ENHANCING RURAL AREAS FOR NEWCOMERS AND PROMOTING LOCAL PRODUCTS BY EXPLOITING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Transcription

1 GRISI PLUS Geomatics Rural Information Society Initiative PLUS GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS... let yourself be inspired... ENHANCING RURAL AREAS FOR NEWCOMERS AND PROMOTING LOCAL PRODUCTS BY EXPLOITING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION This project is cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund and made possible by the INTERREG IVC programme.

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3 WELCOME TO THE GRISI PLUS PROJECT European rural areas can find a new dynamism thanks to the development of the internet, in conjunction with geo-localization. Infrastructures allowing high speed internet connections are under construction in many rural areas. A lot of small villages have created websites, where local cultural inheritance is presented in order to attract new tourists and inhabitants. Very small enterprises which produce local traditional products start activities in the field of electronic commerce to find new clients. The development of geographic information systems and geomatics tools allows the stakeholders of rural areas to exist and to show themselves on the internet. Creating a virtual identity on the Internet has become a real opportunity that each village should seize since citizens and consumers coming from cities are more and more attracted by life in the countryside and authentic local products. Thanks to the extraordinary development of the use of GPS, all economic and territorial information can be geo-localized precisely and communicated on the internet. The rural world gets out from its shell and its isolation. The objective of the GRISI PLUS project is to exchange experience on practical applications of geomatics tools for the development of European rural areas. Each project partner identifies and presents good practices applied in his area for the development of the rural economy, so that other project partners can transfer these selected good practices in their own area. These exchanges contribute to creating a pool of practices as well as enriching partners knowledge and skills regarding the development of their rural territories. GRISI PLUS demonstrates that, in spite of their significant diversity, the good practices which use information and communication technologies to promote the local economy and create employment, can be transferred and adapted in most European rural areas. Indeed, rural areas have many common concerns and face similar difficulties, for instance: How can rural areas attract new inhabitants, new tourists and new wealth? How can they create a specific identity for their local products and know-how? How can they promote ancestral inheritance? ABOUT GEOMATICS Geomatics is a way of gathering and analysing data to create maps for a particular area. Anyone and anything is a point on a map - Geomatics is the art and science of making all these points meaningful, visible and available to everyone Geomatics constitutes a significant tool for the development of rural areas. Almost 80% of existing information has a location coordinate and can be mapped. This means that the information is available on interactive maps on the internet. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 3

4 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS TABLE OF CONTENTS THE GRISI PLUS JOURNEY 7 GOOD PRACTICES 9 GEOWINE: GEOTRACEABILITY AND WINE GROWING NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO PROMOTE AND CERTIFY THE ORIGIN OF WINE 10 SOHO SOLO: SMALL OFFICE HOME OFFICE 12 LOOKWEST.IE 14 MADE IN GALWAY INITIATIVE 16 VIDZEME PUBLIC TRANSPORT MODELING SYSTEM 18 REFORM OF STATISTICAL DATA NOW CONVENIENT, ACCESSIBLE AND FOOLPROOF FOR EVERYONE 20 WALKING TRAILS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL RESERVES OF CRETE CYPRUS LESVOS 22 DINGLI: BEYOND CLIFFS 24 HOP AND BEER TEMPLE SAAZ HOP GROWING AREA FOR THE PROMOTION OF TOURISM 26 MURA-DRAVA.BIKE 28 RURAL MANAGER 30 LETNITSA: HOME OF THE KARST WATERFALL 32 ESTONIAN SMART ROAD PROJECT TARK TEE 34 PHILOXENIA IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMMON OPERATIONAL MECHANISM (COM) FOR THE WELCOMING OF 36 ACTIVITIES IN MEDITERRANEAN RURAL AREAS 36 E-M@RKET-PATH E4 / INTERNET ROUTES ON EUROPEAN PATH E4 38 FOCUS PER COUNTRY 40 GERS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY 42 4 GRISIPLUS

5 WEST REGIONAL AUTHORITY 43 GALWAY COUNTY COUNCIL 44 VIDZEME PLANNING REGION 45 LATVIAN ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS 46 LARNACA DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT AGENCY 47 LOCAL COUNCILS ASSOCIATION 48 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF USTI REGION, PLC 49 SINERGIJA DEVELOPMENT AGENCY LTD. 50 THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY CENTRU 51 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPALITIES IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA 52 TARTU SCIENCE PARK 53 TERRITORIAL INITIATIVE FOR EMPLOYMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP OF SINTIKI-IRACLIA 54 REGION OF CRETE 55 LESSONS LEARNT 57 GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 5

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7 THE GRISI PLUS JOURNEY Over 56% of the EU population live in rural areas, which cover 91% of the EU territory. Rural territories are facing many difficulties: a declining and ageing population, weak local economies and a lack of innovation. In the context of globalisation and rapid urbanisation, rural areas have to face new challenges stemming from fierce competition between territories. The rural development policy of the EU and the EU s Cohesion Policy both share the objective of diversifying economic activities and improving the quality of life in rural territories. In order to address these issues, GRISI PLUS introduces cutting-edge policy development approaches in EU rural areas. The main objective of the project is to improve the effectiveness of economic development policies in rural areas. The key tool to modernising them is the use of geomatic tools and geographic information. To achieve this goal, partners exchange experience as well as identify and transfer good practices in 2 areas of common interest relating to the revitalisation of rural territories: increasing the appeal of rural territories in order to attract new inhabitants, promoting local tangible and intangible goods and services. The key objectives of the project are: To identify and benchmark good practices within partner areas which are useful for the development of rural territories To explore how these good practices can be transferred and implemented in each partner area and the wider Europe To increase the use of geographic information and geomatic applications within rural development practices and policies To provide decision/support tools to public key stakeholders and policymakers regarding the implementation of the new approaches at local level To raise awareness and to disseminate the GRISI PLUS achievements to public authorities, decision-makers, elected representatives and citizens in the partners countries. Hence, partners made an inventory of good practices applied in their areas to enhance their attractiveness and boost local economy. These practices were presented to all partners. They also assisted in 6 study visits throughout the project execution in France, Latvia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ireland and Slovenia, during which they observed in depth various good practices for the development of their rural areas. Each partner was responsible for selecting the most appropriate good practice from other partners, in order to transfer and implement it in his respective area. Finally, partners elaborated action plans, where the process for the implementation of the good practices in their country after the project end, is described in detail. The principal action of the GRISI PLUS project is the identification and successful transfer of Good Practices to improve 13 Economic Development Policies of rural areas. GRISI PLUS assembles 14 partners from 11 Member States including regions, provinces, associations of municipalities and territorial development agencies. It is therefore able to address a range of governance scales and policy areas. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 7

8 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS GOOD PRACTICES: DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS: IDENTIFICATION, SHARING, PROCESS INTRODUCTION It is a daunting task to generalize and draw conclusions from a relatively large amount of data which origins from very diverse sources. What we mean here is that one of primary goals of INTERREG IVC program is to assemble project partnerships which would be different from each other so that there would be something to learn for each and every partner. No matter from which geographical region they come or how advanced they are. However, this is a good problem to have. It means you have different solutions and different routes to those solutions. And one thing which we already knew from the very beginning of our journey was cliché that there is no magical success formula which would suit to all partners. Every region in Europe has its unique sides even if many challenges before regions are similar. As it is with most journeys, to reach the wanted destination, you need to know where you want to go. You need to have a goal. GOAL Key challenges and objectives of our project were described in previous page. However, Wise Ones say that repetition is the Mother of Wisdom. In our case lot of activities originated from the goal brought below. Here it comes again: The main goal of GRISI PLUS project is to improve the effectiveness, modernize and enrich public rural development policies in partners regions by increasing the use of geographical information and geomatics tools. From one side it s an ambitious goal which addresses wide area policies. From another side we approach it with well-defined niche geomatics! Nevertheless to get a good starting position we needed to narrow it down. Therefore we took a dangerous path of assuming something. ASSUMPTIONS We assumed that the development of rural territories depends on the accomplishment of two conditions: To develop the attractiveness of the territory and a specific welcoming policy to attract newcomers who will bring new skills and wealth. To promote local tangible and intangible (festivals, sports ) products To validate our assumptions and to accomplish these objectives through our selected niche, geomatics, we turned to results of GRISI PLUS predecessor, project GRISI which had proved with measurable track record that the most adapted means to achieve these conditions are geolocalization and promotion 8 GRISIPLUS

9 of territories and their products through geoportals. GRISI PLUS therefore aimed at giving to rural areas a set of good practices using geomatics tools to develop local know-how, welcoming quality, heritage, life quality, local products etc. We believed that the new future of rural territories relies on: Local elected members understanding very well the promotion of their territory on the Internet. Cartography and geoportals allowing even to the smallest villages to be on the map! To exist in the worldwide network by overcoming linguistic barriers. Growing demand by city-dwellers to discover and consume products of rural territories. The opening up of rural isolated areas and markets, and progress of minds in general The implementation of a newcomers welcoming policy giving them the possibility to work at distance over internet. The improvement of local products and services so that they satisfy in the best way a growing consumers demand. All EU rural regions, in particular project partners, shared the same main objectives to foster the economy of their territory: Their concern is to develop the attractiveness of their territory in order to attract newcomers and develop new services for the promotion of their socio-economic heritage. In lessons learnt chapter we will briefly summarize how many of these assumptions and ideas proved to be correct. Let us continue our journey and move to the next chapter. Once you know where you want to go there are three more stages. By classical management and economy theory, and also by common sense, next step is to look where you are. Which is followed usually by most difficult stage how to get from where you are to the desired destination. REGIONAL INVENTORIES To look where each partner is we decided to make inventories. Easy part is to pinpoint your location on map and say: here I am. To move closer to our goal of improving policies within our target niche some elements which needed to be counted and mapped were quite clear. Others were not so easy. Inventories were made on following four categories: Identification of geographic data and Spatial Data Infrastructures available and/ or under construction which could be useful for the topics tackled within the project Inventory of existing websites which can be useful for the promotion of the attractiveness of territories Inventory of policies, key players and stakeholders related to territorial attractiveness Inventory of past projects or projects in progress which could be useful for the topics tackled within the project. While the first three are quite logical addressing respectively our target niche, our tools and our goal we also considered necessary to identify past projects and key players in the field. Both last mentioned elements were of immense help to take a huge leap towards achieving one of the sub-goals of our project identifying and selecting Good Practices (GP) in partner regions. GP SELECTION What is a Good Practice? Let s skip the official definition and try to formulate it in everyday common talk. It is something, a tool, a process, an activity, a policy, that either has worked out very well or is still working very well. Behind successful Good Practice is almost always a good team. So by mapping past and current projects and key players we increased tremendously our chances to find Good Practices using a common methodology in each region. Which as we remember are otherwise unique. Most of these Good Practices are brought later in this very Guide and you can familiarize yourselves with them. As often in life happens, in the beginning you don t find much and then you suddenly have too much We anticipated this challenge. GP VALUATION How do you differentiate good from very good or excellent from marvelous? In many cases you can t. Too much depends on subjective opinions, personal tastes and other intangible variables. To provide common basis for all partners to compare, evaluate and validate their Good Practices we used several different tools: GP description form. 2 page template to describe GP, its goals, involved target groups, time scale, results, finances required to implement it and many other details. Sounds comprehensive and like lot of desktop research? Not, just 2-pages. Feasibility studies for GPs. This was another 2 page template which was available to every partner to assess any GP and its suitability to their region. You only had to provide Yes/No answers to majority of questions (15 out of 18), two scale questions and only one open question. We created a simple scale to give really quick assessment to any given GP. 9 or less Yes answers meant that don t even bother to waste your time, while 12 or more Yes answers clearly indicated that this particular GP is worth a closer look. Why to go through such trouble? Sharing is caring and within INTERREG programme sharing experiences is one of the cornerstones of whole thing. That being said, one must keep in mind that we are living in information society these days and too much information can become easily a burden. GP SHARING Reader must keep in mind that our consortium consisted of 14 partners. Each partner identified minimum of 2 GPs and quite often there were 3 or 4 or more GPs on the table which all were interesting and worthy of EU-wide promotion. In order not to overload partnership we needed to select out most appropriate ones for our cause. Five partners were lucky enough to be chosen as study visit locations which meant that they could introduce their GPs in flesh to other partners. Rest of the partnership disseminated their GPs via description forms, through meetings and networking events, seminars and workshops, project newsletters and websites. It is safe to say that treasures remained hidden and buried. Everybody did their best to showcase their good solutions to partners and partner regions. Hard choices had to be made and best of the best Good Practices have found their way between the covers of this Guide. Many more are awaiting you at our project website www. grisiplus.eu. If you find something that catches your eye, feel free to contact project partner which has provided the GP directly or if you are interested in the work process, contact Tartu Science Park Happy hunting! GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 9

10 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS GEOWINE: GEOTRACEABILITY AND WINE GROWING NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO PROMOTE AND CERTIFY THE ORIGIN OF WINE Geotraceability for the wine industry: The Geowine portal lets consumers control the authenticity and trace the history of the wine they buy, from the bottle to the grape. Globalization of trade often leads to standardization, where food uprooted from their land is only differentiated by trademarks and brands of manufacturers and distribution. Consumers want to know the origin of products they consume. Geotraceability consists of linking geographic coordinates to information related to all stages of the production and distribution chain. Certification of the geographic origin of products enables introducing factual data in the traceability process, which is too often only declarative. The vine classified by its origin is part of the territorial heritage and the certification of the geographical origin of wine meets a strong demand from consumers. Geotraceability aims to combine information from geographical and traditional data used in traceability schemes from producers. Hence, thanks to GEOWINE, the origin and cultural practices become factual and verifiable by consumers via the Internet and mobile phones. This research project developed a system of geo-traceability and authentication for wine producers in the Midi-Pyrenees, but also for France and Europe. GEOWINE helps restore the market share of European wines for export by promoting French terroir blend wines in the new global competition facing the varietal New World wines. In the frame of the project, research was conducted in the following areas: Setting up a Geotraceability Integrated System (GIS) allowing to certify the geographical origin of wines and also to provide consumers with secure information on the good practices applied by the wine producers. Creating a model using Geotraceability to develop new good practices for producer cooperatives in the wine sector. Interfacing the Geotraceability Integrated System (GIS) with an innovative authentication system: The Bubble Tag. Measuring the acceptability of the proposed solution by actors of the wine industry and by consumers. Conducting research on materials and methods to industrialize the GEOWINE solution WINE MARKET WITH GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN THANKS TO GEOTRACEABILITY The geotraceability solution GEOWINE should concern all new wine labels of the European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), foreseen in the new wine Directive of the European Commission. GEOWINE implements a certification of geographical origin tool, providing information on the production of wine. Geotraceability gathers traceability data and different geographic data in a single innovative information management system. In other words, the traditional system of traceability combined with geographic information system connects different actors, such as producers, other wine professionals and consumers. It gives a new dimension to the promotion of products by placing them in their agri-environmental context (land, region, watershed. etc.). Geotraceability does not only associate coordinates to the vineyard parcels, it can also provide additional information by using data from the environment of the production location. It is therefore possible to certify the traditional traceability information using geographical data and to provide relevant information on local environmental conditions that have contributed to the originality of the products. A set of geographic indicators have been defined to describe soils, landscape and climatic conditions. Hence, geotraceability makes it possible to know the conditions in which the raw material - grapes - of a finished product -the wine- was produced, whether we refer to spatial characteristics (the plot in its environment) or temporal features (the year and local climatic conditions). 10 GRISIPLUS

11 HOW THE GEOWINE SYSTEM WORKS Copyright JB LAFFITE By authenticating a bottle, consumers can have access to the following information: Checking the authenticity of a wine bottle with the bubble code; Verifying the traceability of wine, from the plot to the bottle; Identifying the parcel type of each grape variety that characterizes the wine and vintage; Viewing details of the plot types of wine. Name of the Project Partner: GERS Chamber of Commerce and Industry Region: Midi Pyrénées Country: France INFORMATION AUTHENTICITY The use of the Bubble Tag technology makes each bottle unique and facilitates linking the bottle to certified information. The Bubble Tag, associated with each bottle, is its fingerprint and this Tag makes it uniquely identifiable by consulting the GEOWINE reference database RESOURCES ADDED VALUE The added value of GEOWINE is defined in two ways: For wine producers and cooperatives : They can manage their vineyards better and improve their farming practices. Geolocalization associated to traceability allows to better define and qualify the grape areas ( terroirs ) in terms of their grape varieties and the following-up of their development. Hence, this contributes to improve the quality of grapes. As far as cooperatives that turn to wine are concerned, they can gather grapes in a more efficient way in order to produce typical wines, easy to identify and to reproduce. This can be achieved thanks to geolocalization. For market services in charge of wine promotion, GEOWINE is a wonderful tool for marketing. Giving specific information to each bottle regarding their origin, farming practices, the areas where they were produced, provides strong marketing arguments towards distributors and reinforce consumers credibility. To sum up, giving a digital fingerprint to each bottle thanks to bubble tags allows to avoid frauds and reassures consumers regarding authenticity of wine that they buy. This research project lasted 3 years and it required work from 25 persons representing 6 partners. The total budget was 3 million. To implement the same project in another area needs a lead wine producer or cooperative which has geolocalized its wine parcels already. This producer has to accept to create labels for all bottles with QR code and bubble tag (average cost of 0,05 ). It is also necessary to foresee an expert who will create an integrated geotraceability system (average cost of to ) TRANSFERABILITY GEOWINE can be transferred to areas which have a rich tradition in the production of high quality wine, areas which need to better inform their consumers and wish to protect their products from fraud. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 11

12 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS SOHO SOLO: SMALL OFFICE HOME OFFICE Gers is a purely rural area in the South-West of France and since 2008 it implements an innovative programme with the aim to attract a specific category of workers: freelances and teleworkers. This programme is called «Soho Solo» (Small Office Home Office), it is implemented by the GERS Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) and it is based on the following statements:- Millions of workers across Europe would like to leave big city centers and move to the countryside, where lifestyle is more pleasant. The villages of the Gers province are keen in attracting these new inhabitants and they have all required advantages to satisfy their needs and expectations. Solo targets entrepreneurs and teleworkers who can work at home thanks to the internet: The programme targets consultants, experts, interpreters, journalists, webmasters, designers, photographers etc. This programme was made possible by covering 94% of Gers in Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL). Soho Solo offers to interested freelances a full range of services to assist them in moving to Gers in the best possible way. For example, dedicated website, assistance in setting up in the area, tailor-measured advice, extranet site of the Solos network, a club Soho Solo which organized regular meetings and conferences in specific topics, animation of the Solos network by the GERS CCI, and the possibility to use telecentres in several villages free of charge. In order to optimize the efficiency of the programme, the GERS CCI involved 47 welcome villages and 31 associated villages. They engage to do their best to offer the best conditions for the setting up and integration of Solos in the villages. Hence, the objectives of Soho Solo are the following:- To promote the advantages of a rural territory in a geoportal; To help possible newcomers throughout their installation process (for example Information on available accommodation and building land, local businesses and public services); To motivate and raise awareness to elected representatives of villages so that they implement welcoming practices for newcomers; To develop broadband internet access in rural villages; To organize and follow a club to gather and answer to «Solos» remarks and questions; To promote the Soho Solo programme towards tourists. AN APPROACH FOR THE TERRITORIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF GERS AS WELL AS FOR WELCOMING NEW INHABITANTS IN THE AREA IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY. The origin of Soho Solo dates back to 2004, when the GERS CCI participated in the preparation of a European project in the frame of INTERREG IIIB. Partners from France, United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal were involved in this cooperation project. The objective of the project was to enhance the integration of freelances and teleworkers in the rural areas close to the Atlantic Ocean by developing their attractiveness. As far as Gers is concerned, the first action of this project was the creation of a geoportal, which made an inventory of tourism heritage and economic data of Gers. CREATION OF A TERRITORIAL OFFER Thanks to this INTERREG project, the GERS CCI determined the needs and expectations of potential Solos. Hence, good practices were identified and implemented with the objective to create a true territorial offer, by focusing on two priorities: information and practices: Information: By offering to future Solos a list of welcome villages with their services, schools, shops, health networks, etc in order to help them define their project and the place where they could set up. Welcome: After Solos have chosen a village to set up, the GERS CCI helps them to find accommodation, and assist them in administrative issues in order to make it easier to integrate into their new environment. Local Welcome Committees in each partner village help new Solos to get integrated in the social life of the village as well. 12 GRISIPLUS

13 THE GERS PROVINCE - AN IDEAL AREA TO ATTRACT NEW «SOLOS» The Gers province offers a unique environment for people who wish to live the experience of Soho Solo, a mild climate and pleasant lifestyle. Indeed, newcomers find a high quality of life away from stress and bustle of big city centres, as well as a peaceful environment to realise their personal and professional projects. Moreover, the territory of Gers offers many elements that contribute to the success of Solos businesses and their local, national or international marketplaces. Indeed, Gers is situated in the heart of South West France and is within close proximity to big regional and European cities such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Barcelona and Bilbao. SOHO SOLO CAN BE SUMMARISED IN BRIEF The families that have arrived and settled down in Gers for 10 years represent a regional economic contribution of 250 million, which corresponds to the installation of several medium enterprises. Name of the Project Partner: GERS Chamber of Commerce and Industry Region: Midi Pyrénées Country: France 349 Solos (teleworkers) in 171 villages; 189 new Solos since 2011; Approximately 476 new inhabitants in 6 years in Gers; 47 partner villages 31 associated villages; In average 20 publications, articles, radio broadcasts in local, regional and national media per year : Sud Ouest, La Dépêche, France 3, France Inter, L Express, France 2 ADDED VALUE A new family that arrives in a rural village brings:- an income to local businesses and trades. For the Gers province, this annual income is between and ; a real estate investment of per year concerning leasing and regarding purchases; its contribution to maintain local public services, in particular primary schools; new skills in terms of new professions that use internet; new tourists: Solos friends come to visit them; a preference for entrepreuneurship. Most of newcomers are independent freelances; new population, which is younger than the average age of the inhabitants of the villages. RESOURCES The efforts of animation and promotion of the Soho Solo programme in Gers represent a total cost of per year (part time job, 6 meetings of the Solo club, promotion and advertisement of the programme). The objective is to bring 30 to 60 new families in Gers per year. TRANSFERABILITY The Soho Solo good practice can be transferred to attractive rural areas which have broadband internet coverage so that newcomers can work at distance (telework). GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 13

14 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS LOOKWEST.IE LookWest.ie was launched in 2004 by the Western Development Commission (WDC) and is an innovative, user friendly web initiative that forms part of the WDC s strategic aim to promote the benefits of living, working and doing business in the Western Region. The WDC area covers seven counties in the West Region of Ireland including Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Galway and Clare. Whilst, the West Regional Authority covers four constituent local authority areas including Galway County Council, Mayo County Council, Roscommon County Council and Galway City Council. It brings together various stakeholders and interests to present a positive, informative resource for the West of Ireland at home and abroad. The objectives in setting up LookWest.ie were to reinforce an understanding of key quality of life merits; raise the level of awareness on the positive aspects of living and working in the Region; addressing an information gap and misperceptions about the West Region. The website, works as a central resource for living, working and doing business in the West. Each of the seven Western counties (including the three counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon which constitute the West Region) has a dedicated page on the site with access to online resources for the county and some of the larger towns in the region. These resources allow users to thoroughly research all aspects of their move and chosen location in advance. Divided into two main categories (West Living and West Enterprise), the site provides links and information about a host of relevant topics from childcare to housing, business supports to skills base. Online search facilities for Jobs and Property allow users to search for these key elements within the seven county areas, with listings provided by industry sources and a special filter applied to ensure relevance to the Western Region. The LookWest.ie Skills Register collects detailed information on the skills, education and qualifications of those interested in moving West. It enables the WDC to build and maintain a profile of the labour force available to new and relocating enterprises in terms of the talent, qualifications and experience of the people living in the West or considering a move there. Such a profile will strongly contribute to attracting jobs and business to the Region. It also operates a Company Directory. This directory lists over 11,000 companies in the West Region and is a useful resource for job seekers and businesses. The portal also includes a Job & Property Search section where visitors can find details of some current positions in counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, Galway and Clare available. Links to recruitment agencies are also available. There is also a comprehensive listing of properties where information on properties for sale or rent throughout the seven counties. Case Studies/Testimonials from those who have already made the move are available for viewing on the site. Since 2004, the LookWest.ie website has been providing and updating visitors with information on the following: Cost of Living, Childcare, Education in the West, Access, Shopping & Dining, Entertainment & The Arts, Health & Care, Living Tradition, Sport, Skilled Workforce, Knowledge Centres, Employment Structure in the following Sectors of Life Sciences, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Engineering, International Services, Food & Drink, Tourism, Creative Sector and the Public Sector. It also provides detailed information regarding the supports available such as the County and City Enterprise Board, Enterprise Ireland and the Galway Vocational Education Committee, as well as valuable links to organisations providing such supports. From time to time events are hosted in participating counties in order to showcase the advantages of moving west. The Look West initiative has won a number of prestigious national awards since its inception including the Digital Media Awards Government to Consumer Innovation category in March 2013 and was shortlisted at the Social Media Awards 2013 for Best Use of Social Media by a State Body in May ADDED VALUE Since it was launched in 2004, LookWest.ie has had over 1 million visitors to the website and attracts an average of 8,000 monthly unique visitors mainly from the UK, USA and Australia. Social media has been employed as a key mechanism to promote the initiative with Look- West.ie having 7,200 Facebook friends, Twitter with 4,100 followers, Instagram having 1,235 followers and LinkedIn with 101 followers in July Other activities include promoting online discussion, for example, best online retail website to encourage shopping local in the West. The website also promotes important events such as the Volvo Ocean Race and 3rd level college events relating to enterprise. 14 GRISIPLUS

15 Offline activities include collaboration with other websites/organizations that help to promote living and working in the West including MeetWest.ie which helps businesses to collaborate more effectively and RE:CONNECT which links with the Irish Diaspora living abroad. Through a combination of online and offline activities, LookWest.ie is increasing awareness on the benefits of living and working in the West both amongst the local population and to visitors outside the region and as a result attracts people to the West. Name of the Project Partner: West Regional Authority Region: West Region Country: Ireland RESOURCES The project was implemented from 2004 to the present with a total initial cost of 8,000 Euros. The implementation required the involvement of the Western Development Commission, the Local Government Computer Service Board, private companies and relevant public entities, devoting 2 persons for the achievement of project results. the definitive guide to living, working and doing business in Ireland s Western Region TRANSFERABILITY LookWest.ie can be transferred to practically any region internationally, with the only difficulty in regions with poor internet coverage or access to I.T. infrastructure. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 15

16 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS MADE IN GALWAY INITIATIVE The project involved Developing the Made in Galway brand to market locally produced goods and services from Galway. This initiative aims to create closer linkages between producers in Galway and consumers both based in Galway and further afield. It has an objective of showcasing the range of quality products that are being made in Galway The Objective of the Made in Galway initiative is to increase the access to markets of local producers based in Galway so that they can generate increased sales and then increase employment in the region. It aims to showcase to consumers the range and quality of products that are produced in Galway and inform them of where they can purchase these products. The provision of a collective brand offers a free marketing opportunity for micro enterprises to promote their produce at a scale that would not be affordable to them normally. The project was started in 2012 with the development of a website that showcased products made in Galway. This website, is a portal that showcases produce from the Galway area. Directories of Food Producers and Craft producers were initially established and in recent months this has been expanded to include arts activity and venues in the region. Over 150 different producers from Galway are registered on the site. They are able to present details on the produce the offer and promote linkages to their own website/venue. The website is linked to google maps and allows visitors to create trails linking up the different producers that are listed on the site. So they are able to create a customized food trail/jewelry makers trail/craft worker trail in Galway. Galway County Council had undertaken a number of promotional activities to direct traffic to the Made in Galway Site and hence generate virtual footfall for the producers. Each webpage indicates the number of views that have occurred to date and we have currently many producers that have over 1000 views. The focus of the first 6 months of 2012 was to get producers registered on the site, and now the priority is to increase the level of traffic that can be directed to the website. Some of the initiatives that have been implemented to increase the profile of the site include the organization of a Made in Galway section at Trade Fairs and Festivals that take place in Galway and further afield. This even included bringing 8 food and craft producers to a wine and food festival in France. The Made in Galway implements measures that can be taken that ease the access to new markets for local producers from Galway. To increase the profile of the quality of local produce in Galway, the Made in Galway initiative in conjunction with the Galway County and City Enterprise Board organized a number of food and craft producers from Galway to travel to the Fete Des Vins D Anjou (Anjou Wine Festival) which is held in Chalonnes Sur Loire to promote Galway and its products. To further promote this activity Galway County Council engaged with the RTE programme Nationwide and they covered this event in France and the role of the Made in Galway initiatives and dedicated an entire programme to this which was broadcast in March This is one example of a number of showcase events where the Made in Galway Initiative supports local food and craft producers to promote their events. These events include Food Festivals, Garden Festivals, Regional and National Craft shows. Attendance at these events can range from 5,000 to 200,000 persons. This has a dual purpose of highlighting the individual food/craft producer and the Made in Galway brand. The Initiative has started to work with retailers to secure promotional space in local retail outlets where promotional events can be held to highlight the range of local producers. The County Council is working with the local University and giving Marketing Students in the Bachelor of Commerce Degree an opportunity to work on the Made in Galway Initiative and increase the awareness of the Brand. Social media has been employed as a key mechanism to promote the initiative, a facebook page, a twitter account and a series of blogs have been used to drive traffic to the website and ultimately the producers which are featured on it. ADDED VALUE The Made in Galway initiative has provided an online marketing presence for over 200 food and craft producers from Galway many of whom would not be able to undertake such marketing. It provides access to new markets for many start-up enterprises and gives them a low risk access to promotional events that they would not 16 GRISIPLUS

17 normally be able to afford. The site is currently attracting nearly 3000 visitors per month. The Facebook page has currently got 1800 friends and both continue to grow. The initiative highlights the vibrancy of local business as well and promoting the region as an attractive place to visit. This initiative combines traditional promotional activities such as attendance at trade shows, festivals and fairs and newer on-line promotional activities such as a website, facebook, twitter and blogs. This initiative is increasing the awareness of the range and quality of local produce available in our region both amongst the local population and to visitors to the region. Name of the Project Partner: Galway County Council Region: Galway Country: Ireland RESOURCES The project has been implemented from The total cost of 50,000 Euros. The implementation required Galway County Council, devoting 2 persons for the achievement of project results. TRANSFERABILITY Made in Galway can be transferred to any region where there are levels of local production. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 17

18 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS VIDZEME PUBLIC TRANSPORT MODELING SYSTEM quality_in_the_vidzeme_planning_region/info/ The region s quality of life, including well-being is dependent on all regions ability to be competitive and fully integrated into the national and global economy. To achieve this goal, the importance of effective, stable and sustainable transport system should be increased. Vidzeme public transport modeling system (full project title: Optimization Options of the Public Transport Networks in Vidzeme) is an example of a good practice by using geomatic tools that aims to provide qualitative public transport services, thereby improving people s access to education, health, public administration and other services. The main project activity is the development of the Public transport route network optimization capabilities in Vidzeme Planning Region (VPR), taking into account the needs of citizens and public transport service providers. This type of study is required to analyse changes in public transport service law, which provides regional planning competence in the field of organising public transport and existing public transport routes and intensity. Good Practice Objective: To develop a dynamic modeling tool for Vidzeme Planning Region transport planners by providing opportunities to investigate citizens possibilities in the region to access the state /local government and other services by using public transport. Starting work on the Vidzeme public transport modeling system the regions competencies and resourses were defined. VPR faced the problem of the lack of a comprehensive study of the public transport services in the regions. Public transport professionals repeatedly stressed that so far each district public transport has been seen only within their district, and that inter-district co-ordination has been very weak. This means that the VPR has no output data to ensure the quality of public service provision - route network management and organisation of the regional local routes. The state budget for public transport has been reduced several times and it was one of the reasons to search for new solutions with the public transport modeling system utilised for effective and strategic planning of public transport routes and trips. A deep investigation on different components and technical solution (model) is needed to optimise the public transport system in Vidzeme Planning Region for the Municipalities of the region. The existing public transport modeling system technical solutions: 1. Public transport system for the technical realisation run on the following operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 32-bit and Windows 7 64-bit (the customer s possession). 2. The model can be installed to run special software with no time limits. 3. Model contain two modes or the environment - the summer school holidays and student learning time, because in these times of flights and routes are different. 4. Bus and train schedule is repeated every week, so the model cycle is seven days. 5. Model is based on the map, showing the Latvian roads, railroads, place names, names of the bus stops. The map is scalable and able to move through it. Transport routes are highlighted according to their origin (for example, local road, regional road, national road, railways, etc.). Simulated flight routes are easily comprehensible. 6. Able to turn the following layers - county boundaries, the former district boundaries, place names, etc. 7. Model can add a new flight routes, changing route data and add new links. Changes can be saved into the separate files. 8. The model is able to disable the services that do not need to be displayed, or to model specific routes. 9. It is possible to select or search for trips between two points, which are selected in a list. Search results show the route number, trip number, departure time, arrival time, date, etc. 10. The model is able to model a specific time interval by selecting the day of the week and time. 11. Model can show the simulation time, which corresponds to real time, all the simulated routes mileage cost of the planned sum, number of passengers carried, kilometers and length. The model has specific spatial data collection and this analysis is a very useful tool for taking decisions for organization of the public transport system. On the basis of territorial and social economic investigation and using GIS tools the model of local transport system has been developed: The development of a computerized routing system display in real time, showing all existing regional routes; The modelling of available functions: the possibility of re-routing a system ahead of time to assess the impact such changes will have on the overall flow of the region s public transportation; The review and analysis of available functions: any public transport will be able to change the economic and daily life to justify using a role model to demonstrate the model. 18 GRISIPLUS

19 ADDED VALUE The model with specific spatial data collection and analysis is a very useful tool in making decisions for the organisation of the public transport system. Using this geomatic tool it is possible to identify the availability of bus stops within 2 km, local inhabitant access to public transport, the intensity of it s use and the necessary improvements. This is a useful planning tool also for all public transport providers, because it allows to successfully interconnect train, regional and local bus routes and stops. This public transport system is a safe, convenient and cost-effective tool to improve mobility of people with public service transport. The public transport system is mainly used in open source software components that give an added value for implementing this good practice in other regions. The transport system architecture allows it to be copied by other regions in addition to changing the territory s figures for public transport routes, stops the running times, etc. This tool could assist decision making in public transport system planning in municipalities, regions and private service providers. Name of the Project Partner: Vidzeme Planning Region Region: Vidzeme Planning Region Country: Latvia RESOURCES The project was implemented during a period of 12 months with a total cost of The implementation required the involvement of 1 institution, devoting 2 persons from Vidzeme Planning Region for the achievement of project results. The Transport system model was developed in cooperation with the Riga Technical University experts. TRANSFERABILITY Vidzeme public transport modelling system can be transferred in regions with a competence of public transport provision. This model can be transferred easily, but it is necessary to involve IT specialists. The only element that can reduce the transferability process is the lack of additional information that should be necessary to include in this model for example, population, settlements, service availability, etc. All this data within this model is possible to include. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 19

20 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS REFORM OF STATISTICAL DATA NOW CONVENIENT, ACCESSIBLE AND FOOLPROOF FOR EVERYONE Up until the 1st June 2009, the date of territorial reform, there were 548 self governments in Latvia. The next territorial division/level comprised 26 districts and 7 cities. Following reform, there are now 119 local governments (LGs) in Latvia, where 110 are municipalities and 9 are designated cities. As a consequence of this reform and the subsequent establishment of the LGs there is now greater distances between the LGs and the local inhabitants and businesses. Because of this it became necessary to provide access to state information and services which does not involve a visit to a local government office. Another consequence of the reform is that the storage of statistical records and data changed significantly and also geographically. Addresses situated outside cities changed their territorial jurisdiction. Thus all the previous statistical data concerning business activities were not comparable with data in newly established territories. This problem made territorial planning and planning of business activities difficult for the newly established LGs. Lursoft is a Latvian IT company that has been active in the IT field since 1992 and has proved itself as a dynamic, innovative and customer oriented company. Taking into account the territorial reform carried out in Latvia in 2009, Lursoft began to offer services to LGs and population in such way, where the territorial jurisdiction of newly established LGs was taken into account. A set of more than 50 services was created. These services were of great benefit to local business persons, LGs and people living far away from centers. The most essential elements/basic principles, without which implementation of good practice example could not proceed successfully and which were used in the implementation stage: Virtual one-stop agency; Regional one-stop agency physically located, with free access to the Internet (in public libraries); Integration of registers and data bases of national public importance, as well as integration of data bases and services created by the private sector; Creation of new services with added value; Public offer of services with possibility for inhabitants to choose the most convenient method for receiving services on the spot, on the Internet or the mobile phone. The company has also devised new methods of storing statistical data and information concerning business activities and related information classified according to regions following reform without losing the link with the historical statistical territories. Overall, the statistics are available in more than 300 different sections, for purposes of both - LGs and business persons. Access to the information of the most important national registers in the Internet and mobile environment using a single user interface has been provided. The main resources available: data of the Enterprise Register, data of the Herd Register, data of the Tractor and Agricultural Machinery Register, data of the Commercial Pledge Register, data of the Insolvency Register, data of the Marriage Contract Register, data of the Vehicle Register, company financial data, data of the Land Register, the largest archive of central and regional newspapers in Latvia. For work with these resources staff of all public libraries has been trained. More than 60 workshops and classes in the regions have been conducted. The benefits for business persons, older people and young people of regions have been demonstrated through practical examples. A total of 35 seminars have been organized in the regions. Free online access to the archive of more than 40 Latvian newspapers and to recent publications has been provided in all public libraries of the regions. ADDED VALUE Project covers the entire country of Latvia and LGs are capable to analyze, forecast and facilitate business activities aided by up-to-date data. Businesspersons and inhabitants are capable of accessing vitally 20 GRISIPLUS

21 important data of national registers concerning practically all areas both remotely and from one site. Attendance of inhabitants at those libraries involved in the project especially in rural municipalities has increased, thus at least some of state-funded jobs in rural territories are retained. In addition librarians are capable of providing advice concerning usage of on-line databases and practical advice corresponding to specific situations and necessity of the inhabitant. Address conversion problems related to administrative territorial reform are solved successfully and solutions are integrated in databases of national scale. Name of the Project Partner: Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments Region: Latvia Country: Latvia RESOURCES The project was implemented during a period of 40 months at a total cost of (national public funds and private funding). The implementation required the involvement of local governments and state institutions. TRANSFERABILITY Registers of national significance can now integrated with information technology and systems. Regional one-stop agency (such as a library) network needs to be administratively coordinated by assistance of leading organization (association, government agency or other institutions). Physically accessible IT infrastructure and premises in regional libraries and/or municipalities needed. Requires the co-operation of NGOs, private and public sector, as well as appropriate funding. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 21

22 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS WALKING TRAILS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL RESERVES OF CRETE CYPRUS LESVOS The Walking Trails good practice is based on an innovative approach for the use of environmental and cultural resources of the areas of intervention with actions aimed at quality, competitiveness and openness through a strong structure for cooperation and networking. It uses interactive web based applications for promoting the characteristics of the environmental and cultural resources of the areas. It mainly targets tourists, local population as well as anyone interested in discovering the natural and cultural environment of each area. Four island Development Enterprises, Enterprise of Local Development in Lesvos, Local Development in Herakleio, Larnaca District Development Agency, Local Development in Paphos and the Mayor of Archanon-Asterousion joined their power, ideas and ambitions to promote their region in an innovative way presenting it as a single area with common characteristics and features and making true the notion of Cross-border Collaboration. Within the framework of the European Territorial Cooperation Program Greece-Cyprus, with the financial resources of European Union, Greece and Cyprus as well as private sector, we completed the project TOURS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL RESERVE CYPRUS-CRETE-LESVOS with the acronym: Walking Trails Main objectives and goals of this good practice are: The sustainable use and management of natural environmental resources ensuring that Lesvos stays within its carrying capacity. The promotion of the attractiveness of the island s rural areas, Preservation, promotion and networking of local historical-cultural values and resources with the environment and the current reality in the context of high quality, Strengthening the development prospects of special interest tourism, cultural and walking tourism, Promoting the region by facilitating access to the region and increasing the public s knowledge on the environment, green concept and the purpose of the project, through a structure of cooperation and networking. Some of the key activities that were implemented during the implementation process include: 7 Paths that combine the use of natural and cultural environment- based on the implementation of the pilot action of Archanon routes and homogeneous labelling in all areas, 12 different specific thematic packages that act as complete visit proposals, 8 specialized training activities for professionals and unemployed in new methods of financial-occupation, a technological system of interactive online presentations and the development of android applications as well as the implementation of quality editions. Some of the expected results from implementing this good practice included: the creation of trails (walking, cycling, car) which combine the natural and cultural environment of the areas under study -- defined methodology definition, creating trails, the creation of educational and thematic packages to achieve strengthening of the green consciousness and corporate responsibility in businesses, creation of transnational applications (using GIS-GPS technologies) -- transnational portal, android applications that will give information about the trails as well as making these intervention areas more attractive to tourists regarding the information that will be given on the environment and culture. The vision of this good practise was for the tourist to be transformed into a traveler, to explore, walk along the pathways, forest and on the beach, taste the food, distinguish the immersive art and culture in memorable natural monuments as well as human pieces of work and be pleasantly surprised due to the common heritage that unites Cyprus Crete - Lesvos. Therefore, through an innovative perspective, these applications are downloaded to technological machines, which are used every day (Smartphone-tablets) free of charge, which act as a guide to each traveler, in discovering the secrets of our areas. 22 GRISIPLUS

23 ADDED VALUE The most important and innovative aspects of this good practice is giving the ability to the visitor, through a friendly user interactive portal, to search, filter down, and get informed about all the environmental, cultural and historical aspects of the area. This allows the user to visit the area any time which is more convenient for him without missing out on any important information. In addition to this, due to these web based applications, the end users can modify their chosen walking trail by adding points of interest to it and thus making it more interactive and interesting. The implementation of this good practise has improved the situation in the district of Larnaca by making it a good destination for hiking and cycling and attracting a greater number of tourists in the area and the advantages of this are many. Name of the Project Partner: Larnaca District Development Agency Region: Larnaca District Country: Cyprus RESOURCES The project was implemented during a period of 16 months with a total cost of The implementation required the involvement of 25 organizations and institutions, devoting 3 persons for the achievement of the project results. TRANSFERABILITY Can be transferred to areas rich in cultural and environmental resources, aiming to use an innovative approach to help visitors to make their visit more interesting. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 23

24 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS Photos by visitmalta.com DINGLI: BEYOND CLIFFS Dingli s rural area possesses a great wealth of cultural and architectural heritage with ample touristic potential. The project seeks to implement a holistic tourist product revolving primarily around the setting up of a circular descriptive, self-interpretive, trail centred on Dingli s rural, natural, cultural and architectural heritage landmarks. The trail starts and finishes at the Interpretative Centre, encouraging the creation of new jobs through the promotion of Dingli for rural tourism. The Dingli: Beyond Cliffs project has been implemented by the Dingli Local Council. The good practice revolves around the creation of a heritage and natural interpretative trail within Dingli s rural area allowing for an upgraded environment for tourists to enjoy the panoramic views from Dingli. The layout of the trail is that of a loophole. The trail is descriptive and self-interpretative. For this purpose, the trail is adequately signposted and has information boards and numbered pegs with accompanying leaflets. All existing nonuniform signs are being removed. The setting up of the trail also involves other investments including the setting up of small scale recreational infrastructure including benches and bins along the trail. Whilst contributing towards making Dingli s rural areas more attractive to visitors the project also provides a better tourist product keeping them for a longer time. The project also contributes towards the safety and conservation of our natural and cultural resources. The start and finish points are both at the new Interpretive Centre on the Dingli Cliffs. The Interpretation Centre also functions as the major information node at which the visitors find the relevant trail map, information leaflets and brochures to complete the trail. The tourist centre addresses visitor s needs with regards to sight-seeing, nature appreciation, heritage trail and activities undertaken within the area. The centre is developed around the existing rooms at Panoramic Road, Dingli, therefore no additional man-made structures needed to be built applying the concept of sustainable tourism. The Interpretative Centre also seeks to promote indigenous talents, traditional arts and crafts and some traditional foods and beverages associated with the rural character of the Maltese islands. This will take place by exhibiting them, providing information on such traditions and also make them available for purchasing generating economic growth in the area. Along the heritage trail the project involves the embellishment of three small areas providing small scale infrastructure for tourists to enjoy their heritage trail and sightseeing. These include three small parks for recreational amenities: at San Pawl Tal-Pitkali, at Ta Zaghfrana and near Villa Psaicon. The parks are part of the projects holistic approach to upgrade the area and provide a better tourist product. Apart from signposting, information boards, leaflets and brochures the investment includes a website dedicated to the trail: The information provided through these different methods is provided in a number of languages in order for them to be effective. Information about the key sites in the village for tourists to understand its background and further appreciate its rural characteristics and natural beauty are being provided. The website markets the heritage trail and the island for rural tourism seeking to generate economic growth and job creation. The Interpretative Centre does not only provide information required by tourists for their recreational activities, but also adopts regional marketing services for promoting rural tourism. ADDED VALUE The Dingli Local Council implemented the project with the purpose to increase the amount of tourists visiting the area. The aim is to promote Dingli as a rural tourism destination with enhanced landscapes, upgraded environment, and usage of modern facilities, ICT platform and technologies. The project: promotes economic growth and rural heritage as a tourist product encourages tourism in rural areas that rekindles entrepreneurial activities and generates employment; encourages development of tourist services and products that have a direct link with the rural heritage of the areas concerned, that are isolated from the more commercial zones, and that are not provided in an artificial setting that does not bear a link to the service or product As a result of the project, the number of tourists visiting the area has increased. 24 GRISIPLUS

25 Photos by visitmalta.com Photos by visitmalta.com Name of the Project Partner: Local Councils Association Region: Malta Country: Malta RESOURCES The project was implemented during a period of 36 months with a total cost of 317,436. The implementation required the involvement of 5 organizations and institutions, devoting approximately 15 persons for the achievement of project results. Photos by visitmalta.com TRANSFERABILITY Beyond Cliffs can be transferred to regions that possess a historical background which are situated in a rural area. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 25

26 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS HOP AND BEER TEMPLE SAAZ HOP GROWING AREA FOR THE PROMOTION OF TOURISM Strengthening the role of the countryside by the introduction and expansion of services for tourism is one of the ways to diversify the rural economy and maintain rural employment opportunities. This project has focused on the development of tourism in one of the agricultural areas in the Czech Republic, using historical technical sights, concentrated in the centre of the rural region - in the town of Žatec (Saaz). The project was launched in The main objective of the project is to revitalise the historic core of town of Žatec (Saaz), support the development of modern business elements linked to the domestic and foreign tourism, improve conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises in the infrastructure of tourist services and increase the number of visitors throughout the Saaz hop growing region, which is called the platonic Hop and Beer Temple. This has resulted in the renaissance of cultural and historical heritage of the city and creation of conditions to developm tourism and agro-tourism. The region is primarily an agricultural region with high unemployment. This project offers the potential to become a new tourist destination with a unique offer for both domestic and foreign tourists. The basis of the project is the history. The 19th century can be called Saaz hop golden era, which was the sign of business in hops. The city was filled by dryers, warehouses and packing (most of which still exists today) and gradually gained its typical colour. Hops from Žatec became, thanks to its characteristic properties, the benchmark for quality and price on the European market. The town became the most important hop world centre. The project consisted of the renovation of historic warehouse and packing of the hop with the exposition of the Hop and Beer Temple, Entrance building - the Tower with a typical elevator technology and multimedia equipment; revitalisation of former hop stock facilities and a garden for children; the reconstruction of historic roads and squares; Exposure of hop picking machine, and the restoration of the monastery garden, etc. The unique set of attractions for visitors interested in history and glorious tradition of hop growing in this area (museum, exhibition, tasting beers made from Saaz hops) was created in Žatec and completed by the information portal on the Internet. In addition to tourism development, the project also assists to promote the cultivation of hops in this area and supports the local growers from around the Saaz hop region by spreading the fame of the hops from this region. The main starting point of the project, which had the working title of Hop and Beer Temple, is to become the information centre Saaz hop growing area. There is possibility for the visitor of the region to have a unique experience and get to know the local historical traditions and gain information on all 300 hop villages in the Saaz hop growing area. It should also give the visitor an opportunity to learn about hop products and taste several beers that are made of Saaz hops in the exhibition microbrewery. Subsequently, the visitor would be motivated to visit the hop region and other villages and tourist attractions. Tourist Information Centre of Saaz hop growing area will offer a complete register of tourist services, including non-traditional services at hotels and restaurants in the farms in surrounding villages. 26 GRISIPLUS

27 ADDED VALUE The main added value of the project lies in linking tourism and agricultural development of the rural region. At the same time the historical complex of industrial hop packaging centers, warehouses and kilns in the centre of hop growing region - Žatec now serves as an interesting attraction and a touristic target and as well as promotion tool of the hop region and its traditional regional product Saaz hop which is globally known and respected. The project is not isolated, but makes the synergy effect with other projects to develop tourism in the region Saaz and Lower Poohří. One of them is the project of cycle routes along the Ohře River. In addition, the Žatec town prepares the application for registration the old part of the town including the historical complex in the list of the UNESCO. In charge of hop production, the project is a very good tool to inform customers about the history and the present state of local hop production. The tool serves also as an indirect support of growing the traditional product, Saaz hop that is important for regional economy. Name of the Project Partner: Regional Development Agency of Usti Region, PLC Region: Usti Region Country: Czech Republic RESOURCES The project was implemented during a period of 30 months with a total cost of The implementation required the involvement of 12 organizations and institutions, devoting 25 persons for the achievement of project results. The investor was the city of Žatec using EU structural funds. TRANSFERABILITY The project can be transferred to regions with a long history of production of some known agricultural products and having interesting historical buildings. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 27

28 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS MURA-DRAVA.BIKE Project for the establishment of bicycle paths along the River Drava and River Mura named MURA-DRAVA.BIKE and comprehensive GPS navigation system for bikers were prepared. Also carried out was the off-road GPS probing and relevant map that users can transfer from the web to their mobile devices, take with them to the seaside or just check it on the internet at home and print on paper. There is a variety of useful information from basic cycling tours to their versions, impressions of providers of local gastronomy, cultural and natural attractions, with contact information and some additional information. Users can choose between different views (or just inspect the cultural sightseeing, or choose another view) according to their needs and interests. In addition to the maps the portal offers also video clips of the main trails and other important travel information. The specific objective was to establish an attractive cross-border tourism cycling destinations along the Mura and Drava. It will allow the continuation of a very successful cycle paths in Austria ( Murradweg and Drauradweg ) in Slovenia and Croatia, all the way to the mouth of the River Drava and River Mura. This will also exploit (Marketing) potentials of the existing channels, as they will also be enriched and it closes a gap, which connects these two river cycle paths to the Danube River cycle path. Tourist products, which are primarily related to cycling, but can also be used independently, were also developed In the frame of the project. Project implementation has produced a large, documented base of natural and cultural attractions in the project area. There was also an education and training of providers for tourist cycling routes (including a study tour for the quality cycle track in the foreign country) and hiking guides carried out. Cycling tourism is in full bloom and is continually growing. It is a sustainable form of tourism, but also has remarkable effects on the development of rural areas. Therefore, the project will encourage the development of enterprise (tourism) activities at the bike path and thus will contribute to rural development. Cycling region MURA-DRAVA.BIKE is well on its way to being recognized as a European destination for an active holiday and sustainable tourism. The advantage of the established bike paths along the Mura and Drava is already part of the established identity in Austria; their cycling paths count for the best biking trails. Continuation of Murska bike path all the way to the mouth of the River Mura to the Drava in Croatia by Legrad, presents the comprehensive range of cycling across the three countries and offers very diverse experiences. The most important element of successful transfer of good practice in a particular local environment are people. Therefore, a large part of activities was focused on networking and training of key organizations, target groups, tourism providers and other interested individuals. The result of this work were the creation of qualified cycling guides and providers in all participating regions along the route, which are aware of the potential of new cycle routes and are prepared to adjust their offer to the needs of the cycling tourism market. A large part of our activities is presented on the website where a comprehensive presentation of bike routes and all relevant information about the connected services are available. Each route presentation offers a GPS navigation and a review of adequate video content. As part of the project activities we have also developed tourism products. Summarized; the overall objective of the project is the ensuring of sustainable economic and social development in the border area of Slovenia and Croatia. Project Mura-Drava.bike will have positive effects on economic growth, on reducing emigration and the creation of a pleasant and stimulating environment. Experience and knowledge that we gained in the project in general and particularly in this action may help similar projects in the border regions. ADDED VALUE archive RRA MURA The project implementation is associated with the interaction of 10 project partners, with a precise and comprehensive definition of development potential, the motivation of key stakeholders, relevant professional education and target marketing activities. The main result of the project is a transversal cycle path, which is one of the most interesting in Europe, and ranks in the list of bike paths of Europe that can offer multi-day exciting, interesting marketing and tourism products. This cycle path is becoming a brand, which attracts cyclists who prefer long tours. At the same time, the cycle path has become the spine, which is interesting for the teams. Hub cyclists, localized in one place use daily and circular tours for local residents. The cycling route was promoted in three trade fairs abroad, promotional material, photos and short film presentation were also designed and the path 28 GRISIPLUS

29 archive RRA MURA was also presented in the specialized press. There is also a website ( created together with a GPS navigation system for autonomous guidance along the way. archive RRA MURA Name of the Project Partner: Sinergija Development Agency Ltd. Region: Pomurje region Country: Slovenia RESOURCES archive RRA MURA The project was implemented during a period of 36 months with a total cost of ,90. The implementation required the involvement of key stakeholders, organizations, relevant professional education bodies and target marketing activities for the achievement of project results. TRANSFERABILITY archive RRA MURA The Pomurje region is characterized by agriculture, fertile soil, thermal spas, rich culinary and cultural tradition, friendly people, etc. the combination of all these provided good conditions for development of traditional and news service activities in tourism, agriculture and other appropriate sectors. Natural features for health tourism, hunting and rural tourism at the wine trails, accompanied by the Mura River, contribute to the tourist recognition of the region that creates almost a tenth of total overnight stays in Slovenia. A comprehensive approach to service integration and Points of Interest can be transferred in the navigation system also in other border regions. For the establishment of GPS navigation in two countries with different legal bases and a variety of input data, it was necessary to include the various actors and levels. Experience and knowledge that we gained in the project in general and particularly in this action may help similar projects in the border regions. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 29

30 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS RURAL MANAGER Rural Manager is one of the most highly appreciated Romanian projects financed from the European Social Fund through the Operational Program for Human Resources Development. Using modern ITC instruments and technologies in order to promote and support entrepreneurship in the rural areas the project managed to significantly enhance the attractiveness of the rural areas covered by the project. The project was initiated by the National Foundation for Young Managers - in Bucharest and covered a wide geographical area, including 3 Romanian development regions: Nord-Est, Centru and Sud-Est regions. The main objective of this initiative was to stimulate and develop the knowledge, skills and competencies of existent entrepreneurs and potential young entrepreneurs located in rural areas. The project targeted especially young entrepreneurs living in rural areas, for the purpose of generating local development and new employment opportunities. The general profile of the beneficiary was: young person, over the age of 18 years, graduate of high school or vocational school minimum, living in a rural settlement. The special focus on the young generation was based on the hypothesis that young graduates can generate local development and employment opportunities by developing their own businesses in their respective rural areas. The main output of the project was the development and implementation of an innovative e-learning and e-business platform, designed to facilitate both the business development process and the cooperation between project beneficiaries. The actual implementation of the project was realized through a set of progressive activities, each operation setting the foundation for the future ones. The first set of activities included the organization of 18 local conferences one in each county included in the geographical area of the project. The aim of these conferences was to promote entrepreneurship and managerial culture in order to motivate young potential entrepreneurs participating at educational programs for young entrepreneurs. The topics approached during these conferences were: entrepreneurship, access to finance, success ideas, performance improvement, business management, and other relevant subjects. These events proved to be a warmly received initiative, gathering a total audience of more than 1,400 persons. In order to assess the training and support needs of the rural entrepreneurs and of those willing to start their own business in a rural site, the project initiator realized a study including a questionnaire-based survey reaching more than 940 persons. The survey report was completed by 30 interviews, 3 focus-groups and 3 brainstorming sessions. The 3rd step in the implementation of the project, after the conferences and the study, was the establishment of 9 helpdesks, providing tailor made educational and support services for young entrepreneurs, based on the needs identified in the previous stages of the project. The staff of the 9 helpdesks worked together with the young entrepreneurs in setting up business plans and marketing strategies, accessing funds for business development and building-up relevant management skills. The traditional face to face educational and support services were completed, in an innovative way, through the establishment of 1 e-learning platform, providing on line training services, 2 e-business platform, for the entrepreneurs who want to promote their products and services and 3 website acting as a resource center for the young entrepreneurs living in rural areas. One of the most important achievements of the project is the fact that 374 young persons from rural areas graduated from the training modules delivered through the e-learning platform. The Graduates were tested through 15 exams proving that they obtained valuable competencies and knowledge in topics like: Strategic management, Project management, Business planning and ITC for businesses. Due to its strong promotion and proper activity management, the project exceeded all the target values initially agreed in the financing contract and is considered a national success story. The total number of direct beneficiaries reached by the project Rural Manager is 1,576, this number included a reasonable share of men and women, natives and minorities, employed and unemployed persons, managers and simple farmers. Ensuring the continuity of the project, the website of the project is still active and acts as a resource center for all former beneficiaries and other interested parties. 30 GRISIPLUS

31 ADDED VALUE In terms of added value there were three dimensions that contributed to the successful implementation of the project: 1. The first one was the involvement of international partners with expertise in both training and ITC fields. By sharing their knowledge and experience, the international partners brought a new perspective especially concerning the delivery of training packages to a large public through the use of ICT instruments. 2. The second dimension that brought added value to the project was the creation of a virtual business platform where experienced and new entrepreneurs, from rural areas, could network, share business opportunities and initiate partnership relations. 3. The third and maybe the most important success factor of this project was the multiplicative effect of using EU funds. With the support of the 9 help desks, the project beneficiaries managed to prepare new request for financing that later on received funding through the financing schemes of the European Commission. The use of these additional funds lead to the set-up of new businesses and to the creation of new jobs in many of the rural areas covered by the project. Name of the Project Partner: The Regional Development Agency Centru Region: Centru Country: Romania RESOURCES The project was implemented during a period of 16 months, starting in January 2009, with a total cost of approximately 2 million. Most of the funds used in the implementation of the project (85%) were made available from the European Social Fund through the Operational Program for Human Resources Development. In terms of human resources the implementation of Rural Manager required the involvement of 4 organisations and institutions, both national and international. TRANSFERABILITY Rural Manager is considered to be a success story in terms of proper use of funds available through the European Social Fund, and can be easily replicated in all regions where this type of funds are available. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 31

32 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS LETNITSA: HOME OF THE KARST WATERFALL In 2007 the Mayor of Letnitsa, launched the plan Letnitsa: Home of the karst waterfall. when his small Bulgarian rural municipality faced a stark choice. Up until then the 3000-strong local community has had agriculture as its livelihood for centuries but following the collapse of socialist collective farming and the advent of the EU Common Agricultural Policy, agriculture became a consolidated, subsidized agri-business employing avant-garde machinery which now only benefited few of the local people. A search for alternatives identified tourism as a promising option. The impetus for the project was the rejuvenation of interest in the nearby, unique karst waterfall-cavepond system, virtually forgotten in the past. The plan was incorporated in the municipal development strategy for the period , and Letnitsa had to become home of the karst waterfall diversifying its economy by adding value on its natural and cultural heritage and developing an alternative income source. The plan involved a three-pronged approach: encouragement and facilitation of private investment in bed & breakfast or rural tourism establishments, of which there were none in 2007; improvement and investment in public amenities and infrastructure providing easy access to the local karst landmarks; promotion and popularization of the tourist services offered. The leading role for the implementation of the plan was assumed by the municipal authorities and the mayor started close cooperation with the National Association of municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria and through the association became beneficiary under the Rural Development Program and Interreg IVC, GRISI PLUS project, in particular. Under the RDP infrastructure was put in place: bed & breakfast refurbishment of farm houses and investment in walking trails, artistic and nighttime lighting of the natural landmarks. Over the past five years 10 bed and breakfast establishments in the villages of Letnitsa and Karpachevo were opened. These were financed under the national Rural Development Program and could house up to 180 tourists combined. Two of the B&B establishments are housed in the buildings of the local schools which were turned over by the municipality to private entrepreneurs and thoroughly refurbished. Simultaneously the municipality invested in the walking trails and artistic lightning of the natural and cultural landmarks, including proper sign-posting, panoramic terraces and facilities for kids and the young. Co-financing for these public actions was also awarded under the rural tourism measures of the national Rural Development Program Marketing efforts so far has targeted tour operators and various national popular tourism websites, organizing short duration, low cost trips for Bulgarian people, including retired people, school classes and families with kids. Initial interest proved quite high. The small community has been able to attract some visitors by 2013, bringing almost half a million euro of revenue, which is very good for a small farming community which started from a zero base in The next stage of the plan involves an attempt to have longer stays, to enrich the tourist attractions on offer and to further popularize the local attractions through the internet and through regional tourist products/itineraries and brands. Further initiatives include the collection of all the information available, the design tourist itineraries and the setting up of an integrated portal devoted to the walking trails and karst landmarks, using modern tools such as panoramic views, films and GIS. GRISI PLUS input is expected in this effort following good practices established elsewhere in more advanced locations in Europe. Under the national Operational Program for regional development a joint project is being implemented with the neighboring municipalities in an effort to develop diversified regional tourist products and offers. Letnitsa municipality itself is going to use the unanticipated windfall from tourism so far to build a public mineral water pool and small spa center that would serve as the motive for longer stays by tourists. In this way the local community expects to maintain a good number of visitors and high level of revenue from tourism once the novelty of the rediscovered karst system wears off among the first-time visitors. All the efforts of Letnitsa so far have proved that even remote Bulgarian places have something special to offer: their natural or cultural landmarks. These could be utilized for the benefit of local communities and their guests by a good development 32 GRISIPLUS

33 plan and enterprising local leadership. ADDED VALUE Establishing walking trails and employing modern marketing including via information technology has helped to attract many visitors for the first time. Since 2008 and up to 2013, tourists have visited the attraction. This has put Letnitsa on the Bulgarian rural tourism map. Secondly and what is innovative in the Bulgarian context a small farming community has been able to work together to promote a hitherto unknown natural landmark and to turn the adjacent local economy from full reliance on agriculture to rural tourism. In addition the provision of an alternative source of income outside agriculture has helped to stem emigration of local people and other small municipalities being encouraged to copy the model. Name of the Project Partner: National association of municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria Region: Yugozapaden Country: Bulgaria RESOURCES Overall investment both private and public is estimated at ; to cover B&B establishments, walking trails and related tourist facilities, mineral spa development as well as various marketing measures. An informal local action group incorporating the mayor, his project management team, enterprising local people and farmers was set up to implement the plan, each undertaking different development projects. TRANSFERABILITY In all rural areas there are natural, cultural and heritage sites that can be highlighted and used to enhance both economic development and regional attractiveness. Funds for investment purposes are usually available from National, European and other sources. However, success in the implementation of such an intensive action plan depends on the existence or building of social capital for private-public cooperation and decision-making and local authorities can play an influential role in this regard. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 33

34 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS ESTONIAN SMART ROAD PROJECT TARK TEE The accessibility of road information helps drivers reach their destination safely. This information allows people to optimize their driving time and save energy when they know the accurate road conditions. Data about traffic signs and restrictions, operative information of traffic density, weather conditions with images from road cameras, which is all stored in a central database and is available at any given time and through different mediums is a vital element of both healthy sustainable economy and living environment. Access to such information should be free of charge and available to all people, whether they are citizens, tourists, workers abroad or just passerby s. Additionally numerous responsibilities about roads are on the shoulders of local municipalities. Their capacity to handle these tasks vary greatly depending on the size and personnel of each municipality. An efficient tool which would enable the road traffic work in a systematic way and to get and provide information through single information channel can have substantial cost-saving effect. Restrictions (maximum speed and weight limits); Road conditions (road weather stations application, road works information); Customizable attributes (public transportation stops, bicycle roads, ferry stops, border points); Relevant and important information about driving in Estonia This System has a built-in map application which directs you from point A to point B on your preferred route. You can choose between fastest routes, shortest routes or only hardtop routes. It will provide you with detailed driving instructions similar to Garmin, TomTom and other mainstream satellite navigation applications. This system also has links to relevant legislative Acts such as Traffic Law and provides information about crucial details when you must use winter tyres, allowed alcohol level in blood, usage of mobile phones during driving etc. The Traffic information system is available as a web portal in English, Estonian and Russian languages at It is also available as a smart phone application. The main goal of the Smart Road Good Practice is to ensure that different target groups (drivers, caretakers of roads, local municipalities and others) are equipped with road information through different means of communication and IT solutions which are provided to users as a complete and easy to use traffic information system. It is important to note that the system is constantly being updated and reviewed 24/7 by using both crowdsourcing (drivers) and by officials and specialists of Estonian Road Administration. This way the validity of data and timeliness of system is secured as fast and as accurate as possible. Currently the average rate of refreshing the data in the system is about 15 minutes. Compared to the previous system it is a huge advancement, when data was updated once or twice per week. Data management and restructuring is done through a Road Administration Information Center in order to improve road information flow by gathering it to a data center. A Traffic information system provides data about following criteria: Traffic safety (weather conditions, road camera pictures); 34 GRISIPLUS

35 ADDED VALUE The most important aspects of this Good Practice is the fact that the majority of relevant data for all commuters is gathered to a single access point and that this data is reliable and updated on a daily basis. There is no radical innovations within the project, but gathering data which was so far collected, administered and managed by different institutions and providing it in a modern way is a good practice. Most innovative elements were the introduction of QR codes, mobile app and mobile web as information channels which more and more commuters are using nowadays on a daily basis both in private and work life. The main added value by the project can be divided into three major categories: Safe movement in traffic to reach your destination; Reduce time to reach your destination; Reduce administrative costs related to announcement of road constructions. Name of the Project Partner: Tartu Science Park Region: N/A Country: Estonia RESOURCES It is too early to draw conclusive results of the project, as the time period passed from the projects implementation and is too short to have sufficient statistical data about reduced administrative costs or traffic accidents. The project was implemented during a period of 36 months during with a total cost of European funds were mostly used in amount of and private funding in amount of The Estonian Road Administration (public institution) was the leading institution for carrying out the project Smart Road. Software for the traffic system was developed by Regio AS together with AlphaGIS OÜ and Tarkvarastuudio OÜ (all three before-mentioned are private companies). TRANSFERABILITY Smart Road traffic system can be transferred to any region that wants to provide reliable, fast and easy to use way for all commuters in region. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 35

36 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS photo: copyright INTERACT PHILOXENIA IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMMON OPERATIONAL MECHANISM (COM) FOR THE WELCOMING OF ACTIVITIES IN MEDITERRANEAN RURAL AREAS Philoxenia, a cross-border project, was implemented in 5 rural areas of the Mediterranean. These areas, being fragile due to the decline of their populations, chose to apply for the first time a welcome policy for new populations in rural areas. The areas involved were: Sintiki and Iraclia (Serres, Greece), Oristano (Sardinia, Italy), Voroclini (Larnaca, Cyprus), Ptuj (Slovenia) and Gozo (Malta). The project foresaw the creation of a Common Operational Mechanism (COM) for the five areas, in order to allow them to receive non-agricultural economic activity in the Mediterranean countryside. The COM implemented from April 2009 to March 2012 permitted the assistance, at a financial, technical (tutoring) and cultural level, of 90 persons installed in the above 5 Mediterranean rural target zones. The beneficiaries would create their own micro-activities that would reinforce the dynamics of the local economy, attenuate the demographic erosion and allow them to maintain their identity. In terms of financing, the mechanism supported final beneficiaries with a grant of per beneficiary to facilitate the development of their own micro-projects and render the scheme more attractive compared to competing ones at EU and national level. The target groups of Philoxenia included: The 90 newcomers/new creators and their families in the participating rural zones; Local residents of the welcoming territories ; Media which promoted the welcome policy in order to support the territory s factors of attractiveness with respect to the economy, housing, services, equipment and leisure. Among the specific actions implemented in the framework of Philoxenia were: 1. The elaboration and implementation of the COM and a Toolbox for welcome policy, adapted to the local needs of the 5 participating rural zones ; 2. The organization of a training week and a series of meetings for local tutors to be trained adequately; 3. The creation of 90 new businesses in total in all five target areas (18 in each rural zone) with the help of assigned local tutors; 4. The formation of a network among all partners and the organization of eight major events (6 Steering Committee meetings, 1 Training week and 1 International Capitalization seminar in Greece); 5. The creation and publication of an information leaflet, a poster, six newsletters, a common website for the project and numerous press releases. The Local Initiative for Employment and Entrepreneurship of Sintiki-Iraclia (TIEE-SI) was leading the project, assisted by Local Employability (LOC.EM.), a Greek NGO/project partner specialized in the promotion of employment at a local level.) The two entities ensured the smooth project management and coordination (including internal and external communications) and the successful organization of the final/capitalization event, as well as its dissemination and media promotion. All actions were carried out successfully and in a timely manner, proving that there is a case for adoption of welcome policies in Mediterranean regions and that they can be both beneficial and well-managed. For more information, project material and contact details, please visit the following links: ADDED VALUE A welcome policy was implemented for the first time in the five participating Mediterranean rural areas. Philoxenia was an innovative project by its birth and it provided the areas with tools and know-how to increase their attractiveness paving the way for its adoption as a capitalisation action under the framework of the MED Programme (funded by the ERDF). So far, 90 persons have benefited from welcome policies in the target areas and were able to create their own micro-businesses in the countryside. 36 GRISIPLUS

37 photo: copyright INTERACT photo: copyright INTERACT photo: copyright INTERACT In more detail, Philoxenia helped: Persons having their own business plans to become local actors and help revitalize the target areas. Raise the attractiveness of the areas by exploiting their previously untapped potential. Try new partnerships and check whether collaboration in implementing welcome policies is feasible. Promote the participating rural areas in an alternative way, through the activity of their small businesses. Offer a boost to the local potential for growth, setting a collective and collaborative example. Create a new Toolbox for welcome policies, at the disposal of local authorities. RESOURCES The project was implemented during a period of 36 months with a total cost of The implementation required the involvement of 7 organizations and institutions, devoting 90 persons for the achievement of project results. The investors were the 7 partners from Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Slovenia and Malta using EU structural funds (79%) and national funds (21%). Currently, efforts are made by 3 Philoxenia partners (LOC.EM., ANETEL and E-ZAVOD) and 4 new partners (CCI Gers, Collectif Ville-Campagne, TERUEL and EUROKOM) so that welcome policies are introduced in EU and member states funding priorities for the next programming period ( ). TRANSFERABILITY The good practice has been tested for 15 years in France (partner CCI Gers) and it has also been tested as a pilot in the framework of the MED Programme (project Philoxenia and capitalization project PhiloxeniaPlus). Therefore, the transferability of the good practice has been tested in local environments that have significant differences and particularities. A factor that would limit the transferability of the good practice would be the potential lack of funds. However, it is likely that welcome policies will be introduced to EU and national funding frameworks for the period , enabling EU regions to adopt the initiative without significant own-funding requirements. Name of the Project Partner: Territorial Initiative for Employment & Entrepreneurship of Sintiki-Iraclia (TIEE-SI) Region: Central Macedonia Country: Greece Obviously, welcome policies would also be irrelevant in an urban environment. An additional limiting factor would be limited or no ownership of the good practice by local (elected or not) decision makers, who, after all, are the basic means for successful implementation. Project PhiloxeniaPlus is currently developing a set of recommendations and a methodological guide for among others the transferability of this good practice. For more information please check GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 37

38 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS E4 / INTERNET ROUTES ON EUROPEAN PATH E4 The E-m@rket-Path E4 was originally initiated as a project under the Interreg IIIA Program, with the main objectives being to highlight and promote the European E4 long distance path, to increase local and foreign tourism and enhance the inland and all year-round versus seasonal tourism for both of the intervention areas, Rethymno Prefecture (Crete) and Cyprus. Mass seasonal tourism, with its sea and sun model and half year season, is a phenomenon quite widespread in Crete, as well as in most touristic regions in the Mediterranean. However, the island of Crete has much more to exhibit: rich flora and fauna, with many species endemic, as well as caves, imposing mountain ranges and gorges, which along with its mild climate makes it ideal for trekking, cave-exploration, climbing and cycling or just wandering in the countryside. Hence, the promotion of the European E4 Path gave a boost towards the direction of those types of alternative tourism which Crete can offer, but which were under developed. The Good Practice, E-M@rket-Path E4 which evolved from an Interreg Project is now suitable for transfer to other European regions. This Good Practice was based on a new marketing approach, both by creating a dynamic webpage and also through specialized publications on the E4 Path, all targeted at those visitors who are attracted by naturalist / cultural / mountain tourism as well as those seeking culinary tourism, since there is hardly any better place to taste the authentic Cretan Cuisine than in one of the numerous villages that one encounters while exploring the E4 routes. Apart from attracting the potential visitors interested in alternative tourism, the above services also appeal to local people and also to many young people who can learn and appreciate their countryside s natural and cultural heritage. Tourism professionals (mainly naturalist and agro tourism) may also find useful information on the area. E-M@rket-Path E4, through both a multilingual webpage and printed material, provides basic and necessary information to the visitor- traveller, for example, the degree of difficulty of the routes, the length of the routes and the proposed time of the year to visit, along with useful thematic GIS information. Thus, the visitors are already prepared for what they are about to encounter, which makes the whole procedure much more friendly, enhancing at the same time the sense of confidence. For every E4 route in the area of Rethymno prefecture, specific information is given both on the website and printed material on: Natural Environment Agri tourism Cultural Environment Nutrition - Gastronomy For example, a visitor interested specifically in the cultural environment can find interesting information on the areas on and near the E4 Path such as: non-prominent cultural monuments festivals local customs and traditions feasts for tsikoudia (local drink) production history of local communities Finally, through the New Events Section within the website (What s New) one could choose to raise additional information on current cultural and special events. WHAT CAME OUT OF THIS PROJECT? A dynamic webpage ( which acts as an informative resource, with virtual tours and GIS layers (archaeological sites, churches, caves, mountains) Specialized publications such as folders with guides, maps and thematic brochures. Restoration of path E4 signs in certain routes with simultaneous GPS tracking. DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS: In a few cases, metallic-pole signs of E4 were destroyed, shortly after being erected, probably by owners of nearby areas that falsely assumed it may have a negative impact on their property status. Press releases were published in the local press, highlighting the fact and explaining what path E4 actually is, and that there was no risk whatsoever. On the contrary it would only have positive impacts on the whole area. FUTURE ACTIONS- IMPROVEMENTS: The extension of GPS tracking for all routes of the E4 path in Crete is a well recognised 38 GRISIPLUS

39 need, hopefully to be covered soon as well as the availability of a person to deal with answering the web-page visitors questions in a promptly manner. ADDED VALUE Thanks to e-m@rket-path E4 the intervention area became more attractive and competitive through the interactive presentation of specific thematic areas such as cultural and natural environment, gastronomy, and accommodation in agro tourism shelters, for each part of the E4 route. Through E-M@rket-Path E4, a new integrated system with digital information was created, which enhanced the security and confidence of the E4 visitor. The project was based on redesigning the promotion strategy of areas at the European Path E4 in Crete using GIS technology. Thus, it altered the existing image of areas of intervention, making them more interesting to those that prefer the mountain / hiking tourism, walking tours or alternative tourism in any way. This GP achieved the first multilingual (Greek / English / German) reliable recording of data concerning electronic information for the E4 path in Crete, attracting more visitors who are interested in this kind of tourism. Creating thematic electronic maps and virtual tours help visitors during the design of their visit as well as while they are moving along the countryside. Thus, these destinations become more appealing to choose in the first place. Name of the Project Partner: Region of Crete - Regional Unit of Rethymno Region: Crete Country: Greece RESOURCES E-Market-Path E4 was a project under Interreg IIIA Greece Cyprus program and the Organizations involved were: Prefecture of Rethymno (Region of Crete, Greece) as Lead Partner and Cyprus Tourism Organization, as a Partner. This project was implemented during a period of 30 months with a total cost for Prefecture of Rethymno ,00 Euros (ERDF & National Funds), requiring 3 people ( 1 full time and 2 part-time) for the achievement of the projects results. TRANSFERABILITY The emarket-path E4 is relatively easy to transfer for every region that is crossed by the E4 long distance path that begins at Gibraltar and ends at Cyprus, moving across Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. However, It doesn t have to be E4, it could be another long distance European Path or even local routes which have unique or remarkable features to exhibit. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 39

40 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS FOCUS PER COUNTRY 14 PARTNERS FROM 11 EU COUNTRIES Midi Pyrenees, France Gers Chamber of Commerce and Industry PROJECT PARTNERS West Region, Ireland West Regional Autrority Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic Regional development agency of Usti Region, PLC Galway, Ireland Galway County Council Moravske Toplice, Slovenia Razvojna agencija Sinergija 40 GRISIPLUS

41 Cesis, Latvia Vidzeme planning Region Alba Iulia, Romania Regional Development Agency Centru Riga, Latvia Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments Sofia, Bulgaria National Association of municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria Voroclini, Cyprus Larnaca District Development Agency Tartu, Estonia Tartu science park Malta Local Councils Association Livadia Sintikis, Greece Territorial Initiative for Employment and Entrep. of Sintiki-Iraclia (TIEE-SI) Crete, Greece Region of Crete GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 41

42 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS Gers Chamber of Commerce and Industry The Gers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Gers CCI) was founded in 1900 and is a Local Public Organization under French law. It is located in the Midi Pyrénées region. Its mission is both to encourage economic and territorial development in the Gers department and to represent and animate the small and medium enterprise community in the area. Gers is the most rural province of France with 15% of employment linked to agriculture activities. In 1997 in the frame of the RISI initiative (Regional Information Society Initiative), the Gers CCI developed a consensual action plan seeking to integrate rural areas in the information society. It appeared that geomatics applications were the keystone of the action plan to develop the territory. The Gers CCI has a strong expertise in European and national funded projects and it has coordinated several cooperative projects. It has created a Techno Centre in Geomatics named Teleparc ( with an RTD department specialised in geo-traceability (geographical traceability of food products). It is certified ISO 9001 (AFAQ) and it holds the recognition certificate «EFQM Excellence, 5 stars» TRANSFER PROCESS The Gers Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Gers CCI) chose the Czech good practice called «Hop and Beer Temple», offered by the Regional Development agency of Usti Region, for transfer. This good practice boosts local economy and tourism, thus revitalizing the rural area of Usti thanks to a specific product of the area: the hop and the beer. This product has been used to create a new tourism offer in the area, where a whole set of unique attractions for visitors has been developed: museum, exhibitions, tasting beers events The Hop and Beer Temple good practice has been adapted to the local context of the Gers province in order to link specific areas of the province to specific products or services. Hence, the good practice is being transferred in Gers under the name of Un Village Un Produit (One Village One Product), and 5 villages have been selected, where a duo village-product exists and is well known by local people: Samatan ducks and foie gras Saint Mont wine Eauze Armagnac Nogaro mechanic sports (such as cars and trucks racing) L Isle Jourdain bicycle The main idea is to associate a representative product or service to a village and help local stakeholders to create new economic opportunities in relation to this product/ service. The expected result is that, under a common label, each village develops its own specialty and strengthens its local ecomony by proposing coherent and sustainable offers, thanks to the cooperation of local public and private partners. Except for promoting tourism, the implementation of this good practice will promote other activities and facilitate entrepreneurship in the Gers. Un Village Un Produit is being developed in Gers. Action groups have been created, which federate key stakeholders of each village: public institutions (municipalities, associations of municipaliries), tourism offices, producer s organizations, consumers associations, Chamber of Commerce These action groups meet regularly and carry out brainstorming activities and make proposals in order to create new emblematic opportunities for the economic development of their village, by exploiting local resources. Concrete action plans for the middle and long term have been elaborated as well. For instance, in L Isle Jourdain, the action group decided to develop bike renting offers for tourists at the village lake. In Samatan, they decided to reinforce and make the contest of Foie Gras more attractive for visitors. In Eauze, they decided to build the monument of the Armagnac Flame and to organize events during the distillation of Armagnac. Local stakeholders will fund the implementation of these actions and they will ensure the continuation of the implementation process from 2015 on. photo: copyright JB Laffite photo: copyright JB Laffite 42 GRISIPLUS

43 West Regional Authority The West Regional Authority is one of eight Regional Authorities established by the Irish Government under the Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Authority Establishment Orders 1993). The Regional Authority Board comprises 27 Elected Members from the constituent Local Authorities within the region, which are Galway County Council, Mayo County Council, Galway City Council and Roscommon County Council. The West Regional Authority has three main roles or functions which are:- To promote the coordination of public service provision in the West Region; To monitor the delivery of EU Structural Fund assistance in the West Region; To develop Regional Planning Guidelines for the West Regional Area and ensure that County Development Plans and Local Area Plans are consistent with the RPGs. The West Regional Authority has direct responsibility for activities which include the: Preparation of Regional Planning Guidelines (Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended by Planning & Development (Amendment) Act 2010); Promotion of co-operation, joint action etc. between local authorities, public authorities and/or others; Reviewing the overall development needs of the region and the making of statements on them as appropriate, and keeping under review the provision of public services in the region; Reviewing the Development Plans of local authorities in the region and in adjoining regions; Preparation of a Regional Report (Plan) covering development needs, review of local authority development plans and the provision of public services in the region. TRANSFER PROCESS The West Regional Authority intends to transfer the Routes to the Environmental & Cultural Reserve of Crete - Cyprus Lesvos: The Walking Trails Project back to the West Region. This GP was proposed by the Cypriot partners in the GRISI PLUS partnership and The Walking Trails good practice is based on an innovative approach for the use of environmental and cultural resources of the areas of intervention with actions aimed at quality, competiveness and openness through a strong structure for cooperation and networking. It uses interactive web based applications for promoting the characteristics of the environmental and cultural resources of the areas. It mainly targets tourists, the local population as well as anyone who is interested in discovering the natural and cultural environment of the area. The West Regional Authority has now formulated a template for the development of the Connemara Greenway App based on Walking Trails to the Environmental and Cultural Reserves of Crete Cyprus Lesvos Good Practice. It is anticipated that the Connemara Greenway project will be multifunctional primarily serving international and domestic tourists, but also local recreational users including cycling and walking visitors, young families, school pupils and more serious sports cyclists. It will form a strategic element of the National Waymarked Way walking trail network and will complement the comprehensive range of existing recreational walks throughout the County Galway including the long distance Western Way route and network of Looped walks developed in recent years. In order to enhance the usability of the Connemara Greenway, the West Regional Authority has devised a template for the development of a mobile tourism application known as the Connemara Greenway App. The template is based on the approach used in the creation of the OIKO-TRAILS application in the Larnaca district in Cyprus. The Connemara Greenway App template for a smartphone app has been developed for potential use with mobile devices, e.g. smartphones, tablets, etc for both the Apple and Android platforms, and will be available to download free of charge. It will enable users to plan their cycling and walking routes along the Connemara Greenway using GPS location technology. In addition, users will be able to access photos and text information concerning the various points of interest and share through social media. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 43

44 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS Galway County Council Galway County Council is the local authority for the County of Galway. Galway County Council is responsible for the administrative area of County Galway, excluding Galway City. The Council is responsible for the planning, design and construction of important infrastructures, such as roads,water supply, drainage facilities and certain social and quasi-social services, such as housing, fire stations, libraries and burial grounds. It is the custodian of the environment and through its planning and environment policies seeks to enhance the county while protecting its unique character and atmosphere. It also plays an active role in the development of the county s industrial, business, social, arts, heritage and cultural affairs County Galway is the second largest County in Ireland having an area of almost 6,000 sq. kilometres. It is bordered by Galway City and counties Mayo, Roscommon, Offaly, Tipperary, and Clare. The County has a population of 159,256. Services are delivered by Galway County Council through the following units Housing & Emergency Services Roads and Transportation Corporate & Cultural Planning & Sustainable Development Community, Enterprise & Economic Development Environment Veterinary and Water Services Finance Unit TRANSFER PROCESS Galway County Council is planning to transfer the Mura Drava Bike Good practice from Slovenia. Galway County Council has plans to develop an 40 km off road cycle way in a scenic part west of the County between the Town of Clifden and the City of Galway. Planning sanction for this infrastructure has been approved. The Council is awaiting national funding for this project in order to proceed with the capital works. It is envisaged that construction will begin in Galway County Council is taking the learning from the Mura Drava Bike good practice to inform how the organization engages with stakeholders in the local area to develop the promotional campaign and visitor experience that is associated with this new tourism infrastructure. Galway County Council will be engaging with the National Tourism Body, Failte Ireland, the local Chamber of Commerce in Connemara, Local Development Groups, Local Businesses in the region and local communities to examine how we can best transfer the learning from the Mura Drava Bike good practice to the local project. There is significant advantage to starting this work at this early stage as it offers the potential to have a strong promotional campaign and visitor experience product in place just as the infrastructure is completed. Galway County Council and Failte Ireland along with local businesses will be committing resources to the promotion of this new tourism project in our region when it has been constructed. It is envisaged that some of these resources will be allocated to the implementation of the adopted good practice. This expenditure will probably be incurred in 2015 when the cycle way has been constructed. For 2014 the emphasis will be on developing the promotional material and the visitor experience. 44 GRISIPLUS

45 Vidzeme Planning Region Vidzeme Planning Region (VPR) lies in the North East of Latvia and is the biggest of the planning regions according to its territory. It covers km2 or 24% of the territory of Latvia. In VPR there are 25 local municipalities and one city - Valmiera. The population in the region is around 240,000. The Vidzeme Planning Region (VPR) was established in The main goal of VPR is to ensure regional planning and coordination, as well as cooperation between municipalities and different governmental institutions. VPR provides planning services on a national, regional and local level; it ensures regional and local level representation in elaboration of entrepreneurship, employment and social policies. VPR mission is to coordinate and promote long-term and well-balanced development of the Vidzeme region by providing effective services to local inhabitants, NGOs, entrepreneurs and municipalities. International cooperation is a significant part of the Vidzeme Planning Region activities. We share our knowledge and gain a lot from our partners across Europe. Exchange of experience helps the Vidzeme Planning Region to improve regional policies for balanced regional and national development. The EU support has launched a variety of initiatives that make the Vidzeme region competitive not only in Latvia, but also beyond its borders. Mutual trust, unity and cooperation have a unique role in the implementation of common ideas and goals. TRANSFER PROCESS The territory of Vidzeme is suitable for good practice transfers of SOHO SOLO and Made in Galway. These projects have been selected because they represent two different approaches for the geomatics use and highlight the rural attractiveness and promote local producers visibility. Through the good practice implementation plan it is possible to predict in detail the transfer mechanisms and impact on rural development: Made in Galway: The transfer of this Good Practice will promote entrepreneurship in the Vidzeme region thereby improving business products and services using new geomatic tools which incorporate marketing opportunities. As Vidzeme Planning Region is a sparsely populated region, the entrepreneurs can t rely on domestic demand, it is necessary to look for the product/ service sales outside the region. The key organization that will be involved in the good practice transfer and further maintenance will be Vidzeme High value added and healthy food cluster. SOHO SOLO This effective Good Practice transfer will be incorporated in the Implementation plans of local municipalities (towns and villages in the Vidzeme Region). Business support and information technology infrastructure (including existing Internet coverage) provides favorable opportunities for business start-up and development, as well as remotely working in the Vidzeme region. During the Development council meetings of the Vidzeme Planning Region, the representatives of local governments were asked to take part in more detailed discussions. Fourteen municipalities participated in the discussion which was held on the 8th of April During the meeting eight municipalities agreed that they will work on implementation of SOHO SOLO good practice in their municipalities. This commitment is strengthened by signing a letter of intent between the Vidzeme Planning Region, the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments and the municipality involved. Implementation of SOHO SOLO and Made in Galway is suitable in other planning regions and co-operation with the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments will provide an opportunity to introduce those good practices for local municipalities in all Latvia. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 45

46 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments (LPS) is a public organisation associating 117 local governments (8 cities and 109 municipalities) of the Republic of Latvia on a voluntary basis. It was founded on December 15, The LPS is a national voice of Latvian local governments and its mission is to defend and promote the interests of its members. The tasks of the LPS are: to represent its members interests and to defend their rights in state authorities and administrative institutions; to form LPS s opinion on local government policy in accordance with proposals from local governments and their associations and unions; to enhance collaboration between the Latvian local governments and their associations and unions as well as to promote cooperation with local governments and organizations abroad; to provide local governments with the necessary information and services; to organize training for local councillors and municipal staff; to promote social protection of municipal staff; to promote the creation of enterprises for common local interest issues; to organize local information processing systems based on uniform principles. to represent the association and its members interests in the European Union, the Council of Europe and other international institutions.] TRANSFER PROCESS The territory of Vidzeme is suitable for good practice transfers of SOHO SOLO and Made in Galway. These projects have been selected because they represent two different approaches for the geomatics use and highlight the rural attractiveness and promote local producers visibility. Through the good practice implementation plan it is possible to predict in detail the transfer mechanisms and impact on rural development: Made in Galway: The transfer of this Good Practice will promote entrepreneurship in the Vidzeme region thereby improving business products and services using new geomatic tools which incorporate marketing opportunities. As Vidzeme Planning Region is a sparsely populated region, the entrepreneurs can t rely on domestic demand, it is necessary to look for the product/ service sales outside the region. The key organization that will be involved in the good practice transfer and further maintenance will be Vidzeme High value added and healthy food cluster. SOHO SOLO This effective Good Practice transfer will be incorporated in the Implementation plans of local municipalities (towns and villages in the Vidzeme Region). Business support and information technology infrastructure (including existing Internet coverage) provides favorable opportunities for business start-up and development, as well as remotely working in the Vidzeme region. During the Development council meetings of the Vidzeme Planning Region, the representatives of local governments were asked to take part in more detailed discussions. Fourteen municipalities participated in the discussion which was held on the 8th of April During the meeting eight municipalities agreed that they will work on implementation of SOHO SOLO good practice in their municipalities. This commitment is strengthened by signing a letter of intent between the Vidzeme Planning Region, the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments and the municipality involved. Implementation of SOHO SOLO and Made in Galway is suitable in other planning regions and co-operation with the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments will provide an opportunity to introduce those good practices for local municipalities in all Latvia. 46 GRISIPLUS

47 Larnaca District Development Agency Our vision is to become a modern, strong, skilled and financially independent company. The establishment of Larnaca District Development Agency (ANETEL) was an initiative from the Union of Communities of Larnaca. It was established according to the standards of development structures and mechanisms operating in the European Union and is activities are focused mainly in Larnaca District. Through this mechanism, it supports local selfgovernment organizations in their development and planning role and particularly in absorbing European funds for realizing the vision of each community and municipality of the area. ANETEL was founded on the 16 October 2003 and its stakeholders are the Municipalities of Larnaka Aradippou Athienou, Dromolaxia, Livadia, Lefkara, Agia Napa and Paralimni, the 42 of the 45 Community Councils of Larnaka and the Community Council of Liopetri of Famagusta District, the E. V.E.L. Larnaca, the Larnaca Rural Women s Association, the SPE Rural Development, the SPE Vasililou-Pentashinos and the Cyprus Association of Professional Fishermen. ANETEL is governed by the Law of Companies and is considered as a Limited Liability Company. It is a non-profit organization and has been accredited as a public equivalent government body. TRANSFER PROCESS The good practices to be transfer in Cyprus is the Ore Mountains Destination Agency and the Hop and Beer Temple both coming from the Czech Republic. These practices will be transferred to Larnaca Mountainous Area with the aim to promote the Larnaca Mountainous Area as a tourist destination with a strong local identity. The implementation of the good practices will give the opportunity to Larnaca District Development Agency to have an integrated tourism strategy that will promote culture, history, nature, the local products and the taste of Larnaca Mountainious Area. The regional actors include the 18 communities of Larnaca Mountainous Area, the Regional Tourist Agency, and the Environmental Information Centre of Larnaca Mountainous Area that belongs to Larnaca District Development Agency. Also, the support system includes the producers of local products, the owners of restaurants and agritourism units and the regional associations of cycling, hiking and bird watching. Most of the stakeholders have worked before for the creation of the Environmental Information Centre of Larnaca Mountainous Area with the main objective to promote the natural environment of the area. After the success of this action and seeing that by working together they can have the best results for the area, they have decided to move one step forward and to create the Destination Agency and to support local producers in order to promote the area as a tourist destination with a strong local identity. With this way it will boost the local economy, create new jobs and economic activity and reduce the migration of people, especially of young, to the big cities. Already the activities for transferring the best practices have started and the stakeholders had several meetings where they decided on how to transfer the best practices in the area. The Regional Development Agency with Larnaca District Development Agency has elaborated the integrated tourism strategy of Larnaca Mountainous Area which has been approved by all the stakeholders. As it is already decided, instead of building new premise for the Destination Agency the premises of the Environmental Information Centre will serve this purpose. Recently a building next to the Environmental Information Centre has been constructed and this is used by the Destination Agency in order to promote the area. Leaflets, brochures, maps, tourism guides, a web site, creation of mobile applications, an exhibition Centre of the local goods, a traditional shop, two big screens presenting the area, PCs that the visitor can use in order to get information about the area is some of the actions that have started to be implemented. Also, a monitoring mechanism of the activities of the Destination Agency has been established though the creation of a Board of Directors which are responsible for taking the relevant decisions for its operation. As for the funds that are needed for setting up the Destination Agency, all the stakeholders are contributing to this. A yearly membership has already been agreed for covering the expenses of the Destination Agency. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 47

48 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS Local Councils Association The Local Councils Association (LCA) is the single public authority that represents all 5 regions and 68 Local Councils in Malta and Gozo. The LCA was established in 1994 by law. The aims of the Association shall also include those of protecting and promoting the common interests of the Local Councils. The LCA enjoys a high level of competence and it is involved in the national policy development process by regular meetings with the director of Local Government and the Ministry and other relevant stakeholders. The LCA takes part in the Committee of the Regions and it is the only supporting structure for Covenant of Mayors in Malta. Since 2007, the LCA has established an EU projects department and has successfully participated in various EU funded projects under the following programmes: INTERREG, IEE, ICT PSP, MED, ENPI, LIFE, Europe for Citizens, ITALIA- MALTA and others. The LCA has joined the GRISI PLUS project in order to help the Local Councils, in particular those forming part of rural areas, to use innovation technologies such as GIS for promoting their respective territories and products. Furthermore, GIS is not yet popular in Malta as it is in other European countries and the GRISI PLUS project promotes its use through the good practice examples presented by the other partners. TRANSFER PROCESS The Local Councils Association has selected two of the good practices presented by the GRISI PLUS project consortium: SOHO SOLO (good practice originating from Gers Province, France and presented by the lead partner of the project - CCI Gers) and Made In Galway (good practice originating from Galway, Ireland and presented by Galway County Council) Both good practices have been transferred in Malta by elaborating implementation plans for each one of the above mentioned good practices. During the transfer period the Local Councils Association team has met a number of stakeholders in order to ensure the successful transfer and possible successful implementation in Malta of both projects. The idea to transfer two good practices came from the fact that SOHO SOLO was selected to be transferred from the beginning of the GRISI PLUS project back in Shortly after, discussion and lobbying actions with the Mayor of the Local Council of Dingli (the area where the good practice has been transferred) has started. Dingli LC will be possibly using ERDF funds in order to implement all the actions suggested during the transfer process and the implementation plan on a low budget after the end of the GRISI PLUS project. The Made in Galway good practice was presented to the project consortium at a later stage, however, the Local Councils Association found the good practice very interesting and suitable to be transferred in Malta. Discussions and lobbying actions followed with a number of stakeholders that can implement the plan. The Association has decided that the best body that can do this work is Malta Enterprise who already has a directory with local producers but published in a form of list, not in a map using Geographic Information technologies. The Association has suggested them to put all the information they have, using the geomatic tools in order to interact better with the users and it has provided them with tailor made implementation plan. The Made in Galway good practice will be possibly implemented after the end of the GRISI PLUS project, using own funds, ERDF funds or by joining partnership in a related European funded project. 48 GRISIPLUS

49 Regional Development Agency of Usti Region, PLC The Regional Development Agency of Usti Region, PLC (RDAUR) is the public equivalent body, established in 1994 for the development of the Usti Region, with the staff of ca 20 people experienced in the development activities of businesses, municipalities and regions. The RDAUR has experience with partnership on the projects with other regions and has been involved in the coordination and implementation of a number of EU-funded cooperation projects. The RDAUR is a member of both the European and Czech associations of development agencies, it is in charge of the Regional Information System of Usti Region, it supports the development of SMEs through the information centre of the Enterprise Europe Network and is a member of the Business Chamber of the Czech Republic. The services include economic and social research, feasibility studies and development plans and projects for the public and private sectors, business consulting, system approach to programs and projects, co-ordination of activities in compliance with regional strategy, administrative works, translations, interpreting and other special services upon request, support for SMEs in acquisition and use of financial resources and the development and co-ordination of international cooperation, overall promotion of the Usti Region. The Regional Development Agency of Usti (RDA Usti) considers transferring two GRISI PLUS good practices into the Ústí Region: Made in Galway and Mura Drava Bike. Made in Galway was proposed by the Galway County Council. The project involves establishing an online directory of local products that are produced in the region so that local consumers and international visitors can locate locally produced crafts and services. The main objective is to provide a single portal that identifies the wide range of products that are produced in the region so that the consumer is better informed about making a choice to shop locally. The GP increases the international awareness of Galway as a region for the production of quality food and craft. TRANSFER PROCESS The Usti Region is implementing the preparation of the project Catalogue of craft products of Usti Region. The schedule of the implementation is the following: 1. Elaboration of the Implementation Plan of the project Catalogue of craft products of Usti Region. The project has its Pilot part, implemented in The final implementation of the Pilot part of the project is scheduled to June The Pilot part of the Catalogue of craft products of the Usti Region (the Catalogue ) consists of the printed version of the Catalogue, and its electronic version on the www pages of the Ústí Region. 3. The implementation of the remaining part of the Catalogue is scheduled to the period of the European Operational Programmes The body that implements the pilot project from their own funds is the Ústí Region. The implementation of the remaining part of the Catalogue will depend on the possibility to acquire financial support from the European Programmes Mura Drava Bike is proposed by the Slovenian partner and it mainly targets tourists, the local population as well as anyone who is interested in discovering the natural and cultural environment of the areas. The SERVISO, o.p.s. has formulated a template for the development of the With Cistercians by bike and rail along the Plum Track project. The project will complement the existing recreational walks throughout the Central Bohemian Mountains including the long distance cycle routes from Germany to Czech Republic. In order to enhance the usability of the project, a mobile application is also scheduled. The schedule of the implementation is the following: 1. Elaboration of the Implementation Plan of the project. 2. The body that will implement the project is the SERVISO, o.p.s. The implementation of the project will depend on the possibility to acquire financial support from European Programmes GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 49

50 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS Sinergija Development Agency Ltd. Development Agency Sinergija (Razvojna agencija Sinergija) was established in 1998 as a sub-regional development agency for 11 municipalities in Pomurje Region and is a non-profit and non-government organization with legal status of non-profit Ltd. Sinergija operates in a predominantly rural area with a population of around 37,000 people and has registered around 900 economic subjects. Agriculture remains the dominant economic branch. Development Agency Sinergija has participated or is still participating (as partner or lead partner) in various national, international and Structural Funds financed projects. We are responsible for development of entrepreneurship and economic development with the following main activities: Planning, implementation and management of local development projects in the field of entrepreneurship, infrastructure, ecology, agriculture, etc Encouraging the development potential and management of local development partnership Promote the development of entrepreneurship at the local level Organizing and conducting of professional training Information on the development initiatives of the Republic of Slovenia and European Union Help local communities in obtaining financial assistance from international sources Cooperation with other local development agencies, local government units and others in order to promote the overall development of the region. Referential projects: TRANSFER PROCESS archive SINERGIJA Made in Galway was selected as the most suitable good practice for transfer to Pomurje region, because: in the past this good practice already proved itself effective, as it was successfully implemented in Ireland, where it showed measurable, tangible and sustainable results it considers problems of the countryside, which are important in Slovenia as well it solves significant problems and will thus notably contribute to integration, development of new contents, products and services, to reduction of regional disparities and it will indirectly lead to a decrease in unemployment rates in Pomurje region it will promote improvement of regional politics by proposing new development approaches, preparing project proposals. The transfer of the selected good practice to Pomurje region is divided into a few fundamental stages: invitation to different stakeholders to participate in the transfer, setting up of expert group; examination of benefits, advantages, possibilities and risks of transfer of the selected good practice to Pomurje region; identification of the situation in Pomurje region, of the needs and problems that originate from the local environment; finding solutions and defining intention and targets of the transfer of selected good practice; time schedule of actual implementation of the good practice (activities, roadmap, spatial scales of implementation, other); analysis of necessary and available human resources; definition of method and source of financing; monitoring of implementation, achievement of set targets, measurement of results. archive SINERGIJA Diversity of the working group ensure identification of needs in the region from different aspects, key competitive advantages and key activities, that are necessary for the transferred good practice in Pomurje region and its optimal effects and outcomes. After several meetings and discussions with representatives of key policy makers and actors in Pomurje region, Development Agency Sinergija also prepared concrete project proposal (title: Establishing of the GEO portal Made in Pomurje), based on core content and target characteristics summarized by Made in Galway good practice from Ireland. The Agency strives to include the proposed project in the new Regional Developments Program (RDP) of Pomurje Region This will increase ability for actual implementation of the chosen good practice in the local environment and for ensuring necessary financial resources. The chosen good practice could, to some extent, solve problems in the Pomurje region and in a similar way activate so far unused potentials which are available for the development of new services, generate ideas for the development of new products, contribute to the creation of new workplaces, strengthen cooperation archive SINERGIJA 50 GRISIPLUS

51 The Regional Development Agency Centru Centru Region is one of the 8 development regions of Romania established in 1998, in accordance with the Romanian Law of Regional Development. The Centru Region is situated in the centre of Romania, partially overlapping the historic province Transylvania and is composed of 6 counties: Alba, Brasov, Mureş, Covasna, Harghita and Sibiu. The region is formally and institutionally represented by the Regional Development Agency Centru (RDA Centru), a nongovernment, non-profit organization of public utility, operating in the field of regional development. The activity of RDA Centru focuses on two main dimensions: 1. Monitoring and implementation of European and national financing programs. Since 2007, RDA Centru is the Intermediate Body for the implementation of the Regional Operational Program in Centru Region. 2. Regional Planning. RDA Centru is involved in the elaboration of the Regional Development Plan as well as other regional and national planning and programming documents. Complementary to these two main activities, RDA Centru participates, as coordinator, beneficiary or partner in several development projects tackling important sectors such as: rural development, renewable energies, demographic change, support for SMEs, education, training and human resources development. Our experience includes the implementation of several INTERREG IVC, SEE, Intelligent Energy, CIP and FP7 projects TRANSFER PROCESS After an in-depth analysis of the good practices presented during the GRISI PLUS project meetings and study visits, the Regional Development Agency of Centru Region - Romania has started to work on the transfer process. As a first step, 5 good practices were selected and presented to the regional stakeholders in the frame of a GRISI PLUS dissemination event held in Alba Iulia on the 3rd of October At the same time an online survey was lunched for the purpose of evaluating what is the most appreciated out of the following 5 Good Practices: Made in Galway presented by Galway County Council Ireland GEOPEDIA presented by Sinergija Development Agency Ltd Slovenia MURA-DRAVA.BIKE presented by Sinergija Development Agency Ltd Slovenia GEOWINE - presented by Gers Chamber of Commerce and Industry France Optimization Options of the Public Transport Networks in Vidzeme - presented by Vidzeme Planning Region Latvia The survey targeted especially the public authorities of the 6 counties composing Centru Region. In this way the public authorities of Centru Region had not only found out more about the international good practices shared in the frame of the GRISI PLUS project, but they were actively involved in the selection of the good practice that will be transferred at regional level, according to their needs and expectations. The conclusion of the public survey was that the good practice Made in Galway, is not only the most appreciated rural development initiative but also the easiest to adapt and replicate at regional level. The next step in the transfer of the selected good practice was the elaboration of the Transferability plan describing the steps to be made for the actual implementation of the project. For this activity, the involvement and commitment of a public authority was considered to be a crucial element. In this respect, the Regional Development Agency of Centru signed a cooperation agreement with Mureș County Council, for the actual transfer and implementation of the selected good practice, after the closure of the GRISI PLUS project. As a result of this joint effort, the transferability plan for the Made in Galway initiative was designed to take the form of a financing request that will be submitted for approval in the frame of the European financing programs available in the period GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 51

52 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS National association of municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria The National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB) was established in 1996 and is the umbrella non-profit organization for the 264 municipalities in the country. Bulgaria has a two-tier governance system whereby central government and municipalities cooperate in the making and implementation of all national policies, including those pertaining to balanced territorial development. Thus, the association has as its mission the development of local democracy in the country through advocacy, capacity building, policy research and development in all key areas and services that municipalities offer to local people and business territorial, urban and rural land use planning, education, health, environment protection, social support, culture development and heritage conservation. In its role the association strives to identify, generate and popularize good practices and projects that enhance local self-governance and local development. The association also provides continuous training and consultancy to municipalities especially as regards implementation of development projects supported by EU financial and investment instruments. The association is itself implementing a number of projects for capacity building, co-financed with European funds, and operates its own modern training facility. TRANSFER PROCESS The National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria has chosen to transfer the Walking Trails good practice from Cyprus, which has a particular appeal to Bulgarian rural municipalities as it makes sustainable use of dormant natural and cultural resources, boosting the area s attractiveness and entrepreneurship. Thus, given its status as an umbrella organization, the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria has set its sights to build a political and program framework conducive to the adaptation and adoption of the good practice by Bulgarian municipalities. The association has been using its crucial participation in the preparation of core policy documents and programs to that aim. As a result funding related to the implementation of the good practice has been secured in the national Rural Development Program The measure for basic services and village renewal and the community-led local development measure of the Rural Development Program were modified to support projects for establishment of walking trails and eco-routes. Small rural municipalities, their associations and local actions groups are the specific beneficiaries of these measures. Special focus has been put on the use of modern marketing tools, new information/viewing points and IT tools to boost the information awareness campaigns that waymark and promote new routes and local landmarks. Young tourists and school children shall benefit in particular from actions involving websites, electronic guides, games and applications. It has been accepted by local and national authorities that new routes add to a range of quality tourism services in the rural areas, encouraging visitors to explore undiscovered parts of the countryside where local people and businesses are able to benefit from new opportunities to sell products and services. The local initiative and bottom-up approach to valorization of natural and cultural heritage have been accepted as a cornerstone of national rural development policy. 52 GRISIPLUS

53 Tartu Science Park Tartu Science Park is the innovation engine of South Estonia. Our mission is to nurture start-up companies into global businesses. Tartu Science Park is the first science park in the Baltics, founded in 1992 by Tartu city, county and two universities. For more than 20 years, we have supported business innovation activities in the region by networking with universities, public and private sector. We are the Home of Business. To foreign companies, we offer our help in extending business to Estonia where the economic environment is characterized by qualified workforce, favorable tax system and liberal markets. In Tartu Science Park you will have access to business development units such as: Business Incubator offering start-up companies services and supporting environment to share ideas or find solutions with other entrepreneurs and experts. Protolab ( providing a full range of prototyping services from CAD/CAM and technical drawings to actual production of the prototype mainly in the field of precision mechanics and apparatus building. Tartu Demo Centre ( is a creative environment for mobile developers to work on or test their applications. Nanolab offers clean room facilities for nanotechnological R&D in materials and electronics sector. TRANSFER PROCESS Among all good practices collected and presented through the GRISI PLUS project, the most suitable ones to be transferred to Tartu/South-Estonia were Made in Galway and Mura-Drava.Bike. After additional analyses, the Tartu Science Park decided to transfer Mura-Drava.Bike. The Mura-Drava.Bike good practice presented by the Development Agency Synergjia from Slovenia provides a good example of the establishment of bicycle paths along the river Drava and river Mura named MURA-DRAVA.BIKE and a comprehensive GPS navigation system for bikers to attract more tourists to the rural territories and thus also to enliven the local economy. This good practice can be adopted and implemented in South-Estonia as some initiatives to create bicycle paths are already completed and some are ongoing. South-Estonia and Northern-Latvia have also expressed mutual interest to create joint attraction for tourists both from abroad and within their respective countries. The Tartu Science Park has initiated common strategic discussions with Foundation Tourism for Tartu County, Rural Association of Development in Tartu County and city government of Tartu on how to strengthen existing paths and include new ones. Additionally the Park has screened different EU-funded and local similar initiatives and has found strong links between several projects. For example Via Hanseatica project has compiled a massive amount of information about different routes, SMEs and sightseeing objects and created a mobile app with extensive geomatic data. This could be used either as a basis for the needs of Tartu or developed further. The Riverways project tackles the same challenge as Mura-Drava. Bike, only not with bicycle but river routes. Again, many similarities between projects can be drawn and different kinds of cooperation established. During the project ViSoEst by bike nearly 1300 km of bicycle road route was mapped and equipped with signs with relevant information. However after the project end in 2010 information has not been properly updated. Key partners for the transfer of this good practice are local counties and cities alongside institutions who are responsible for regional development and tourism development. Initial negotiations have shown willingness to invest further resources into the development of a more comprehensive action plan, including financial plan. However no definite funds are allocated yet. This process is also slowed due to the fact that different EU and national financial measurements are still under construction and the majority of public institutions are heavily dependent on that financing source. Finding financial means for a transfer process is currently the main challenge that the Tartu Science Park is facing. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 53

54 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS Territorial Initiative for Employment & Entrepreneurship of Sintiki-Iraclia Territorial Initiative for Employment and Entrepreneurship of Sintiki Iraclia (TIEE-SI) is a non-profit making, inter-municipal structure of the Greek civil law consisting of 72 initial members. It was founded on 10/01/2000 (reg. Nr : 8/ ) as a tool of co-ordination and management of the Territorial Employment and Entrepreneurship Initiative of the lakeside Municipalities of Sintiki Iraclia. Both of these areas are biotopes with exceptional fauna and flora. The forestry and fishery of the areas of Sintiki and Iraclia along with other Greek regions are threatened not only by reform itinerary of the Common Agricultural and Fishery Policies of the European Community, but also by the rapid global mutation that is taking place. Hence, the above mentioned traditional economic sectors should have unfavourable repercussions on the local employment which is likely to be impaired by massive migration from neighbouring Bulgaria as a consequence of the expansion of the European Community to the eastern countries with the falling of economic boundaries. TIEE-SI therefore aims for the promotion of local employment, mainly in alternative sectors of activity (eco-tourism, proximity services, liberal professions, new information and communication technologies, etc), without however neglecting the impaired sectors. Thanks to the GRISI PLUS project, TIEE-SI wishes to introduce attractiveness policies for newcomers so that new inhabitants arrive in rural areas, in the North of Greece. TRANSFER PROCESS The Territorial Initiative for Employment & Entrepreneurship of Sintiki-Iraclia (TIEE-SI) chose to transfer and implement the Good Practice entitled Soho Solo, in collaboration with ANED, the Local Development Agency of Drama ( It was the Local Development Agency of Drama that expressed its interest in this good practice. Furthermore, it provided TIEE-SI with concrete evidence on the rural area of Drama, which showed that the local population was ageing and low-skilled. Local youth unemployment (affecting especially women) was one of the highest among Greek regions (around 27%) and the situation was aggravated by the profound economic crisis which had hit the country. Moreover, the target zone was an isolated Greek frontier region which needed to find its way out from this isolation and become more attractive; digital technologies could play an important role in this respect. All elements mentioned above justified the necessity of implementing Welcome Policies for newcomers and new business activities in the area, especially the best practice on small offices-home offices (Soho Solo). The transfer of this best practice further specified the Welcoming Policies ANED chose to implement in its area. It also improved local skills in the services sector and enabled the provision of services from a distance (at home) and with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). TIEE-SI in collaboration with ANED developed an Action Plan for the transfer and implementation of Soho Solo in the target zone. The key organizations that were involved during the transfer of the GP were the Local Development Agency of Drama and its partners (mentioned above). The implementation of the Good Practice was funded by Measure 421 on local and international cooperation of the Greek Programme for Rural Development The composition of ANED s share capital (five municipalities, one municipality association, the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Drama s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, two agricultural cooperatives and a local trade union) facilitated lobbying actions and the transfer of the Good Practice. Furthermore, ANED takes part along with the CCI of Gers in the EU-funded project PhiloxeniaPlus ( which promotes, among others, Soho Solo as a best practice. Thus ANED can use an international partnership to ensure the success and sustainability of its project photo: copyright INTERACT 54 GRISIPLUS

55 Region of Crete Region of Crete is a local Authority Body that is composed of the four former Prefectures of Crete (Prefectures of Heraklion, Rethymno, Chania and Lasithi). The Departments of the Region of Crete have to do mainly with Development Programming, Environment and Infrastructure, Agricultural Economy and Development, Public Health and Social Care, Transport and Communication. The Gross Value Added per economy sector in Crete is 81% for trade/tourism and services (tertiary sector), 13,5 % for industry and constructions (secondary sector) and 5,5 % for Agriculture (primary sector). Thus, it is clear that the primary sector in Crete needs enhancing, with the most important issues to overcome as regards rural development being the declining and aging population, the poor local economy, the limited access to funding, the lack of infrastructure and innovation and the increased transportation costs. In addition, Crete has intensely experienced in many of its territories the problem of urbanism as well as incommensurate tourism development, with inland tourism and alternative forms representing only a small percentage. The above issues were the leading force for Region of Crete to participate in the GRISI PLUS project which is expected to improve the quality of life and socioeconomic well being of rural areas, giving an extra impetus to inland development of the island. TRANSFER PROCESS Thanks to the GRISI PLUS project, the Region of Crete with the agreement and consent of the stakeholders involved, prepared an Implementation Plan oriented towards upgrading and utilization of the Asomaton Agricultural Research Station in the rural municipality of Amari in Rethymno, Crete. The good practice that is being transferred is the one presented by Usti and Labem partner from Czech Republic, entitled «Hop And Beer Temple - Zatec hop growing area promotion of tourism» which essentially follows the principle «One Village- One Product. The idea is that the improvement of the socioeconomic conditions of a rural area can be accomplished through a competitive product with high added value. In this way the area of Amari will be linked with livestock just as Zatec is linked with hop. The Asomaton Agricultural Research Station, was founded in 1930 but was recently severely under-utilized and did not have the level of development that it once had. In collaboration with the Municipality of Amari and the Asomaton Holy Monastery located in the same area, about 35 kilometers southeast of the city of Rethymno and in the heart of the Amari valley, the Research Station will from now on operate as the Mediterranean Centre for Sheep and Goat Breeding and Genetic Improvement of Local Tribes which will be a Pilot Research Center using high technology. An important role will be played by the Faculty of Livestock, which will be established to provide education to young farmers and will also be offered for graduate work for Greek and foreign students. Proper utilization of the Agricultural Research Station is expected to give the necessary boost to the primary sector in the area of Amari to recover from both financial and depopulation issues, but will not be limited to that. It constitutes a big development project for the whole Region of Crete and in collaboration with specialized research institutes will act as a model Research Center for Mediterranean Livestock. Thematic tourism is also expected to play a part here, as it does in Zatec, a significant role for the development of the rural area of Amari. Alternative tourism and agri-tourism will be backed up from the above- mentioned activities, which can ideally be complemented with actions such as livestock product tastings. Also the Asomaton Monastery, founded during the Byzantine period, attracts religious and cultural tourism with its distinctive architecture, rich history and key cultural, historical and social role that it played in the region over the centuries. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 55

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57 LESSONS LEARNT True challenge, how to squeeze 3 years of work into one pager summary of most important lessons. We discussed in the beginning of this guide what are the milestones of a journey and vital parts of any guide or strategy. You need to know where you want to go. You need to know where you are. You need to have a plan how to get from where you are to where you want to go. And finally, you need to understand when you have arrived where you wanted to go. To combine it with Randy Pausch s famous quote Experience is what you get when you didn t get what you wanted. what would be timeless tips for future generations considering our gained experience? Time is always moving faster than you expect. Especially in information society. So is technology. What was innovative solution at 2011 when our project application was written and what are innovative solutions at 2014 when this Guide is being published, there is a world of difference. Most of our assumptions described in earlier parts of this Guide proved to be true, some of the potential prospects realized without our effort and some challenges deepened without us having a chance to react. Learn! You need to be able to learn, un-learn and re-learn, and be able to adapt to environment which is changing faster than ever before. At the same time you need to keep in mind old clichés that there are no suit-for-all solutions and that behavioral changes take time. Find the common ground! Especially if you are working with large partnerships or different stakeholders who each have their own (sometimes hidden) agendas and point of views. It is important to establish a common ground and develop mutual interests from there. No one is an island. You can accomplish a lot more with help. Measure your results! Every 1000-mile journey starts from a first step. Some of the Good Practices in this Guide are living examples of that over 600 created new workplaces through SOHO SOLO and millions of visits to LookWest.ie website started from first workplace, from first visit. Over time the numbers have grown so impressive that they speak for themselves. Track your records! Talk to people and listen! Whether you are in a study visit or thematic seminar, whether you are talking with a farmer or with a policy-maker, behind every Good Practice, behind every good policy are people. Regular people, like you, happy to help and share with you their stories. Good communication has been valued over a millennium and it shows no signs of decline. The End. Since the end of something signals always a beginning of something new, then take just one item from this Guide, whether its piece of advice or Good Practice or lesson learnt and put it to good use! Then our work has been meaningful and it is the best gratitude you can give us. Thank You for reading. GOOD PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS 57

58 GEOMATICS RURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY INITIATIVE PLUS All project partners of the GRISI PLUS project are the authors of this publication, each for its national contribution and the lead partner for the rest of the content. The images used in this document were used by authors only for public purposes and dissemination and not for commercial purposes. The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the INTERREG IVC programme nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein GRISIPLUS