Government departments.

Experts are currently working on Geographical Information Systems (GIS), which allows staff across the board to access vast amounts of data which would normally be kept on paper.

And, in time, it is hoped that it can also be accessed via the Internet -- giving the world a gateway into a storehouse of information on Bermuda.

The computer software can hold huge quantities of information and be accessed in seconds, giving a spatial layering which could show, for example, the location of underground or overhead electricity cables or traffic lights.

It is akin to having all the Island's Ordnance Survey maps -- showing every kind of data group -- on one computer database. Once retrieved, the information can be be magnified to show the smallest details of any specific area.

Several Government departments, planning and statistics in particular, are already gearing up to take the technology on board -- but it will eventually be used by all sections.

In addition, utility companies and the Island's emergency services can make use of the database's instant access and storehouse of maps for plotting locations of incidents and resources, for example.

Tim Viney, a senior land surveyor with Government Works and Engineering, has been involved in the introduction of the GIS system.

He said: "It is very advanced, we are the first small nation to have large-scale mapping completed for the whole Island.

"It will make it much faster to access information, there will be considerable cost savings and the data will be available for others.

"Roads, buildings or vegetation could be on the digital maps. People will be able to add layers on top to show habitats or species from data they have collected.'' The system is relatively inexpensive, with software utilising data already available.