Development of an urban planning information system for settlements located in oil production areas: the case of Al-Zubair district in Basra governorate

Introduction. Oil production areas are highly damaged in Al-Zubair district. However, they border residential and industrial zones, water areas, and farmlands. The local transport infrastructure demonstrates rapid growth. Al-Zubair district is also home to a largest oilfield in Basra governorate. The oilfield is an important factor of the country’s economic development and an employer for the residents of Basra and other Iraqi governorates. The programme, focused on the development of an urban planning information system, proposed by the authors for oil production areas, encompasses information gathe­ring and processing, database provisioning, data analyzing and processing. The ArcGIS cartographic system will be used to make base maps of urban environments. Field studies have been conducted in the areas of environmental degradation, intervention and imbalance. The preparatory work included information gathering, photographing, and using GPS to determine the location of the areas under research. The purpose of the study is to identify the areas, that are potentially fit for human habitation, and analyze alternative inventory accounting models of oil production areas using three project proposals. Materials and methods. Standard measuring instruments and navigation devices, such as Garmin GPS controller, were used to collect the information to be further added to the database and processed using statistical methods. GIS systems (Arc Map 10.3) and Microsoft excel were used to make digital maps; the remote sensing method and open data were also employed. A camera was used to make photos of particular objects. Firstly, the information was collected and added to the controller database, then it was forwarded to a computer system as vector data to make a digital map and develop design solutions. Results. The purpose of the new urban planning information system is to assess the local living conditions and ensure the sustainable development of populated areas in the Al-Zubair district of Basra Governorate, the Republic of Iraq. Conclusions. The proposed method of using an ecological mapping system to identify the areas potentially fit for human habitation will improve the quality of urban planning, enhance the environment in oil production areas and ensure their sustainable development. These areas need area development plans, that comply with the standards for residential areas located in oil production neighbourhoods.