Landmark reforms in geospatial technology sector
India Maps the 21st Century : Landmark reforms in geospatial technology sector To realize India's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and the goal of a 5 trillion-dollar economy, the regulations that apply to geospatial data and maps are now fundamentally liberalized. The Department of Science and Technology announced sweeping changes to India’s mapping policy, specifically for Indian companies. What is readily available globally does not need to be restricted in India and therefore geospatial data that used to be restricted will now be freely available in India. Furthermore, corporations and innovators are no longer subject to restrictions nor do they require prior approvals before they collect, generate, prepare, disseminate, store, publish, update digital Geospatial Data and Maps within the territory of India. Startups and mapping innovators will be trusted to self-certify, apply good judgment and be relied upon to demonstrate adherence to guidelines. In addition, measures to promote the development of Indian geospatial innovations that take advantage of the latest map-making technologies are proposed. This policy would encourage Indian innovators to make major advances in mapping, eventually making our lives simpler and empowering small businesses, with the next generation of mapping technology only coming into its own around the world. This will help India in emerging as a mapping power, creating next-generation indigenous maps of India, and taking these new technologies to the rest of the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the liberalizing of policies governing the acquisition and production of geospatial data is a massive step in our vision for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The reform will benefit the country’s farmers, start-ups, private sector, public sector, and research institutions to drive innovations and build scalable solutions. The Prime Minister said, “Our government has taken a decision that will provide a huge impetus to Digital India. Liberalizing policies governing the acquisition and production of geospatial data is a massive step in our vision for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat." PM asserted that India’s farmers will also be benefited by leveraging the potential of geospatial & remote sensing data. Democratizing data will enable the rise of new technologies & platforms that will drive efficiencies in agriculture and allied sectors. What is Geospatial data? Geospatial data, also known as geodata, has location information, such as an address, region, or ZIP code, linked to a dataset. Geospatial data can also come from Global Positioning System (GPS) data, geospatial satellite imagery, telematics devices,Internet of Things(IoT) and geotagging. Geospatial technology collects and analyzes the geospatial data. Geospatial data plays a vital role in the decision-making process across a range of industries. Therefore, accessing, sharing, and using the geospatial data forms the essence of the geospatial infrastructure. Making a difference In the era of fast-changing technologies, the need for a dynamic geospatial policy and strategy to enable the use of data for solutions in the country has become imperative. In order to turn India from a developing to a developed country, geospatial policies should have global significance but have a competent national relevance.
