The Ministry of Science and Technology notified the National Geospatial Policy, 2022, on December 28, 2022.
Salient features of policy
- The policy is a 13-year guideline which aims to promote the country’s geospatial data industry and develop a national framework to use such data for improving citizen services, and more.
- It seeks to establish a high-resolution topographical survey and mapping and a high-accuracy digital elevation model for the entire country by 2030.
- The policy seeks to develop a national geospatial data framework, and enable “easy availability” of data to businesses and general public.
- It outlines the construction and promotion of “geospatial data infrastructure” through a “well-defined custodianship model and data supply chain” to achieve these goals.
- The policy also outlines the formation of an apex body at the national level to be known as the Geospatial Data Promotion and Development Committee (GDPDC). The GDPDC will be responsible for providing details on the use of geospatial data in governance across specific ministries and for enabling the development of private startups and companies to work on specific projects.
- The policy would also support the use of National Digital Twin, which is a virtual model designed to accurately reflect a physical object.
- The policy outlines the creation of 14 National Fundamental Sectoral Geospatial Data Themes that will be used to address various sectors that promote the development of commercial geospatial applications in disaster management, mining, forestry, and others.
- The government will also look to improve availability and access of “better location data” for companies, including private organisations, by 2025.
- The government will look to establish an Integrated Data and Information Framework, under which a Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure (GKI) will be developed by 2030.
What is Geospatial data?
- Geospatial data is time-based data that is related to a specific location on the Earth’s surface.
- Geospatial data is information that describes objects, events or other features with a location on or near the surface of the earth.
- Geospatial data typically combines location information (usually coordinates on the earth) and attribute information (the characteristics of the object, event or phenomena concerned) with temporal information (the time or life span at which the location and attributes exist).
- Examples of of Geospatial technologies: Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Internet Mapping Technologies.
