A regional workshop on the Integrated Municipal Information System (IMIS) was held on 21–22 August 2025 at the Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand. Three key institutions, GWSC-AIT Thailand, Innovative Solution Pvt. Ltd. (ISPL) Nepal, and ITN-BUET Bangladesh, came together in the workshop to build stakeholder capacity for IMIS adoption.
The workshop focused on enhancing understanding of its functionalities and exploring practical approaches for sustainable operationalization. Participants discussed how IMIS can improve municipal service delivery, strengthen planning and monitoring, and support data-driven decision-making in sanitation governance.
The workshop and subsequent high-level discussion brought together experts and practitioners from GWSC-AIT, ISPL, ITN-BUET, and AIT students, along with distinguished guests including Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha (Gates Foundation), Prof. Sangam Shrestha and Prof. Thammarat Koottatep (GWSC-AIT), Prof. Rowshan Mamtaz (ITN-BUET) and Mr. Alauddin Ahmed (ITN-BUET), and Dr. Bushan Raj Shrestha (ISPL).
The workshop provided participants with a comprehensive orientation on IMIS, including its evolution, current status, and potential benefits for municipalities. A live demonstration showcased the web application, dashboard features, and real-world applications, followed by interactive discussions to ensure practical understanding. In addition, brainstorming sessions focused on capacity-building strategies for IMIS adoption, emphasizing stakeholder mapping, engagement needs, and prioritization to strengthen technical, financial, and institutional support for sustainable implementation.
A key outcome of the workshop was the decision to jointly develop three training modules tailored for different stakeholders—a Technical Module for IMIS developers, an Operational Module for municipal and DPHE officials, and an Orientation Module for policy and decision-makers. Participants also agreed to finalize a stakeholder engagement framework and prepare a work plan to guide IMIS scaling in new municipalities. Together, these decisions mark an important milestone toward strengthening digital governance and advancing inclusive sanitation services in the region.
