ABSTRACT
The principal element in the current national urban development plan is the Proyecto Estrategico de Ciudades Medias (the Middle-sized Cities Project). The main limitation of the system is that it is based almost entirely on photography and thus records only what is visible. The very scale of the undertaking makes it all the more important to assess how effective the system can be in meeting the needs of DGDU. The purpose of information systems is to provide efficient access to data relevant for planning and management. Little of the information that planners normally use is so timely or so critical that it must be transmitted in seconds or minutes; most of what is valid today will still be valid a week later. Microcomputers provide a low-cost mechanism for the centre not just to plan and monitor how this can and should be done but also to help make it happen.
