The use of geodata for sustainable urban planning in Bogotá and Copenhagen
29-01-25
Bogotá’s city administration has long been seeking effective tools to achieve its vision of a greener and more sustainable city. A three-day workshop in Bogotá brought together experts from Copenhagen City, Denmark’s Agency for Climate Data and Bogotá’s urban planning sector to explore the transformative potential of geodata.
By Arvid Sloth and Vibeke Quaade
Are you a city planner striving to build a greener future for your city? Then geodata could be your most powerful tool. It provides accurate insights into population patterns, traffic flow, flooding risks, pollution and other environmental factors. By using geodata, government agencies, service providers, private developers and local communities can collaborate more effectively because their decisions are grounded in accurate and reliable information.
In Copenhagen, platforms like the “City Map” and “Environment Portal” demonstrate how accessible geodata promotes transparency, innovation and efficiency. Although Bogotá does not yet have such open access systems, the interest in their potential was obvious amongst the 65 participants who attended the workshop. The participants came from across the board in Bogotá’s public sector – city council departments, cadastral offices, utility companies and emergency services. Among the participants were environment experts, urban planners and data specialists. The participants worked alongside Danish experts who shared practical insights from Denmark’s advanced geodata systems.
The workshop focused on both the technical and governance aspects of geodata management.
Watch the video with Darwin Rincón, the data governance manager of AGATA, Bogotá’s data analytics agency, and the initiator of the seminar.
On the technical side, the Danish team demonstrated how Copenhagen’s “City Map” operates and explained the maintenance and upgrade protocols for Denmark’s data warehouse systems. They showcased tools for analysing socio-economic and infrastructure data and presented advanced models for terrain and building elevation. These practical examples highlighted how geodata can address infrastructure challenges and improve urban planning in Bogotá.
“We came to this workshop to collaborate and share experiences, not just with the Danish team but also with other district entities involved in building the city. This is important because using geodata and technology is crucial for better decision-making,” says Carlos Quintana, contractor at RenoBo, (Empresa de Renovación y Desarrollo Urbano de Bogotá), the city’s urban renewal and development company.
Watch the video with Carlos Quintana, contractor, RenoBo.
Governance was equally emphasised. Participants explored how Bogotá’s municipal departments and semi-public utilities could unify their data sharing systems in a single, accessible platform. Drawing from Denmark’s experience, discussions centered on the use of open data and open-source software to democratise access and encourage innovation. Participants also considered mechanisms for automatic data sharing between local and national institutions and stressed the importance of making geodata available to businesses, government agencies and citizens alike.
“In city planning, the geographical component is fundamental to the better tailoring of solutions to our needs. This workshop has allowed us to learn about Copenhagen’s and Denmark’s best practices, governance agreements and how they manage their geographic information,” said Salome Naranjo, manager of IDECA, (Infraestructura de Datos Espaciales para el Distrito Capital), the office responsible for managing and coordinating the city’s geospatial data to support urban planning, development and public policy.
Watch the video with Salome Naranjo, manager of IDECA.
The workshop not only fostered practical learning but also strengthened connections among the participants and it laid a foundation for long-term collaboration among Columbian and Danish institutions.
”I am very happy that we succeeded in bringing together data specialists from a wide range of Bogotá’s institutions. To experience the energy of the cross-sector work in the room made it all worthwhile,” observed Mikkel Hall, the sector counsellor at the Danish Embassy in Bogotá.
A key and tangible outcome of the workshop is that the city of Bogotá now has a working group with representatives from across the board. Their task is to create a shared geodata platform for the city. The group meets regularly to exchange ideas and advance data sharing practices. This ongoing effort shows that sometimes bringing people together to share their skills and knowledge is all it takes to build lasting partnerships.
Watch videos with Gabriel Andrés Millán, lab manager of the city of Bogotá’s Secretaría Distrital de Planeación, and Alejandro Velasquez, Secretaría Distrital de Hacienda.
The workshop “Using geodata for sustainable urban planning in Bogotá and Copenhagen” took place 22-24 October, 2024. It was organised by Danida Fellowship Centre in collaboration with partners in Bogotá’s city administration, the Danish Embassy in Bogotá and the Sustainable Urban Sector Strategic Cooperation between Copenhagen and Bogotá. The workshop laid the ground for future collaborative learning on geodata between the two cities.
Watch here all the videos: