THE STATE OF SPATIAL DATA AND
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
IN ALBANIA
Pal NIKOLLI (Albania),
Bilal DRAÇI (Albania) and Bashkim IDRIZI (Macedonia)
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Spatial data and geographic information
are parts of spatial data infrastructures.
 Today in Albania there are a number of
state institutions and private units to
dispose spatial data and geographic
information in different forms.

SOME OF THE MAIN INSTITUTIONS AND SPATIAL DATA THAT
THEY POSSESS
- Albanian Geographic (Military) Institute (AGMI)
This Institute is essentially responsible for
the topographic mapping and geodetic
works in Albania.
 It is the main institution producing and
providing data on Datum, projection, state
triangulation coordinates, state leveling
heights and networks

Albanian Geographic (Military)
Institute (AGMI)
Topographic maps which cover all territory
of Albania in topographic scales are:
 1:10 000,
 1:25 000 (analog , digital and vectorized)],
 1:50 000 [conformed with NATO standards;
Cartographic projection is TM with quadratic
net by 1000 m. Based on European Data
WGS-84],
 1: 100 000

Albanian Geographic (Military)
Institute (AGMI)
Other Digital Cartographic Products
available for any users are:
 Map of Kosovo at scale 1:250 000;
 Map of Albanian Roads (Transport) at
scale 1:400 000;
 Map of Albanian Roads (Transport) at
scale 1:200 000;
 Topographic Map of Albania at scale 1:
500 000;
Albanian Geographic (Military)
Institute (AGMI)
Map of Tirana at scale 1:125000;
 Map TIRANA_Durres_Kavaja Metropol at
scale 1:75 000;
 Map of administrative boundary of
Republic of Albania at scale 1:300 000;
 Marine Maps of Albania (Marine Map of
Durresi Bay at scale 1:35 000; Marine
Map of Vlora Bay at scale 1:35 000).

Albanian Geographic (Military)
Institute (AGMI)
Those Maps are actually digitized,
georeferenced in Alb87, and evaluated for
accuracy and quality.
 There are in TM and UTM format.

Central Office of Immovable Properties
Registration (IPRO) and its branches
The main products used by (IPRO) and
its branches are those called Index Maps
which describe the ownership on parcels
and properties of the country.
 These maps are produced in scale 1:5000
and have derived from the Institute of
land use and the mapping registration
process during the last 20 years.
 Registration of land and its ownerships are
based in planimetry maps at basic scale
1:2500

Central Office of Immovable Properties
Registration (IPRO) and its branches
The cadastral borders are in AutoCAD
DWG/DXF format, while the attribute data
resides partly in a relational database, and
partly in hard-copy format.
 The spatial data is acceptably accurate at
scales of 1:500 - 1:1000 in urban areas,
and at 1:2500 scale in rural areas.
 The data is spatially referenced in the
Albanian National Coordinate System
(Gauss-Kruger, Krasowski/Pulkovo 1942).

Albanian Geologic Survey (AGS)
Geological event, organized in Albania
began in 1922 with the creation of the
office of the Ministry of geological public
works and agriculture, which was under
the direction of Czech-Austrian geologist
Ernst Novak (Ernst Nowack).
 Ernst Novak had to carry a geological map
of Albania at scale 1:200 000.
 Some of the most important products of
this service are geological maps of
Albania.

Albanian Geologic Survey (AGS)
Geological maps of Albania began to be
developed by foreign scholars from
centuries XIX.
 There are 15 maps covering the entire
territory of Albania, the scale 1:2 000 000
to 1:200 000 scale, of which 6 are in the
script, while others are published in
different countries.
 From 1998 year, are compiled geological
maps in 1:25000, 1:50000 and 1:200000
scale

Albanian Geologic Survey (AGS)
There are about 4000 plans and maps in
1:500, 1:1000, 1:2000, 1:5000, 1:10 000
and 1:50 000 scale, covering about
56.27% of the entire area of Albania.
 Nearly 99% of the total number of maps is
built into the system of state coordinates:
ellipsoid of Krasowski, Gaus-Kryger
projection and central meridian L0 =
21°00'.

Albanian Geologic Survey (AGS)
AGS is an important provider for data
and information through studies and
maps.
 For more than 40 years they recorded in
topographic maps in various scales
(1:5000 till to 1: 100 000) all their
studies, geologic observations and
monitoring, various projects and studies
on separate fields of geology,
geophysics, environment etc.

Albanian Geologic Survey (AGS)
During the last 10 years AGS established
the Department of Geoinformation with the
objective to create a digital Information
system on Geologic Data.
 Main Produser of AGS are Geologic,
Hydrologic, Risk and Natural Hazards,
Mineral Resources maps, etc., at range of
scales 1:10000 till 1: 100 000 and in
more, as 1: 200000. Those maps are
implemented by GIS, build with 11 layers.

Agency for Legalization of Urban and
Informal Zones and Buildings (ALUIZNI)
ALUIZNI is actually the main provider of
digital photogrammetric data offered to the
public, government and the private sector,
in orthophoto maps with a resolution to
provide printed reproduction in scale
1:1000.
 As a public organization ALUIZNI has clearly
grown rapidly during the last years.
 ALUIZNI is sharing this data free of charge
with other users, i.e. for citizens , the Public
and governmental institutions.

Institute of Geosciences (IG)
Today in IG has qualitative and
quantitative information timed, concerning
Albanian meteorology and hydrology.
 The information possessed ex-HMI has
given free (up to 1995 year), while
practices are now self-sustaining

Institute of Geosciences (IG)
Geosciences Institute has a number of
targets in the field of geo-information:
- Organization, scientific processing and
geo-information service obtained from
geological, geophysical, seismological,
geodynamic studies etc., conception and
organization of its electronic data base, by
developing appropriate architectures,
standards setting, the formalization of
descriptions and the massive use of GIS
systems to web services.

Institute of Geosciences (IG)

- Creation of a continuing stream of geoinformation and service thereof,
using new information technologies and
Internet services, construction of a
geoportal that contains general
information (metadata) on information
held on the structure, etc., on its format.
Institute of Geosciences (IG)
- The use of mathematical methods to
investigate and identify relationships
between factors and attachment of
various parameters, as well as trends
change their mathematical modeling of
phenomena and processes by integrating
data from various sources (field
observations, laboratory tests,
instrumental records, aerial photographs,
satellite images, DTM, etc.)
Central Technical Archive
in Tirana

Has archived and it is provider of all local
geodetic nets and topographic & mapping
survey plans, Engineering Geologic
Studies and maps, etc., of all Cities and
Towns as well as many villages in Albania
at ranges of Sc. 1:500, 1:1000 and
1:2000, done before the year ’90, from a
EX- Technical Institute Geology Geodesy. All those works or EO Data Sets
are evaluated as with High accuracy
standards.
Others institutions
Ministry of Innovation and Technology of
Information and Communication – A key
role in creation of a National Data Base,
National geoinformation Agency or Entity,
eGov etc.;
 Ministry of Agriculture and Food –
Agricultural planning, Policy and
Monitoring, cadastral data and
Information, erosion data and studies;

Others institutions
AKKP (Property Restitution and
Compensation Agency) Old data and
maps. Properties and parcels, Index maps,
etc;
 Ministry of Environment, Forestall and
Water Management – Environmental
policies, studies and project-ideas,
environmental mapping, floods, Pollution;

Others institutions
Ministry of Public Works and Transport –
Road infrastructure and transport,
networks studies, projects, urban
planning, illegal areas, e_Gov etc;
 Urban and Regional Planning Offices and
Institute, Dependent from the Ministry of
Transport and Civil Works;
 Private Surveying, topographic and
geoinformation Companies;
 Surveyors, Builders and other Real estate
professionals.

CONCLUSIONS
Usually spatial data in Albania may be
available by request and payment.
 Part of spatial data collected before 1990
are published and may be available in
some libraries.

CONCLUSIONS
In relation to data and geographic
information in Albania have many
problems, which are related to the variety,
quality and mobility of their technical and
technological level of public and private
institutions that manage them, the ways
of organizing there, nationwide etc.
 Thus, although the geographic information
is used quantitative, qualitative its
features leave much to be desired.

CONCLUSIONS
Collect enough data to institutions and
private firms are not eligible for use by
their partners, because of the low
accuracy of geometric science.
 Thus, the data collected to meet current
interests and not those of the future, thus
artificially increasing the cost of works as
GIS, as well as reducing their productivity.

CONCLUSIONS
Other problems that deserve attention
are: increasing the capacity of data
collection, including new sources, such as
Remote Sensing and interpretation of
images, GPS, etc. automated
observations.
 Exchange of information, such as problem
solving and policy the pricing and the
problem of authorship geographic
information, etc.

CONCLUSIONS

The future direction of development of
geographic information data and focus on
improving coordination mechanism, filling
spatial database metadata and national
development and activation state office.
Thanks
for your attention