Lok Sabha Question No. 465 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-03
Subject: Usage of Geospatial Data
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Tatkare Sunil Dattatrey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 465 ANSWERED ON 03/12/2025

## USAGE OF GEOSPATIAL DATA

465.  SHRI TATKARE SUNIL DATTATREY:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) the  status  of  implementation  of  the National  Geospatial  Mission  and  the National Geospatial Policy;
- (b) the manner in which geospatial data is being leveraged in projects like PM Gati Shakti across the country;
- (c) whether the Government has plans to expand the scale and scope of the National Geospatial Policy of 2022 towards projects such as Delhi's GSDL or Tamil Nadu's TN GIS and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  plans  to  utilize  geo-tagging  and  other Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in policies such as the Public Distribution System (PDS), MGNREGA, schemes under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and other schemes that could benefit from such technology and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government plans to make a large bulk of this data accessible to  academics  and  student  researchers  engaged  in  various  types  of  policy research and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) the measures being taken to ensure that accurate and regularly updated data is being fed into the various geospatial portals?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Various provisions of National Geospatial Policy, 2022 are under different stages  of  implementation.  GDPDC  has  been  constituted  as  the  apex  body  for formulating and implementing appropriate guidelines, strategies and programs for promotion of activities related to Geospatial sector. An advisory body named as Geospatial Industrial Development Board (GIDB) has been constituted by DST as envisaged in NGP, 2022. Till  date,  1105  CORS  stations  have  been  established across the country and integrated into the National Network. Under this, 14,677 users  have  been  registered  and  about  19.4+  million  hours  of  data  have  been consumed. Ortho-imagery (ORI) and Elevation (DEM) is implemented in collaboration with the industry through Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode in ongoing projects of national importance like NAKSHA, AMRUT 2.0, SVAMITVA, etc. Further, in collaboration with the Office of the Registrar General of India for the Harmonization of Administrative Boundary Database , version 1 data has been created and Data is freely available in SoI's online maps portal. The organizational

structure of SoI has been aligned with the changed Geospatial data regime, with focus  on  facilitating  and  nurturing  a  vibrant  domestic  Geospatial  services industry.  The  Government  has  announced  the  National  Geospatial  Mission  in Union  Budget  2025-26  with  an  initial  outlay  of  Rs.  100  Crores  to  develop foundational geospatial infrastructure and data for facilitating modernization of land records, urban planning and design of infrastructure projects.

(b) In the current era of data-driven governance, geospatial technologies-GIS, remote  sensing,  GPS,  drones,  and  spatial  analytics-are  central  to  planning, monitoring, and decision-making. Government initiatives, flagship missions, and state projects now integrate geospatial data for accuracy, transparency, speed, and efficiency. The foundational geospatial data is being made available through standard web-services, APIs and data-downloads which able Ministries/Departments/Organizations to harmonize their legacy data from their respective federated location. With the datasets available on the PM Gati Shakti, the projects like NAKSHA, AMRUT 2.0, SVAMITVA is helping in modernization of land records, urban planning, and design of infrastructure projects etc.

(c) to (d): National Geospatial Policy provides for the development of a coherent national  framework  in  the  country  and  leverage  it  to  move  towards  digital economy and improve services to citizens. Creation of High-resolution topographical survey & mapping and High accuracy Digital Elevation Model for entire  country  including  Tamil  Nadu  and  Delhi  has  been  envisaged  under  the policy which will act as fundamental geospatial data sets for adding thematic layers by the different organisation/agencies of the country as per their specific requirements. Geospatial data and location-based services enhance the Public Distribution System (PDS) and MGNREGA by enabling real-time tracking, reducing leakages  and  optimizing  resource  delivery.  It  may  help  for  better  targeting, planning,  and  monitoring  which  will  improve  transparency  and  coordination across various schemes. It may increase efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen social accountability.

(e) Yes, National Geospatial Policy envisages for easy availability of valuable Geospatial data collected utilizing public funds, to businesses and general public. Further, the policy envisages an enabling ecosystem for industry, academia and research with ease of doing business and pro-actively engaging them in various spheres of Geospatial domain for employment generation and contribution to the national economy. The bulk data of CORS network, established by SoI, is  used by academia and student researchers.

(f) National  Spatial  Data  Infrastructure  ensures  registration  of  only  such metadata which complies with the standards set by international bodies like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), particularly those related to metadata (ISO 19115) and data registration (ISO 19135).

*****