GIS overview of Uttaranchal State, India
Methodology
GIS Software
The Centre is using indigenous GIS software i.e., GRAM++ (Geo Referenced Area Management System) and Vec-Viewer developed by the DST Government of India through CSRE, IIT, Mumbai. The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India launched a project entitled Natural Resources Data Management System (NRDMS) to generate computer compatible, spatially oriented data base of natural resources and socio-economic parameters to facilitate area specific micro-level planning. The project has emphasized the development of comprehensive spatial database encompassing all the resources . This system (Gram++) operates on a small and relatively low budget configuration and can be used as a viable tool by local level planners (administrators, line departments, block development officers and even village panchyat representatives) for decentralized planning. The important characteristics of GRAM ++ is that it can be handle both vector and raster data and can be used in different natural resources assessment, village and district or rural and urban planning, resource conservation, watershed management, demographic analysis, trafficability studies, event mapping, marketing and business, alignment studied, environmental impact management and so on.
Thus, Gram++ is a tool which can collect, analyze and retrieve the spatial and non-spatial data speedily. The Gram++ has capability to spatial quarries for the maps generated in its domain. The tool contains the entire data in particular Geo-referenced mode. The facility of digitization, attribute assignment, registration, joining and analysis are being performed very well in this indigenous GIS package. Vec- Viewer is the supporting tool of the Gram++. It has the capacity to present the data in spatial form at any scale. It helps the user for generating thematic layers, the database quarries and map production generated in the Gram++.
Information Need Assessment
For the preparation of the GIS database for the District Almora -an information need assessment workshop (Rawat,2000) was organized to prepare the list of information needs of the stakeholders of local level planning, i.e., the different line departments (forest, agriculture, horticulture, soil conservation, jal nigam, jal sansthan, public work department, irrigation, tourism, education and electricity). A list of information needs of these line departments was workout (Rawat,2000) to prepare the GIS of natural and human resources of the Uttaranchal State in general and District Almora, in particular. Digitization of maps was started as per the list of the information needs of the stakeholders of local level planning.
Sensitization of GIS Technique
It is difficult, if not impossible to sensitize the GIS technique among the local level planners, i.e., district or below who are not aware about this latest GIS intervention in planning. To sensitize the GIS technique among the local level planners, a District Coordination Committee is constituted in District Almora. The committee is comprises of the District Administrators ( i.e., District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Chief Development Officer), and Heads of the Line Departments (i.e., Public Work Department, Forest, Agriculture, Horticulture,Soil Conservation, Irrigation, Tourism, Jal Nigam, Jal Sasthan, Education and Health etc.). This committee is headed by the District Magistrate Almora and the Principal Investigator of the NRDMS Centre Almora is the Coordinator. Through this committee a Nodal Officer from each line department for NRDMS activities has been appointed which is responsible to depute two officers from his department to bring the maps/data for digitization at the NRDMS Centre Almora. The deputed officers learn the use of GIS and do practically digitization work of their department information/maps under the supervision of NRDMS Centre Almora. They used to work for two to three weeks at Centre for learning and doing digitization work of their department and than go back to their department with the soft copy of digital data for their own use. In this way the Centre is sensitizing the use of GIS technique among the stakeholders of the local level planning and systematically preparing GIS database for as per users needs..
GIS Data Layers
With close association with the district administrators and nodal officers of the line departments as many as 56 spatial raster data maps at (3 in 1:1000000 and 53in1: 50,000 scale) (see section -Preliminary Outputs ) have been prepared so far by the Centre. The data for the study area have primarily been collected from the topographical maps Government Departments and topographic sheets.
Apart from above, integration of socio-economic data in the digitized State Uttaranchal (Fig. 1), Divisions of Uttaranchal (Fig. 2), Districts of Uttaranchal (Fig 3), District Almora of Uttaranchal (Fig 4), Tehsils of Almora (Fig 5) , Development Block s of Almora (Fig.6), and Nyay Panchyats of Almora (Fig.7); and also in Road, Medical , Electricity, Election and Education facilities maps, have been prepared on Vec Viewer environment.