Union Jal Shakthi Minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat on Tuesdaysaid that the country’s geospatial economy is expected to cross the ₹61,000-crore mark in the next three years from the present level of ₹41,600 crore.

Releasing the Geospatial Strategy for National Development report here at the inaugural function of the Geo Smart India 2022 on Tuesday, he said that defence and intelligence, utilities, urban development, infrastructure development, agriculture, utilities and land administration would drive the growth of the geospatial market.

Progressing rapidly

“The country is progressing rapidly in the field of technology. There are about 250 geospatial start-ups in the country, which reflects the spirit of innovation in the country, he said.

Delivering the keynote address, he said various geospatial pilot projects were implemented in areas like agriculture, rural development, forestry, water resources management and urban planning.

“Previously, water was a subject which was dealt by almost nine different Ministries. The present government has integrated the work of these various ministries and brought them under the Ministry of Jal Shakti,” he added.

Citing the ‘National Hydrology Project’ (NHP), he said the efforts are on to establish a sound hydrological database and information system and scientific tools for effective planning and management of water resources are within each implementing agency.

The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), which is one of the implementing agencies of the NHP, and has taken up several activities to use geospatial technologies in the field of water resources.

Easy access

The increased adoption of geospatial information across diverse sectors raises the need for easy access to geospatial knowledge.

“To make it accessible to stakeholders at all levels, there is a need for collaborative development of a geospatial infrastructure,” a statement, quoting the minister said.

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