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Aims, Objectives and Scope for Development of a National Digital Data Infrastructure
Brig. V.N. Nerikar
Survey of India
Sustained economic growth, balance
between development of natural resources and their exploitation in an optimal
natural environment requires access to an accurate, consistent and uptodate data
on related parameters for planning of development projects. A system designed to
provide such data can be perceived to be one which has no beginning and no end,
no inner or outer constraints and which cannot provide a single cutting edge
answer for a specified problem. As a result, while considering development
process in its totality, we are faced with the fact that there are a number of
points of entry in the multidimensional social, economic, cultural,
environmental and ethical fields which have a bearing on the planning process.
All these fields are joined by numerous links which act as checks and balances
to avoid any particular field of human activity accelerating or degrading too
fast. The planning activity is governed by specific laws, legal provisions,
individual enthusiasm and Governmental constraints. Each of these factors
influence the planning model in different ways. It is thus that we find that one
has to be content with less than an 'Ideal' solution and accept and a practical
proposition as the 'best' solution most of the times.
Considering the
impact of these multidimensional factors in planning for services and utilities,
it is necessary to view infrastructure and services as being mutually dependent
on each other. Any effort at finding a perfect fit for a problem situation will
necessarily have to wait till the inter relationships between these factors is
firmly established. As a corollarly, then, it is necessary to view the chief
objectives of development of an infrastructure as being the pointers to sustain
growth in the quality of life while preserving the environment. Reliable and
complete information on different aspects of activities facilitate better
understanding of complex issues and reduce the margin of error in the decision
making process. The role of political, economic and social factors is quite
dynamic in nature, but, at least, the physical requirements of a planning
process could be obtained largely by spatial data and existing Geo-information
Technology for analysing related information for the development of
infrastructure. One of the important sources for the spatial data could
originate from Geomatics.
Geomatics (Geographical
Informatics)
As the name suggests, the discipline of Geomatics deals with
information on positional data of points, features and other phenomena with or
without accompanying attributes. In essence, it is conceived to be a platform of
multidisciplinary geographical data base with the requisite facilities for
analysing and updation of the data. This technology can be usefully employed by
all those engaged in the planning and development process to access information
stored in the past on data and relate the same to the present and future
expectations from any infrastructure. It can also serve as evidence in legal
transactions and is already becoming quite popular as a tool for planning of
roads, railways and waterways. The planning for construction of such features is
achieved by accessing the cartographic data bases and creating Digital Elevation
Models(DEM) for studying and comparing alternate routes. Considerable saving in
time and cost can be effected in determination of slopes, directions, length,
volume of earth-works of linear and aerial details. The DEMs created from
1:25,000 scale and 1:50,000 scale maps are being used for generating
slope/aspect maps for design of dams, irrigation systems, airport, soil
conservation plans and the like. Geomatics associated with other GIS has also
been successfully used by some countries for hazard predictions, monitoring
geological deformations, seismicity and other phenomenon. Viewing all these
important and serious applications, Survey of India has proposed the
establishment of a Geomatic centre at New Delhi. Its objects are as under:
- To offer consultancy services on specialised subjects such as geodetic,
geophysical, topographical surveys and digital data base to various Governmental
and Non-Governmental organisations.
- To coordinate specialised survey projects at national level such as
Micro-Watershed Development, Coastal Zone Management, Conservation of Himalayan
Eco System, Cadastral Mapping etc. using the resources of Survey of
India.
- To make available the infrastructure for use of digital cartographic data
base by various Govt./Non-Govt. organisations for preparing user specific data
base for use in their GIS environment and process security clearance and vetting
of value added digital data base as per the instructions of Ministry of
Defence.
- To undertake multi-disciplinary mapping projects in collaboration with
National Scientific Institutions such as National Soil Survey and Land Use
Organisations, Bhopal; National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad; NRSA,
Hyderabad; NGRI, Hyderabad; Institute of Non-Conventional Energy, Bangalore;
NATMO,Calcutta etc. While the specialised manpower in different disciplines is
proposed to be obtained on consultancy term from such Institutions, the Survey
of India expertise in specialised field of geodesy, photogrammetry, tidal and
topographical survey, digital cartography existing at various circles are to be
utilised.
- To generate digital data base of unrestricted public series maps such as
Road Map of India, Tourist Maps, Trekking maps, State maps etc. and make it
available to public after security clearance to promote tourism, trade &
economic developments, national integration and general awareness of
geographical environment and Eco Systems amongst public and planners.
- It is essential that the related industries, academicians, central/state
governments, and professionals work together to share information and to develop
integrated technology and expertise to meet the requirement of spatial planning
for sustainable development. The growth of the nation depends on speedy
implementation of scientifically planned developmental activities through use of
multifaceted geomatics data. The geomatics data is also used in various sector
of socio-economic planning viz. regional and urban planning, resources
management, infrastructure development, environment monitoring, agriculture,
irrigation, soil conservations, forestry, railways, airways, in-land water
transport, mineral resource. etc.
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