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). The location provided may be static in the short term (for example, the location of a piece of equipment, an earthquake event, children living in poverty) or dynamic (for example, a moving vehicle or pedestrian, the spread of an infectious disease).

Geospatial data typically involves large sets of spatial data gleaned from many diverse sources in varying formats and can include information such as census data, satellite imagery, weather data, cell phone data, drawn images and social media data. Geospatial data is most useful when it can be discovered, shared, analyzed and used in combination with traditional business data.

Importance of deregulation of geospatial data

• Scheme Implementation: Using geospatial technology, the government’s major programmes, such as the Gati Shakti programme, may be smoothly executed. The programme entails massive expenditures in the building of around 25,000 kilometres of roadway, multimodal transportation, and land record upgrading.
• National Security: Following the Kargil conflict, the Indian government began investing substantially in geospatial technology. The battle exposed the negative consequences of relying on geospatial data obtained from other countries.
• Boost to Make in India: By focusing on the area, Indian firms would be able to produce indigenous apps such as an Indian version of Google Maps.
• Economic Growth: According to the India Geospatial Artha Report 2021, the sector has the potential to grow at a 12.8 percent annual pace to Rs 63,100 crore by the end of 2025.
• Land Record Management: A huge number of landholdings may be accurately labelled and digitised using this technology. It will not only assist with better targeting, but it will also help to minimise the amount of land conflicts in court. Other states, with the exception of Karnataka, do not keep their data up to date.
• Crisis Management: During the Covid 19 immunisation effort, GIS technology provided excellent assistance for technology and logistics.
• Experts predict that the geospatial industry would be worth roughly Rs. 1 lakh crore by 2029, with a CAGR of 13 percent (CAGR).
• More investors are showing an interest in the geospatial business.
• Another notable event was the commencement of a city mapping initiative.
• Job Creation: Private organisations such as Amazon, Zomato, and others use this technology to successfully manage their delivery operations, hence promoting livelihood generation. Furthermore, the estimated human resource size for the sector is 9.5 lakh by 2025.

Government initiatives

• Yuktdhara Portal: The Ministry of Rural Development has created the ‘Yuktdhara’ geospatial planning portal. It would be a repository for assets (geotags) developed via various National Rural Development Programmes, such as MGNREGA. It will incorporate a wide range of thematic layers as well as multi-temporal high-resolution earth observation data into the analytical tool.
• The government will encourage the use of Kisan drones for land assessment, digitalization of land records, and spraying pesticides and fertilisers in the Union Budget 2022-23.
• Geospatial Energy Map of India: It was created in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organization by the NITI Aayog (ISRO). It seeks to offer a complete picture of the country’s energy production and distribution. It will be beneficial in terms of planning and making investment decisions. It will also help with disaster management by making use of existing energy assets.
• Geospatial Data Guidelines for 2021: The Ministry of Science and Technology issued the instructions in February 2021. The rules deregulated current protocols and liberalised the industry, allowing it to compete on a more level playing field. The rules eliminated the need for approvals and examination, including for Indian companies with security concerns. Companies may now self-certify that they are adhering to regulatory requirements without needing to be supervised by a government body.

Challenges

• There is a shortage of competent workers to gather, store, and analyse data throughout the full geographic pyramid. In contrast to the West, India lacks a stratum of core specialists that understand geospatial technology from start to finish.
• With the exception of a few examples, there are still no ready-to-use solutions specifically designed to address India’s concerns.
• There is a lack of demand for geospatial services and products on a scale commensurate with India’s potential and size. This is mostly due to a lack of understanding among potential consumers in both the public and private sectors.
• Another barrier is the lack of foundation data, particularly at high resolution. Furthermore, a lack of clarity on data sharing and collaboration hinders co-creation and asset maximisation.

Way forward

• India should establish a geospatial bachelor’s degree programme at the Indian Institutes of Technology and the National Institutes of Technology. Aside from this, a geospatial university should be established. These programmes will catalyse research and development initiatives, which are critical for the local creation of innovations and solutions.
• National entities such as SoI and ISRO should be entrusted with the duty of regulation as well as projects pertaining to the nation’s security and scientific relevance. These groups should not compete with entrepreneurs for government contracts because the latter are still at a disadvantage.
• In India, there is a need to create foundation data. This should comprise the Indian national digital elevation model (InDEM), city data layers, and natural resource data.
• There is a need to create a geo-portal to make all publicly financed data available via the data as a service paradigm. It is critical to instil a culture of data sharing, cooperation, and co-creation. Furthermore, there is a need to construct a geographic data cloud on a local scale and to provide a solution as a service.
• To strengthen the sector, the proposed National Geospatial Policy (NGP) and the Indian Satellite Navigation Policy (SATNAV Policy) should be finalised.
• The whole policy paper must be published in order to create awareness among government and private users. Data held by government agencies should be accessible, and data exchange should be promoted and supported.
• Digital India should emphasise the development of 3D national digital twins of our surroundings (water, road, rail, urban, and rural) in order to track and monitor ailing buildings and utilities.

Geospatial will be a critical technology that will support the country’s growth objectives, creating jobs while also assisting the new-age ecosystem by putting location intelligence at your fingertips. Agriculture, environmental protection, electricity, water, transportation, health, and other industries are all clamouring for technology in order to fully achieve their potential.

How to structure

1. Give an intro about geo-spatial sector and data
2. Explain the rationale behind the government move
3. Explain the impact of this deregulation and why its needed
4. Suggest way forward and Conclude

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/geospatial-sector-in-india-and-possibilities/article65048521.ece