Bhutan Geo-Portal National Land Commission Secretariat (NLCS)

Overview

The Bhutan Geo-Portal is an online geospatial data-sharing platform developed and maintained by the National Land Commission Secretariat (NLCS) of Bhutan, specifically through its Centre for Geo-Information (CGI). The portal enables users to share maps, geospatial data, and metadata about data availability, improving access to geographic information for government agencies, researchers, planners, and the public.

History and Development

The Geo-Portal was developed by the Center for GIS Coordination and the National Land Commission Secretariat. It forms part of Bhutan's broader effort to implement a Geographic Information (GI) Policy and build a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The platform was designed to serve as a single, seamless point of access for all geographic information users and policymakers in the country.

Collections and Features

The portal hosts geospatial datasets related to land use zoning, topographic mapping, settlement data, road networks, schools, health centers, and environmental resources. It facilitates data sharing and discovery across government ministries, autonomous agencies, academic institutions, corporations, and NGOs. Metadata standards and sharing protocols are built in to reduce duplication of data across agencies.

Access and Usage

The Bhutan Geo-Portal is freely accessible online. It serves as a complementary resource to the NLCS's broader eSakor land transaction portal and the Bhutan NSDI system. Users can browse, search, and download available geospatial datasets through the web interface.