The Nicosia district government on Tuesday signed a contract with the Thessaloniki water supply and sewerage company (Eyath) to be provided with “expertise” in “the field of geographic information systems”.
The contract is worth €257,699 and will be in force for 38 months, while a geographic information system is integrated into computer hardware and software which stores, manages, analyses, edits, outputs and visualises geographic data.
Eyath will aid in the creation of a single geospatial database, the development of geographic information system infrastructure and the training of staff in Nicosia, while also offering “expertise … in the areas of network management, customer service, and the optimisation of business practices”.
District governor Constantinos Yiorkadjis hailed the deal, saying that “for the Nicosia district government, the digital transformation is the means to better manage our infrastructure, make faster and more informed decisions, and respond effectively to people’s needs”.
“Through the collaboration with Eyath, we are leveraging significant experience and expertise by creating modern infrastructure for the management of our networks,” he added.
Eyath chief executive officer Anthimos Amanatidis, meanwhile, stressed that “this is a cooperation on a mutual basis”.
“We can support the Nicosia district government on some levels, we look forward to the Nicosia district government’s technology on others, now that Eyath has also expanded and is taking over an entire region. I am confident that in the coming years, this cooperation will not only flourish, but will expand to other areas,” he said.
His reference to his own company’s expansion comes after Greece’s parliament last month passed a law growing its responsibilities and geographical coverage to cover not only the city of Thessaloniki, but the entire Thessaloniki regional unit and neighbouring Chalkidiki.
The Thessaloniki regional unit stretches from the Delta municipality, which covers the towns in the Axios river delta, in the west, to the town of Lagkadas in the north, and Lake Volvi in the east.
In addition to the geographic expansion, the new law also foresees that the company’s scope now includes irrigation and the management of the region’s rainwater network, while also extending its exclusive rights to provide water and sewerage services in Thessaloniki and now Chalkidiki until 2038.
In exchange for this expansion of the company’s powers, one member of its board of directors will now be nominated by the regional union of municipalities of central Macedonia.
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