For the twenty-fourth time we meet with partners, colleagues and friends of yms to exchange experiences, share inspiration and together look at the future of key systems. The conference was held in the spirit of expertise, closeness and friendly atmosphere, which is a tradition of yms conferences. however, this year also had a special significance – we opened it with birthday greetings, because yms celebrated 35 years on the it market in september.
Radovan Hilbert, Director of Business Development at YMS, spoke about the development of geospatial data, its collection, analysis and evaluation in the light of technological developments, data acquisition possibilities and artificial intelligence. He also showed what generational upgrade and with what purpose YMS has carried out on its flagship, GIS ySpatial. The new GIS has the most modern platform, ergonomics, intuitiveness and design. The Forests of the Slovak Republic, whose presentation followed, are in the process of switching to a new GIS. Foresters called it WebGIS 6.0. and it will be a fresh and functionally packed map portal, pleasant for both the average user and the expert.
On behalf of Slovak FOrests, Ivan Hanula, GIS specialist of LSR, presented the importance of the geographic information system for the entire organization. He explained how GIS is used across departments, what data it contains and what systems it is connected to. For a better idea, he stated that WebGIS in LSR has approximately 1,500 users, 160 different layers, 500 million records and 6,000 GB of production data. YMS prepared a modern GIS for LSR 10 years ago and, after its introduction into use, won an award from the American creator of the GIS platform, ESRI – Special Achievement in GIS. Currently, both LSR and YMS are working intensively on the deployment of the new generation of WebGIS 6.0.
The best speaker of the conference in the final vote was the director of the Informatics Department of ÚKSÚP, Marek Molnár. He presented in an imaginative way the CÚR system – the Central Data Repository, which replaced eleven separate, unconnected systems within the organization.
Today, the CÚR provides more than a hundred electronic services, which is more than the entire e-Slovensko portal, and among state organizations, it ranks right after the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Economy in the number of services. Within the agriculture sector, ÚKSÚP is the most digitally advanced institution, with 12,600 users, and after the full implementation of all 128 electronic services into operation, we expect it to be among the best-digitized state organizations.
Through digitalization, ÚKSÚP is also trying to help small farmers, who face increasing obligations to keep their records electronically and for whom reducing the administrative burden is very important.
For the YMS team, working on the KVEPIS system (Complex Veterinary and Food Information System) for the State Veterinary and Food Administration of the SR, business analyst Milan Kučerák presented the gradual deployment of modules, specifically the Ambulatory and Slaughterhouse Book. Due to the number of livestock animals and the volume of operations, digitalization is inevitable. It brings electronic data entry with better control and traceability, minimizes errors, offers instant data search and reporting, and provides automatic backup.
The international dimension of the conference was again provided by Radovan Hilbert, Business Development Director at YMS, through the prestigious European project FOCAL, funded by the Horizon programme. The project combines satellite data, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing to build resilience to climate change, specifically in urban planning and forestry. The attendees had the opportunity to see how a new platform based on artificial intelligence and automated predictions will help foresters and municipalities take more targeted and effective measures to address climate change in both forestry and urban environments.
A sharp but important view of the state of Slovak European funds was brought by Milan Ištván, President of the non-profit organization Partnerships for Prosperity. He openly pointed out weaknesses in the contracting and utilization of funds and presented specific figures. Of the seven goals defined for Slovakia’s development, Goal 1 – “A More Competitive and Smarter Slovakia” – is performing the worst, with contracting at 28% and fund utilization at 3.6%. To fully utilize the amount of European funds allocated by the European Union, Slovakia would have had to draw down €1.54 billion by the end of 2025.
The conclusion of the official program belonged to the Director of the IT Department of the State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr, Štefan Káčer. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the talented and significant geologist Dionýz Štúr, he took the participants on a journey through Slovakia through the digitized notes of Dionýz Štúr himself.
He presented his life (he was a relative of Ľudovít Štúr) and his work through images and words, and showed how the heritage of geology, preserved and revived thanks to modern technologies, can inspire and capture hearts even in the present day – a time when such inspiration is especially needed.
The conference finally transitioned into an informal part, where the participants met in a friendly atmosphere. There was also the IT Olympiad – Team Quadrobot, which has been closing the official program for many years. It brought much-needed relaxation, friendly competition and attractive prizes.
The celebration continued with a joint evening banquet, a celebration of 35 years of YMS, and the presentation of awards to the winning teams.
The 24th year showed that YMS conferences are not just about systems, data and digitalization, but also about the people who create them, use them and bring new ideas to them. Participants took away inspiration, expert knowledge and valuable experiences that strengthened both professional and personal connections.
