Big expenditure numbers in a budget always attract eyeballs as it leads to capacity generation, public asset creation, opportunities for the industry and, above all, employment. One of the big takeaways is the capital outlay of ₹2.4 lakh crore for railways, which will be used for network expansion and modernisation. The nine-fold increase in spending on railways since 2013 will open up opportunities in areas like mapping and drone surveys, where geospatial technologies can be deployed.
Other areas of interest for the geospatial industry include thrust on green growth; aspirational district and block programmes for improvement of public services like water, health, and education; investment in 100 infrastructure projects to improve last-mile connectivity for ₹75,000 crore, revival of 50 airports and heliports and the allocation of ₹10,000 crore for the creation of an Urban Infrastructure Fund.
An outlay of ₹20,700 crore has been made for grid development that will connect Ladakh with the potential to generate 13 GW of renewable energy for the national distribution network and the intention of launching 500 plants under the GOBARdhan (Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources) programme for converting waste-to-wealth also present significant opportunities for the geospatial sector.
Grid network planning and identifying the sites for setting up these biogas production facilities can be efficiently executed by deploying the latest geospatial technologies. Similarly, the creation of a dedicated fund for upgrading urban infrastructure is welcome news for the sector; especially for urban asset management, companies heavily rely on geospatial technologies.
The creation of digital embassies and a national data governance policy will further open up avenues of data expansion to encourage research and innovation in India. GoI’s investments in setting up 100 5G labs and three centres of excellence (CoEs) for the development of AI-driven technologies and applications will also have a positive rub-off effect on the geospatial sector.
The convergence of geospatial data and AI is already leading to better intelligence extraction. Early movers in India will enjoy a significant competitive advantage in the long run. However, in light of the National Geospatial Policy (NGP) that was announced by GoI in December 2022, it was expected that the FM would announce budgetary provisions for the creation of geospatial content and the establishment of geospatial knowledge infrastructure. The lack of specific allocation of funds to the Department of Science and Technology, Survey of India, or any other ministry is disappointing.
Now, with NGP operational, it’s important for GoI to make investments in this sector, especially in developing the geospatial infrastructure, for meeting the objectives spelt out in the policy.
(The writer is managing director, Esri India)