The state of Johor Bahru is embarking on an initiative to digitally map out 5,000 kilometres of rural roads, a first of its kind in Malaysia.

The project, which was estimated to cost at about RM300,000 (US$90,900), is a joint effort between Infra Desa Johor Sdn Bhd (IDJSB), a state-owned company that is responsible for the maintenance of rural roads, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) Faculty of Geoinformation and Real Estate. The latter will provide consulting expertise in order to fully maximise the GIS and mapping applications for the project.

According to Menteri Besar (State Chief Executive) Datul Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the availability of the digital map would allow the state government to better plan for the development and maintenance of roads.

“With this system, we will also be more effective in awarding tenders for the maintenance as we will be able to have better information on which roads are in need of repairs or upgrade,” said Khaled.

The State chief executive revealed that the project is expected to be completed by mid-2014. Furthermore, the map would also be available for mobile navigation and GPS device.