Karnataka Deliberating GIS Policy Framework
By CXOtoday Staff
Mumbai, Nov 10, 2008 1119 hrs IST

As a first step in this direction, Ashok Kumar C Manoli, principal secretary (IT&BT) for government of Karnataka, said people are realizing the potential for businesses in the spacial infrastructure.

"GIS emerged as an important technology 20 years back and now it has matured to become the language of the future. GIS can be effectively used in disaster management, water resources management, agriculture, mining, urban planning and has the capacity to improve profitability of all these sectors. When made available countrywide combined with proper software applications, GIS can help government planners, policy makers, etc.," said Manoli.

Manoli asked panelists on the third day at Bangalore IT.biz to provide necessary inputs to formulate a policy. He said the deliberations will be refined with inputs from experts and eventually made into a policy framework. Mukund Rao, COO of NIIT GIS, said the entire economy will benefit from GIS, if the development happening in a fragmented way can be integrated and some businesses take it forward.

GIS is already being used in certain areas by different state governments. Examples include Gujarat, which is using GIS data to inform fishermen where they can find dense catch. Bangalore has also used GIS to map people's locations and businesses to improve taxation. GIS has also helped map brackish water areas in Karnataka and Goa that are useful for aquaculture.


Related links:
Opportunities and Challenges in Indian GIS Segment