One of the major elements to gaining competitive edge in our recent time is the access to information that is needed to make sound strategic decisions, the speed by which these information can be obtained, the way this information is perceived and the accuracy and reliability of the available information. In this direction, and in order to render a value-added service to its members and the community at large, CCIAS has implemented a geographic Information System "GIS".
Make the System your first point of contact when your business is looking for help with:  

• Statistics and data - a broad range of statistical data is available.  
• Product sourcing - sourcing suppliers of products or services.
• Identifying buyers - lists of importers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers.
• Target Potential Clients - gain visibility to the markets.
• Mailing Lists- lists of mail, email and phone addresses.

The purpose behind building a GIS system by CCIAS is to have a modern up-to-date and comprehensive economic database that would be put at the service of: investors, researchers, municipalities, universities, NGOs, students etc..... In a way to enable them to easily perform analytical research that is a button click away, and that would otherwise be a very tedious task, if not an impossible one, to perform.

The GIS at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture in Saida and South Lebanon:

- Geographic Area Coverage
 The project covers the three major cities of the region of South Lebanon (the economic jurisdiction of CCIAS):

• Saida,Tyre and Nabatieh, and their neighboring areas, with emphasis on the economical activities.

In addition it covers the following:

• The coastal road line extending from Saida to Zahrani
• The road connecting Zahrani to Nabatieh
• The road connecting Nabatieh to Ansar

- Layers & Content:

• Administrative maps
• Satellite images
• Cadastral maps
• Infrastructure maps
• Road maps
• Building, business & institutions
• Land use & land cover

Available for years: 2004, 2007 and 2009

- Data Collection
Emphasis was made on collecting data related to all businesses and institutions operating in these areas, without tackling demographic information. The data collection method involved a team of surveyors that were trained to collect information on all the active entities regardless of their size or type of activity.

MetaData

The information available on Buildings are:

• name of building including popular and official name in both arabic and english
• number of floors underground and above it
• number of apartments divided into empty and occupied
• usage of the building whether residential, commercial, parking, bank, school, government, mosque, church,etc...
• type of roof whether brick, Concrete, etc..
• type of frontispiece whether glass, paint, stone, etc..
• age of the building
• parking whether underground, ground or none
• ATM machine
• parcel number where the building reside
• street name in both arabic and english
• picture of the building

 The information available on Businesses are:

• name of shop or entity in both arabic and english
• name of owner/ manager
• type of activities detailed into commercial, industrial, agricultural or services and further detailed into the specialization ex: Trade-->Textile trading-->Cloth or services-->Health & Medical Centers--> Pharmacies
• contact details (phone, fax, email)
• ownership type( rent, owned or long lease)
• location ( street and building name, floor)
• number of employees
• year of establishment
• number of bays
   

For more information please contact gis[at]ccias.org.lb