What are the main initiatives that have been undertaken in the field of geospatial sciences by the IIT, Bombay?
Geospatial sciences form a very important and integral part of all technological developments today. At the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Geospatial sciences have been introduced at various levels in the academic and research activities of most departments and centres. The Department of Civil Engineering (www.civil.iitb.ac.in) is the main centre of these activities. In addition to the formation of the "Geodesy & Remote Sensing Division" within the Department, for teaching Geodesy, Surveying & Mapping and Remote Sensing courses at the B.Tech. level, M. Tech. (Remote Sensing) programme was introduced in 1980.

The Centre of Studies in Resource Engineering (CSRE), which was an integral part of the Department, has now developed into an independent research centre. The team of scientists and research fellows at CSRE undertake research projects in various aspects of RS, including SAR Interferometry (www.csre.iitb.ac.in). The Department of Earth Sciences, which started as a division of Department of Civil Engg., is now a major activity centre for application of Geospatial sciences in Earth Sciences. In addition to this, many other Departments and Centres at the Institute, including Centre for Environmental Sciences Research (CESE), School of Information Technology, etc. are offering courses and conducting research in Geospatial sciences.

What are your comments on the industry - institution - government interface in terms of careers of GIS experts created through education in India?
The academic and training institutes, the government agencies and the Industry, together form a base triangle of any technology, with all three vertices of the triangle being equally important. For the Geospatial sciences, which are relatively new, all three aspects: the training of manpower, the governmental support, and the end-user: the industry, should develop uniformly, in an integrated manner, for the sector to mature. In our country, we have an excellent educational base, now appreciated and valued all over the world; an equally responsible and pro-active government and public sector, and rapidly developing industry, especially in the field of Geosciences. Thus, with significant contribution from all these entities, the future scenario in Geospatial sciences appears to be bright. However, co-ordination, exchange of know-how and ideas, and cross-movements of personnel between these three agencies should grow exponentially, to accelerate this process.

Where, in your understanding, lies the future of geospatial sciences and geospatial market in India?
In India, most public sector organizations today are increasingly using GIS technology for the effective utilization of their resources, and its use in private sector is also catching up. In GIS-related software development, even though the contribution of Indian GIS professionals is significant, a lot more needs to be done in developing indigenous software systems for global market. In manpower development also, many academic and professional organizations in India are today offering comprehensive training courses related to GIS.

However, introduction of GIS as a major field of study in Indian engineering and technological institutes and Universities is still a dream, and more efforts are required to be directed in this direction. The GIS-based publications, with their high quality technical contents, are also contributing in spreading GIS awareness.

In the GPS field, many ambitious programmes related to different applications of GPS, have been launched, including the National GPS Programmes for Earthquake Studies by Department of Science & Technology, and Department of Space, Govt. of India, the Differential GPS network by Department of Light Houses, Govt. of India, GPS-based aviation programme, GPS use by Defence Forces, etc. Even though some indigenously manufactured GPS instrumentation is available, its technical and economical viability needs vast improvement.

In the GPS software scenario, very few Indian efforts are today visible, and we have along way to go in this field. In manpower development for effective use of GPS technology also, only few training courses are offered by few academic and professional organizations, whereas the demand for GPS-trained personnel is growing very fast. The important role of academic institutes in this regard can hardly be over-emphasized.

The future scenario in GIS and GPS fields, globally and also in India, is very bright. With the ever-increasing fields of applications of these two modern technologies, the demand for trained manpower, instrumentation and software is presently very high, and is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years. In order to meet these future requirements, sustained and integrated efforts by the mapping community and governmental and non-governmental organizations, including academic institutes and private sector, are necessary.With such efforts,India has the potential to become a world-leader in these technologies in the near future.