The Earthquake Processes and GIS Symposium, organised by the Pirireis Association at the YTU Auditorium on 21 December, attracted considerable interest from our colleagues. Association President Mustafa Yalçınkaya delivered the opening address. Official addresses followed from Hasan Tahsin Usta, Mayor of Gaziosmanpaşa; Mehmet Yiğit, Deputy Mayor of Sultangazi; and M. Zeki Adlı, Director General of Land Registry and Cadastre. Dr. Hüseyin Bayraktar, Deputy Director General of GIS at the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, then presented the Presidential Decree on GIS. The symposium’s panel session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Tahsin Yomralıoğlu, with contributions from Dr. Hüseyin Bayraktar; İsmail Şener, a founding member of the Pirireis Association; Prof. Dr. Uğur Doğan of YTU; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Himmet Karaman of ITU. The panel shared both public-sector perspectives and scientific assessments. Baki Şimşek, Member of Parliament for Mersin; Osman Boyraz, Member of Parliament for Istanbul; and Tevfik Göksu, Mayor of Esenler, also sent telegrams conveying their best wishes.

Hasan Tahsin Usta, Mayor of Gaziosmanpaşa, discussed the actions needed at individual and institutional levels on earthquakes, drawing on his experience as both an administrator and a surveying engineer. Emphasising that institutional change begins with a change in mindset, he thanked the civil society organisations contributing to this process, particularly the Pirireis Association. Mehmet Yiğit, Deputy Mayor of Sultangazi, noted that our country lies in an earthquake zone and explained the importance of GIS-based work such as urban information and disaster information systems, thanking our President and board. M. Zeki Adlı, Director General of Land Registry and Cadastre, outlined the institution’s new projects. He explained their aim for citizens to visit land registry offices only to sign documents, with other procedures handled online. He discussed work on the new tax law and the added economic value of GIS, which he described as a return of 25 for every unit invested, and thanked the Pirireis Association for the invitation.

In the final morning session, Dr. Hüseyin Bayraktar, Deputy Director General of GIS at the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, gave a detailed presentation on Presidential Decree No. 49 on Geographic Information Systems, published in Official Gazette No. 30941 on 7 November 2019. The presentation covered coordination among public institutions regarding the Turkish Geographic Information System and its infrastructure; the development of goals and strategies; and the production, updating, management, use, security, sharing and distribution of geographic data and information. It also outlined work to define the duties, powers and responsibilities of the boards established under the decree, public institutions and organisations, and natural and legal persons. Dr. Bayraktar shared the Directorate General of GIS’s work in this field and thanked the participants.

Chairing the afternoon panel, Prof. Dr. Tahsin Yomralıoğlu shared his professional experience, emphasised the importance of continuing cooperation between public institutions and universities, and encouraged an interactive discussion among the speakers. Dr. Hüseyin Bayraktar, Deputy Director General of GIS at the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation; Prof. Dr. Uğur Doğan of Yıldız Technical University’s Department of Surveying Engineering; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Himmet Karaman of Istanbul Technical University’s Department of Geomatics Engineering; and İsmail Şener, founding member of the Pirireis Association and surveying/geomatics engineer, presented their recommendations on earthquake processes and GIS in detail. On behalf of our association’s board, we thank the symposium sponsors: LİHKABDER (Association of Licensed Surveying and Cadastre Engineers and Offices), EMİ Grup Bilgi Teknolojileri A.Ş., Himtek Mühendislik ve Müşavirlik Hizmetleri Ltd. Şti., DENGE Altyapı Proje Müşavirlik ve İnşaat A.Ş., Surveying Group, Başarsoft, ADL GYO, and Yetkin Gayrimenkul Değerleme ve Danışmanlık A.Ş. We hope to receive their support at our next event and extend our sincere regards.


PiriReis Association