The Ministry of Municipality's Center for Geographic Information Systems (CGIS) won a special award during its participation in the Esri User Conference, held in San Diego, California, USA. CGIS Director Eng Manaf Ahmed Al Sada received the award titled 35 years of excellence in GIS in Qatar, in the presence of a delegation from the Ministry of Municipality. In a statement, the Ministry said that this award recognizes the State of Qatar's outstanding performance and significant progress in the field of GIS over the past 35 years, which has been administrated by the Ministry of Municipality's CGIS since 1990. The statement indicated that CGIS possess various mechanisms and tool for collecting and analyzing different data types, and that recently, it has established an integrated system for aerial surveys using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) or manned aircraft equipped with the latest aerial photography cameras and scanners for land and sea mapping. It added that Qatar's distinction in the region lies in possessing this advanced system operated by CGIS specialists. These efforts have culminated in the application of a comprehensive GIS nationwide, which gives Qatar a prestigious global position in the field. This achievement is the fruit of CGIS's exceptional work and the significant support it receives from the Ministry of Municipality, among other relevant authorities. CGIS specializes in providing core digital geographic databases, updated aerial and satellite imagery, which are made accessible for all government institutions to utilize in building their respective databases according to their areas of specialties. Moreover, it ensures the integration of this updated digital data through the National GISNet, linking over 100 governmental departments. Furthermore, CGIS has created several core databases serving large sectors of governmental and private entities as well as individuals, which prominently includes My Address service, among numerous other applications and software benefiting various sectors within the Ministry of Municipality, and beyond. Organized by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), a sector leader globally, the Esri User Conference is one of the world's largest forums of its kind, with this year's edition receiving 18,000 representatives from countries, institutions, and companies, along with specialists. Furthermore, the Conference serves as a pivotal platform showcasing significant technological advancements in GIS software, applications, data usage mechanisms, and analysis in fields such as artificial intelligence and remote sensing, alongside satellite imagery. Source: Qatar News Agency