Country-wide digital twin, fostering startups, high-definition topographic modelling, and blue economy, are some of the key priorities in the new policy.
After removing restrictions on the use of geospatial data in February 2021 under the geospatial data policy, the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Union government of India recently notified the National Geospatial Policy 2022. This comes at a time when India’s geospatial economy is expected to grow at 12.8% and cross Rs 63,000 crore by 2025.
The government aims to promote the country’s geospatial data industry and develop a national framework to use such data for improving citizen’s life. The policy aims to set up high resolution topographical survey and mapping, and a high-accuracy Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the country by 2030.
The policy will enhance capabilities, skills, and awareness to meet the future needs of the country. The government also aims to develop a Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure (GKI) supported by the Integrated Data and Information Framework.
Commenting on the policy, Prof. P K Joshi, Chairperson Special Center for Disaster Research (SCDR) and Professor School of Environmental Sciences (SES), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi said, “The policy looks forward to making India a ‘World Leader’ in the global geospatial space. It identifies the milestones with palpable objectives with a pragmatic timeline. This makes the strategy and approach of the policy towards promising, realistic, and achievable infrastructure and frameworks.”
The government intends to use high-resolution accuracy bathymetric geospatial data of inland waters and sea surface topography of shallow/deep seas to support Blue Economy by 2035. It also wants to set up surveys and mapping of sub-surface infrastructure in major cities and towns. The policy aims to establish National Digital Twin of major cities and towns by 2035.
Commenting on the policy, Saurabh Rai, Global Head, GIS & Analytics, Tech Mahindra said, “The Policy is, indeed, very forward-looking and business-oriented. The 13-year roadmap outlines a clear path for the Indian industry and a consistent policy framework. It covers all aspects of geospatial business, the most important of which is the structure itself.”
Supporting Startups
The policy comes as a breather for geospatial data users, especially those from the private sector. It is going to develop geospatial infrastructures, skills, and knowledge, standards, businesses, and promote innovation and strengthen the national and sub-national arrangements for the generation and management of geospatial information.
The policy allows the private sector to create, and maintain geospatial and mapping infrastructures, innovations and process improvements, and monetization of geospatial data for their requirements.
Commenting on the policy, Esri India Managing Director Agendra Kumar said, “Seeking to make India a leader in global geospatial space, the National Geospatial Policy 2022 lays down an overarching framework for economic development through the use of GIS technologies. The Policy gives ample focus on innovation and reinforces that the private sector will be a critical agent of transformation. It defines steps for strengthening the geospatial infrastructure through new data sets, mapping infrastructure, and geospatial technologies, setting the stage for India’s ‘geo-data driven’ growth.”
Department of Space will also play a crucial role in generating Orthoimagery of high temporal accuracies using space-based technology.
It recognizes the importance of locally available and locally relevant maps and geospatial data in improved planning and management of resources and better serving the specific needs of the Indian population.
“New opportunities include increased private-public collaboration, which is critical to India’s position as a global leader in geospatial technologies and services. The ease of doing business will enable global investments in the Indian ecosystem for domestic projects as well as export-oriented services and products,” said Rai.
“The policy is ‘citizen-centric’ to strengthen geospatial information economy in the country with the involvement of all stakeholders including much wider and much-needed recognition to the private sector for its contributions and possibilities. Thus, it also boosts entrepreneurship and innovation for a burgeoning geospatial ecosystem in the country,” said Prof Joshi of JNU.
The focus is to make geospatial technology and data catalysts for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), bringing efficiency in all sectors of the economy and instilling accountability and transparency at all levels of governance.
“The policy emphasizes on the importance of open data, structural reforms, and increased involvement of the commercial entity in the geospatial industry. It also includes provisions for public-private partnerships and encourages mainstream user ministries to invest in developing thematic geospatial data layers to increase adoption of geospatial knowledge,” said Anil Prakash, Director General, Satcom Industry Association India.
The private sector is looking forward to the benefits that location intelligence and geospatial technology can provide. Geospatial datasets have not been easily accessible in the past. The National Geospatial Policy 2022 aims to change this by making spatial data more readily available to private companies.
Rakesh Verma, CMD & Co-founder MapmyIndia’s said, “The government’s intent to liberalize the Geospatial sector and focus on Aatmanirbhar Bharat by encouraging and supporting Indian entities is very much appreciated. The Policy recognizes and promotes the strategic and economic value and usefulness of Geospatial maps and technologies for all sections of society and the economy. The policy also gives good goals and vision for what all types of geospatial capabilities and capacities the country needs and the central role of Indian private sector in enabling this.”
“We are proud to say that the Indian geospatial industry, all the way from the entry-level services segment to the high end of the value chain maps, products, and platforms segment is fully capable to deliver all the needs of the market, and India is truly Aatmanirbhar in this strategic sector. We hope to see further actions that enable strong market growth for the Indian industry and for users and customers in India to benefit from Indian geospatial products and platforms. The opportunity size of Rs 1 lakh crore for the Indian geospatial economy by 2030, as outlined by the government of India, bodes very well for Indian companies,” added Rakesh Verma.
MapmyIndia is the pioneer and leader in this space, building India’s first digital map product since 1995, and India’s first online mapping portal and platform since 2004.
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“This policy is a game-changer for the geospatial sector and is a necessary step in the right direction. It will benefit both the geospatial sector and its numerous users. The policy will allow small, medium, and large businesses to take advantage of location intelligence and make the market more competitive, ultimately benefiting end customers. It will also allow public utilities and governments to easily access geospatial data to improve citizen services,” said Ashwani Rawat, Co-Founder & Director Transerve Technologies.
National Digital Twin of India
Building a national digital twin will bring transparency in stakeholder engagement in specific projects so that members of the society can monitor the progress of the project, and address the challenges, which will ultimately improve the efficiency and the outcome.
Digital twins demand high-quality data, which is secure to use for better-informed decisions. Secure information also generates confidence in citizens, businesses, and government stakeholders to work on data-driven processes and enhance their services. It also provides awareness in society and businesses to use best practices in terms of environment-friendly steps, waste management, reusable technology etc. for a better future.
“The policy aligns with the country’s digital vision. It facilitates data access, particularly data collected with public funds. The new policy will address data security and create an ecosystem for sharing and exporting. Furthermore, the policy will provide the spatial data infrastructure required to meet emerging technology needs in the future,” added Rai.
The policy says, “National Digital Twin of India, which is built on a dynamic geospatial infrastructure, will be an ecosystem of smart, connected Digital Twins. It will be enabled by secure and interoperable data sharing to facilitate better decision-making.”
Commenting on the various new opportunities that this policy will unravel, Prof P K Joshi said, “In addition to the multiple focus areas, the policy recommends democratization of data and innovation. It looks forward to collaboration among stakeholders. While identifying various sectors, the policy gives special emphasis on the National Digital Twin strategy. This will untangle a wide range of opportunities. The newer regime ensures the production of data, technologies, and solutions for solving the problems faced by India and the world.”
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Future Ready Geospatial Community
To encourage geospatial domain awareness among the population, and to address the lack of a standardized geospatial curriculum, the policy throws light on introducing geospatial education at different levels from schools to colleges, universities, and professional training courses. This will help in creating job opportunities, integrating innovation, and identifying new areas of application and solutions, which will fill the resource gap. The policy aims to establish new tie-ups with allied industries to increase the placement spectrum.
Commenting on the policy’s aim to build a geospatial community, Dr. Joshi said, “The policy provides a balanced viewpoint and recognizes multiple sectors. Though it mentions education and skill development but misses to include academics in Geospatial Data Promotion and Development Committee (GDPDC). This is essential as academics, and research would decide how the stakeholders should and would respond. Similarly, environmental conservation and climate change challenges could have been given more importance than what is mentioned.”
“Overall, the policy will provide an impetus for infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, and other critical sectors where geospatial data is a key enabler,” added Rai.
Way Forward
The policy emphasizes more on innovation, involvement of the private sector, and strengthening Indian geospatial information arrangements by drawing inspiration from international best practices.
Commenting on the way forward, Rajesh Chandra Mathur, advisor Esri India said, “As industry leaders, we have a big responsibility to work closely with the government and end users in this endeavour. The headroom for growth in geospatial adoption in India is high and the onus is on us to work on the drivers that will enable the users – existing and new – to increase usage.”
“The launch of the National Geospatial Policy 2022 shows that the Indian government sees value in the long-term benefits of geospatial technology. We are committed to working with universities, educational institutions, and the local communities to help realize the true value of geospatial technology and equip various sectors of the economy with geospatial skills. With India being a key market for us, we endeavor to further drive PM Modi’s vision of “Make in India, Make for World”, said Harpreet Singh, Director & Head of Partner Business, India at HERE Technologies.
“Overall, the policy appears to be focused on promoting a vibrant and innovative geospatial industry in India, with a focus on ease of doing business and enabling the country to take advantage of the latest advances in geospatial technology,” said Anil Prakash.
“The National Geospatial Policy 2022 has the potential to unlock the full potential of the Indian economy and help achieve national goals through innovative location intelligence solutions,” added Ashwani Rawat.
