The National Geospatial Policy, 2022

Key highlights of the policy-

• The 13-year guideline aims to promote the country’s geospatial data industry and develop a national framework to use such data for improving citizen services, and more.
• Besides developing geospatial infrastructures, skill and knowledge, standards, businesses, among others, the policy aims to develop high resolution topographical survey and mapping, and a high-accuracy digital elevation model for the entire country by 2030.
• The policy will seek to develop a national geospatial data framework, and enable “easy availability” of data to businesses and general public. 
• By 2025, the government will seek to put in place a legal framework that “supports liberalisation of the geospatial sector, and democratisation of data for enhanced commercialisation with value added services.”
• The government will also look to improve availability and access of “better location data” for companies, including private organisations, by 2025.
• The government will look to establish an Integrated Data and Information Framework, under which a Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure (GKI) will be developed by 2030.

• By 2035, goals of usage of geospatial data will include mapping of sub-surface infrastructure in major cities and towns across India, and development of high resolution, accurate bathymetric geospatial data (resources and economy of inland waters, and sea surface topography of shallow and deep seas) to support India’s ‘Blue Economy’.
• The National Geospatial Policy outlines the construction and promotion of “geospatial data infrastructure” through a “well-defined custodianship model and data supply chain” to achieve these goals.
• In addition, the policy outlines the formation of an apex body at the national level to be known as the Geospatial Data Promotion and Development Committee (GDPDC). The GDPDC will be responsible for providing details on the use of geospatial data in governance across specific ministries and for enabling the development of private startups and companies to work on specific projects.
• It would also support the use of National Digital Twin, which is an ecosystem of high-resolution data used to promote connected digital twins among private enterprises “with safe and interoperable data sharing.”
• The strategy outlines the creation of 14 National Fundamental Sectoral Geospatial Data Themes that will be used to address various sectors that promote the development of commercial geospatial applications in disaster management, mining, forestry, and others.