An interview with Ashish Kumar Jena, Joint Special Commissioner, Government of Odisha on Data Democratization, Capacity Building and Geospatial Technologies.
Data democratization is a big topic in the industry right now. What are your thoughts on it?
When we discuss data democratization, we’re referring to the process where various agencies generate their data—for instance, the Land Resource Department creating data for specific districts.
This extends to other departments like the Forest Department, Disaster Management, and Water Resources, each producing data relevant to their domain, including flood data and market protection. Data should be made available to other relevant stakeholders and the public (if appropriate).
The essence of the National Geospatial Policy on data democratization is to make this data accessible to other stakeholders and the public. It aims for data to be in the public domain, enabling further development and utilization by various parties. Public domain data should be readily available for administrative use and for further analysis by stakeholders.
Can you talk a little bit about the capacity building of stakeholders? How can stakeholders be better equipped to utilize data?
Capacity building involves educating stakeholders across the spectrum: government, industry, academia, research organizations, and the end-users or the public.
It’s crucial to train stakeholders on the accuracy and precision of data, the software platforms used, and how geospatial data is represented.
For instance, surveyors and government agencies involved in surveying need specific training for their roles, data accuracy, precision, and platform usage.
While the general public, as end-users, should understand the application of this data for their benefit. Basic knowledge on data applications and usage should be provided to the public.
For Industry & Academia, training on data platforms and their nuances is essential.
Breaking departmental silos and fostering integration is essential for effective use and understanding of geospatial technologies.
How can integration between different departments enable better Geospatial Adoption?
The issue of departments working in silos is partly due to the industry’s influence, aiming to secure a niche within specific departments to edge out competitors.
This leads to a culture of secrecy and copyright claims over data. The solution isn’t purely technological but requires a strong legal framework, amendments in laws like disaster management, and land records to integrate technology and ensure data democratization and public availability. Addressing the root causes is key.
Industry should stop creating departmental silos to secure business, and encourage data sharing and Government should establish a strong legal framework for data sharing and democratization.
There is a lot of duplication of efforts. How can that be reduced?
Duplication stems from departments creating and using similar data independently.
Establishing and implementing a hierarchy of data, with land records as the base layer and subsequent attribute data tailored for different departments, can mitigate this issue.
This approach promotes efficiency and reduces redundancy.
Given the critical role of high-quality geospatial data in various fields like disaster response and urban planning, how important is the accuracy of data?
The focus should not solely be on the quantity of data but on its organization within GIS systems. Effective layering within GIS ensures data is easily accessible and retrievable, regardless of its size.
It’s about structuring data in a way that enhances usability and accessibility for all users, thereby maximizing its value. Proper data organization and layering within GIS platforms are crucial for easy retrieval and utilization. Data size is less of a concern compared to organization and accessibility.
