Introduction
“We look forward to India emerging as a mapping power, creating next generation indigenous maps of India and taking these new technologies to the rest of the world.”
It was heartening to read this statement in the press release from the Department of Science & Technology (GoI) on 15th Feb 2021. The Revised Mapping Guidelines, in its entirety, can be accessed here. For an in-depth explanation of the press release - you may read these articles published in The Times of India, Mint and Hindustan Times respectively.
Update: the Government of India released its Policy Notification for Drone Rules on 25th August 2021. India's Drone Policy is subject to regular revisions - and this release was received by the stakeholders favorably. Read the interpretation of the policy here.
The Context
The Mapping Sector in India has remained highly-regulated since the British times. For example, the Survey of India is the only agency legally permitted to survey and map the country. And in case you wish to procure Satellite Imagery, you will have to submit a request for the same to the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) who will acquire/source it on your behalf - processing each request takes considerable time often running into several months.
Because the creation and dissemination of authoritative geospatial data is restricted, it also fosters a black market for it - for example up-to-date Point of Interest datasets such as the location and details of all shops in a particular city are sold for INR 5 million or more to willing and deep-pocketed buyers who use this location datasets to expand their dominance in the market.
The Mapping Sector in some of the other major economies is much deregulated in comparison. A variety of datasets and imagery are acquired, updated, and disseminated by both, the government as well as private entities and institutions. For example, in the USA, one can obtain datasets for Household ownership of Selfie Sticks aggregated at County-level which can be used by researchers to establish whether it has any influence on citizens coming out to vote!
In India, besides the decennially-published Census data, there is an acute paucity of reliable national or regional geospatial datasets. For example, the next Census is due this year (2021) which means if I want to perform demographic or socio-economic analysis for a district using publicly available information today, I would be compelled to use the outdated 2011 Census data or some projections derived using it.
These new Mapping Sector reforms give an impetus to Indian organizations to create, update and disseminate geodata and is anticipated to foster competition and innovation, thereby bringing more and quality offerings to the consumers of such datasets. What constitutes high-quality Geodata? you may wonder. Below are some characteristics which accompany such datasets-
when the geodata has a high Temporal Resolution - i.e. it is frequently acquired and/or updated. This allows one to perform more relevant spatiotemporal analysis.
when the geodata has a high Spatial Resolution i.e. it is granular in nature/aggregated at a micro- geographic level. (Do you know that ISRO's Cartosat-3 Satellite acquires Imagery with a spatial resolution of 0.25 metres per pixel? It was the highest in the world at the time of its launch)
when the geodata is 3-dimensional i.e. it has Z values corresponding to Elevation/Depth which makes the dataset informationally-richer
The Role of these Reforms
The Mapping Sector Reforms are in line with the current government's Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India). In the Mapping sector, there is a near-monopoly of heavyweights such as Google, NASA and Planet Labs and it would benefit the nation economically and strategically if home-grown enterprises gain traction and reduce the dependence on these organizations. The winds of change have already started blowing - ISRO, India's national space agency, has recently tied up with MapmyIndia, a private organization, to offer an indigenous Satellite-based Mapping service which would be an Indian alternative to Google Maps, Bing Maps and Apple Maps.
Even the adoption of NavIC - India's Regional Navigation Satellite System and an alternative to USA's popular Global Positioning System (GPS) is going mainstream after the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recognized and included it as part of the World-Wide Radio Navigation System. This development offers Indian Mapping organizations an attractive opportunity to develop an ecosystem around it - manufacturing of Telecommunication Chips, Receivers, Network Service, Analytics, and so on. More than 2,000 Trains in the country already have NavIC installed and Realme recently became the first mobile handset manufacturer to offer a smartphone bundled with NavIC.
Which industries can benefit from these Reforms?
Virtually any industry/sector can benefit from these Reforms - strategic sectors such as Defense, Infrastructure, Logistics and Agriculture are some of the prime beneficiaries as these reforms would allow private entities to capture high resolution Street Maps (< 1m spatial resolution) - which was prohibited prior. Agencies involved Smart City projects, Law Enforcement, Public Transport and Healthcare would also be able to improve their operations, performance and coverage. Organizations in the private sector would be able to create, obtain and update Location Datasets much more conveniently than before and they can utilize it for market research purposes, for example, to address questions like Where do I locate my new store?, Where do I procure my Raw Material from? etc.
Besides Land geodata, significant opportunities are also expected to arise for the acquisition of Marine geodata - the Government of India has allocated nearly INR 6,000 crores for its ambitious Deep Ocean Mission project which envisages exploration of minerals, energy and marine diversity of the underwater world, a vast part of which still remains unexplored.
Is everything going to be rosy?
Government regulations for the creation and dissemination of geodata, which were an impediment, have now been relaxed. It remains to be seen how quickly the Indian Mapping sector can activate its dormant capabilities. Just like Rome wasn't built in a day, it is anticipated that India will take some time to get up to speed with its global peers. However, in my opinion, these Reforms were desperately needed and is definitely a huge step in the right direction.
ABOUT US
Intelloc Mapping Services, Kolkata | Mapmyops.com offers Mapping services that can be integrated with Operations Planning, Design and Audit workflows. These include but are not limited to Drone Services, Subsurface Mapping Services, Location Analytics & App Development, Supply Chain Services, Remote Sensing Services and Wastewater Treatment. The services can be rendered pan-India and will aid your organization to meet its stated objectives pertaining to Operational Excellence, Sustainability and Growth.
Broadly, the firm's area of expertise can be split into two categories - Geographic Mapping and Operations Mapping. The Infographic below highlights our capabilities-
Our Mapping for Operations-themed workflow demonstrations can be accessed from the firm's Website / YouTube Channel and an overview can be obtained from this brochure. Happy to address queries and respond to documented requirements. Custom Demonstration, Training & Trials are facilitated only on a paid-basis. Looking forward to being of service.
Regards,