Harnessing IT for land use planning

Information technology (IT) has been revolutionizing the way we govern and shape our society. With the right application, it can promote efficiency while maintaining quality in managing and implementing our programs.

In the context of land use planning and urban development, IT helps us perform a specific mandate under Section 5 of Republic Act No. 11201—to develop and maintain a shelter and urban development management, standards and monitoring information system that will enable land use planners to effectively perform their jobs.

With technological advancements, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) advocates accuracy, transparency and inclusivity in its policies and programs for its beneficiaries, particularly the underprivileged.

Lighting the LUZIS

We launched in February the Land Use Zoning Information System (LUZIS), a tech-enabled mechanism to manage land use and zoning in the localities.

I am proud to say that this system was developed through the initiative of our own Environmental, Land Use and Urban Planning and Development Bureau, with the assistance of the University of the Philippines Training Center for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry, an institution known for its state-of-the-art research and extension on surveying and mapping in the Philippines.

LUZIS is an operational geo-IT system that archives, monitors and models data and information. It features datasets essential to DHSUD’s functions such as the comprehensive land use plans (CLUP) and zoning ordinances (ZOs), development projects, homeowners’ associations as well as other programs and activities.

It enables us to monitor changes in the actual use of land resources, agricultural land reclassification and implementation of the CLUPs by local government units (LGUs).

I am particularly interested in the ability of the LUZIS to provide us with organized data on the inventory of idle lands and housing stocks as well as beneficiaries. With this information, we can better match land resources and housing needs from the national to the local level.

We also see the need for an interoperable system between DSHUD and other relevant agencies’ data infrastructure to make data migration easier, while ensuring the security and integrity of our content. More importantly, LUZIS provided an offline access mechanism to cater to those who have limited and intermittent internet connection.

Rolling out the system

The LUZIS is definitely a breakthrough development in land use management.

However, it is important to note that the LUZIS is also envisioned for use of other stakeholders. It will help LGUs, for instance, to properly implement and review their CLUPs and ZOs.

With readily accessible and reliable data, the LUZIS also promotes transparency of all land use development in the country and empowers the government to monitor any illegal activity. We expect its use to strengthen our policy agenda for sustainable management of land resources, thereby creating avenues for potential investments, and identifying areas for direct assistance.

At DHSUD, we will continue to improve our strategies, explore the potential of our resources and harness the power of cutting-edge technologies to provide decent housing and sustainable communities for every Filipino family.