Senior Earth Scientist Dr. Shailesh Nayak and Surveyor General of India, Lt. General Girish Kumar VSM were among the geospatial champions to be felicitated at GeoSmart India 2019 in New Delhi on Monday.
Geospatial is the by default technology that encompasses multiple fields and is one of the main drivers of future growth and development for India. This is the theme of the three-day GeoSmart India conference being organized by Geospatial Media and Communications. General VK Singh, MoS for External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs, presented the awards.
While presenting the awards, General Singh said that realizing the true potential of geospatial technology is of utmost importance for India. He also said that in the last 10 years, there has been special stress and emphasis on geospatial technologies by successive governments.
General Singh, however, warned against the potential misuse of modern technologies and emphasized on the need for a robust security system in place to prevent that.
He also praised the indefatigable efforts of Geospatial Media and Communications in spreading awareness about geospatial technology in the country.
In his vote of thanks and concluding remarks, GMC CEO Sanjay Kumar highlighted the importance of India in the global geospatial industry. He revealed that in a survey of 200 CEOs conducted by Geospatial World, India emerged as the second most preferred destination for doing business.
India Geospatial Leadership Award
The award is bestowed to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the development and dissemination of geospatial technologies in India.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Shailesh Nayak, who is currently Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies and Distinguished Scientist in the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
As a longstanding proponent of the earth sciences and geotechnical field, he has shown an exemplified level of commitment to the nation. His efforts towards conceptualization and development of the geospatial sciences in India continues to aid us in the realization of Vision New India.
Making a Difference Award was awarded to Lt. General Girish Kumar VSM.
Lt. Gen. Girish Kumar VSM is the current Surveyor General of India. Under his guidance, the country has seen a diverse and amplified development of geospatial science and applications. Under his bale leadership, Survey of India (SoI) has launched an app that enables all SoI staff to contribute their services in data updation and in-turn to nation building through enriching the national data base by capturing and updating geo-information. In addition to this he has been the driving force behind the generation of new large scale maps in the country.
Leading Geospatial State was presented to the state of Maharashtra.
The objective of the Government of Maharashtra has been to embrace technology that helps improve the overall quality of services delivered to citizens and their lives by developing a citizen-welfare-centric ecosystem. By embracing technology passionately, the state government is working towards complete transparency, convenience and accountability in the governance ecosystem while improving the overall quality of services delivered to its citizens. This change is already visible with initiatives like Mahalabharthi, Digital villages, Aaple Sarkar grievance redressal, RTS, WhatsApp for FIR Registration and MyGov to name a few.
The awards for Geospatial Application Excellence went to:
Bhubhaneshwar Smart City for Bhubhaneshwar One
Bhubaneshwar Smart City has embraced technology that helps improve the overall quality of services delivered to citizens by developing a citizen-welfare-centric ecosystem. By embracing technology passionately, the Bhubaneshwar Smart City is working towards complete transparency, convenience and accountability in the governance ecosystem. The BhubaneshwarOne is a portal that integrates geo-spatial data from all the government and private organizations in order to provide easy and hassle-free information for residents and tourists alike. It is an integrated GIS-based map system for government agencies to deliver location-based services and information.
ESRI India for BhubaneshwarOne
ESRI India has been instrumental in helping Bhubaneshwar Smart City embrace technology that helps improve the overall quality of services delivered to citizens and their lives by developing a citizen-welfare-centric ecosystem. By embracing technology passionately, Bhubaneshwar Smart Cities has been able to work towards complete transparency, convenience and accountability in the governance ecosystem while improving the overall quality of services delivered to its citizens.
Uttar Pradesh Police for Dial 100 – Emergency Management System
UP Police has been recognized as one of India’s best integrated emergency response systems. UP Police has built key platforms and solutions needed to support a robust Police Emergency Management System. By setting up two state-of-the-art Command and Control Centres, establishing strong partnerships and collaborations with other line departments and private sector companies, weaving in a number of ICT and geospatial solutions, UP Police has managed to enhance its capabilities in responding proactively and efficiently to emergency situations through the Dial 100 initiative, improving the response time in case of emergency by over 60% thereby saving lives, resources and gaining trust of the citizens.
National High Speed Rail Corporation and Geokno India for Survey of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor
The Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor will connect the cities of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and India’s economic hub Mumbai. It will be India’s first high-speed rail line with a total length of proposed High-Speed Railway Corridor of 508.17 km, starting from Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai and ending near Sabarmati Railway Station in Ahmedabad. The route of Mumbai Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail will be passing through two important states, Maharashtra and Gujarat and one Union Territory, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
The Art of Living Foundation for The River Rejuvenation Project
The Art of Living Foundation has been recognized as one of India’s leading NGOs in using geospatial technologies towards reviving rivers and freshwater sources across India. The organization has built key platforms and solutions needed to support a robust Resources Management System. Initiating leading technologies and related engineering, Art of Living has managed to enhance the capabilities of the Indian people in responding proactively and efficiently to water scarcity situations and is constantly striving to build a robust and sustainable water resources ecosystem in India.
