In November 2019, the Uruguayan administration put online « Geoportal », a web public mapping service. Thanks to this portal, Uruguay is the most evolved country in Latin America in term of cartographic, according to Uruguyan government.
In order to develop Geoportal, two aircrafts equiped with state-of-the-art technology flew over the 176,220 square kilometers of Uruguay’s territory. They were able to map the entire country with a great precision, allowing for example to point out people crossing the street.
On this map, the Uruguayan government has listed all the national open data. So, everyone can consult information concerning hydrography, demography, regional and cities limits or reliefs. It also shows cadaster, shops (supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores …) and equipments (hospitals, schools, administrative buildings, railways, roads, tolls, airports …).
Maps and data are updated every six months. It’s possible to follow the progress of some public works and the evolution of water rising. Public institutions may also request a specific update of the map in the scope of a natural disaster, for instance.
The government would like to replace Google Maps with GeoPortal in Uruguay. But actually, it is very unlikely. Indeed, for this moment, the portal is not available in mobile application and it is impossible to calculate a path or research an area.
Sitography :
GeoPortal, [en ligne], http://geoportal.mtop.gub.uy/.
Conscience Théo, Les Voix du Monde (Novembre 2019), « L’Uruguay améliore sa cartographie avec GeoPortal », [en ligne], http://www.rfi.fr/ameriques/20191003-uruguay-cartographie-geoportal-gps.