Street Maps of Jordan is provided by an Israeli based company!!!

After a long wait and lots of debates we finally entered the civilized Geo world. Thank's to Navteq and of course google maps for providing the service to the Jordanians. Now we can play with maps and build different solutions around it, and of course driving directions.

The delays for not publishing the maps came from some laid back officials whom I am sure they don't think outside their "square meter" were they take the Maps issue as a strategic, or political decision. Well... I was laughing on that but this finding I am talking about is even more funny.

Street Maps of Jordan ( look at the information in the map at the bottom) provided by google maps, were you can navigate for our streets and buildings, is been provided by an Israeli based company called MAPPA GISrael. The leading geographic database and GIS company in Israel.

I am not sure how this happen. How can our geodata been provided by an Israeli company.

The satellite maps can be easily provided by Digital globe or others, but data collection and Geo codding is being built and published by Navteq, while google provide the platform in a very simple to use way. I know they might subcontract a local company to collect the data but how did an Israeli based company collected the information about our streets and buildings?

Amman city traffic congestions

AMMAN (Petra) - The Traffic Department has prepared a new plan to address traffic congestion and limit road accidents during the holy month of Ramadan.
“The comprehensive plan seeks to facilitate traffic movement by identifying trouble spots and finding alternative routes for motorists in order to reduce car jams on main roads during peak hours,” said Brigadier General Thaher Gharaibeh, assistant director general for Traffic Affairs at the Public Security Department (PSD).
The peak hours begin when people leave work and last until iftar (maghreb prayers), he added.
Under the plan, large vehicles, including trucks and tankers, will be banned from using the streets during this period, while PSD helicopters will monitor congested roads and report accidents to the main traffic operations room.
With the help of Amen FM and PSD personnel, motorists will be guided to alternative routes.
“The Traffic Department coordinated its efforts with the Public Transport Regulatory Committee (PTRC) to assign PTRC personnel at the main bus terminals to regulate the movement of buses and vehicles,” Gharaibeh said.
The department also coordinated with the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) regarding technical measures, including traffic light operations and removal of road blocks on main streets.
“Traffic light durations on main roads witnessing traffic congestion will be amended in accordance with the end of office hours during Ramadan,” Gharaibeh noted.
He added that PSD and GAM personnel will carry out inspection patrols of street vendors and stalls on main roads in order to facilitate traffic flow.
He said the department has taken all the required administrative measures to ensure that the comprehensive plan will be implemented during the holy month, adding that PSD staff will be stationed on the capital’s busy roads to monitor traffic.

Traffic congestion is a serious problem in major cities. If the city have been planned correctly it might prevent serious traffic problems that have it's impact on the environment and the economy. On the other hand, smart technology solutions can help solving those problems. For example: using a real time based GIS (geographic information system) used with GPS (global positioning system) can show traffic flow on real time with navigation systems installed in police patrols, trucks, taxis, and smart phones. Also, since Amman city is not been planned to accept that much traffic or density of population we need to implement smart solutions to manage traffic, and provide transportation alternatives, as I mentioned in my previous post.

Some solutions in major cities like London implemented congestion pricing fees for driving at certain routes during rush hours. Similar studies are being discussed in NY city to adapt similar policies to charge drivers $8. They did not ban trucks or tankers from driving during rush hours due to it's negative consequences on businesses. Not like this new plan for Amman City traffic control in Ramadan. Will it be an effective measures to control traffic? or it's just a beta test, trial and error, maybe it works?

As for the "coordination" efforts between: Traffic Department with the Public Transport Regulatory Committee and the Municipality I am surprised that they weren't doing this already? and they do this only in Ramadan?

I always like to bring examples from other developed countries, to learn from it and not criticize anybody. If you study the developed cities police departments you can find their intensive efforts in operating and controlling traffic and transportation. You can see and feel the presence of the police department all over the city, they are highly equipped with communication devices, know how to deal with traffic jams, they are sharp and well educated. On a larger perspective, the police department that implement effectively the city rules have great influence on the citizens. Developed cities have a well rounded, smart, educated personnels because this is how they can give order and educate their citizens, they are the representatives of the governments.

Finally, the new development plan for Amman City expansion need to make transportation, traffic, and parking as a very serious issue to be studied "comprehensively" and "responsively"
to prevent serious future problems. Moreover, it must go hand by hand with all other public and private sectors to ensure the effectiveness of traffic and transportation initiatives in Amman City.

I mentioned this too in many previous posts:

Regarding the new GAM Interim Strategy

Amman City Streets

Promoting for transportation alternatives and bicycle lanes in Amman City

Amman Mini-Metro from the 1st circle to the 8th circle?

Opening of the complex travel north and the conversion of Abdali into Garden

GAM uses GIS to enhance performance

Creating digital maps and maps content for Jordan

Creating digital maps and maps content for Jordan

Satellite image of Jordan

I’ve been digging into the GIS (geographic information systems) for the past year. I attended where2.0 conference in San Jose, Google Developers day, Yahoo Where2.0 camp ..etc. and met many mapping companies representatives, developers, cartographers, neorographers…ect.

First of all there are only two companies that collect the data: Navteq, and tele-Atlas who provide the data to be used by platforms like: multimaps, Google maps, Yahoo maps, MSN Live, Mapquest, Autocad and others who compete with each other to provide mapping services.

According to my talks with Tele-atlas and Navteq in June 2007 they did not and is not interested in collecting the data for Jordan. They recently covered most of the middle east but all the other platforms didn’t provide the services yet.

The GAM are trying to organize the parcel services so when Navteq or Tele-atlas comes to Jordan they will have a strategic local partner.

What does that mean to us?

Getting road maps with driving directions “Geo codding” is not a 5 day work, and can’t be done by a simple GPS devices, or not even by the GAM alone. It needs millions of dollars with expertise to collect such the data and Geo code it.

Each country have a different numbering and road systems. When tele-atlas went to china they faced difficulties in the existing numbering system but they did it.

I bet they were both shocked when they saw our streets and that why the GAM is developing the street numbering which will be done by the end of this year.

Moreover, I wanna mention that Autocad mapguide depends on landmarks to collect data and not streets which I believe best fit cities like Amman, Cairo, Tunis, etc.

But now I have to say this:

It’s just the beginning for many many many initiatives and opportunities.

If anybody is interested to play with maps and create miracles please contact me @ emadsalameh@gmail.com.

Related Posts:

GAM uses GIS to enhance performance

Regarding the new GAM Interim Strategy

Type rest of the post here

GIS Amman

South Dakota traffic flow map

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) intends to use the Geographic Information System (GIS), as part of a plan to upgrade services and enhance performance. Director of the Geographic information Technology department in the Municipality Eng. Hassan Kaswani said that this system would allow to locate GAM’s vehicles in any part of the city. “Such technology would help us to ensure that every vehicle is in the right place at the right time to serve the citizens,” he added. More than 95 per cent of GAM’s work depends geographic data and information.

GIS is a system for capturing, storing, analyzing and managing data and associated attributes which are spatially referenced to the earth. In the strictest sense, it is a computer system capable of integrating, storing, editing, analyzing, sharing, and displaying geographically-referenced information. In a more generic sense, GIS is a tool that allows users to create interactive queries (user created searches), analyze the spatial information, edit data, maps, and present the results of all these operations. Geographic information science is the science underlying the geographic concepts, applications and systems, taught in degree and GIS Certificate programs at many universities.

Geographic information system technology can be used for scientific investigations, resource management, asset management, Environmental Impact Assessment, Urban planning, cartography, criminology, history, sales, marketing, and logistics. For example, GIS might allow emergency planners to easily calculate emergency response times in the event of a natural disaster, GIS might be used to find wetlands that need protection from pollution.