From the era of hand-drawn maps to GPS mapping, we have come a long way in profiling the Earth’s geographic data. Cartography has evolved to a completely new form. Courtesy, the advancements in geospatial technology made it possible to make accurate measurements at a minuscule scale, and that too with least of the possible error. With the ever-increasing use of geospatial technology in almost every domain— agriculture, healthcare, disaster management, climate change, forestry, logistics, climate change studies, defense, resource management, etc.— its significance is realized today as never before.
India has an advanced remote sensing and geospatial knowledge ecosystem. Geospatial technology and its myriad application generate a huge set of data and information that needs to be managed and utilized in the best possible way for the welfare of humanity and for meeting the ongoing and emerging challenges. The 73rd Constitutional amendment provided for integrating geospatial technology into local-level planning. Geospatial lies at the core of India’s vision of becoming a USD 10 Trillion Economy by 2030.
The National Geospatial Policy 2021, and the Draft Space Bill are to provide a push to geospatial technology and leverage growth across various sectors of the economy. The geospatial data is to be used for planning and monitoring in such a manner that India realizes its sustainable development goals. The integrated geospatial data is used for the scalability of applications and amplification of impact benefitting all the stakeholders. Geospatial has become the base for innovation in mission-mode projects like National Infrastructure Pipeline, National Hydrology Project, PM Gati Shakti – National masterplan for multimodal connectivity, Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), etc. Thus geospatial technology and the information generated have an ever-increasing role in all sectors of the economy and have an indispensable role in the three pillars of sustainable development—Economy, Social and Environmental.