The project will contribute to the further digitalization of public services and contribute to territorial development throughout the country. The Government of Uzbekistan will allocate about 5.7 million dollars to co-finance the project.

As a result of rapid urbanization in Uzbekistan, more than 50% of the population lives in cities. This trend has increased the burden on land resources, basic infrastructure, and public services such as education, healthcare, and public transportation, especially in large urban agglomerations.

Intensive urban growth has also led to a shortage of detailed geospatial data on land use and infrastructure. In turn, the lack of such information limits the authorities' ability to effectively plan and manage territorial development, as well as hinders the realization of the economic potential of citizens and entrepreneurs.

The private sector also faces difficulties due to limited access to reliable geospatial data, including information on the availability of land resources and the state of infrastructure, including transport, water and energy communications. The lack of such detailed and up-to-date data reduces the investment attractiveness of the territories, as it is difficult for entrepreneurs to assess risks and identify promising places to start a business. The lack of information undermines investor confidence and limits private sector participation in key sectors of the economy.

In order to solve these problems, the Uzbek authorities created a legal framework for the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NIPD) in 2021. The NIPD is designed to promote informed planning and sustainable territorial development through transparent and efficient collection, storage, management and exchange of geospatial data.

"Despite certain achievements in the development of the NIPD, it is necessary to continue working on improving the relevant public services," said Tatiana Proskuryakova, World Bank Director for Central Asia. - "Among the priorities are improving the exchange of spatial data between government agencies and the private sector, completing the creation of cadastral base maps, forming a register of engineering communications, as well as strengthening the capacity of regional authorities in the field of geospatial data management. The World Bank is pleased to support a new project that will help the government make progress in these areas."

The project will be implemented by the Agency for Cadaster under the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan in the period from 2025 to 2030 and includes the following components:

Component 1: Support for the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NIPD) at the central level. The project will allow for the implementation of a number of measures to further integrate the NIPD into the digital ecosystem of the electronic government of Uzbekistan. These include the creation of three new data processing centers, the development of a digital NIPD architecture, the standardization of various types of geospatial data, and the development of a national geoportal.

Among other things, these measures will ensure greater transparency of geospatial data and strengthen the trust of citizens and the private sector by providing them with unified, reliable access to up-to-date information through the NIPD.

Component 2: Strengthening geospatial infrastructure at the regional and municipal levels. The project will improve cartography and geodesy systems at the regional and municipal levels, as well as modernize national geodetic and cartographic equipment and software, including the installation of 80 new permanent reference stations (CORS) for GPS data acquisition. These measures will increase the accuracy of cartographic information and land resource data across the country.

The Integrated Information System for Registration of Cadasters and rights to real Estate objects (UZKAD) will also be modernized, a single address registry (containing data on the location of objects) will be created, and data exchange between government agencies and the private sector will be improved.

Additionally, new mapping technologies will be tested in Samarkand, including the creation of a 3D model of the city and a registry of engineering communications. These tools will help local authorities better manage the city's development processes and prepare for natural disasters caused by climate change.

In general, the project will increase the accuracy and accessibility of data on land resources and real estate. This will help strengthen the protection of the property rights of individuals and legal entities. It will also improve the awareness of the private sector about available land and real estate, which is necessary to make informed decisions about setting up new businesses in the relevant localities.