A national transport data portal, a health inequality platform and a digital twin of Sofia's Sredets district will go on show for the first time on 18 November in Sofia. They are part of a conference for the 27th World Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day, Esri Bulgaria said.
The conference will be held at the Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia. Organisers expect more than 900 Bulgarian and foreign experts. More than 70 companies, universities, non-governmental groups and media outlets are partners. The motto is "GIS: The power to build a smart future together".
The Ministry of Transport and Communications will present its new National Access Point for transport data. It is part of the ministry's Single Information Point, which is built on GIS. The system collects static and live data on Bulgaria's transport network and public transport, and works out routes. Other programmes can use the data through public interfaces.
The Medical University of Varna will show a GIS platform that measures health inequalities across Bulgaria. It was built in a research project funded by the Science Fund. The platform maps the population's health, and the people, equipment and money the health system has. It also assesses how at risk each region is, and how ready it is, for natural and man-made disasters.
The digital twin of Sredets will be shown live. It includes a photorealistic 3D model of the district, urban planning analysis and real-time data.
The programme also includes the interactive GIS system of the Black Sea Basin Directorate. The directorate uses it to monitor the reports it receives and to keep its handling of them transparent. Targovishte council will show a system for land planning and asset management in its industrial park. Other live demonstrations cover the environment, local government, utilities, communications, security and education.
A technology session will present what is new in ArcGIS. This includes AI agents and assistants, digital twins, links with CAD and BIM, image analysis, real-time monitoring and mobile apps for fieldwork.
The guest speaker is Mark Gillick, head of the team at the humanitarian group MapAction. He will talk about how GIS helps in disasters and crises through fast mapping, data analysis and coordination of rescuers. One of his examples is the floods in Mozambique in early 2026. There, GIS analysis helped local authorities and the UN find more than 600,000 people cut off by water. The analyses were also used to plan rescue routes and helicopter flights.
Brooks Patrick, global manager for "Smart Cities and Regional Development" at Esri, will present international projects. He will talk about using GIS to draw investment to Italian cities, the Rail Baltica railway corridor and work with the OSCE.
"GIS technology plays a growing role in solving public and business problems," said Miglena Kuzmanova, manager of Esri Bulgaria. She said the systems are used everywhere, from transport and healthcare to city life and crisis response. She believes the day will show real results, and what opportunities for Bulgaria's development come from institutions, business and science working together.
The virtual exhibition of the national competition "Exploring the World with GIS" 2026 will also open on 18 November. The competition is under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and Science. Teachers, schoolchildren, students and doctoral students will get prizes for the best interactive lessons and story maps. That evening, the winners of the second National Student Hackathon, "GIS and Climate: Solutions for the Future", will also receive their awards.
Organisers will end the day with the annual awards for special achievements in GIS. They go to organisations, teams and experts who develop technology for working with maps and spatial data in Bulgaria.