large-scale GIS conference was opened by Grozdan Karadzhov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, who stated that the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) increasingly needs Geographic Information Systems. He emphasized the importance of GIS in the development of the Single Information Point, on which the ministry is cooperating with Esri Bulgaria on the integration of spatial data for all types of networks and underground infrastructure.
The official opening of the forum was also attended by: Krasimir Nenov, Deputy Minister of Energy, Doncho Barbalov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry, Miglena Kuzmanova, Manager of Esri Bulgaria, Svetoslav Tsarovski, Head of the Military Geographic Service of the Ministry of Defense, and Solomon Passy, President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria.
Special guests at the forum were Dr. Bruno Combal from the European Commission and Arkadiusz Sadkowski, Global Manager of Reality Mapping Solutions at Esri. Dr. Combal presented key European policies in the field of biodiversity, NATURA 2000, and environmental standards, as well as the role of GIS and open geodata in their implementation. Sadkowski demonstrated the latest trends in reality mapping, digital twins, and geospatial analytics for planning, infrastructure, and natural resource management.
During the technology session, participants learned about the latest capabilities of the ArcGIS platform through a series of live demonstrations. Next-generation solutions for working with geographic data, integrated assistants, and generative artificial intelligence for increasing productivity were presented, as well as the latest techniques for mapping reality and building digital twins. Emphasis was also placed on the new level of integration between GIS and BIM, modern GIS tools for infrastructure management, ArcGIS capabilities for imaging, real-time analysis, and geospatial intelligence solutions. New mobile GIS applications for automating field activities were also presented, along with a number of other innovations that make ArcGIS an even more powerful environment for analysis, visualization, and operational work.
The projects implemented in Bulgaria over the past year also attracted considerable interest. The Agency for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre presented the development of the new integrated GIS platform for spatial data at national level. The Ministry of Transport and Communications demonstrated the upgrade of the strategic system Unified Information Point. The Ministry of the Interior revealed new solutions for information provision and analysis related to combating crime and illegal migration. The GIS solution for the Green System of the Sofia Municipality was also presented, as well as the integrated GIS system for municipal property and spatial planning of the Municipality of Silistra.
In the evening, the celebration of World GIS Day continued with a ceremony to present the annual awards for special achievements in GIS. The awards are given for the application of state-of-the-art geospatial technologies for modernization, efficiency, and sustainable development.
In the “Central Administration” category, the award was given to the Ministry of Environment and Water for its integrated approach to the implementation of GIS technologies for the sustainable management of protected areas and natural resources. The award was accepted by Minister Manol Genov and presented by Arkadiusz Sadkowski from Esri.
In the category “Executive Administration,” the Agency for Geodesy, Cartography, and Cadastre was honored for implementing the new national integrated GIS system for spatial data. The award was presented to Georgi Georgiev, Executive Director of AGCC, by Pavlin Petrov, Deputy Minister of Tourism. The award in the category “Local Self-Government” went to the Municipality of Silistra for its strategic GIS project for automation and management of municipal property and spatial planning.
The award in the “Local Self-Government” category went to the Municipality of Silistra for its strategic GIS project for the automation and management of municipal property and spatial planning. The award was presented to Eng. Evgeni Georgiev, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality, by Ivan Krastev, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy.
In the category “Science in Support of the State,” the National University Center “Geospatial Research and Technologies” at Sofia University was honored for its contribution to the application of GIS for analysis and action in natural disasters. The award was accepted by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Parvan Parvanov, Vice-Rector of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. The award was presented by Deputy Minister of the Interior Lyubomir Yosifov.
In the “Private Sector” category, Fantastico Group Ltd. was awarded for implementing a modern web-based GIS application that integrates data from various sources—NSI, GRAO, AGKK, and others—in order to build a comprehensive spatial picture of areas of interest.
During the ceremony marking World GIS Day, the winners of the national educational competition “Learning About the World with GIS” were also awarded. The awards in the “Teachers” category were presented by the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Ms. Emilia Lazarova. First place in this category went to Asya Nazif from 203 PEG “St. Methodius,” Sofia, with the project “Division of Bulgaria. Southwest Region.” First place among the students went to Ilia Kirov from MG “Dr. Petar Beron,” Varna, for the project “Journey through Bulgaria’s Heavenly Heritage.” In the “School Team” category, first place was awarded to the team from SGSA “Hristo Botev,” for their project “Overbuilding and Flooding – Consequences, Not Disasters.” The grand prize for students was awarded to Eftim Futekov and Tanislav Ivanov from Sofia University and the Technical University of Sofia for their project “The Vulnerability of Populated Areas to Natural Disasters.”
The Audience Award, determined by online voting, was presented for the first time. The winning project was “A Journey Through Bulgaria’s Heavenly Heritage” by Ilia Kirov, an eleventh-grade student at MG “Dr. Petar Beron,” Varna. All interactive maps, story maps, and educational resources can be viewed in the competition gallery HERE.
All interactive maps, story maps, and educational resources can be viewed in the competition gallery HERE.
Photos: Lilia Yotova
