The Map World Forum opened this morning with an impressive group of dignitaries, and a commendable focus on “Geospatial Technology for Sustainable Planet Earth.” Among the threads of discussion by government policy makers is a need to regulate the use of geospatial technology for the greater good, much as insurance and finance sectors are regulated. This sentiment arises from the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, where it was discovered that the terrorists made use of Google Earth and GPS devices to coordinate their assault on the city.
Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science and Technology, has long been an advocate for the geospatial industry in India. His address this morning emphasized the use of technology for economic development and infrastructure, and he holds the belief that geospatial technology will rise above the current slowdown because it is critical for societal advancement. The minister discussed the advancement of the geospatial industry in India based on map policy legislation from five years ago, and pointed to a bill regarding the Survey of India and national mapping that are now being considered to foster a next wave of geospatial infrastructure development.
The minister sees a future where a national mapping authority will ensure user access and create an ecosystem that will proliferate the use of geospatial data in all sectors of society, with an emphasis on the greater understanding of natural processes. Sabal sees global warming as a driving force for greater geospatial adoption, with access to these tools giving ordinary citizens a much greater awareness of the role that they play in climate change so that we can all become good stewards of our planet.
Tools such as Microsoft Live Local were touted as the vision for the future, with immersive environments being applied to wide applications such as business, real estate, and environmental concerns. Sabal hopes to see such a service in place for India’s six largest cities, with Hyderabad as the first.
The role that technology plays for sustainability was driven home by Shri K. Singh, managing director of Rolta. He emphasized that India, with just 2.5% of the world’s land, but 17% of the world’s population, has much to gain from the application of geospatial technology. He sees the dominant force of the technology toward social an economic growth as the primary driver to ensure sustainable development.
The vice president of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari was impressed by the the actions of the industry to bring benefits to average citizens. He mentioned that it’s encouraging to see the use of satellite imagery by average farmers and fishermen, but hoped to see the use of such tools by all resource sectors as a matter of daily business. He seconded the interest for greater industry regulation, noting that a fine balance was needed to expand the use of tools without compromising national security.
