Historic Jeddah
29,940 website page views across five measured months.
Delivered for the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs—now the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing—under contract to King Abdulaziz University’s Office of Urban Engineering & Development.
A National Priority System for Proposed Municipalities
2009-2014
A national decision-support platform that transformed nine categories of field-survey evidence into one statistically derived ranking, supported by GIS mapping, multi-level reporting, and a complete source-code and documentation handover.
The Challenge
Candidate settlements were assessed through paper field surveys, with two separate evidence streams for each case: observations collected by surveyors and responses submitted by the responsible municipal body. Nine categories of evidence were recorded in different units, leaving no consistent basis for determining why one candidate should rank above another.
The challenge was to create a defensible national ordering without allowing manually assigned preferences to determine the result. The system also had to preserve both evidence streams separately, translate the ranking into geographic reports, comply with the Ministry’s published application-development standards, and be handed over for internal maintenance.
Vision & Objectives
The objective was to give the Ministry one consistent, evidence-based ordering of candidate municipalities, viewable nationally, by region, and by area through maps and tables. The platform needed to structure the field evidence, derive the influence of each category from the data itself, and translate the resulting ranking into reports that territorial decision-makers could interpret.
The complete platform, source code, technical documentation, and bilingual user guidance also had to be handed over so the Ministry’s Information Centre could maintain and develop the system internally.
- Convert nine categories of field-survey evidence into one comparable ranking.
- Structure field-survey observations and municipal-body responses as separate evidence streams.
- Present ranking results geographically through GIS maps and reports.
- Make results viewable nationally, by region, and by area.
- Derive category weights statistically from the available evidence rather than assigning them manually.
- Generate on-demand map and table reports from the data entered into the system.
- Deliver the complete source code, documentation set, and bilingual user guidance for internal maintenance.
Strategic Plan & Phases
Discover: Examine the paper survey instrument and identify the two evidence streams required for every candidate.
Structure: Convert the survey into nine data-capture modules covering candidate identity, economic factors, housing, services, construction, and location.
Rank: Apply principal component analysis to derive weights from the data and recalculate the ordering across all completed applications.
Map and Report: Present results at village, province, and area levels through GIS maps and table-based reports generated from entered data.
Handover: Deliver the source code, build instructions, technical diagrams, developer guidance, tutorial, help reference, and bilingual user manual
Challenges & Constraints
The system had to turn information measured in different units into one defensible priority ranking. It also needed to preserve the distinction between field-survey findings and responses submitted by the relevant municipality, while applying a consistent statistical method across all proposed locations.
Beyond the analytical model, the platform had to integrate with the Ministry’s geographic data, comply with its application-development standards, accommodate approved changes throughout delivery, and be fully transferable through source code, technical documentation, and operating guidance.
- Nine survey categories containing data measured in different units.
- Two distinct evidence streams: field-survey findings and municipal responses.
- Statistically derived weights rather than manually assigned preferences.
- Consistent recalculation of priorities across proposed locations.
- Integration with geographic layers supplied through the Ministry’s map server.
- Compliance with the Ministry’s approved application-development specifications.
- Map- and table-based reporting across three geographic levels.
- Approved scope changes covering GIS functionality and reporting requirements.
- Complete source-code, documentation, and knowledge handover at project close.
Research & Insights
9
Structured modules supported the collection of field-survey data across the system’s assessment categories.
2
Separate evidence streams were maintained for field-survey findings and municipal responses.
3
Geographic reporting levels were documented: village, province, and area.
3 rounds
Of documented client change requests refined the system during implementation.
7 November 2013
The formal handover included the source code, build instructions, technical documentation, and user guidance.
Features & Capabilities
A national decision-support platform combining structured survey capture, statistically derived priority ranking, GIS-based analysis, geographic reporting, administrative control, and complete technical handover.
Nine structured modules for recording and managing field-survey information.
GIS mapping based on geographic layers retrieved through the Ministry’s map server.
A principal component analysis model that derived weights statistically from the collected data and recalculated priorities when applications were finalized.
Map- and table-based reports at village, province, and area levels, with PDF, print, and export options.
Administrative controls supported by source code, build instructions, database documentation, dependency records, developer guidance, and user manuals.
User Needs
Field researchers needed a structured way to capture information across nine assessment categories, while keeping their observations separate from the responses submitted by the relevant municipality.
Decision-makers needed a transparent method for comparing proposed locations without relying on manually assigned weights. The system therefore had to combine statistically derived priorities with geographic context and accessible map- and table-based reports.
The Ministry’s technical teams also needed a maintainable system that could continue beyond the engagement. This required full delivery of the source code, database structure, build guidance, technical dependencies, developer documentation, and bilingual user guidance.
Key Unique Features
A priority model whose weights were derived statistically from the submitted data.
Separate treatment of field-survey findings and municipal responses throughout the assessment process.
System-wide recalculation of priorities whenever an application was finalized.
GIS functionality connected to geographic layers supplied through the Ministry’s map server.
Full ownership transfer through source code, technical documentation, build instructions, and operating guidance.
Key Operational Features
Structured field-data capture through nine dedicated survey modules.
Controlled separation of survey findings and municipality-submitted responses within each application.
On-demand map and table reports covering village, province, and area levels.
Administrative workflows for reviewing applications, finalizing records, recalculating rankings, and producing reports.
A formal handover package containing the source code, build instructions, database structure, dependency documentation, developer guidance, online help, tutorials, and bilingual user manuals.