The Ministry of Environment and Water received an award in the “Central Government” category for its long-standing contribution and special achievements in the application of geographic information systems (GIS). The award was presented to the Minister of Environment and Water Manol Genov by Arkadius Sadkovski, Global Manager “Reality Mapping Solutions” at ESRI, at an event on the occasion of World GIS Day.

“When an organization has been using the technology for 30 years, this is an achievement in itself. With an open data portal, internal collaboration, and reporting to Europe, the ministry shows work in sync with the development of technologies,” emphasized Sadkovski.

The Ministry of Environment and Water is introducing an integrated approach to using the most modern and globally recognized GIS technologies for sustainable management of protected areas in Bulgaria. This is an approach that meets the best international and European practices in data management, analysis, coordination, and cooperation.

The Ministry is among the pioneers in the application of geospatial technologies by the central government in our country — a tradition that has been in place for three decades.

Minister Genov thanked for the award: "Thank you for the award on behalf of the entire team of the ministry! This is a high recognition for the exceptional efforts and vision of the team of the National Nature Protection Service Directorate and all experts from the regional environmental and water inspectorates and national parks, who actively apply the most modern GIS technologies for effective and sustainable management of the protected areas from the ‘Natura 2000’ ecological network."