Technology
Asking for Moon?
Ravi Gupta
Most of us would have come across stories about the harassment faced by researchers wasting their most productive years in running around for data in the government departments like Survey of India, Central Ground Water Board, Central Water Commission etc. In fact, out of a normal five year doctorate course in any natural science stream in India, on an average, the scholar spends at least half of his time in running around for collecting the basic data required for research. By not releasing the data for the research, these data agencies play a major role in ensuring that India never comes up to the frontier of science and technology in the world.
There is a lot of discussion going on about involving NGOs, research institutions and the private sector in decision making by the government. But can anyone tell me that how can one help you in decision making unless one has the data to study and analyse your problem?
The whole business of data collecting agencies, still runs on the British instituted dictum Data - of the government, for the government, by the government. The system does not identify the billions of population outside the government as a stakeholder.
Our political system has cautiously avoided the public participation in policy making. That is why, before coming out with any major directive on a subject, the government rarely tries to consult the concerned associations or NGOs, may a times, which it funds directly or indirectly. Only the lack of participatory governance in the country could have led to a disastrous situation like today we have in the field of mapping. Despite having institutions like Indian National Cartography Association (INCA) and Indian Society for Remote Sensing (ISRS), we have had ridiculous map policies for more than two decades! This is the ample proof of how seriously the professional societies and their recommendations are taken by the government.
Situation in India is in contrast to other countries, where, the professional associations do have a major say in policies of the government on the subject. For example AGI in UK, URISA in US, play a major role in development of the GIS related policies not only in their respective countries, but internationally too. They are also members of bodies like OGC (Open GIS Consortium), which develop standards for GIS and Remote Sensing software data exchange standards worldwide. Why doesn’t India, which has one of the oldest survey organisations in the world, the best civilian remote sensing satellite and some of the best software engineers, have a single representation there! Why can’t we aspire for global leadership in everything we do!
It’s high time the government starts talking as well as listening to the NGOs, private sector and research establishments for removing bottlenecks in the information related policies in the country. If not, when in the year 2025, the moon also would have got mapped, inch by inch, some one like us would still be writing for removing restrictions on maps in India.