How Muğla Uses GIS and ArcGIS Enterprise to Improve Citywide Operations

Located in the southern Aegean region, Muğla is one of Turkey’s most unique cities, known for its 13 districts, over 1,400 kilometers of coastline, and rich natural and cultural heritage. As a major tourist destination, the region welcomes nearly 10 million domestic and international visitors each year.

Since gaining metropolitan municipality status in 2014, Muğla has assumed a broader mission: to deliver a wide range of services—ranging from agriculture to tourism, and from transportation to infrastructure—efficiently across its expansive geography and growing areas of responsibility. Managing such a large and diverse region sustainably has made timely, data-driven decision-making more essential than ever.

To meet this challenge, Muğla Metropolitan Municipality turned to geographic information system (GIS) technology to unify its operations and modernize service delivery.

Following its transition to a metropolitan municipality, Muğla assumed many responsibilities across a vast and varied landscape. However, the absence of digital integration between municipal departments led to service delays, data loss, and planning challenges. Each department operated independently, often relying on paper-based records and outdated information. As a result:

• Field data couldn’t be processed centrally
• Data sharing between departments was limited
• Emergency response was slowed by inaccessible data
• Institutional decisions lacked sufficient data support
• Service planning, inventory tracking, and analysis were completed manually

This fragmented structure led to significant losses of time and effort—particularly in crisis management, investment planning, and resource allocation—across a large and dynamic region like Muğla.

To digitally integrate its departments and improve service delivery, Muğla Metropolitan Municipality established a comprehensive GIS infrastructure based on Esri’s ArcGIS platform. At the core of this infrastructure is ArcGIS Enterprise, a secure, centralized platform that enables the municipality to manage, analyze, and share spatial data across departments in a unified environment.

This centralized system not only ensured data security but also fostered coordination across departments. For desktop-based data creation and analysis, the municipality used ArcGIS Pro—a powerful GIS application designed for advanced 2D and 3D spatial analysis, data visualization, and editing. This technology helped accelerate integration and supported more complex planning workflows.
 

The municipality used ArcGIS Field Maps, a mobile app that enables teams to collect and update field data in real time. This eliminated paper-based workflows and ensured that all updates were instantly synced with the central system, allowing decisions to be made using the most current information. The collected data was then displayed in map-based formats using web maps, a feature of ArcGIS Online, with user-friendly interfaces that made visualization easy and effective.

Internally developed web application further extended the system’s capabilities for different departments and their needs. 

ArcGIS Web AppBuilder supported rapid app development, while ArcGIS Experience Builder allowed teams to create modern, customizable applications tailored to the user experience. These tools empower staff to manage daily operations more efficiently through interactive, data-driven interfaces.
 

To support even more flexible and customized solutions, municipal staff leveraged ArcGIS REST API and ArcGIS API JavaScript. These developer tools enable staff to build custom features and workflows. As a result, the municipality created more responsive, efficient, and user-centric solutions that worked well for both technical staff and everyday users.

In short, the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality’s integrated GIS infrastructure built on the ArcGIS platform brought all departments onto a unified digital foundation. This digital transformation—from field to headquarters—fostered collaboration and strengthened decision-making.

Muğla Metropolitan Municipality has developed more than 40 GIS-based applications to support a wide range of services. These applications have improved institutional efficiency and enabled faster service delivery in key areas, such as planning, transportation, infrastructure, disaster management, cultural heritage, environment, public services, and health care.
 

Each department now uses GIS to support its daily operations. Urban planning teams manage zoning and land use through tools like the Raster Plan Management and Plan Management System. Transportation and infrastructure teams rely on applications such as the Road Inventory and Hydraulic Model to track assets and plan improvements. For disaster and emergency response, systems like the Earthquake Monitoring, Fire Panel, and Disaster Coordination Center app help teams respond quickly and strategically.

Tourism and cultural heritage are supported through apps such as Cultural Heritage Information System, the Tourism Route Application, and the Thematic Villages platform, which map routes and highlight significant historical or cultural sites. Environmental and agricultural teams use tools like the Soil Map and Monumental Trees database to protect natural resources. Citizen Services have also improved, with applications like the City Guide, Spatial Address Registration System, and Cemetery Information System making it easier for residents to access local information. Meanwhile, health and safety departments use GIS to manage pharmacy locations, fire department data, and chimney cleaning inspections.

With this GIS infrastructure in place, the municipality has seen major gains in both time and resource efficiency. Up-to-date, centralized data has helped:

• Plan infrastructure investments more accurately, avoiding duplicate work
• Create risk maps from field-collected data, supporting strategic planning for rapid response—especially during natural disasters
• Improve inventory tracking across departments using spatial data, increasing transparency and efficiency in resource utilization
• Respond to resident requests more quickly and effectively on-site

All this data is now available to decision-makers on desktops through map-based visualizations. This allows municipal leadership to monitor processes and make informed decisions. 
 

Muğla Metropolitan Municipality’s digital transformation goes beyond simply data collecting—it uses that data to make smarter, more strategic choices. This GIS-based approach delivers significant added value in terms of service sustainability, optimized resource management, and increased residential satisfaction.