The Editorial Analysis: Zooming in on the Potential of India’s Geospatial Sector

Geospatial Sector in India: Relevance

• GS 3: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Geospatial sector: Context

• On 15 Feb last year, Ministry of Science & Technology announced liberalised guidelines for geo-spatial data to lead India to one lakh crore rupees geo-spatial economy.

Geospatial sector India: Key points

• This year marks the first anniversary of the historic step that was regarded as a watershed moment when new guidelines took effect to completely de-regulate the geospatial sector for Indians.

Geospatial sector in India

• India has a robust ecosystem in geospatial, with the Survey of India (SoI), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), remote sensing application centres (RSAC)s, and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) using geospatial technology.
• The Prime Minister’s speech during Independence Day and mention of geospatial in the Union Budget have created the necessary buzz in the Geo-spatial sector.
• The over subscription of the initial public offering (IPO) of MapmyIndia was an example of ground activity.
• The other noticeable activity was the launching of a city mapping programme by Genesys International in India.
• However, the full benefits have yet to percolate to the public; neither is there much contribution to the nation’s GDP.

Geospatial sector in India: Key issues

• Absence of a sizeable geospatial market in India: There is no demand for geospatial services and products on a scale linked to India’s potential and size due to the lack of awareness among potential users in government and private.
• Lack of skilled manpower across the entire pyramid.
• The unavailability of foundation data, especially at high-resolution.
• The lack of clarity on data sharing and collaboration prevents co-creation and asset maximisation.
• No ready-to-use solutions especially built to solve the problems of India.

Geospatial market in India: Measures needed

• Publish the guidelines: The entire policy document needs to be published and the government and private users should be made aware of things.
• Open data sharing protocol: The data available with government departments should be unlocked, and data sharing should be encouraged and facilitated through an open data sharing protocol.
• Develop standards: The Government needs to invest in developing standards and must mandate the adoption of standards.
• Establish geo-portal: There is a need to establish a geo-portal to make all public-funded data accessible through data as a service model, with no or nominal charge.
• Generate foundation data across India: It should also include the Indian national digital elevation model (InDEM), data layers for cities, and data of natural resources.
• Startups: Solution developers and start-ups should be engaged to build solution templates for various business processes across departments.
• Indigenous technology: Local technology and solutions should be promoted, and competition should be encouraged for quality output.
• Local cloud: As the new guidelines prevent high-accuracy data being stored in overseas clouds, there is a need to develop a geospatial data cloud locally and facilitate a solution as service.
• Regulation: National organisations like SoI and ISRO should be entrusted with the responsibility of regulation and the projects related to the nation’s security and scientific significance.
• Academic programme: India should start a bachelor’s programme in geospatial also in the Indian Institutes of Technology and the National Institutes of Technology. Besides these, there should be a dedicated geospatial university.

Geospatial sector in India: Way forward

• The geospatial sector in the country is rightly positioned for investment. However, clarity on the issues discussed and the creation of an enabling ecosystem are essential.

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