MAY-JUNE 2022 » VOLUME 01 » ISSUE 01
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SVAMITVA Scheme: GOI leverages UAVs technology to map settlement area and provide property land rights documents to owners to revolutionize rural economy
INSIDE Vision Interview: ISRO Chief S Somanth Punjab & Haryana Groundwater Policy Worsened Air Pollution in Delhi GIS for Gender Equality
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VOLUME: 01 / ISSUE: 01
CONTENT
Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Kumar Managing Editor Prof. Arup Dasgupta
COVER STORY / 18
NATIONAL SECURITY, SOVEREIGNTY AND GEOSPATIAL KNOWLEDGE FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: THE INDIA STORY
Consulting Editor Nishi Malhotra Sr. Associate Editor Jitendra Choubey Assistant Editor Priya Chadha
Mapping and cartography are one of the oldest technologies in India. These further reinforced during the British era through establishment of various institutions. Even after Independence, government has played a critical role in its development. Now, It has transformed into a full-fledged geospatial industry.
CORNER OFFICE
14 / G reg Bentley,
CEO, Bentley Systems
IN PERSPECTIVE
36 / Genesys Approach: Urban Spatial Digital Twin
Chief Designer Subhash Kumar Visualizer Pradeep Chauhan
INTERVIEW
32 / Alok Prem Nagar
Joint Secretary, MoPR
34 / B A Ansari
Founder of Roter
38 / G IS for Gender Equality 46 / A gri-Drones for Next Generation Farming
GROUND REPORTING
Secretary, Department of Space, and Chairman, ISRO
54 / G en. VK Singh
Minister of State Road & Transport & Highways
26 / B ankable Property A Way to Economic Empowerment of Villages
60 / R akesh Verma 48 / P unjab & Haryana
Groundwater Policy
REGULAR FEATURES
04 / Editorial 06 / Geospatial News Disclaimer
40 / D r S Somanath,
Founder and Managing Director of MapmyIndia
EXPERT OPINION
51 / T iding Over Climate Crisis via Geospatial Data Refinery
56 / G eospatial Industry: Driving Force Behind India's growth
Geospatial Artha does not necessarily subscribe to the views expressed in the publication. All views expressed in this issue are those of the contributors. Geospatial World is not responsible for any loss to anyone due to the information provided. Owner, Publisher & Printer: Sanjay Kumar Printed at Virtika Offset Printers, C-389 Sector 10, Noida - 201 301, G.B. Nagar (UP) India Publication Address A - 145, Sector - 63, Noida, India, Geospatial World: The edition contains 64 pages including cover. Geospatial Media and Communications Pvt. Ltd. A - 145, Sector - 63, Noida, India Tel + 91-120-4612500, Fax +91-120-4612555/666
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EDITORIAL NOTE
Prof. Arup Dasgupta
arup@geospatialworld.net Managing Editor
The future for Geospatial systems in India is bright
W
elcome to the India Edition. A sense of deja vu prevails because just 25 years ago ‘GIS@Development’ had debuted as a Geospatial magazine for Indian readers. A mere eight-page magazine grew and became a much sought after magazine for readers in government, industry, academia, NGOs and students. The over time, it spawned many regional editions which finally subsumed into the flagship Geospatial World - a magazine of international repute. Indian news was covered but the need to tell the Indian Geospatial story was always felt. India is a sub-continent. Australia, USA, Russia and China too are spread across continents but India is different in terms of its geography, population and culture. Cartography, a fundamental basis of geospatial systems, had developed in India many centuries ago and was reinforced and developed further as India became a colony of the British Empire. The British knew that governing a country of the size of India called for the best in science and technology. Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India and Geological Survey of India are a few of those early institutions set up by the British that are still going strong. In recent times, India has built many new institutions around advances in technology and applications. However, geospatial applications remained fettered by ancient laws that hindered instead of enabling a developing nation. A year ago, the Government started a move to overcome this limitation by introducing radical changes. Simultaneously, it has created an environment that takes key technologies like Space out of the sole ambit
GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
of Government departments and institutions and encourages private industry and young entrepreneurs to take the plunge into these exciting areas through many new policies for Space, Geospatial data, Data acquisition and applications. While the government has so far funded these activities, now funds are coming from private and angel investors as well which flow to industry and entrepreneurs. India has a tradition of applying technology to leap-frog into a modern world. Having studied the experience of other nations in applying technology, India is able to build on this and come up with unique solutions for its unique problems. Thus the technologies of Space applications in communications, broadcasting, position location and timing and remote sensing were adopted in various departments and enterprises to improve their functioning and enter new areas. Advances in digital technologies have also given rise to sea changes in the way institutions and individuals communicate, share and transact business. Digital and Space have become so intertwined that it is difficult to separate the two. SVAMITRA and DLRIMP are typical example of how digital technologies, Location and Remote Sensing are coming to the aid of solutions for the ages old problem of delineating properties. The future for Geospatial systems in India is bright. There are enough and more problems to be solved. The key is to remember that what is needed are solutions and not only technology per se. Geospatial Artha will, every two months, bring stories of ideas that will drive India forward. Stories to energise and enrich our readers.
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NEWS ONEWEB TURNS TO ISRO FOR SATELLITE LAUNCH
OneWeb, the low-earth orbit satellite communications company has inked a pact with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), an ISRO commercial arm, to launch its satellites from Sriharikota spaceport by year-end. The launch will add to OneWeb’s total in-orbit constellation of 428 satellites, 66% of the planned total fleet, to build a global network that will deliver high-speed, low-latency
connectivity. The announcement follows a series of sanctions slapped on Kremlin over Ukraine invasion. Three days prior to the launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Dmitry Rozhogin, Roscosmos director-general, threatened to ban OneWeb satellites from flying aboard Soyuz rockets if the UK government didn’t give up its stakes in OneWeb, which did not happen.
PARL PANEL BATS FOR REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGY FOR MONITORING IRRIGATION PROJECTS
GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
Abandonment by Russia and censured within the UK impelled OneWeb to explore alternative options. The company chose to launch from its rival company Space X falcon rocket. After Space X, NSIL is the second company with which OneWeb has signed an agreement. In the past three years, NSIL has launched 45 global satellites aboard ISRO’s PSLV, generating a revenue of $35 million.
The Public Account Committee (PAC) – a parliamentary standing committee, has made recommendations to the Ministry of Jal Shakti (Water Resource) to use satellite imageries from the National Remote Sensing Centre to effectively monitor irrigation projects. The committee, in its report, pointed out financial irregularities related to the accelerated irrigation benefits program (AIBP). Under this project, the Central government provides financial aid to state governments to speed up the implementation of irrigation projects. “The committee feels that the effective use of satellite imageries and ground information will go a long way in monitoring irrigation potential and therefore, desires that the ministry should take all possible steps to effectively reduce the variations between satellite imageries and field verifications by working with the remote sensing authorities” the report said. The PAC observed that the project implementation is not up to the mark due to inordinate delay in detailed project reports (DPRs). Money allocation to a project without a DPR also raised eyebrows.
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NEWS JAMMU GETS INDIA’S SECOND SPACE TRAINING CENTER
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space, and Central University of Jammu (CUJ) have jointly established a Space Science
Center for conducting research in space science and technology in Central University, Jammu. The centre has been named after renowned space scientist, teacher, and former chairman, ISRO, Prof. Satish Dhawan, who hailed from Valley. Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (MoS) for Space, said that the Satish Dhawan Space Science Center would open up new vistas in the region for academicians, industrialists, and start-ups in the space domain. He also opined that space
DISHANK APP TO CHECK LAND FRAUD
Dishank survey app is the brainchild of the Karnataka government. The mobile application helps one find information about land properties located anywhere in the state. The information is largely about land ownership, extent and type of land, court stay, and any restriction related to land. The app aims at helping buyers check property frauds. For instance, those interested in buying a property can find out if it is alienated or part of lake bed, forest, government land, record of rights, tenancy, etc. It superimposes survey numbers of all properties on a satellite map. The app consists of links of geo-referenced maps of villages in the state, which are linked to state land records available in the Bhoomi database. It gives details of land once the survey number is fed. A user can stand on a piece of land and open the app to check its detailed status — whether the land is a part of lake bed or under any restriction. Android and iOS users can download the app for free. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
applications cut across all the technology domains, and space will become an unavoidable technology in the years to come. The centre houses labs/facilities related to geospatial data analysis, materials, astrophysics, natural disasters, and avionics. It was inaugurated by Dr Singh in the presence of Somanath S, chairman, ISRO/Secretary, DOS, Dr K Radhakrishnan, former chairman, ISRO, and member, Space Commission, and Prof. Sanjeev Jain, VC-CUJ, on March 12, 2022.
GPS COMES TO RESCUE OF ENDANGERED TURTLE Geospatial technology has come to the rescue of the most endangered species of turtle in the world – Batagur baska (10 Northern River Terrapin). This species of riverine turtle is native to Southeast Asia and is classified “Critically Endangered” by the IUCN, and considered extinct in much of its former range. In January this year, the global positioning system (GPS)-enabled turtles were released into the wild from a breeding center in the Sunderbans in West Bengal. By February-end, four of them had crossed the international boundary by traveling hundreds of kilometers and reached Bangladeshi waters. Fishermen in Bangladesh found the turtles and dismantled the GPS transmitter, which had helpline number. The fishermen were told to hand over the turtle to the nearest forest office in Khulna, Bangladesh. This prompted the Sundarban Tiger Reserve and Turtle Survival Alliance of India to take up a joint conservation. Currently, the Royal Bengal Tiger conservation is the only joint work carried out by both countries. The Sunderbans is the world's largest mangrove delta formed by the Ganga and Brahmaputra.
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NEWS GIS FOR BETTER POLICING IN CHENNAI
The Chennai police, probably the first in the country, have decided to use geographic information system (GIS) technology to map crime
hotspots to provide better policing to make Chennai a safe city. They created a virtual map of the city, demarcating jurisdiction of police stations that often get blurred, other important places such as religious sites, hospitals, railway stations, bus stands, educational institutions and traffic signals. Data from different sources of last five years such as first information reports, community service register from police stations, call data from control rooms of emergency helplines such as 100, 112, 1098, 1091 and 181, Kavalan SoS app will be plotted on virtual map to understand and analyse the trends and patterns of crimes, and law-and-order issues. Thousands of cameras have been installed and programmed to flag the control room in case of a panic situation or overcrowding at a particular spot.
54 CHINESE APPS ON INDIA’S BAN LIST
TAIWAN-BUILT INSPIRESAT-1 BLASTS OFF TO SPACE
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology banned 54 more Chinese apps on February 14 this year. In all, 321 Chinese apps have been banned over border tension in May-June, 2020. Under Section 69(A) of the IT Act, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) requested that the apps be banned due to security reasons. According to the ministry, the 54 apps reportedly collected sensitive information from users and gained critical permissions from them. In addition to being misused, these transferred real-time data to hostile countries. These apps allow them to assemble large quantities of personal data to collect, analyze, and profile to harm India's sovereignty and integrity. Some of these applications could be used to spy and perform surveillance activities by using a camera or a microphone, gaining access to the GPS location, and doing malicious network activities similar to previously blocked apps.
INSPIREsat-1 (IS-1) entered orbit on Valentine's Day after blasting off from India's Satish Dhawan Space Center at 5.59am. As part of two rideshare payloads on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), IS-1 carried a radar imaging satellite. The IS-1 satellite began transmitting signals as soon as it blasted off from its launch vehicle at 9.30am (Taiwan time). Scientific cube satellite IS-1 was developed as part of INSPIRE, an international consortium of colleges and universities with space science programs. Taiwan's National Central University (NCU), India's Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, and the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) developed the small satellite. Its developers claim the satellite will improve our understanding of ionosphere dynamics and coronal heating. Chang Chi-wei, professor at NCU and project leader of IS-1, revealed that the Taiwanese team developed the satellite's Compact Ionospheric Probe (CIP), while LASP developed the Dual-zone Aperture X-ray Solar Spectrometer with NASA’s aid.
GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
NEWS INDIAN GOVT TO MAP 6 LAKH VILLAGES USING GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY
Over 6 lakh villages and 100 cities are being mapped in India using drones and geospatial technology under the SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping in Village Areas with Improvised Technology) project. Union Minister
for Science, Technology, and Space Dr. Jitendra Singh announced that the government would create pan-Indian 3D maps. He said the Prime Minister believes in breaking taboos — whether it is opening up the space sector to private players, setting up joint ventures in atomic energy or implementing the drone policy. The Panchayati Raj Ministry implements the project, and the PM announced it in April 2020. As a result of the updated guidelines, private companies can prepare a wide range of maps without needing to seek approval from a host of ministries, thereby simplifying the use of drones and the development of applications using location mapping.
INDIA'S LARGEST AGRITECH – DEHAAT — RAISES $115 MILLION
GPS-ENABLED EMERGENCY CALL BOXES ON HIGHWAYS
Agritech start-up, DeHaat, which offers a full suite of agricultural services to Indian farmers, has raised $115 million for its latest funding round. Sofina and Lightrock led the 10-year-old start-up's Series D funding round. Besides, Temasek, Prosus Ventures, RTP Global, Sequoia Capital India and FMO also participated in the new round, which brings the company's to date total to $161 million ($157 million of that in the last 30 months). With DeHaat, which means village in Hindi, farmers in India (and elsewhere) can solve three of the biggest challenges they face: working capital, acquiring agri-input items such as seeds and fertilizers, and finding buyers for produce. Indian farmers sell only about a third of their harvest to the big markets. Founded in Gurgaon and Patna, the start-up brings together brands that sell agricultural input products, institutional financiers, and buyers on one platform. It also works with more than 3,000 micro-entrepreneurs for last-mile delivery and aggregation. Additionally, the start-up operates an eponymous Android app that can be accessed in multiple languages and functions as a helpline for farmers.
For emergencies, GPS-enabled boxes have been installed at highways, outer ring roads and toll plazas in Telangana for road users seeking immediate assistance. The box called “Save Our Soul” (SOS) has been placed every 200-300 meters, and commuters can seek immediate assistance from the local authorities. These are connected to the nearest police station and control room. Each orange-colored emergency calling box has a number. As soon as the user presses the emergency button on the SOS system, the camera is automatically activated on the pole, and the device is connected to the nearest control room. Besides, ambulances and patrolling vehicles are alerted, and authorized persons receive a box number message. This device does not require an internet connection. Sadly, these boxes are not being used due to lack of awareness. NHAI is looking for more places to install these devices. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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NEWS NSIL TO TRANSFER ITS IMS-1 SATELLITE PLATFORM TO SUITABLE ENTREPRENEURS IN INDIA
The Department of Space (DoS) has asked the space public sector undertaking, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), to transfer technology of the small satellite platform — Indian Mini Satellite-1 (IMS-1) Bus, developed by the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) through an interest exploratory note (IEN). The platform will enable low-cost
access to space by providing a dedicated platform for payloads for various types of satellite services such as earth imaging, ocean and atmospheric studies, microwave remote sensing, and space science missions with a quick turnaround time. The IMS-1 series was first launched in 2008 as co-passenger of Cartosat-2A .The IMS-1 bus has
been developed as a versatile bus of 100kg class with payload capability of around 30kg. The bus has been developed using various miniaturization techniques. A satellite bus or spacecraft bus is a model on which satellites or spacecraft are often based. The bus is the infrastructure of the spacecraft that provides locations for payload.
CENTRE, ISRO COLLABORATE TO LAUNCH DEEP OCEAN MISSION
The Ministry of Earth Sciences in March announced the launch of Rs 4,077-crore Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). It has collaborated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (lSRO) for the mission’s implementation for a period of five years (20212026). The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
developing a manned submersible capable of carrying three persons to 6,000m ocean depth. At Parliament, Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, said that the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of ISRO is developing a titanium alloy human sphere of 2.1m diameter for the manned
submersible. The mission aims to explore deep-oceanic resources and develop technologies for their sustainable use, besides generating livelihood sources. On overexploitation of the marine resources by corporate houses, Dr Singh, in early February, said nothing of the sort would happen and that the DOM would not affect the livelihood of fishermen in the country.
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CORNER OFFICE
Digital Twin Enables Cloud Environment for Visibility, Viability, and Connectivity The value of a Digital Twin is an exponential function of how much we can connect. By synchronizing the virtual and the physical, we get all-round connectedness. Digital Twins can connect workflows and help solve a lot of pressing challenges, and make us future-ready, says Greg Bentley, CEO, Bentley Systems. COVID has accelerated the ongoing trend of digitalization. Do you see this trend continuing in a post-pandemic world? At the beginning of the pandemic, we were compelled to virtualize all our organizations globally, including those in India. Initially, the pace was slow and we faced enormous inflection. But now that all of us can work virtually, the infrastructure engineering organizations of the world have actually recognized they have more opportunities and benefits this way. They can work on any project or asset from anywhere in the world without the constraint of location. The trends in 2020 were driven by immediate necessity. Post 2021, we have been able to apply this notion of future-proofing our workflows through digitalization, as our infrastructure can get challenged any time by sudden shocks and disruptions, such as the pandemic. “Building Back Better” is a phrase that is commonly used today. In general, it’s a timely reminder of the necessity of resilience in workflows. Unanticipated disruptions are not GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
CORNER OFFICE
Many things have changed irretrievably because of the pandemic. Going forward, digitalization will be more crucial. The role of Digital Twins will be further enhanced with simulation, visibility, and analytics. Metaverse is the new buzzword, where, with the help of our digital context, digital components, and digital chronology, we can review, predict, and experiment with all that makes up a Digital Twin. Today, we are better prepared for resilient infrastructure, because we achieved resilience in our infrastructure engineering functions and organizations during the pandemic. We coped with something we didn’t anticipate, and we will attune our infrastructure even more against future shocks. The construction industry was earlier resistant to digitalization but today digitalization is ubiquitous; and we are seeing innovations taking place around, as they are called, connected constructions and live connections. In this context, what are the technology innovations around infrastructure digitalization that you foresee? The virtual and the physical converge in a Digital Twin, but how this is actually implemented is, of course, always changing. Our engineering approaches and plans are also always changing. Synchronizing all these changes is crucial to achieving connectedness in the construction workflow. The value of a Digital Twin is the main exponential function of how much we can connect.
Connecting Digital Twins to construction is important because almost all design today is done on 3D BIM. One of the problems that emerges here is of what-if scenarios and that the intelligence that has gone into the simulations used in the BIM process is abandoned. And because the construction model won’t be captured, or the design model won’t be updated as built, connecting it all together in a Digital Twin can solve that problem. We made our first India specific acquisition in 2021. Construction in India is quite different [from the West] due to labor and supply-chain centric issues, but to have 4D construction underlie all of it, while the project controls can be specific, is what we think we have accomplished. To bring in advanced BIM and GIS we don’t need to start all over again. We don’t need to replace anything but only bring all of it together in a cloud environment for visibility and connectedness. In December, we held our annual Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure virtually, where our user organizations nominate their projects for consideration by juries. Among the 19 categories of infrastructure advancement, three finalists were from India, and one of the winners was also from India. A project from India was also a Founders’ Honoree recipient. The finalist in the Roads and Highways category was Larsen & Toubro Construction, for their Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway project. If you look into the playbook of what they put together, it started with Bentley’s MicroStation and OpenRoads designer. They also used OpenBridge for modeling and OpenFlows for drainage, and then
Digital Twins can connect workflows and help solve a lot of pressing challenges and make us future ready. For instance, in India, where all infrastructure funding is about integrated planning, Digital Twins provide connectedness across infrastructure and help us overcome past barriers and obsolete approaches that were isolated and disconnected. The Digital Twin advances both BIM (building information modeling) and GIS; it doesn’t supersede them. The Digital Twin is a cloud service that semantically opens, relates, and synchronizes models, drawings, maps, and terrain to something that can be queried and then be opened up to analytics.
Larsen & Toubro have designed and built a 23.7-kilometer section of a 1,350-kilometer, eight-lane expressway between Delhi and Mumbai. To model the complex plan, they created a 3D model, which helped to accurately model the area and overcome terrain challenges. The collaborative model simplified the layout, resolved clashes with existing assets, led to an optimized design, and reduced resource hours by 25 percent. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
Image Credit: L&T, Transportation Infrastructure IC.
just limited to the pandemic or localized outbreaks in some parts of the world, they can also be violent flare-ups or natural disasters. In order to curtail such disruptions and pave the way for a world that is equipped to withstand shocks, climate adaptation and energy transition are crucial.
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CORNER OFFICE acquire operated 3D models through autonomous inspection, drone surveys, street-level surveys, etc., for our cities. We can then process them into as-operated 3D models. We haven’t yet fully discovered the prioritized use cases but we are confident of their viability in the long term.
Image Credit: Louis Berger SAS (A WSP Company)
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For instance, in its Smart Reality 3D city landscape project for Mumbai, Genesis International used a proof-of-concept project that goes beyond Desktop GIS. They used Bentley’s ContextCapture software for reality modeling and our Orbit platform for 3D and 4D cloud-based immersion. This proved the feasibility of getting to a cloud-based solution.
Uttarakhand’s first major railway infrastructure to facilitate better connectivity, the broad-gauge 125 km railway includes a record 125-meter bridge span crossing the River Ganges in a highly seismic zone. To streamline communication and minimize risks and project costs, Louis Berger established a connected data environment. Bentley’s integrated digital applications enabled them to complete the project while saving significant resource hours.
LumenRT for the 4D visualization. This brought comprehensive workflow to a roadways project spread over 2,324 km on an unstable ravine. Applying Digital Twins technology in a connected way is already making a difference and is a leap toward world-class infrastructure.
Again, in a gas distribution project in Anand, Gujarat, Genesis International used the same toolkit and Bentley OpenUtilities environment to digitize the network, and ended up with what they call a web-based open source network for real-time insights. These are examples of steps taken toward converging Digital Cities and Digital Twins. One important use-case accelerated by the pandemic has been mobility simulation, especially multimodal mobility simulation. Through acquisitions over the last few years, Bentley is now a global leader in multimodal mobility simulation. Our LEGION software environment was used for the Kumbh Mela Festival in 2017 for pedestrian simulation, but now the scope has been further expanded with our CUBE simulation.
Greg Bentley Interview
Rapid advancements in technology have also led to an increase in the gap between available technology and the user industry. Is it right to say that technology is outpacing customer demand and uptake? There is this advancement gap between what’s possible and what the norm is in most projects. But that can be bridged. Take the case of India. I firmly believe that India can leapfrog the pace of Digital Twin adoption. At the onset of the pandemic, India lagged behind in virtualization and digitalization, but very swiftly it not only caught up and raced ahead but is also one of the fastest countries in terms of growth over the pre-pandemic period.
A great case in point is the mobility models for Mumbai in view of the several lockdown phases and how that changed mobility use. Mobility simulation is always interesting in India because of the creative use of lane capacity. But these models take account of the value of time for decision-makers. And then you also have the notion of trip chaining in India, where you might use a taxi to get to a metro, then cycle to the final destination, and so forth. That’s a challenge that can only be answered with these multimodal simulations that we are best at now in Bentley Systems.
How do you see a convergence between Digital Twins and these connected, Smart Digital Cities?
So, in Mumbai, we added the pedestrian simulations for train stations, metros, and so forth, and their social distancing aspects. This was a timely contribution that we made to increase the fitness and resilience of the infrastructure.
It’s very interesting to see how Digital Twins converge with what we call Digital Cities. We can
We are now ready to bring all this together when we have 3D and 4D as-operated city models.
GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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COVER STORY
National Security, Sovereignty and Geospatial Knowledge for Social Development: The India Story India is fortunate to have had governments that have always supported science and technology for development, and today, geospatial systems are playing an increasingly critical role in providing relevant information for developmental efforts. By Arup Dasgupta
T
here are many government institutions, private players, and non-government organizations (NGOs) active in the field of geospatial systems and applications in India. However, there are many issues which, at times,
Forest Cover map of India GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
thwart the best efforts of these bodies — legacy issues, resistance to change, turf battles, and outdated policies. At the policy level, the government is bringing forward enabling legislation, which attempts to do away with the shibboleths of ancient national security
regimes. It does so by bringing in fresh laws that are more in sync with modern technologies and address important issues of data sovereignty and national security, without compromising development goals for a sustainable society.
Geospatial Infrastructure Historically, mapping and cartography in India are very old technologies dating back to the pre-British era, which were reinforced during the British era. Late Professor B. Arunachalam of Bombay University wrote a book on early Indian cartography for the Indian National Cartographic Association, which is an important reference source for readers interested in this topic. Other useful historical references dating back to the 19th century are District Gazetteers, one for each district, which maintained spatial and descriptive records of local history, society, assets, and infrastructure. Organizations before Independence To begin with, there were seven remarkable institutions that were already working in the spatial domain as of 1947. They were Survey of India (established in 1767), Geological Survey of India (1851), Marine Survey of India established in 1874 at Kolkata
COVER STORY (it became the National Hydrographic Office in 1997), India Meteorology Department (1875), Botanical Survey of India (1890), Zoological Survey of India (1916), and Central Waterways, Irrigation and Navigation Commission established in 1945 (now the Central Water Commission under the Jal Shakti ministry). These seven institutions have created and continue to create enormous amounts of data in their respective domains. These data sets were meant to be used internally but with the proliferation of geospatial activities they may become shareable.
Data generating organizations formed in independent India Over time, many more institutions were added as newer requirements for thematic mapping, spatial analytics and decision-support through new technologies came to the fore. In 1956, the National Atlas Organisation was set up in Kolkata. It was renamed as National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) in 1978 and it now operates under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). It provides thematic maps to the geospatial community. Agriculture is the most important area of work in India. All India Soil Survey Organisation was set up in 1956 in the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and later became the National Bureau of Soil Survey Land Use Planning, NBSSLUP, under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 1976. Soil and Land Use Survey of India (SLUSI) was earlier All India Soil and Land Use Survey (AISLUS), established in 1958. While SLUSI addresses the catchment areas, NBSSLUP
looks at the command areas of major projects. Central Ground Water Board was established in 1970 by renaming the Exploratory Tubewells Organisation under the Ministry of Agriculture. It was merged with the Ground Water Wing of the Geological Survey of India in 1972. In 1965, a project on the Pre-Investment Survey of Forest Resources (PISFR), using aerial photography to map forest areas, resulted in the setting up of the Indian Photo-interpretation Institute (IPI) in1966 under the aegis of Survey of India (SOI). The PISFR project became the Forest Survey of India in 1981. FSI, among others activities, provides the State of Indian Forests report every year.
Remote sensing organizations In 1962, India began its nascent space activities under Indian National Committee for Space Research, which were transferred to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969. In 1971, the Department of Space was formed with ISRO as its R&D wing. ISRO took up the development of launchers, satellites for communications and remote sensing, and proof of concept satellite data
based applications were taken up with various departments and ministries of the government. In 1974, the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) was set up under DST to receive and market Landsat data and conduct applications projects. In the 1980s, NRSA was transferred to the Department of Space and in 2008 it became a part of ISRO as the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). IPI was transferred to NRSA in 1980 and became the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing in 1983. Since 2011 it has become an independent unit of ISRO and is one of the most important institutes for capacity building in geospatial technologies. In 1971, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) was set up to further scientific and technical research in India. Survey of India and NATMO are institutions attached to DST. The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) is also a unit of DST and is managed by Survey of India. The Department of Science and Technology, along with DOS, is spearheading the evolution of geospatial data policies that are in sync with modern requirements.
Earthstar Geographics – INCOIS Earth Observations Networks; Source: https://incois.gov. in/portal/OON.jsp GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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COVER STORY The Department of Ocean Development (DOD) was created in July 1981 as a nodal institution for organizing, coordinating and promoting ocean development activities in the country. It was upgraded to the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in 2006. Their flagship body is the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO), under which are the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, and the National Institute for Ocean Technology. The Ministry of Earth Sciences provides services for weather, climate, ocean and coastal state, hydrology, seismology, and natural hazards. It explores and harnesses marine living and non-living resources in a sustainable manner for the country. It also conducts exploration of the Arctic and Antarctica. Many private entrepreneurs are also in the field to provide new data sources like hyperspectral imaging constellations and combined optical and SAR data sets.
Organizations using geospatial data There are many organizations that use geospatial data for their work. One of the biggest users is the defense forces. Among the others, the Ministry of Agriculture conducts inventory of crop production through its Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre. The Ministry of Rural Development addresses many issues, one of them being the modernization of land records. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change is also a major user of geospatial systems for environGEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
Source: www.nrsc.gov.in
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Indian Missions Data Products, RS2A LISS3, Mumbai
mental monitoring. The Central Pollution Control Board set up in 1974 and the Forest Survey of India work under this ministry. Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO), set up in 1962, operates under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and is responsible for Smart Cities. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas includes the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, which is a major user of geospatial technologies for exploration. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Ministry of Railways also use geospatial systems for planning and monitoring. This is not an exhaustive list but it is enough to give an idea of the spread of applications where geospatial systems play a part. Of late, many entrepreneurs have entered the field of applications of geospatial data; they provide integrated solutions to government, banks, private industries, and communities like those of farmers and fishermen.
Data and data analytics With the launch of EOS-4, India has added yet another Earth Observation satellite to its constellation. India is covered by sensors stretching from the visible to microwave bands.
There are passive sensors like optical cameras and microwave radiometers, as well as active sensors like Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Scatterometers. Apart from these, there are aerial sensors that provide data as required. Lidar, Airborne SAR, and digital imaging cameras are part of the ensemble. Supplementing these are in-situ sensors for weather parameters, soil moisture, seismic parameters, etc., which can communicate with satellites or are attached to ground based networks like IoTs for transferring data to analysis centers. Smartphones are used for volunteered data, as well as for opportunistic data acquisition. Data analytics has progressed from simple visual or digital thematic mapping to analysis using data ensembles. Monsoon prediction and cyclone formation monitoring and tracking, and episodic weather events monitoring — all use Big Data analytics to ingest enormous amounts of real-time data coming from satellite and in-situ sensors. Crop monitoring has been using spatial statistical techniques. Crop insurance companies and banks have started using decision-support systems, which use satellite
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COVER STORY Mapping and Cartography Tradition in India Kautilya’s Arthasastra in the Maurya period recognized the relevance of land revenue collection from productive farmlands, in villages with settled population of farmers
India Meteorology Department (1875)
Botanical Survey of India (1890)
Indian Photointerpretation Institute (IPI) in1966
Central Ground Water Board 1970
Pre-Investment Survey of Forest Resources 1965
Pre-British era
Forest Survey of India in 1981
British Era
data, sensor data, financial data, and surrogate indicators in a deep learning environment. Oil and mineral exploration systems are one of the earliest users of data ensembles. Climate change mitigation and sustainable development are recent activities that are making use of GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
The Shukra Niti also talks of recognition of revenue estimation from cultivated land based on irrigated or rainfed land
Marine Survey of India 1874 (National Hydrographic Office in 1997)
In Tamil Nadu, the smallest unit used for measurement of land is a finger
Geological Survey of India (1851)
National Bureau of Soil Survey Land Use Planning 1976
Indian Space Research Organisation 1969
Survey of India (established in 1767)
Central Waterways, Irrigation and Navigation Commission 1945 (Central Water Commission)
Zoological Survey of India (1916)
All India Soil and Land Use Survey (AISLUS) 1958
Mughal land revenue administration used unit Ilahi gaz
All India Soil Survey Organisation 1956
National Remote Sensing Agency 1974
National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) 1978
Central Pollution Control Board 1974
National Atlas Organisation 1956
Town and Country Planning Organisation 1962
After Independence
the latest data acquisition and analytic techniques.
Geospatial data science While there are many institutions providing education in geospatial technologies and applications, not enough attention is being given to geospatial data science.
The sole exception to this is perhaps IIT Bombay, where some work in this area has been undertaken in collaboration with the National Spatial Data Science (NSDI) group in DST. This may be one reason why most Indians are using proprietary data formats and not paying attention to
COVER STORY For satellite data there is another draft policy for Earth Observation data from satellites, RSDP 2020. A more comprehensive National Geospatial Data Policy based on the guidelines and the Remote Sensing Data Policy are among several policies under consideration the latest developments being discussed in Open Geospatial Consortium, as well as the International Standards Organisation, Technical Committee 211. Apart from these, there are many issues that need attention at a fundamental level. There is very little research to bring in modern data science methodology like Big Data Analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning to bear on geospatial analytics. There are issues relating to traditional mapping and the capture of traditional knowledge in modern day mapping and analysis. These issues are not restricted to technical subjects only. Cognitive sciences, social issues, statistics, health, political science, and anthropology are some of the fields that remain inadequately addressed.
Impact on society The biggest impact on society has been the vast improvements in cyclone tracking and prediction of violent weather events. The number of human fatalities has been drastically reduced. While immovable property damage still occurs, the loss of movable property like livestock has been reduced. Monsoon prediction, though vastly improved, remains a gamble, perhaps due to the disturbances caused by climate change. Disaster relief and rehabilitation activities have gained enor-
mously from both geospatial and communications technologies. The National Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Home Affairs, makes extensive use of these technologies for pre- and post-disaster activities. The Prime Minister had launched a set of 160 projects across 58 ministries and departments in 2016 to operationalize the use of geospatial technologies in governance. These projects covered Earth Observation and geospatial (97), communication and navigation (30), technology development (10), meteorology (6), asset mapping and mobile applications (8), and others (9). Some of these projects also rendered support to flagship programs of the Government of India like AMRUT, Smart City, Housing for All, Clean Ganga, Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Digital India, etc. Forest Survey of India (FSI) has been mandated to produce the State of Indian Forests report every two years and the organization has been doing so using geospatial data for more than 40 years. It has kept pace with technology and currently uses IRS LISS 3 and 4 digital data for computer-based analysis. Indian Railways recently demonstrated a Train Collision Avoidance System, Kavach, which uses GPS for position location.
The Indian Coastguard also uses GPS to geo-fence India’s economic zone. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) provides fishermen information of potential fishing grounds. There are nearly 50 private companies that have created or are in the process of creating geospatial applications for commercial use like car navigation, product marketing, insurance, bank loans for farmers, etc.
Policy issues There were far too many ‘policies’ in India related to geospatial systems. There were a total of 15 national-level policies and rules, with four in draft stage, dealing with geospatial data, under as many as six ministries/ departments. The Geospatial Data Guidelines issued in February 2021 have to a large extent replaced these policies with a single guideline document. However, the document addresses the issue of maps but fails to encompass satellite data. For satellite data there is another draft policy for Earth Observation data from satellites, RSDP 2020. A more comprehensive National Geospatial Data Policy based on the guidelines and the Remote Sensing Data Policy are among several policies under consideration by the Union Cabinet. Meanwhile, some progress has been made with the guidelines. The identification of restricted attributes has been done but there are several items not addressed. Among these, the top item is contours and heights, which were restricted in the Open Series Maps. The Survey of India does provide for sale a comprehensive list of digital products in either Shapefile of GeodaGEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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COVER STORY Geospatial activities in India have a huge opportunity for growth. In 2018, the Geospatial Readiness Index (for India) was computed to be 26/40. This is very low for a country with the kind of human and technical resources available to India. tabase formats, but the crucial terrain information is provided as a raster file that completely negates the utility of the data. Similarly, the only free product are pdf files of the old OSMs (Open Series Maps), which are again of no use in practical work. It is also not clear why Survey of India does not use the vendor neutral GML (Geographic Markup Language) format developed by NSDI.
Data security This is an issue affecting all data sets, including geospatial data. While the new guidelines free up map data up to 1:4000 scale and hopefully imagery data will be cleared up to 50 cm resolution, the issue of security of data below these thresholds needs to be addressed. The guidelines are clear on the conditions and restrictions related to the use of such data. But there has to be a mechanism to track and observe that these are followed, and to swiftly detect any breaches. The National Information Security Policy and Guidelines approved in 2019 may hold some clues but there is a need to study these in the light of the Geospatial Guidelines of February 2021. The onus for this lies on the data generators and users. In India, personal data is treated very casually — if not cavalierly. The Data Protection Bill divides personal data in two parts. The bill defines personal data as that which can identify an individual. Such data has to GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
be carefully handled and suitably anonymized.
National security Recently, there was a minor brouhaha about foreign agencies using the ‘wrong’ maps of India. The primary grouse was that most such agencies show India with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Chinese Occupied Ladakh outside of India. A little digging revealed that there are digital downloadable maps of India available from Survey of India that can be used by these agencies — not that they would, but India needs to insist that they do so. However, as Indians, we too are careless. Students merrily use maps provided by Microsoft without ascertaining the correctness of the boundaries. It should be noted that digital maps of India up to 1:4000 scale are cleared for unrestricted use globally. Data sovereignty This is another much hyped and much mismanaged issue. India debars ISRO from putting their Bhuvan portal on the Cloud and forces Indian users to deal with painfully slow downloads. The reason is the need for localization of data. Though many non-governmental users load their data on Cloud servers located in India, the Government is still wary of such externally managed services. The reasons are not far to seek. The current jargon is ‘data is the new oil’, which implies that
whosoever controls data controls the world — or at least their hold on artificial intelligence. Data from India has fueled much research in foreign lands. The study of the monsoons was a major attraction and was part of the Global Atmospheric Research Program. Even the very first airborne SAR data collected over India was processed in Germany. Both Facebook and Google rely on India as a data source for their AI research. The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica actions have created worldwide consternation. As recently as this year there was an attempt by one such agency to collect soil moisture data to develop an AI model for irrigation planning.
Conclusion Geospatial activities in India have a huge opportunity for growth. In 2018, the Geospatial Readiness Index (for India) was computed to be 26/40. This is very low for a country with the kind of human and technical resources available to India. Restrictive policies, exorbitant pricing of data collected using public funds, and a general climate of suspicion and turf protection has resulted in a very geographically challenged environment. The introduction of the new geospatial guidelines and an effort to broad base data acquisition, proceeding and sharing may improve the situation. However, the follow up to these guidelines with more user-friendly processes and products is still to happen in a substantial manner — even though more than a year has passed since the guidelines were announced. It is necessary to speed up the process so that the readiness improves to a level commensurate with India’s economic, technical and professional strength.
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GROUND REPORTING
BANKABLE PROPERTY
A WAY TO ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF VILLAGES The Indian government's ambitious scheme, SVAMITVA, can be better termed as 'Zameen se Jaydaad tak'. The scheme using drone and surveying technology to map habitations and provide 'Record of Rights' to village residents across the country to trigger economic activities. Our Geospatial Artha team traveled to the hinterland of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to take stock of the ground situation. By Jitendra Choubey
A
s he moves his index finger over a white paper chart depicting granular images of irregular-sized housing roofs, curved streets, and community infrastructure, Ram Prasad Saini, a junior officer in the Uttar Pradesh State Revenue Department, claims what he is showing us are images of Umrala village in the Khurja block of Uttar Pradesh. This village, located about 100 km east of Delhi, is where he says he first completed his survey and distributed housing ownership certificates to 300 residents under SVAMITVA — Survey of Villages (Abadi) and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas, the Government’s flagship land reform scheme. The SVAMITVA scheme is to provide rural people with the right to document their residential properties so that they can use their property for economic purposes. “It is a huge task but drone technology has simplified the complex job of measuring the boundaries of every household,” says Saini. Trained in the conven-
GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
tional methods of land measurement, he says he was surprised by the quality of the drone images available now. "Drone technology is so precise that it leaves no space for human manipulation; we peacefully executed our groundtruthing work based on the map supplied by Survey of India The images are quite persuasive and helped the villagers identify their own places, roofs, walls, and streets. Drones have replaced the conventional surveying methods of chain and tape, which would have otherwise made the task slow and tedious," adds Saini.
Pioneering work The surveys are part of India's ambitious rural land reform project, SVAMITVA. Prime Minister Modi has called it one of India’s biggest land reform missions since Independence. Launched in April 2020, it aims at providing clear ownership of property to people inhabiting rural (Abadi) areas so that every homeowner in a village gets his/her own housing record document.
Photos: Gaurav Kaushik
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GROUND REPORTING
A bird's eye view of Umrala village of Uttar Pradesh. The digital map prepared under the SVAMITVA project using UAV/Drone. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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GROUND REPORTING MISSING TARGET
GoI’s ambitious target to map and provide property cards to residents of 6.62 lakh villages by 2024. But numbers show a different story.
Drone Survey villages
1,25, 679
Maps Handed Over to State
Maps provided for Enquiry
91,032
49,205
Card distributed
27,206
Source: Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Villagers also have records of their agricultural fields, which are maintained and updated by the state’s revenue department because they are a primary source of tax revenue. "In North Indian states, these agricultural field records are popularly called Khatauni," says Saini. "Now a new term, Gharauni, has been coined for the house records.” Earlier, before SVAMITVA, rural houses were separated based on common understanding between neighbors. Villagers usually erected small stones or grew trees to demarcate their housing and land. However, these methods were frequently marred by disputes. Now, under SVAMITVA, the
villagers are given accurate housing land records, which not only reduce property-related disputes but are also supposed to help villagers buy and sell property and get bank loans. This will, in the future, also help local governments make comprehensive village development plans.
How the surveys are conducted To start a drone survey, some groundwork is required. With the help of local sanitation workers, government officials put a one-foot wide lime (chuna) powder strip around the designated border of a village, based on maps from the 1960s. This border is officially called 'lal-dora' and it circles the land that is formally inhabited by the villagers. This survey does not take into
Ram Prasad Saini (Right), Junior Land Revenue Officer, shows the final map of Umrala village, Khurja block, UP, prepared under SVAMITVA scheme. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
account the houses/inhabitants outside the designated lal-dora boundary. Next, a drone is used to conduct an aerial survey from a height of approximately 400 ft. Later, the local officials receive a map for ground-truthing. Based on their feedback, a final map is released and after that the villagers receive the documents related to their housing rights.
Lagging behind target Today, drone technology has drastically reduced the time taken by manual mapping and surveying. However, on the ground, the implementing agencies are facing a shortage of manpower to meet deadlines. Saini too, faced a huge staff shortage to finish executing his task. He took up the job of visiting all 300 homes in village Umrala by foot over a period of two months, writing the owners' names on each verified roof on the map (in consultation with the villagers), completing ground surveys, finalizing documents with geo-tagging, and distributing them among all the households in the village. He was actually responsible for a total of eight villages that had been surveyed by drones already. But, although he finished his work in Umrala on time, the other eight villages are still pending. The SVAMITVA project was launched in April 2020, with the aim of finishing the survey by 2024 and providing the final property rights documents to all rural households by March of the year. In the current financial year 2021/2022, about 2.3 lakh villages in 16 states were targeted with an outlay of Rs. 200 crore. But, according to the government website, only
GROUND REPORTING 1.13 lakh villages have been surveyed ((see 'Missing Target') till now and the residents of over 27,000 villages have received property documents. "If we cannot provide help (more manpower) on the ground, this deadline will keep extending," says a senior officer, who oversees the implementation of the project, on the condition of anonymity. Also, there is a lesser availability of drones. Government procured only 300 long endurance drones – capable of staying in air for 1.5 hours, covering up to 5 km of area and producing high spatial level of resolution –from Roorkee-based company Ansari Precision Instruments Private Limited, a part of the Roter Group of Companies. “Government requires around 2500-3000 such long endurance drones to achieve its target by 2024” says Sajid Mukhtar, Chairman, Roter Group of Companies.
Other challenges Several villagers living outside the lal dora boundaries have complained about their habitats not being included in the surveying and documentation process of SVAMITVA. According to Saini, this is because only the land inside the lal dora boundary was never documented; the land outside has already been documented by the land revenue department of Uttar Pradesh. “The land outside the lal dora is either the community pond, land used for grazing cattle, or agricultural land that is already occupied
Rajbir Singh, 52, of Devan village, Hisar, Haryana, raises his concern over faulty survey and poor grievance redressal mechanism
by families and recorded with the government,” he says. The union government has made the Ministry of Panachayati Raj (MoPR) the nodal ministry to implement the project. But MoPR lacks competency in land related subjects. Keeping this in mind, the Uttar Pradesh Government pressed the Land Revenue Department into service to lead the project. It made the survey more precise and almost dispute-free. But this is not the case in other states, such as Haryana. The Department of Panchayati Raj in the Haryana Government has been carrying out the task but it is marred by many anomalies and disputes.
Disputes emerging Over 200 km north of the national capital, people at Devan village of Hisar district in Haryana are agitated over the survey. They say the drone surveys have generated wrong coordinates of the residents' homes, as well as those of other village infrastructure and roads.
"How has the ownership of homes been given to people who live 200 meters away," says a visibly agitated 52-year-old Rajbir Singh, head of a family of 10 members. "This has happened not only to my house but those of several others too,” he says. In addition, a common street in his village has been shown to be a private property and other pathways are shown to be going through people’s homes. The Chandigarh-based regional center of the Surveyor General of India’s office, which conducted the survey with drones, blames the groundtruthing committee instead of the technology. "I do not think technical mistakes were made; we used a high-quality drone system with a high precision level from," says Prashant Kumar, a Deputy Surveyor General at Survey of India who was responsible for overseeing the work in Haryana. According to him, Survey of India used a professional survey
“The ground-truthing committees in states are not working in a coherent manner, therefore disputes are arising.” GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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GROUND REPORTING "This is not a surface property that we cannot seize in case of loan default," says Anil Siwach, State Bank of India manager in Hisar district. "The property's map should be approved by an authority like Haryana Urban Development Authority," he says.
Ramveer Singh, 70, in Nangla Mohiuddinpur, Uttar Pradesh, holds his 'Record of Rights' document given under SVAMITVA scheme after drone survey
grade UAV/drone-based system fitted with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and optical sensors, with all accessories and software. "It is possible that either the lime powder patchwork was not done properly or the groundtruthing committee did not work in consultation with the villagers," he adds. Local officials claim these technical mistakes are being addressed at different levels. However, the affected villagers claim the rectification process is taking long, and is expensive and cumbersome. Local government officials of the District Panchayati Raj department say such cases are small in number. However, a senior officer has a different take on it. Priyanka Soni, Deputy Commissioner of Hisar, says they have solved over 900 such disputes. "The project is new and we are trying to set up a fast grievance redressal mechanism. There are some gaps that will be fulfilled in the coming times," she says. The ground-truthing is executed by a six-member team made up of two revenue department officials, the village secreGEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
tary, Panchayati Raj Department officer, and two social activists. This committee has to verify everything before the final tagging of the house owner.
Question of legal validity and sustainability The SVAMITVA document provided to inhabitants gives them a confirmation of their ownership and a feeling of pride, especially to those who don't have other financial support systems except their homes. Every household that our team spoke with was desirous of getting a bank loan based on the property documents. However, the documents lack legal validity as of now because banks do not treat them as authentic. The reason for this is that whatever is being done under this project is legally not binding. The Government has asked state governments (as land is a state subject) to make laws to give these documents legal sanctity. One of the main objectives of the SVAMITVA scheme is to monetize these housing properties and trigger an economic revolution in rural India. But banks have a different take on it. Our team spoke to a loan aspirant who wants to start his own business but the bank is refusing to give him a loan.
Since the SVAMITVA project has no legal validity, the objective of the project to trigger economic activity in rural areas through loans or property transactions, may not be realised. “There is a lack of a clear roadmap as to how to go ahead from this point and what the villagers will actually do with this document,” says a senior officer engaged in the implementation of the project in Haryana who did not wish to be identified. Sirsi village in the Karnal district of Haryana is the first village in the country where the pilot project for SVAMITVA was done in 2020. It was a non-starter. “Nothing has happened since the people received their property documents in Sirsi village. It is unreasonable to expect help from us” says B S Chahal, District Development and Panchayat Officer, Hisar district.
Conclusion The project seems well-intentioned and promising in terms of both improving land administration and opening rural land markets. But the question remains whether this project will realize its true potential in helping bridge the rural-urban economic divide, which has emerged in the past three decades after the adoption of the economic liberalization policy.
SOI: IN SERVICE OF THE NATION SVAMITVA
Work Stages
Survey of villages and mapping with improvised technology in village areas by survey of India
Aim Complete survey of abadi area of all villages across the country (approx 6.62 Lakh villages) by March 2025
Establishment of Continuous Operating Reference System (CORS)
Demarcate the property
High resolution images
Generation of Digital Elevation Model and Land Parcel Map
Creation of maps
Advantages • • • • • •
Provide land parcel map as revenue document Property card to villagers for loan purposes Creation of accurate land records for rural planning. Determination of Property Tax GIS map for all other department for their use. Reduce property disputes and legal cases
Distribution of Property Cards
Drone flying completed for 121,000 villages
LARGE SCALE MAPPING HARYANA
KARNATAKA
ANDHRA PRADESH
Scope: 44000 Km2 area covering revenue villages in all districts to be mapped with ± 10cm accuracy on 1:500 scale.
Scope: 51000 Km2 area covering revenue villages in 06 districts to be mapped on 1:500 scale
Scope: 1,26,000 Km2 area covering enitre state to be mapped on 1:500 scale
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR Scope: 1000 Km2 area covering revenue villages to be mapped with on 1:500 scale.
Deliverables Ortho-rectified Imagery (ORI) at 5cm GSD | High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) | Village Maps | GIS database.
https://www.surveyofindia.gov.in/
https://onlinemaps.surveyofindia.gov.in/
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INTERVIEW
SVAMITVA On Right Track Despite Roadblocks A national geospatial platform should be formed in consultation with the Survey of India and the Department of Science and Technology so that geospatial data can be used for public purposes going forward, says Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. By Jitendra Choubey Progress of SVAMITVA project The progress of the (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) SVAMITVA project has been satisfactory. Even though the achievements are only half of the target that was set, it is a fact that not only did the states have to complete the legislative process for providing the property cards, they also had to contend with two waves of the COVID pandemic, which was unprecedented in both scale and impact. The states have to make provisions for necessary manpower – this is what they have signed up for in their memorandum of understanding with Survey Of India. Also, states have to issue necessary directions for converging other government schemes and programs to pool in manpower for groundwork such as chuna-marking. Critics say there is nothing new in this project While the aggregate abadi land data was indeed available with the states, it is a fact that the information of individual property parcels in the abadi is not available with most states. To my knowledge, only certain states, such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh have some legacy data for the abadi areas. However, in most cases, it is restricted to the parcel-wise area information (property register), or GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
in some cases, the availability of a sketch showing the layout of the property parcels with respect to each other. SVAMITVA is creating a1:500 scale, geo-referenced map of 5 cm accuracy, which can be updated at a frequency determined by the state in the soft format itself. On seeing the advantage of this, most states and union territories have agreed to implement SVAMITVA.
Legal sanctity of the property rights document Provision for property cards, which are known by different names in different states, has been made in the State Act/ rules. While some states, such as Uttar Pradesh, have extended their Act governing agricultural land to abadi areas, others such as Punjab have passed a complete Act administering abadi lands. Land is a state subject and anything that must be done to provide legal sanctity to the property cards must be done by the states. Loans against property cards The banks were engaged in the process from the very beginning so that the legal framework of the property cards and their format would be acceptable to them for mortgage purposes. To my knowledge, the banks broadly ask for four things — legal backing of property card, registration, clear indication of charge
of property, and geo-tag. Subsequently, the states independently engage with State level Bankers’ Committees (SLBCs) in order to refine their property card format and framework. It is a fact that some property card recipients in UP and MP have received loans against property.
Ministries at loggerheads The Department of Land Resources was the natural choice to implement the scheme. However, since its mandate does not extend to built-up areas in abadi, it fell upon the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to implement SVAMITVA. Haryana and Rajasthan are the only two states that have made provisions for property cards under the state Panchayati Raj Acts; in all other states, they are anchored in either the Revenue or the Survey Department. Way forward Going forward, we need to customize the operating procedure to suit the needs of individual states, to the extent that it does not lead to inaccuracies. Additionally, the use of drones as a service model has to be optimized so that there are no cost overruns. As for geospatial data, it will be made available to the people through a considered platform, in consultation with Survey of India and the Department of Science and Technology.
Introducing India’s First Urban Spatial 3D Digital Twin Program Scan for Genesys 3D Digital Twin Launch Video!
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INTERVIEW
Map Makers by Generations The journey of Roter company intertwined with different wars of the 20th century. It conceived and flourished during different wars, with each generation adding and resorting to new technologies to their businesses, helping the country update its surveying technology. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, 85, a second-generation entrepreneur, discussed its indispensable role in modernizing India's survey and mapping sector with Geospatial Artha. By Jitendra Choubey Voyage and wars Our journey started at the fag-end of World War-I, and business boomed during World War II. My father, Bashir Ahmad Ansari, mastered the art of nickel-chrome plating technique at an early age. The British brought a batch of Italian prisoners of World War-I and jailed them near Roorkee. They use to come out of the camps on weekends and get their cigar, lighters, chains & watches chrome plated. This polished his plating skills, and made some good money by providing services to the POWs. Shortly after, my father was invited to work at an irrigation workshop known as "Iron Foundry and Canal work-
shop-I", Roorkee. At the workshop, old equipment used for maintenance of the Ganga Canal – one of the costliest man-made structures – were repaired. He learnt how to repair and service Drawing, Surveying and Mathematical instruments. That piqued his interest in Mapping & Drawing equipment such Divider, Pencil compass and Drawing pen. After sometimes he left the foundry unit and opened his workshop at home. Later, he started supplying equipment to various stationery shops of different parts of the country. In 1936, we registered a partnership company named as B.A. A. & Sons.
Credit: Roter
Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari tries his hand at his first manufacturing unit. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
Embargo on imports & exports During World War II, there was a ban on exports and imports, and it became tedious for the Survey of India to continue its mapping work. In search of precise equipment, a few British engineers landed at our home workshop, located on the outskirts of Roorkee town. They examined all the equipment and were impressed with its level of precision. Thereafter, we entered into a formal deal with the Survey of India. Post Partition, we explored new business avenues in Mumbai and Delhi. First factory and heights it scaled In 1957, we set up our first factory to meet the rising demand. As a second-generation, I formally joined this enterprise. We hired qualified engineers and started manufacturing Drafting Machines; Mini-Drafters for drawing different lines such as horizontal, verticle, inclined, parallels, perpendiculars; Planimeters to measure irregular shapes; Sextant for determining angles. Besides, I came up with an instrument box product, branded as BASLER that created a storm in the market and made us market leader in the mapping and surveying instruments market. We made a range of instrument boxes. A box offered a complete choice of products related to surveying and mapping. It was made up of a mixture of wood and plastic. At that time, Kolkata-based British company, Kilburn, was entrusted with marketing and sales of our products nationally. Since then, demand of products shot up and I could finally buy a car in the 1960s. Recognition from PM The Prime Minister's office sent a Letter of Appreciation to my father recognizing his contribu-
INTERVIEW tion to the 1965 war. We supplied our surveying equipment for tactical mapping of the war zone. Besides, he was a philanthropist, social worker, president of the city Congress, Municipal Board member, etc.
Coinage of Roter In 1978, we renamed our company as Roter, where one could get a solution for queries related to surveying and mapping. The name was derived from Rotating Compass, a drawing instrument which used to make different sizes of circles. Roter Group is a unique company, offering surveying solutions and services through its own portfolio and partner network. Dawn of new sun (son) When my son joined our business in the early 1990s, he introduced modern surveying instruments such as Digital Theodolite, Electronic Distance Meter (EDM), Opto-electronics systems, GNSS, LiDAR, Surveillance System, etc along with strong software solutions for various ground applications. When the Directorate of Technical Education kicked off the modernization plan for Polytechnics, we helped supply modern surveying system, including the EDM, Theodolite EDM, and software for data processing. We also helped in the modernization of the Central Water Commission. We supplied and installed required modern equipment and trained their staff of all 26 centers. After setting up our software development unit in Bengaluru, we start developing algorithms for all kinds of imported equipment from abroad. We entered the geospatial realm to design our solution to address Indian-specific challenges. Later, we engaged with the GoI in National Land Record Manage-
Credit: Roter
The PMO sent a letter of appreciation to Ansari's father, recognizing his contribution to the 1965 war.
ment Program in 1998, where we provided a solution to different state governments for the digitization of land records, which included supply of instruments, software, end-to-end data acquisition, and processing and map generation. In the meantime, we developed India's first Surveying integrated computer-aided design (CAD) software to get data directly from any branded instrument. Later, we also started offering solutions while using the latest technologies like GPS, GNSS, and LiDAR. We worked on some unique cases such as mapping of freshwater streams in the Shivalik Range of the Himalayas, Crocodile Mapping & Tiger Tracking for Wildlife Research Institute and Road Asset Management for MoRTH. We also came up with a rescue radar. The radar that syncs with live people heartbeat below 30 meters of earth and help save their lives timely. We have supplied it to the NDRF and the SDRF.
Leveraging drones We are also helping the government in habitation land surveying under SVAMITVA project. We provided more than 300-long endurance drones – capable of staying in the air for 1.5 hours,
covering up to a 5 sqkm area and producing a high-spatial level of resolution. We are building first internet of things (IoT) for the Ministry of Mines in collaboration with the CSIR lab, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur and Coal India. We designed a FLP battery for a laser scanner with casing that got us India’s first DGMS Certificate (Director General of Mines Safety) for intrinsically safe underground flameproof scanners. We now can provide 3D maps in hazardous mines which were not possible till now, while doing crack detection, asset mapping, labour navigation etc. Now, we are only company providing complete solution with laser scanners to work in underground mines. We are also engaged with flagship project of the GOI – Namami Gange. We are providing technology to study the underwater bathymetry, depth of river floors (seabed topography) to know level of silt and plan accordingly to dredge or remove it. Also, we have launched intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drone this year, streaming live from 30km.
Innovation at its best The future of surveying is going to be autonomous. From cars to drones everything has to be fully autonomous. On the instrument side LiDAR will rule over traditional instrument as it gives more number of information in shorter period of time. The role of the government agency such as Survey of India will soon become irrelevant. After the introduction of the new geospatial policy of the GOI – which promotes innovation – Citizen Mapping will be the future. Every citizen will map, with the government agency relegated to a secondary role. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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Urban Spatial Digital Twin Genesys Approach
The Genesys Digital Twin program will revolutionize the map ecosystem in India and lay down a strong foundation for planning and operations of urban bodies, smart cities, utilities like telecom, gas, power companies, renewable energy projects, sustainable environment initiatives and importantly disaster management and emergency response, writes Sajid Malik, Chairman and Managing Director, Genesys International Corporation Ltd., India. Indian urban perspective The current population of India is 1.4 billion, accounting for 17.7% of the total world's population (United Nations data). Until 2020, its urban population was estimated at 35%. On the economic front, IMF has forecast India's growth by 9.5% in 2021 and 8.5% in 2022. As per Geospatial Artha Report (2021) as produced by Geospatial World, urban development has emerged as the second priority sector (next to defence sector) with a significant geospatial market in 2021, i.e., INR 1,820 crore and a total potential of approximately INR 3,030 crore in 2025.
GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
3D mapping Our world is in 3D but the maps that are being used in India by the urban local bodies (municipal corporations, municipal councils, nagar panchayats) for their day-to-day operations and decision-making are by and large 2D in nature. While the operations in various projects are happening in a planimetric manner (technology to measure distances and areas) through creation and analysis of 2D spatial datasets, it's time to prepare city centric datasets in a 3D environment on a large scale so that engineering grade urban datasets can be generated for various stakeholders. Earlier, survey delays were commonplace, given the policy restrictions. But after the GOI launched a landmark policy on February 15, 2021, the industry got a free hand to capture high-resolution real-world datasets, including 3D datasets, without any prior approval (with exception of published negative list) from security agencies in India. This also encouraged the geospatial industry to proactively contribute to government projects and businesses. Fusion of datasets With a larger bandwidth resulting in speedier networks and boosting computing power in the processing environment of the Servers, big datasets like 3D models of the urban infrastructure, street view panoramic imagery, LiDAR point clouds etc. can now be rendered to the client end at a faster pace. The fusion of all these urban datasets integrated with the IoT and AI/ML techniques leads to the creation of Urban Spatial Digital Twin. Urban spatial digital twin "Digital twin" is a concept that creates a model of a physical asset for predictive maintenance. This model will continually adapt to changes in the envi-
Credit: Genesys
Planning and design UN-Habitat (2020) suggests that the spatial conditions of a city can enhance its power to generate social, economic and environmental value, and well-being. The Govt of India (GOI) has laid special emphasis on digital transformation, especially in urban departments. Several schemes like Smart City Mission, AMRUT Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, HRIDAY, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban, launched with huge outlays, are being executed by the respective departments, efficiently. The importance of "location" parameter in all urban projects is of immense value and has been acknowledged by all stakeholders in these projects. It brings out hidden geographic relationships through spatial analysis and helps in urban infrastructure projects' planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance phases. Urban planners and engineers
demand higher accuracy datasets to bring in the right value to their exercises.
3D abstract model images of Genesys' Worli project.
IN PERSPECTIVE
ronment or operation using real-time sensory data and can forecast the future of the corresponding physical assets. "Urban Spatial Digital Twin" is about extending this powerful concept in the urban environment through a combination of spatial data (2D/3D models) and intelligence that comes from the linked business attributes represented through appropriate data model, IoT sensor feeds from various connected devices, structure, context and behaviour of a physical system of any type. Many cities like New York City, Las Vegas, etc. have taken a pioneer role in its implementation, whereas country like Singapore did the same a few years back and has since been deriving inherent benefits in creating "Digital Twin" models.
Stepping towards metaverse Genesys aims at revolutionizing the map ecosystem in the country. With the "Digital Twin" program, highly accurate, digital 3D maps and models will be available for the first time, depicting reality "as is" with high-accuracy, engineering-grade datasets. This will lay a strong foundation for planning and operations of urban bodies, smart cities, utilities like telecom (including effective 5G rollout), gas, power companies, renewable energy projects, sustainable environment initiatives and importantly, disaster management, and emergency response. The Urban Spatial Digital Twins of Indian cities will eventually be a part of the emerging Metaverse.
Genesys initiatives For the past two decades, Genesys has been surveying and mapping using its advanced survey equipment and mapping tools for various countries worldwide (both for governments and large businesses). After the new geospatial policy, it decided to develop the "Maps and 3D Models Content Program" to boost the concept of ‘Urban Spatial Digital Twin’ for top Indian cities. Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, launched the Genesys Digital Twin program for top 100 cities of the country on 1st December, last year. This will bring India on the Global map with cities using Digital Twin with geospatial technology and boost the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) through transformation of Digital India. The output datasets and the applications can be availed using subscription services.
In course of time, the network of 3D virtual worlds and the "Digital Twin" promises to transform the way people would engage with the world around them.
Sensing Stack On February 15, 2022, the Union Minister for Science and Technology termed the concept of "Digital Twins" historical, revolutionary, and a gamechanger. Genesys has pledged INR 500 crore for the Atmanirbhar initiative and has already procured manned aircraft, high-end aerial sensors (LiDAR, optical-nadir and oblique cameras (resolution of 150 MP) and near infrared band), 50-plus Mahindra Scorpio SUVs fitted with terrestrial mobile LiDAR and 360-degree panoramic imaging sensors.
Norms and SOPs The Genesys program will entail acquisition of highly accurate geometrical dimensions of cities' assets via a constellation of sensors. It will follow spatial feature extraction as per the national guidelines laid down by the Town and Country Planning and Survey of India, norms of IoT specifications and publishing protocols as defined by the Ministry of IT, GOI, standards of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and other standard organisations viz ISO TC 211 and OGC. The datasets of various remote sensing satellites, including those from the Indian remote sensing satellite, can be fused effectively into Genesys Digital Twin Datasets. Integration and interoperability with the "Bhuvan" platform of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has also been tested successfully through a ‘testbed’. The "system" of Genesys' Urban Spatial Digital Twin is a collaborative program in which various government bodies, including city administrations in India, enterprises, start-ups, technology & solution providers, and academia, will play their respective roles, keeping in mind the Standard Operating Procedures ( SOPs). GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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GIS for Gender Equality Today, geospatial technology has become an important part of our lives. However, there is a visible gender divide in the geospatial industry. Women are at a disadvantage when it comes to representation in this industry and the policies related to it. By Dr. Laxmi.N.Goparaju
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oday, many sciences have been integrated under the umbrella of geospatial technology, which has seen exponential development in the past few decades. Women have contributed to this develop-
GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
ment in various forms ranging from academia and industry to research and development. However, their representation in the geospatial technology field still remains quite low. A glimpse of gender balance data shows that 62% of young women do not stay in the GIS industry for more than 10 years. In addition, a lack of gender diversity is observed in geospatial conferences and events, where man-only panels or ‘manels’ are commonplace. Research indicates that only one-third of participants at professional conferences are women. The geospatial industry is a male-dominated field that can be difficult for women to break into because of structural obstacles and biases. These issues have been compounded with the advent of the pandemic in 2020, which has negatively impacted women in this sector. Some women have been laid off, others have had their studies impacted. Several more have left their jobs due to caregiving responsibilities
at home. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a safe platform for women in the geospatial field to share their experiences and the challenges they face. It was in 2020 that I had the opportunity to join Women+ in Geospatial (W+G), as a steering committee member. Later on, I became its regional ambassador for Asia. The W+G community includes women and under-represented people from different gender backgrounds, cultures and countries, who share a passion for geospatial science. By being connected, we supported each other and could ride out the pandemic together. Our skills developed by sharing and learning from experts as well as novices. The losses caused by the closure of colleges and organizations were compensated by community engagement. Since our launch in 2019 as an online network, W+G now has more than 3,700 members from 91 countries. In October 2021, we registered the network as a
IN PERSPECTIVE Community Interest Company in the United Kingdom. We found our common goals under the pillars Inspire, Unite and Empower to strive towards equality. The W+G mentorship program has served as a lifeline for many, with over 250 global participants so far. To address lack of representation at conferences, Women+G has also created a speakers’ database, which has empowered the voices of women from around the world. Some of the challenges facing women in the geospatial field in India, in comparison to other wealthier nations, are a lack of jobs and paid internships. The process of getting a job should not be so burdensome. Work done by women should be encouraged and recognized by rewarding them suitably, and providing them a safe and comfortable space for expressing their creative ideas. The dearth of good training institutes in each district and state in India must be addressed. Free and qualitative training should be encouraged for the underprivileged. The creation of a drone academy for women would be a welcome step from the geospatial community. Also, late-career women and professionals have either been sidelined or have lost their livelihoods today due to the transition from older softwares to new programming developments. As a result, they are unable to survive in the mainstream. Alternative options and additional training should be considered for their sustenance. To initiate capacity development, I started a venture called Geosakhi, which is an online
The advent of the pandemic in 2020 has negatively impacted women in the geospatial sector. Some have been laid off, others have had their studies impacted, and several more have left their jobs due to caregiving responsibilities at home. learning platform for women geospatial enthusiasts. In August 2021, a masterclass was organized in partnership with Women+ in Geospatial, Geoladies from Philippines, and African Women in GIS. Our objective was to enhance the capacity of women and under-represented young people, so as to make them more self-reliant in the days to come. There was an overwhelming response; more than 500 registrations across 33 countries were recorded, with 96% female participation. Most students and early career professionals participated to upgrade their skills to include the latest developments in this domain. Following this, we had a panel discussion with women leaders in geosciences from Pakistan, and a poster competition to mark World Space Week and World GIS day. The National Geospatial Policy 2021 has relaxed various geospatial related rules and regulations because the importance of this technology is being recognized in every sector. This has given wings to new ideas, which can be promoted and executed on the ground, something that was difficult earlier. The changing trajectories from desktop remote sensing to data visualizations, app development and near real time monitoring, have shown increased utilization of satellite data. I believe women can solve their own
problems, can grow their businesses and network, enhance research, and promote development via the use of geospatial technology. The entry of drones in agriculture has widened the horizons and can attract contributions from women. I am sure that a girl who can ride a tractor in her fields will be empowered by drones one day. Women are capable of holding the reins of family and career together. The potential of Open Street Maps (OSM) should also be recognized for solving humanitarian problems. In India, only Kerala state has a chapter; other states must also follow its trail. The latest program, “She Leads and She Inspires” by Open Mapping Hub Asia Pacific, with its objective to train and empower 100 young females in mapping, is commendable and the first of its kind devoted to women. Geospatial World’s launch of an India edition is a welcome development in this respect. It will hopefully provide a platform where Indian women can share ideas and network. I hope that women will be able to showcase their professional achievements through this magazine. Ensuring that women’s voices are heard and that they are also recognized rightfully as experts will ignite more Indian women’s dreams and aspirations in our geospatial industry. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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VISION INTERVIEW
ISRO at its innovative best for nation building
Dr S Somanath, Secretary, Department of Space, and Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation, in an interview with Arup Dasgupta, Managing Editor, Geospatial World, unveils his vision and throws light on the achievements of the national space agency. Following are the excerpts:
Credit: ISRO
S Somanath, Secretary, Chairman of ISRO. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
On ISRO and innovation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is home to many innovations currently taking place in all sectors of space technology: applications, spacecraft bus, launchers, and advanced technologies for payloads, exploratory missions, and science missions. Innovation in communications We were able to build HighThroughput spacecraft in the last few years and put them in place, so that we have the capability to achieve something like 20 gbps. But that is just not enough. I think the demand is much higher. This is one area where we have to innovate to create spacecraft buses for the future. There is no difficulty in doing so, but the real issue is: who is the user who wants it and who is going to deploy it and economically exploit it? We need optical communication links so that we can establish High Throughput and secure communications networks. Here, we started with the small payloads demonstration, but it did not go far. We need to go further in creating very reliable optic communications networks. Inter-satellite communication is another area that needs to be developed. We also have to go into various other bands in the communication domain. We have gone up to Ka; now we are moving to Q and V bands also. These need to be developed and we have to deploy these bands for our regular communication use, including for various other institutional users and for commercial exploitation. Innovation in remote sensing The demand for remote sensing data in various sectors
CORNER OFFICE is increasing and people are looking for high-resolution imagery. They are also looking for various advanced technologies in other spectra. We are being asked for radar imagery for agriculture use and other resources mapping. There is also a demand for continuation of support for existing satellite observation platforms, so that the users are not disturbed frequently. This is a conflicting demand. We need to look at how this can be met, as low-resolution demand is also there while we look for a high-resolution solution. Then there is another demand for geo-based optical observations, and geo-based other spectra observations for various users, including strategic users. The challenge today is not only for resolution but the periodicity or revisit capability, and availability of data in a very short time. These two things demand that we put more platforms in orbit. Currently, around 20-23 earth observation satellites are in the orbit but this is just not enough for India. The challenge is who is going to build them and operate them, and how will they be commercially viable. This is a very difficult question also because everything cannot be funded by the government, and we cannot put hundreds of Earth Observation satellites into orbit and make all the data available to everyone for free. While everyone may want it for free, no one is ready to actually build satellites.
The demand for small launch vehicles We looked at the entire design process to see if an on-demand launcher can be realized in the complex domain of launchers. I think we have been successful in
that, although the development has taken a long time; the vehicle is in shape now and we are going to have a launch soon. After this, it will go to the industry for production and launch to meet the consumer demand.
Reusable launch vehicles We are also looking for innovation in reusable launch vehicles; work on this has been going on for some time. We will have a landing demonstration soon, followed by an orbital launching demonstration. A reusable launch vehicle of this class is critical for strategic users rather than commercial users. We are also looking at how to bring down the cost of the launcher from typically USD 20,000/kg to USD 5,000. This will be possible only by bringing reusability into the rocket, but a reusable rocket will become profitable only if it is used very frequently. Launches only once or twice a year would not be economical. It will be costlier than an expendable launcher. We need to first work out the business and launch opportunity, only then will a reusable rocket become economically viable. Once we see market potential, we will work on such a rocket.
Innovation in technologies We are also working on a number of other technologies within the organization. There are visible outcomes, like launchers satellites, applications, but internally to build all of this, we have to work on a huge number of satellites technologies, miniaturization of electronics, new material development, additive manufacturing, new chemical processes, new algorithms for autonomous operation of satellites and
rockets, and new intelligence systems and rockets so that failure detection isolations can be avoided. When I was the Director at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), we worked on 600 new technologies! We are in the business of innovating and improving our existing knowledge.
On the use of artificial intelligence We are not using artificial intelligence (AI) deeply, because AI and machine learning (ML) and data analytic applications are continuing to evolve. They have not entered our work in a big way. But, of course, I can say there are examples of AI usage in our work – image processing, space for data images, object identification and classification. We were able to create 3D images from 2D images using AI technology and various other methods. Organizational changes to promote AI We have created a leadership within the organization where AI-based applications can be developed by individuals. We grouped them under different headings and then tried to bring them together so that the framework of AI could be generated. Algorithm development, hardware requirement, software requirement ─ everything is involved. Now there is a coordinated effort happening across centers. There are various AI applications. For example, in a launch vehicle, we look at AI for data analysis, because during every launch we get so much data that nobody can complete the analysis in real time. So, we are looking at that type of AI there. Defect identification through test data. Defect identification missions — that is one big domain. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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On the space environment We have followed conventions. We are active partners in space debris management teams and inter-agency committees for space debris management.
of time, not in hundreds of years. This also, we are trying to do whenever a low orbit satellite becomes non-functional. If we have propellant left we can use it to reduce its orbit, so that it will reenter after a few years.
Space debris mitigation We made sure that all upper stages will be de-energized. That means if there are pressure runs, it'll be relieved, propellants will be let out, so that the stage will remain passive, and doesn't generate secondary debris. We have been following this procedure for many years for all PSLV and other rockets. We need to ensure that all soon-to-be defunct satellites are moved to the graveyard orbit. We do this systematically, only recently we move one of our end-of-life satellites to a graveyard orbit, which is thousands of hundreds of kilometers above the GSO so that it doesn't come back and create us a debris for at least hundreds of years.
Observational capability and modelling The most important part is to have observational capability. This requires interagency coordination, and exchange of data between different agencies, who have ability to observe, and also predict the devolution of the debris in orbit.
For low earth orbits, we have to ensure that the satellites are brought down to a level where it will decay in less than 25 years GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
This capability we have developed and with good mathematically capability within the organization of all the observable data, we can predict the conjunction analysis between these debris and share this information with everybody working in the world, so we have a coordinated work.
ISRO’s own observational capability We are also looking at how to create observational capability. Definitely, all these debris should be about 10 centimeter in size,
anything less than 10 centimeter is not observable. We have to establish radars of our own, optical ground stations of our own, to observe not only our satellite, other objects in space, so that we can also contribute to the global knowledge of this debris.
Long-term view The demand for satellites is increasing, and thousands of satellites are coming, especially in the low earth orbit. This a potential threat to the entire humanity or space activity. We have no way to regulate it, or control it in any manner. We can only watch it and then be careful about it. But there is a big danger waiting. Collaboration with other space agencies There are a plenty of such collaborations, but the collaborations are mostly in the science domain, and some in applications domain. For example, NISAR, carries an L and S band Synthetic Aperture Radar, which is useful for both nations. It is an experimental one, but it has a lot of applications in agriculture sector, and soil monitoring. L band has a specific advantage,
VISION INTERVIEW and this comes from NASA and S band is supplied by us.
drayaan 3 It will take three, four, five years to develop.
We are currently working with the French agency, CNES, on a mission to look at a satellite called TRISHNA, which can address various science objectives, especially in the agriculture sector, using various spectra, which I will not reveal, because both of us are developing payloads in that domain.
We had an engine technology discussion going on with the Russia. We have so much of support coming from Russia for Gaganyaan programs as well as from Europe and America. We have a specific technology help coming in from US for deep space missions, like Chandrayaan 2 and Aditya L1.
We are working with Japan, JAXA, on developing a payload, as well as a mission to go to the moon. This will be launched using Japan's launch vehicle, but the spacecraft will be jointly developed by ISRO and Japan. A lander which will land on the moon. This will be after Chan-
We also look at how we can create global facilities like ground stations, data dissemination centers. We are also looking at how GNSS, like NAVIC system, can have cross calibration facilities in other centers, how our data can be used for various other GNSS providers,
and then joint operation of these GNSS systems in case of requirement. We are developing multi GNSS chip sets. We have discussion with various users like Russia and Europe, whatever GNSS they are developing.
On respond basket-2022 All these projects are linked to some or other activity already going on in ISRO. We identified these projects on the basis of their connection with our longterm vision of each of the centers. Ultimately, once it is developed, it will get fit into either a launch vehicle, or a satellite, or a payload, or a mission. It is not just an open-ended research. Overarching space policy for the country
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VISION INTERVIEW him back safely. This is called Gaganyaan project. And for that, we have already got funding. Only one mission is defined. Once we are successful in accomplishing it, definitely the next phase of human space flight program could be unveiled at an appropriate time. Currently, we are not into a long-term definition, like building a space station or every day somebody will go to moon. An overarching space policy is now completed. It is now going through inter-ministerial consultation, and it'll go for Space Commission. We will have Cabinet approval soon.
Setting up of incubators and promotion of start-ups We have created IN-SPACe, which is going to be a regulator and a promoter. The regulation function is for all those who want to work in space sector. They will be regulated by whatever application they put up, and the license will be given. Like building launch vehicles, operating satellites, having space assets, conducting experiments. Second role is that of a promoter. Promotion includes industries who are willing to come and start up ecosystems. Already, some area in Ahmedabad is built and is available to set up such an ecosystem. This will be replicated across various places in the country — wherever the investment is possible. Investment is possible from private enterprises as well. This is also mandated to IN-SPACe. New Space India Limited, is going to be the operator of operational systems. For GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
example, if you put a satellite for communication or remote sensing, they will continue to own these assets and operate them. They can build launch vehicles or order new satellite for commercial purpose. This activity has already started. ISRO will be the technology holder whatever is required for governmental strategic users will be done by ISRO. They'll develop new technologies as needed, as found fit to be developed. Private enterprises can also develop technologies. ISRO will handhold to create a better space ecosystem in this country. So, this is the new mandate.
Financial support to start-ups We have to definitely propose such an idea, because some of the entities have been asking, "Yes, we need seed money for handling.” There are big business houses that are willing to fund these start-ups. It's not the funding that is actually limiting, it is idea that has been limiting us. So, if there is a good idea, there is always good money available. On roadmap for human space program The first step is having an ability to take a man to space and bring
India’s stand on moon treaty We are a signatory to the moon treaty – the pact governing the activities of states on the earth’s natural satellite. To that extent, we are honoring it, but then they are talking about extraction, mining, and setting up a colony. We are a country who has accomplished a mission to the moon. We also have a due claim on the moon. It depends on what our priorities are, and how much funding we will get, what is the national demand on us. These things which we have to discuss in a policy level, political level. It's not within my purview at this moment to answer.
Contribution of India’s space programme to country’s GDP This is a very interesting question. I had a humanities department in the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology. I was a director for a short duration. I asked the faculty, "Why don't you do a study on the size of space economy in India, and how we contributed to this?" Two of the faculty members are working with a scientist of ISRO to come out with a very clear program. The National Institute of Advance Studies is also part of it. I believe in another one year or so we will have some report.
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Agri-Drones for Next Generation Farming Indian farming is marred by low productivity and high investment, making it unsustainable for small farmers. However, drone-based precision farming has the potential to bring Indian agriculture out of decades of trough. By Nagarajan P, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechatronics, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology
P
recision farming is one of the most scientific and modern approaches to sustainable agriculture that has gained momentum in the 21st century. Precision farming aims to improve crop performance and environmental quality. It is defined as the application of technologies and principles to manage spatial and temporal variability associated with all aspects of agricultural production (Pierce and Nowak, 1999).
Labor shortages in many villages in Tamil Nadu today are making plantation farmers consider precision farming. The Bannari Amman Institute of Technology is engaging with farmers in one such village, Sathyamangalam in Erode district, who primarily grow jasmine plants, to take up precision farming. Apart from labor shortage, the jasmine farmers also face health issues – their lungs and skin are affected by the use of insecticides and pesticides. In order to overcome such challenges, the Institute has suggested they do precision farming using drone technology. Autonomous drones can address the issue of spraying insecticide and fertilizer, eliminating the challenge of labor shortage and reducing the possibility of health problems.
Advantages of using drone technology In general, jasmine growers have to spray insecticides once every four days during the blooming period to control the spread of insects and disease. For this, they have to rely on manual labor. Labor-intensive activities often result in mistakes and unintended costs, plus the quality of produce gets affected. Finally, the farmers end up with more investment and less income. A team of experts from the Institute conducted a field study in the jasmine fields to determine the correct insecticide to water ratio, travelling speed, nozzle pressure, and various other parameters. The team found manual spraying used more insecticides and water than GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
IN PERSPECTIVE drone-enabled spraying. Farmers used one liter of insecticide mixed with 160 liters of water for an acre of jasmine fields. Meanwhile, drone spray reduced the consumption to 750 ml of insecticide with 40 liters of water. Further, the cost involved for manual spraying of 10 liters was Rs. 60, with the total cost incurred per acre of jasmine field coming to around Rs. 960, and the time taken to complete the spraying around three hours. Instead, the agri-drone vendors charged around Rs. 700 for an acre and took only 15 minutes to finish spraying. The agriculture drones can also be used for other applications like soil analysis, field monitoring, crop health monitoring, livestock tracking, and more. The main advantage of using drone-spray is that it can be effectively localized in a field. When a part of the field is infected and demands high concentration of insecticide/ fertilizer, it can be monitored and administered effectively by using drone technology. Overuse or higher concentration of chemicals over the crops is detrimental for crop growth. This is often the case with manual spraying. Although the initial investment for purchasing an agri-drone can be high, a few small farmers can form a co-operative and purchase a drone for their collective use. Also, agriculture drones need not be limited to jasmine plantations. They can be used for coconut, sugarcane, and areca nut plantations, as well as crops like paddy, wheat, turmeric, etc. Drones equipped with cameras have several additional applications that can make agriculture sustainable. These drones can be used to monitor crop
growth and water levels, analyze crop health, monitor livestock, etc. Spraying weedicide using drones before planting is a common solution for all fields. Recent research shows that the drones can also be used for pollination and seeding. Drone technology also helps improve the consistency and yield of crop produce. The team members from the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology are involved in extending and optimizing the standard operating procedure for sugarcane and coconut plantations. The Institute is also carrying out research and development work in developing and manufacturing of affordable drones for small farmers. The standard operating procedures developed by the institute personnel will act as a reference for the use of agri-drones.
Promoting agri-drones In order to promote the use of drones in agriculture, the Indian government has announced funding support to various Farmer Produce Organizations (FPOs) and individuals. The Center provides 40% financial support (of up to Rs. 4 lakh) to Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) set up by cooperatives and FPOs for purchasing drones. Another 50% (or up to Rs. 5 lakh) will be given for drone purchase to agriculture graduates in establishing CHCs. In the Union Budget 2022/2023, the government has decided to establish a special fund for agricultural technology start-ups. Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, has said that the drone technology for farming should be made available even for the smallest farmers in villages. The budget outlines multiple paths for the rise of the drone industry, with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
Recent research shows that the drones can also be used for pollination and seeding. (NABARD) fund, which focuses on promoting agricultural drones and supporting startups, helping the drone industry arrive at new milestones. In addition, the Indian government is also looking for drones to assess crops, digitize land records and spray pesticides in farmlands. Start-ups based on drone technology for farming could be a good option for budding entrepreneurs.
Way forward The Indian economy primarily relies on agricultural activities. It engages around 50% of the rural population and contributes 17% to the country’s GDP. A large number of the rural poor still depend on low-productivity crops like spices, mangoes, etc. for their livelihoods and contribute little to India’s agricultural exports. One of the reason for this is small land holdings (one-two hectares on average) and relatively little mechanization. Also, Indian farmers practice mixed farming and plantations, which are not suitable for dronebased agriculture. Some crops, such as jasmine, areca nut, and sugarcane, which cannot be mixed with other crops, are more appropriate for drone spraying. Precision agriculture can help 87% of Indian small farmers improve their productivity. Drone technology, in particular, gives farmers the ability to more effectively use fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation water without polluting the environment.
GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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IN PERSPECTIVE
Punjab and Haryana Groundwater Policy Choking Delhi-NCR Scientists at the Dehradun-based Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) conducted a study, which established that the law enacted by Punjab and Haryana to arrest the falling groundwater table failed to have its desired effect. Furthermore, its unintended effect was to intensify stubble burning in the fields, which worsened air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. By Dr. Yogesh Kant and Dr. Prakash Chauhan IIRS
T
he rice-wheat cropping system is the most widely practiced cropping system in Northwest India - particularly in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. It generates huge amounts of stubble or crop residue. In the absence of a robust stubble value chain and limited utilization of this residue, farmers in the region engage in large scale stubble burning at the end of the summer (kharif) and winter (rabi) harvests. It is estimated that 620 million tons of crop residue is generated annu-
ally in India, of which 16% is burnt in the fields. The major contributors to stubble burning are paddy straw (43%) and wheat straw (21%), followed by sugarcane straw (19%). Annually, Punjab accounts for 21.32 million tons and Haryana for 9.18 million tons of stubble burning. Unfortunately, due to lack of proper waste collection and disposal systems, most of the stubble is disposed of through open field burning. Over the years, stubble burning has become a troublesome phenomenon with numerous economic, social, health, and environmental
MODIS Fire density (no. of fires per day at 0.25 x 0.25° grid) for pre-2010 (left panel) and post-2010 era (right panel) during the post-monsoon period over Punjab and Haryana.. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
issues brought on with the introduction of mechanized harvesting.
Shifting groundwater depletion rates Paddy is a water-intensive crop that requires plenty of groundwater. Punjab and Haryana, which primarily grow paddy as a summer crop, have witnessed a drastic depletion in groundwater in their states. Both states enacted the law ‘The Preservation of Subsoil Water Act, 2009’ (TPSW) to help arrest the falling groundwater table. The law mandated delaying the transplanting of paddy to beyond June 10 every year, when the most severe phase of evapotranspiration is over. Farmers were forbidden from sowing paddy before May 10 and transplanting it before June 10. The rate of groundwater storage (GWS) had steadily depleted between 2002 and 2017, except for the period from 2010 to 2013. After the enforcement of the Act in 2009, there was improvement in the groundwater storage rate during the 2010-2013 period (compared to 2002-2009). However, after 2014, there was a drastic deterioration in the GWS rate in Punjab and Haryana (see Fig. 1). In 2017, the GWS depletion rate observed in Punjab was (-)16.02 ± 2.1 millimeter per year(mmyr-1) whereas in Haryana it was (-) 21.5 ± 2.8 mmyr-1. However, since 2014 there is again a drastic deterioration in the depletion of GWS change rate at (-)3.57 and (-)4.45 mm yr-1 in Punjab and Haryana, respectively, in comparison with 2010-2013.
Shifting patterns in stubble burning The shift in transplantation of paddy by over a month led to the shrinking of the window between harvesting and planting the next rabi crop. This led to further intensification of stubble burning.
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IN PERSPECTIVE
Groundwater storage rate variation in Punjab and Haryana exhibits a high rate of depletion in the Haryana regions. (b,d) Time series plotted on terrestrial water storage (TWS) and groundwater storage (GWS) variation in Punjab and Haryana regions, respectively. (c,e) Validating the estimated GWS calculated from the GRACE dataset with the groundwater level change of the well dataset in Punjab and Haryana region, respectively, giving a Pearson coefficient of 0.87 and 0.88.
Daily average fire counts for pre-monsoon (left) and post-monsoon (right) periods, along with peak stubble fire shift (in days) over the Punjab region during pre- (2002-2009) and post-2010 era (2010-2020).
Paddy stubble burning begins in the second week of October and lasts till the fourth week of November (about 48 days). It reaches its peak during the first week of November. This leaves farmers with little time to clear the paddy fields and start sowing the next rabi crop. In order to clear the fields, the farmers resort to burning stubble in the open fields; this releases aerosol particulate matter into the atmosphere. An analysis of 19 years (20022020) of MODIS satellite data showed that after the implementation of the TPSW Act, that GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
is, in the post-2010 era (20102020), paddy stubble fires had increased by 21% compared to the pre-2010 era (Fig.2). This revealed the ineffectiveness of the TPSW law. The peak burning for paddy stubble shows a substantial shift of 32% from October to November (Fig. 3).
Increase in air pollution The shift in the stubble burning pattern, which intensifies by the first week of November, coincides with the festive season and low wind speed in north India. The release of highly anthropogenic carbonaceous dust, compounded
with stubble burning smoke and aerosol particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), adversely affects air quality. The smoke advection to the National Capital Region (NCR) and parts of the IndoGangetic Plain, increases the high level of pollutants, such as PM2.5, PM10, in the atmosphere. This situation is aggravated by the steady northwesterly winds that transport pollutants to NCR and get trapped by the low boundary layer (<500 m), low wind speed (1-2 m/s), and relative humidity; local meteorology prevents the vertical mixing of pollutants. Lidar satellite data Calipso and air mass trajectory models have observed an increase in aerosol pollution loading by 9.6% and 17.5% in PM2.5, which is advected (70% of PM2.5 air mass clusters from these regions) with a time lag of 4-6 days to NCR and downwind regions, leading to deterioration of air quality in North India by as much as 4-5 times the permissible Indian standard. However, with the implementation of the National Policy for Management of Crop Residue and increase in policy and awareness programs among farmers by the government, the stubble fire incidents and related pollution over NCR over the last four years has declined marginally by 5%. This has resulted in the reduction of average PM2.5 concentration over Delhi-NCR. Besides, in our study, we recommend the use of shorter duration rice varieties, direct seeding of rice (water use is reduced by 20-25%), diversification of kharif crops (summer crops) and providing economic solutions to farmers for stubble management. These methods and options could help reduce stubble burning and minimize its contribution to air pollution.
EXPERT OPINION
Tiding over climate crisis via geospatial data refinery To harness underutilized data, Blue Sky Analytics has set out to develop a revolutionary technology – Geospatial Data Refinery – to empower decisionmakers with climate intelligence by leveraging satellite data, AI and the cloud, writes Kshitij Purwar, Founder and CTO, Blue Sky Analytics.
Blue Sky Analytics Geospatial Data Refinery
Problem: The impending climate crisis We are in the midst of a global climate crisis, with climatic disasters worsening in intensity and frequency each passing year. According to the latest IPCC report, the fight to keep global heating under 1.5°Celsius has reached a “now or never” territory. It is “almost inevitable” that humanity will surpass this critical temperature threshold in the current scenario. The trend of increased frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events has inevitably increased the exposure of businesses to material financial losses across the corporate value chain. By the end of the century, the expected value at risk to manageable assets is estimated to be as high as $43Tn. Additionally, 215 most prominent global companies reported
almost $1Tn at risk from shortterm climate impacts, likely to accrue by 2024.
The climate data gap Currently, the world is plagued with fragmented and expensive environmental data, leading to inefficient capital/resource allocation for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Satellite data can play a pivotal role in bridging this gap as according to the Global Climate Observing System, 50% of essential climate variables (ECVs) can only be tracked using satellites. However, a variety of issues are still prevalent that hinder the ability to harness the true potential of satellite data. There is a challenge in acquisition and processing of geospatial data. One: it is heavy and non-standardised. Two: the current tech-in-
frastructure is not enough to develop a catalogue of datasets that is replicable and scalable. There is a lack of capacity to build an all-inclusive platform that maintains the required accuracy, resolution and coverage for all environmental indicators. At present, many models are based on outdated research papers, resulting in static datasets that do not evolve with new research. And finally, information derived from satellites available today is in the form of repackaged, raw imagery that users cannot directly consume. The problem is so grave that even exponential growth in the upstream satellite market in the past decade and the utilisation of the data harnessed have been below par. For instance, it is estimated that more than 100 TB of satellite data is generated per day, with less than 1% being analysed. "The upstream space market, with its rocket launches and hightech satellite payloads, may seem at a first glance to be the most exciting segment of the space industry. But when it comes to innovation, job and revenue creation and the provision of services that change people’s lives for the better, the downstream market is where the action is" - New Space Economy forum in Rome on December 12, 2019
Solution: Climate intelligence At Blue Sky Analytics, we wanted to empower decision-makers with climate intelligence by leveraging satellite data, AI and the cloud. The idea was to harness the true potential of satellite data as a result of the booming upstream space market to draw deeper and decision-ready environmental insights. For this, we set out to build a revolutionary technology infrastructure that GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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EXPERT OPINION
A glimpse of Blue Sky Analytics’ visualization platform — SpaceTime™
would cut time and continue to evolve the underlying models as new sources come online & as improved research is available. Instead of treating each dataset like an individual product, we decided to build an automated, scalable, and reusable infrastructure that could ingest data from various sources, including satellites, run them through various machine learning algorithms, and deliver the resulting datasets via APIs. Hence, making our tech infrastructure our core value proposition. This infrastructure is what we call our “Geospatial Data Refinery”. Similar to an oil refinery, it takes in and analyses terabytes of raw data from satellites, on-ground monitoring devices, and any other credible ancillary public sources. First, the data is cleaned, standardised, pre-processed, and stored on the cloud, and then we run it on our proprietary algorithms and disseminate intelligent data to various stakeholders via APIs and SpaceTime™.
Blue Sky Analytics Geospatial Data Refinery The refinery helps tackle the climate data gap by providing all environmental indicators to all kinds of end-users via two platforms - SpaceTime™ and APIs. This helps the data science team to plug the data into their workflow or CXOs glancing through the visualisation to make key GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
decisions. This also minimises stakeholder cost and efforts put in to consume data and draw insights. With the refinery being automated, we can provide as many input streams and get the required output. The advantage is that our current datasets evolve with the availability of input streams. And, with research and recognition of the market need, we can develop and deliver the required dataset.
Effective layer between upstream ecosystem, decision-makers Given the accelerating climate crisis, the geospatial data refinery has the ability to generate valuable insights to speed up the response timeline. It has proved to be an effective layer between the upstream ecosystem and decision-makers. For instance, our first dataset, BreeZo for air quality monitoring, took us 12 months to develop while our second dataset, Zuri for fires and GHG emissions tracking, took us only eight months. Since then, it has been our goal to develop new datasets every quarter, which will enable us to build a comprehensive catalogue of datasets efficiently. Blue Sky Analytics’ Standard Monitoring Infrastructure On the user-facing side, SpaceTime™ has also reaped benefits from the scalable infrastructure that we have built over the last two years. It took us more than
a year to deploy the first two datasets on SpaceTime™. In just the last two months, we have deployed five new datasets across parameters like GHG emissions, electrification, and fire prediction with each varying in type, representation, temporal frequency & spatial resolution. As the name suggests, SpaceTime™ has the ability to accommodate any kind of dataset with a spatial and temporal component. The impact of our refinery can most notably be observed in its application in Climate TRACE, a global coalition led by Al Gore, with a mission to accelerate climate action by providing independent high-resolution and near-real-time (GHG) emissions data. As a founding member of Climate TRACE, in just one week, we have been able to visualise global sector-wise and country-wise emissions data provided by the numerous members of the coalition on SpaceTime™.
Exploring true potential of sat data The refinery infrastructure will be instrumental in harnessing the true potential of satellite data and propagating meaningful climate action. Moreover, the refinery will enable us to develop a myriad of climate datasets in 2022 across various parameters – fire prediction, electrification mapping, surface water quality and quantity monitoring, flood mapping, sea-level monitoring — contributing to 11 out of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). We encourage users to engage with the geospatial data refinery through SpaceTime™ and our Developer Portal to explore how they can make the most of the infrastructure.
NALSAR UNIVERSITY OF LAW HYDERABAD Courses Offered by
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DIRECTORATE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION(DDE) “Aerospace,Defence and Maritime Education at the door steps of the needy with Prof. Balakista Reddy affordable cost” Director, CADL About NALSAR
NALSAR University of Law was established by Act No. 34 of 1998 to provide comprehensive legal education and to promote quality researches in the discipline of law and allied subjects both in regular as well as distance mode. NALSAR has graded as Category-I University by the UGC under Categorization of Universities (only) for Grant of Graded Autonomy Regulations, 2018. NALSAR has been accredited by NAAC with 'A' grade ('A++' grade as per new grading system) with 3.60 CGPA out of 4.00 which is the highest score among all the National Law Schools and Law Colleges in the country.
NALSAR established the Centre for Aerospace and Defence Laws (CADL) in 2005 with the objective of promotion of teaching and development of Aviation, Space, Maritime, Telecom and Defence Laws and Regulations. Since then, NALSAR-CADL has been promoting the study of Aerospace and Defence Laws by introducing courses, conducting national and international conferences, moot courts, workshops and also publishing Newsletters, Journals, Books and Articles, besides awarding a few M.Phil. and Ph.D. Degrees in the said areas. The objective of introducing these unique and value added courses is to cater to the needs of unprecedented aviation growth coupled with commercialization and privatization of aerospace, defence and maritime industries, which calls for thousands of skilled manpower to meet not only managerial requirements but also legal compliances that arise from the high value transactions. CADL invites applications for admission to the following programmes:
Two-Year M.A. Programmes
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Maritime Laws Eligibility for Advanced Diploma Programmes: Bachelor's Degree or an equivalent Degree in any discipline from any recognized University; or 3-year Degree/Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME)* Candidates who complete three years of their 5-year integrated LLB Degree programme in Law are also eligible to apply; or Candidates appearing for the final year examination of Graduation/ Engineering are also eligible to apply. * Applicable only for the Advanced Diploma in Aviation Law & Air Transport Management
Admission Procedure : Direct Admission subject to fulfilment of the eligibility criteria for the said courses. The Online portal for submitting the Application Form will be available at
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Centre for Aerospace and Defence Laws (CADL) NALSAR UNIVERSITY OF LAW, HYDERABAD
Email ID : cadladmissions@nalsar.ac.in Phone : +91-40-23498402 / 404 Justice City, Shameerpet, Medchal-Malkajgiri Dist., Hyderabad – 500101, Telangana, India.
54
INTERVIEW
A Smooth Ride for Geospatial Technologies in India’s Highway Sector
General Vijay Kumar Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, (Retd.), is an Indian politician and a former fourstar General in the Indian Army. He is currently Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Geospatial Artha had a freewheeling discussion with him regarding the vision and commitments of the ministry, future plans for India’s highway sector, the application of technologies in the development of infrastructure, major challenges facing the sector, and more. By Titas Roy
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways: vision and commitments The vision of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is to have a sustainable, efficient, safe and internationally comparable quality of road infrastructure in general, and a national highways infrastructure in particular, to achieve enhanced connectivity and quick mobility to a level that will accelerate socio-economic development. The primary focus of MoRTH is to develop the national highways (NHs) network in the country into a road network of international standards for uninterrupted flow of traffic, with enhanced safety features. Evolving policies for efficient and safe transportation through the road network and facilitating their implementation is also one of the major focus areas of MoRTH. Apart from this, improving the road safety scenario in the country, especially on national highways, is of high importance; it can be achieved by promoting information technology GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
for facilitating online services for the stakeholders and strengthening the public transport system.
The future of highway construction Over the years, the speed of road construction has become the benchmark for India’s infrastructure creation. The Central Government has been trying to leverage roads, railways and waterways to bring India’s logistics costs down to 8% to make the economy competitive. In the process, the government has revived the highway sector, which was reeling under stress and lack of private investment. The government has also set ambitious plans, such as the Bharatmala (roads), to improve the transport infrastructure. The total investment for the Bharatmala project is pegged at Rs 10 trillion, which is considered to be the largest ever outlay for a government road construction scheme. With an average speed of 37 km per day, the construction of national highways during 2020/2021 has been the highest
ever in the last five years, despite the COVID-19 crisis and months of lockdown. The total length of national highway construction, up to February 5, 2021, was 9,242 km.
Geospatial technologies in Indian highway infrastructure The government has taken steps to manage national highways and road assets using different geospatial technologies — unmanned aerial vehicles are being used to monitor and manage national highways and road assets. Satellite data and geospatial technology are useful in providing inputs to highway and infrastructure projects for preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs), pre-feasibility status in new alignment, upgrades and road widening, monitoring of road segments under construction, and for the Road Asset Management System. Drone technology finds its use in monitoring, construction progress, Road Asset Management, feasibility report and DPR preparation, and immediate
INTERVIEW assessment and remedy of problematic spots.
Technology improves workflow and processes With the Government of India investing significantly in highway construction projects, the need for adopting integrated geospatial technologies is strongly evident — particularly for design-to-execution quality and enhanced productivity. Advancements in the design industry from 2D CAD drawings to 3D digital models have specifically linked design process, role, and stakeholder. From pre-construction to the operations and maintenance phase, drones have proven to be of use during each lifecycle of a transport construction project. There is a seamless integration and collaboration of resources and stakeholders, with data being shared in real time. Apart from drones, advancements in 4IR technologies (including Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and BIM) create Digital Twins, that is, almost complete virtual replicas of the built environments. These platforms combine real-time information feeds from various sensor networks and intelligent systems. All these technologies together are playing an enabling role in improvement of workflows and processes related to highway construction projects. Additionally, this will also reduce the silos in project execution, whilst increasing productivity and reducing errors and reworks. Challenges addressed by geospatial technologies The Indian highway construction sector faces numerous challenges from project conceptualization to operations and maintenance stage. Despite its prominent stake in the economy
The following challenges predominantly encountered in roads and highways infrastructure development, can be addressed using geospatial technologies: Technology adoption Low productivity Low profitability Fragmented data ecosystem Environmental & sustainable development concerns
and society, the sector’s performance has lagged tremendously behind other industrial sectors in terms of digitalization. Highway construction involves varying levels of complexities from design and engineering to build and maintenance stage. The build stage in the highways sector has been traditionally plagued by shortcomings in inter-departmental collaborations, adverse environmental conditions, contractors’ non-performance, skilled manpower, equipment breakdown and idle time. In the case of build stage of airport infrastructure, challenges are largely related to change in design/scope and planning in-silos. Highway infrastructure projects represent some of the major advancements in engineering technology, tipping the scales in many dimensions — size, complexity and cost. With large-scale investment, design complexities, and lasting impact on future infrastructure assets, these projects are prone to significant project execution risk and massive cost overruns. These challenges are often a result of project data gaps, which lead to significant material wastage, cost and time overruns, and continuous reworks,
Ageing assets On-site wastage Increased levels of reworks Coordination among stakeholders Lack of real-time status Digitalization awareness Skilled manpower
resulting in massive delays and loss of capital.
Pre-requisites for the successful adoption of geospatial technologies Though quite a few geospatial technologies have already entered the Indian highway construction industry, there still exist challenges for smoother adoption of these technologies. Some of the common challenges are lack of digital awareness and coordination among stakeholders. The stakeholders need to understand that application of content-enabled (multi-disciplinary on-site data), connected (near real-time off-site to field collaboration) and constructible workflow (using as-built data) has proven successful in reduction of disjointed design-to-execution workflows. Integration of on-site technology solutions with off-site platforms changes the outlook of transport infrastructure projects by structuring the available datasets and streamlining the information for an efficient workflow benefitting each stakeholder. These integrated solutions will provide a collaborative approach in integration of lifecycle data, resulting in increased returns on investments and compliance of project time and cost. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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EXPERT OPINION
Geospatial Industry: Driving force behind India's growth
The world has come a long way from the days of using paper maps for finding places to adopting spatial intelligence in everyday decisions. The story of India is no different, although the adoption rate has been slower than desired. By Rajesh C Mathur, Advisor, ESRI India Technologies Ltd.
H
umans have long recognized the importance and value of maps in their lives. Indeed, the history of mapping can be traced back more than 5,000 years. Since then, the world has come a long way from the days of using paper maps for finding places, to adopting spatial intelligence in everyday decisions. The story of India is no different, although the adoption rate has been slower than desired.
Early adopters As in other countries, in India as well, the early adopters of GIS were the national mapping agencies that built capacity to create geospatial data products; organizations like Survey of India, Geological Survey of India, National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO), et al. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Regional Remote Sensing Centres (RRSCs), State Remote Sensing Centres, and National Informatics GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
Centre implemented several GIS-based pilot projects across a range of domains like water resource management, forestry, urban planning, etc., to demonstrate the applications of GIS and remote sensing. While a lot of good work was being done by the user community, the utilization of geospatial technologies was nowhere near the potential. The primary reason was lack of awareness of GIS, inadequate availability of technical manpower, spatial data availability, and limited access to solution providers who could support the users in implementing GIS. In order to meet the growing needs of skilled geospatial manpower, several universities built GIS and remote sensing labs to create human resource capacity and also take up research projects. Soon, the availability of trained GIS manpower opened up the untapped opportunity to develop an international GIS
services market for the Indian geospatial industry. What started as low-end data development work has evolved into India becoming the preferred source for design, development and implementation of enterprise geospatial platforms for discerning global customers.
Technology evolution Technological developments in GIS have kept pace with the emergence of new and emerging technologies in the IT space, like Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), Big Data, Digital Twin, Web/Cloud, et al. GIS deployment on Web/Cloud enables organizations to build enterprise geo-platforms hosting data, applications, solution templates and open APIs (application programming interface) serving a variety of users. The federated architecture based on open standards enables users to access content from multiple data servers and consume it as a service using any device, anytime and from anywhere. For instance, the geospatial infrastructure of a Smart City would enable various departments like property tax, healthcare, transportation, solid
India's geospatial economy was expected to be Rs. 38,972 crores in 2021, employing approx 470,000 people. It may grow to Rs. 52,770 crores and generate 950,000 jobs by 2025
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Image Credit: Esri
EXPERT OPINION
ESRI’s GeoHub technology makes content available to external entities, including citizens, NGOs, academia, and start-ups that can build citizen-centric applications to leverage the data.
waste management, and education, among others, to share their data with other departments in a collaborative manner. ESRI’s GeoHub technology makes content available to external entities, including citizens, NGOs, academia, and start-ups that can build citizen-centric applications to leverage the data. Another example of geospatial infrastructure would be state GIS integrating data from various departments to become a single source of truth and geo-enable various state government processes and workflows.
Growth drivers As per a survey conducted by Geospatial Media and Communications, India’s geospatial economy was estimated to be Rs. 38,972 crores in 2021, employing approximately 470,000 people. It is expected to grow to Rs. 52,770 crores and provide employment to about 950,000 people
by 2025. Several factors have contributed to the growth in the adoption of geospatial technologies in India. These include: Increased awareness of geospatial technologies among users, decision-makers and the political leadership Deployment of GIS in several mission critical projects of the government, like Smart Cities, Atal Mission For Rejuvenation And Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (RAPDRP), Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DINLRMP), Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA), to name a few. Technological advancements like geospatial infrastructure to expose geospatial informa-
tion and services to a much larger user base. Integration of GIS with other enterprise platforms like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), et al. Proliferation of location intelligent devices leading to availability of real-time geospatial information. Easy integration of data from disparate sources. Geospatial data and mapping guidelines that will lead to democratization of geospatial content and unlocking of data available with various agencies.
The road ahead Location enablement of digital transformation: Disruptions caused by the pandemic have accelerated the pace of digital transforGEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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EXPERT OPINION The geospatial ecosystem is poised for huge growth in the coming years, with the potential to be a Rs. 1 lakh crore industry by 2030. However, industry leaders, along with the government, research institutions and academia, need to remove the bottlenecks and facilitate hassle free adoption of geospatial technology. mation in the past 24 months. This has made it necessary for enterprises to quickly reorganize existing business processes and workflows to adapt to the new normal. Location information is an integral part of most business processes across industries now. India Geospatial Stack: Under the Digital India Program, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has implemented several advanced enter-
prise platforms like Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT), Unified Payments Interface (UPI), among others, often termed India Stack. Several domain specific platforms, focused on healthcare, urban development, etc., are in the process of being implemented. Location information is a critical parameter in most of these systems. Hence, it would be prudent to establish a comprehensive enterprise GIS platform that
can serve the constituents of India Stack and enables them to embed location information into the system. Location Intelligence for Business Analytics: It is said that 80% of business decisions have a location dimension. Hence, commercial enterprises – manufacturing, retail, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance sector), travel and logistics — are major users of geospatial technologies. In India, the adoption has
EXPERT OPINION been low because of lack of granular demographic data. However, the Geospatial Data Guidelines 2021 should lead to significant investments in data creation, resulting in increased adoption of GIS in the commercial segment. GIS for sustainable development: India is committed to achieving the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) identified by the member states of the United Nations. Geospatial data is one of the key components of the information needed to capture, monitor and report data on various parameters. GIS also helps in building the strategy to achieve many of the 17 SDG goals. Moving up the value chain in GIS services: Indian geospatial services companies will
continue to enhance their customer engagement as they move up the value chain in service delivery. Integration of GIS with other business processes, Web/Cloud based services, managed services, would be just some of the engagement models. Skill development: While several Indian universities are offering GIS and remote sensing courses, there is a need to align them to the industry needs and also adopt current technological developments in the curriculum. There is also a need to focus on the top half of the skill pyramid like program managers, project managers, solution architects, etc.
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poised for huge growth in the coming years, with the potential to be a Rs. 1 lakh crore industry by 2030. However, industry leaders, along with the government, research institutions and academia, need to remove the bottlenecks and facilitate hassle free adoption of geospatial technology. The government needs to establish geospatial infrastructure to host content, solution templates, applications and open APIs in order to accelerate technology adoption. The industry has to invest in data creation, application and solution template development. It also needs to support universities in the development of high caliber manpower. A lot has been achieved with the use of GIS; however, a lot remains to be done.
Conclusion The geospatial ecosystem is
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INTERVIEW
Rakesh Verma Founder and Managing Director of MapmyIndia
Hyper-local mapping will revolutionize the navigation sector An innovator and a mapping pioneer, Rakesh Verma, Founder and Managing Director of MapmyIndia (MMI), formally known as C.E. Info Systems Ltd has been an active stakeholder in India’s geospatial industry for over three decades now. In an exclusive conversation with Jitendra Choubey, Geospatial Artha, he underlines that the future of the country’s thriving economy depends on the robust geospatial policy and MapmyIndia is at the forefront to ensure support to government agencies to capitalise on geospatial potential. GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
Journey of MapmyIndia For me, 1995 was a momentous year. I was in the US – the place where I stumbled upon the idea. During those days, people barely knew what mapping data was. But deep down, there was this determination and conviction to acquaint common users with digital mapping. Maps were there for thousands of years but no one thought of using it to share knowledge about territories, as is being done today. Now, mapping data shuttles between businesses, industries, ministries and different developmental projects. In the absence of any geospatial policy in the country, it took me long to build a new India. It was in 2021 that the Indian government liber-
INTERVIEW say rest of the world. It was only a lack of clarity on the policy that was holding it back. Now, that won't be a deterrent. I feel that the new policy would pose challenges before new entrants to make their way into the industry. Also, there is another challenge for the government to make all players to work together on the given platform and make the best use of the products available.
alized the sector which certainly gave impetus to the whole sector. I call my journey a map project. So, now after map creation, we generate major components that are location specific.
India’s geospatial policy in right direction Now, India has a robust geospatial policy in place as it is promoting fast adoption of the technology. After the IPO debut, we had asked Frost & Sullivan to conduct a market study. The report was an eye-opener for us as it shows a huge market potential in the entire geospatial area. In terms of geospatial data and technology, India is way ahead of many countries or I can
Mindsets need to be changed Indians should believe in their proven indigenously developed technology instead of always looking to the West. We have proved our utility whenever it requires. For example: A year back when the government of India (GoI) started CoWin app – an application launched for the registration of COVID-19 vaccination, the GoI had plugged the CoWin application to MapmyIndia for the location part. Imagine, if our MapmyIndia platform wasn’t there, the government would have to start a project to create a digital map with all details. We have successfully created the technology and the superior data quality by proving ourselves and taking the leadership role in this domain. Global expansion plan for MapmyIndia Under self-reliant India vision of the country, we have made MapmyIndia for India – a plat-
form. Like other foreign companies, they can move to other countries with their platform, we, too, have a plan to move to other countries with our platform. We are going to rebrand our platform as Mappls.
Location technology and fourth industrial revolution MapmyIndia has two major platforms – IoT and mapping. We have a backend system for collecting sensor data. We bring it on our platform and then integrate it with mapping so that it generates the location. Besides, there is a huge artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning going on alongside. The future of any location technology has to deal with artificial intelligence. Some of the major trends in mapping location and visualization industry are expected to play a crucial role in 2022 and beyond, where one will experience the real-world mapping. Global vision of MapmyIndia One needs to create a strong base and then make the next move. Like German car companies have grown and expanded globally while using local resources, we, too, have created our strong base in India while pinpointing complex problems encountered by people, businesses and the government. Leveraging our experience, we started looking at some of the global problems and ways to
The future of any location technology has to deal with artificial intelligence. Some of the major trends in mapping location and visualization industry are expected to play a crucial role in 2022 and beyond, where one will experience the real-world mapping GEOSPATIAL ARTHA Volume 01 » ISSUE 01
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INTERVIEW solve those. In a similar way, many other big giants couldn’t solve India’s complex problems so we made our space in this field by offering reliable platform products and required serviced embedded in it.
Collaboration with government agencies We have collaborated with NITI Aayog to verify logistics interface protocol with NICDC Logistics Data Services (NLDS) and are merging vehicle and driver license data, customs data, Indian Railways wagon data so the stakeholders (manufacturers, warehouse owners, logistic partners) can choose the best route for transportation. In the health sector, we have signed an MoU with the National Health Authority for using our platform to put all primary health centres,
sub-centres and other health infrastructures on the map. We are in a pact with MEITY, working with UMANG app to provide real-time and cutting-edge services to commoners, and have a historic agreement with ISRO where we integrate the entire catalogue of images and maps. With MoRTH, we are mapping accident database of 6.3 million kilometres of road network. We are also in touch with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare for providing farmers unified services such as weather information, agriculture markets, agri-inputs, and others through ‘AgriStack’ app.
David vs Goliath Their (Google Maps) monopoly on Android Operating System made us helpless. We all want better platforms in this sector. There is
a consensus among economists that monopolies stifle innovation and induces corporate somnolence. They practise monopoly to consolidate and protect company’s dominant market position rather than promoting innovations. We have been in this sector before the advent of Google Maps. The question of being afraid does not arise.
Super hyper local market We have created a platform for super hyper local market, which big corporations couldn’t do. It is a concept where each building and street are mapped. For example: If you get into a housing society, you will be able to figure out which floor or flat you need to go. For this, we will integrate individual address and location with a six-digit unique alpha-numeric code.
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