Geospatial Technology: Application, Significance, & Challenges

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the issuance of Geospatial Data Policy in February 2022, it has been informed by the Government that all over 6 lakh Indian villages will be surveyed by using Geospatial Technology with the help of Drones under the SVAMITVA Scheme. Also, a pan-India three-dimensional (3D) map will be prepared for 100 Indian cities.

Geospatial Technology

• Geospatial technologies are a term used to describe the range of modern tools contributing to the geographic mapping and analysis of the Earth and human habitations.
• The tools used for analysis include Geographic Mapping, Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and Remote Sensing.
• These tools provide spatial information in terms of objects, events and phenomena accordin to the geographic location on Earth. The information thus obtained is called data which may be static or dynamic in nature.
  • Static location data includes information such as the location of road and transport routes, earthquakes and other natural events, or the status of malnutrition among children in a particular area.
  • Dynamic Location Data includes data related to flow of vehicles, pedestrians and spread of infectious diseases etc.
• The technology that produces intelligent maps is used to identify spatial patterns in the data. This technology can be helpful in making decisions regarding the importance of scarce resources and their priority use in any given area.

New Guidelines on Geospatial Data Policy

In the year 2021, the Ministry of Science and Technology had issued new guidelines for the geospatial sector in India. The existing protocols relating to geospatial sector will be governed through these recently implemented guidelines.

• Through these guidelines, the geospatial data sector in the country has been deregulated.
• It simplifies the process of collecting, using and sharing geospatial data. Now, prior approval will not be required for survey, mapping and construction of any type of applications based on this sector.
• It will ensure the access of Indian entities to the entire geospatial data sector. The need for security clearance and licenses has now been dispensed to acquire and produce geospatial data services. The new guidelines allow sharing of data for various applications ranging from logistics and transportation to road safety and e-commerce.

Significance of Geospatial Technology for India

According to the 'India Geospatial Earth Report-2021', this sector has the potential to grow at a rate of 12.8% to Rs 63,100 crore by the end of 2025.

• Improve Governance: Schemes like ‘Gati Shakti Program’ can be implemented smoothly using geospatial technology.
  • A large number of agriculture and land holding data can be suitably tagged and digitized using the technology. This will help to reduce the number of land disputes in the courts.
  • Geospatial data generated based on high-precision and high-resolution mapping can play an important role in digital India, smart cities, e-commerce, drone technology, logistics and technologies used in urban transport development.
• Energy Security: The GIS map provides a holistic picture of all energy resources of the country. It will be useful in planning and making investment decisions. It will also aid in disaster management using available energy assets.
• Economic Significance: Simplifying regulations by institutionalizing the use of geospatial technology.
  • The initiative will help increase efficiency in agriculture, support the rise of cutting-edge industries and empower Indian innovators.
  • Private companies like Amazon and Zomato use this technology to run their distribution operations smoothly, which helps in generating employment.
  • Focusing on this sector will promote Indian companies to develop indigenous apps like the Indian version of Google Maps.
• Infrastructure Development: Maps and accurate geospatial data play an important role in various projects ranging from interlinking of rivers to construction of industrial corridors, laying railway lines, building bridges and installing smart power systems.

Challenges associated with Geospatial Technology and related Data Sector

• Lack of Awareness: There is a lack of awareness among the users despite more than a year of deregulation of the sector.
• Lack of Market: There is lack of a comprehensive geospatial market in India. The less demand for geospatial services and products commensurate with India's capacity and size is mainly due to lack of awareness among potential users in the public and private sectors.
• Lack of Skills: Collecting, mapping and using data related to geospatial technology requires immense skills. Due to lack of awareness and less importance given to geospatial technology in teaching related courses, skilled manpower has not been created in India on a major scale.
• Lack of Clarity on Sharing and Collaboration: There is a lack of clarity in terms of sharing and collaboration among various stakeholders of data derived from geospatial technology in the country.
• Uncertainty: There is huge uncertainty and confusion in the both government departments and private sector regarding this technology.

There is need to include subjects related to geospatial technology in existing curriculums to provide necessary skilled manpower to the sector. Dedicated universities should also be setup to promote R&D programmes. Publicly funded data should be made available in open on a dedicated portal. A culture of data sharing, collaboration and co creation should be inculcated so that the industry can reap the intended benefits.