The Metropolitan Urban Observatory – A Tool for Understanding Territorial Dynamics and Informing Decision-Making
The Metropolitan Urban Observatory (MOU) is a program for monitoring and analyzing urban dynamics within the metropolitan area, based on geospatial tools that provide urban analyses, integrated assessments, and public policy recommendations by correlating information from urban databases.
Data Collection, Analysis, and Use
A central pillar of the program is the collection and processing of data at various territorial levels—metropolitan, urban, or neighborhood—including public data, data provided by public authorities, satellite data, or data available through an interconnected geospatial database system (such as, for example, the Urban Mobility and Urban Management Hub of Bucharest), using rigorous methodologies and openly shared metadata.
Specialists from the Department of Urban Planning and Urban Mobility within ADIZMB are constantly working on collecting, updating, editing, and processing data available at the metropolitan level into GIS format, resulting in thematic analyses that are also used within other projects and partnerships carried out by ADIZMB.
Geospatial Data Platform, Open Data Access, and Urban Knowledge
The online platform of the Metropolitan Urban Observatory (OUM) provides structured and spatialized data for visualization and offers open geospatial data, analyses, and relevant reports for download and processing. Through the data and analyses it provides, the platform serves both local public authorities in the Bucharest metropolitan area and the general public—including specialists, researchers, and civic initiative groups.
By processing data, conducting analyses, and facilitating participatory processes, this program serves as a laboratory for the sustainable development of the Bucharest metropolitan area, utilized by both public administrations and local communities.
Activities for the development of geospatial databases, carried out in 2025:
• Pre-university educational institutions in Ilfov County – creation and publication of the webMap, as well as the associated open data (.gpkg) on the Metropolitan Urban Observatory website (data on pre-university educational institutions in Bucharest and Bucharest municipal school districts were published in 2024);
• Healthcare infrastructure in Bucharest and Ilfov County – creation and publication of the webMap, as well as the associated open data (.gpkg);
• Evacuation zones and routes, along with associated assembly, boarding, disembarkation, and distribution points in emergency situations—creation of a preliminary map serving as the basis for dialogue with the DSU, IGSU, Bucharest municipal sectors, and Ilfov County Council for validation and subsequent publication on the Metropolitan Urban Observatory website;
• Temperature trends in relation to vegetation density in the Bucharest metropolitan area (2000–2024) – conducting the analysis and presenting it at the Geospatial Tools for Cities focus group, organized by ICLEI Europe;
• Correctional georeferencing and orthorectification of historical satellite imagery (Corona KH-4B) for the Bucharest-Ilfov Region (1968), required for analyses within the OUM;
• Geospatial Register of Buildings in Bucharest Municipality – Physical and Functional Characteristics of the Built Environment (1990–2024) – continuation of data processing and inventory of the current situation (2024). The following areas have been completed: Grivița–Chibrit Area, Drumul Taberei–Drumul Sării–Ghencea Area, Militari–Uverturii Area, Străulești–Sisești Area, Dămăroaia–Pajura Area, Sfânta Vineri Area – Moșii Vechi, Chitila Triaj – Coteasca Area, Bucureștii Noi Area, 16 Februarie – Giulești Sârbi Area, Giulești – Crângași Area, Unirii – Uranus Area, Belvedere – Ciurel Area, Unirii Area.
Other activities within the Metropolitan Urban Observatory:
– Organization of the event “Digitalize+ – Urban Data for the Bucharest Metropolitan Area,” Victoria Palace, May 5, 2025, to promote the Metropolitan Urban Observatory and the benefits of using geospatial urban data for integrated public policies in the Bucharest metropolitan area – the event was organized in collaboration with the General Secretariat of the Government and brought together over 130 participants, representatives of central public administration, local public administration (Ilfov County Council, Bucharest Municipality, Bucharest Municipal Sectors), research organizations and universities, as well as urban planners, landscape architects, and specialists in database technology and geospatial information processing (GIS);
– Participation in the Geospatial Tools for Cities Focus Group, November 4, 2025, as part of the Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, alongside representatives from metropolitan areas (e.g., Barcelona), cities (from Austria, Spain, France, Ireland, Finland, Denmark, etc.), research institutes, and geospatial service providers – documentation and exchange of experiences among participants in the fields of urban planning, geography, GIS, smart urban mobility, and related fields, with a focus on sustainable and inclusive solutions;
– Contributions of geospatial data on the Bucharest metropolitan area, including the territorial framework, land use distribution, zoning, transportation, mobility, tourism, and socio-economic data within the METRO CASE project, co-funded by the Interreg Europe Program;
– Preparation of an application for Urban95 Academy 2026, an international training program for developing strategies to create better cities for children—an opportunity to conduct urban analyses on how conducive the localities within the metropolitan area are to children’s development, what improvements are needed, and indicators to be integrated into the Metropolitan Urban Observatory;
– Participation in Policy to Table: Building Local Capacity for Sustainable Food Systems, organized by Eurocities Academy, which aimed to prepare representatives from city halls and related institutions to develop and implement food policies—tools and methodologies applicable to this field, including the use of urban data and analyses as a foundation for public policy formulation.
· Support for the “European Homelessness Count 2025” initiative, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work at the University of Bucharest in collaboration with the General Directorate of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest and the Carusel Association – survey areas were delineated, online maps were created for the volunteers involved, and support was provided for the processing of geospatial data and the development of urban analyses.