DST should promote start-ups, SMEs in geo-spatial mapping sector: Par panel

A parliamentary standing committee has recommended the Department of Science and Technology promote start-ups and SMEs in the geo-spatial mapping sector by providing hand-holding, expertise, technology resource, early-stage funding and incubation through its various entrepreneurship development programmes.

The committee also recommended the department to actively promote the repository of geo-spatial data amongst possible buyers as a prospective revenue grosser.

In response, the DST said Survey of India (SoI) has been outsourcing various geo-spatial data generation works to the geo-spatial sector firms, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), small and medium enterprises (SME) and start-ups, in its endeavour to promote MSME and start-ups.

''This repository and platform will be handled by two directorates with responsibility of data storage, archival, publishing as web services and life cycle management i.e. National Geospatial Data Centre (NGDC), Dehradun, and GIS & Remote Sensing (GIS&RS) Geo-spatial Data Centre, Hyderabad. In order to promote and make available these datasets, SoI is cataloguing these data layers in the National Data Registry (NDR) of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI),'' it said.

''SoI is taking these steps to leverage its data assets for potential buyers at fair price to tap the potential of data-sets as prospective revenue grosser. In order to promote the repository of geo-spatial data amongst possible buyers, a proof-of concept National Data Registry on a cloud-based Geo-platform has been developed and demonstrated with the provision of registration and catalogue services to facilitate search, discovery and access to geo-spatial data,'' the report said.

The committee also noted that the economic, social, technological and developmental potential that lies in liberalisation and democratisation of the guidelines on acquisition and use of geo-spatial data, and recommended that the department should ensure better coordination among various agencies involved in the process to avoid duplicity of efforts, inordinate delays and waste of resources.

''The committee is also concerned about the security related to sharing of geospatial information of sensitive and prohibited areas, and recommends the department to develop foolproof mechanisms to ensure that the security of data is not compromised,'' it said.

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