The Hindu Business Line : Post-flood, Mumbai slowly turns to `GIS' for disaster management

IT is stuff that Hollywood movies are made of, where the hero launches his daredevil rescue mission based on digital maps. In today's Google world, large digital maps, Web-based maps and even palmtop-based maps are a daily reality, and the corporate sector has not missed out.

True, the mandarins of Mumbai's Mantralaya discovered the existence of digital maps and geographical information systems (GIS) and their applications for disaster management only after the July 26 floods.

"In Mumbai, many Government agencies are talking about disaster management plans but nobody is implementing it. The agencies understand GIS. They have adequate GIS-literate people but not enough at the decision-making level," said Dr M. K. Munshi, Senior Executive Director, Rolta India Ltd (a company specialising in GIS technology.)

GIS software converts physical maps into digital maps and links these maps with data fields.

The data fields could be roads, hospitals, municipal offices, electrical substations or any other any information, which the users need. The software allows the user to update the data in real time. In the case of flood control, GIS can be synchronised with flood modelling to give a real time picture. With this, one can simulate water scenarios, high tides and flood-prone areas.

The essence of disaster management is to make an inventory of what has been damaged. In a large-scale disaster, communication collapses and satellite maps cannot be accessed.

But by using aerial photos or the information available from different agencies, a collage can be created and effective steps can be taken.

In a disaster, all the State agencies should be looking at the same map. If each one looks at a separate map, then it could lead to a further disaster, said Dr Munshi. Acquiring the maps of Mumbai is a tall order, as the physical maps of the agencies are not on the same scale.

"Acquiring proper maps is greatly hampered by the fact that many archaic regulations like `Defence of India Rules' govern the availability of maps in the public domain. You cannot even map the coastline under these rules," said Mr Ramachadran Sundaram, Managing Director of Propellex Solutions Ltd, a Pune-based technology solutions company using GIS interface with other geospatial technologies.

According to Dr Munshi, agencies in Mumbai have different maps of the city. Nobody is working on a common map, which can be updated regularly. There should be a mandate for common maps for all agencies, he added.

However, proprietary GIS software and technologies are expensive.

Therefore, there is demand for public GIS, which is is based on open source codes and also freely available. Mumbai-based CRIT (Collective Research Initiatives Trust) — an NGO working on urbanisation — is a votary of open source GIS and by the year-end, it will be launching a public GIS programme.

Mr Shekhar Krishnan, Executive Member of the CRIT, said GIS needs to be integrated with regular infrastructure projects so that it can be used during emergencies.

"GIS should be legislated in the country and its use must be incentivised."

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