BRIN pushes GIS implementation to strengthen evidence-based policy
Spatial analysis can visually illustrate how regional economic inequality occurs, including the processes of suburbanisation and industrialisation, so that policy interventions are no longer spatially blind to location.
Jakarta (ANTARA) — The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is promoting the implementation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to formulate evidence-based public policy using spatial data, with measurable and accountable economic and social variables in the era of digital transformation.
Agus Eko Nugroho, Head of BRIN’s Research Organisation for Governance, Economy, and Community Welfare (OR TKPEKM), said in Jakarta on Saturday that such data is crucial so that policymakers can map regional problems precisely, from mitigating economic inequality to determining priority locations for public services.
“GIS must be understood as an opportunity to bridge the tension between social and economic aspects in development planning, so that public policy can make optimal use of data and technology,” he said.
Adib Ahmad Kurnia, a researcher at BRIN’s Centre for Public Policy Research (PRKP), highlighted the role of spatial analysis in understanding urban economic dynamics that often escape conventional statistical data.
He assessed that the use of GIS helps the government map the spatial behaviour of creative economic activity and intervene in regional economic inequality in a more targeted manner.
“Spatial analysis can visually illustrate how regional economic inequality occurs, including the processes of suburbanisation and industrialisation, so that policy interventions are no longer spatially blind to location,” Adib said.
In line with this approach, Rahmat Husein Andri Ansyah, a PRKP BRIN researcher, offered an international perspective through research titled “Site Suitability Analysis for Accessible Public Service in Urban Area Case Study: CBHC in the City of Boston” for more accessible public services.
In that study, combining GIS with multi-criteria decision modelling proved capable of producing policy recommendations that are not only evidence-based but also measurable and accountable.
“With this approach, we can ensure that the development of public facilities genuinely delivers social justice for vulnerable groups that are often left behind in urban development,” said Andri, who is continuing his studies at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston.