Date:13/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/01/13/stories/2005011302060500.htm

Back Microsoft R&D centre takes off — Signs MoU with Govt for GIS mapping

Our Bureau

Dr Rick Rashid, Senior Vice-President, Microsoft Research, and Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister of State for Science and Technology, at the inauguration of the Microsoft's research facility in Bangalore on Wednesday. - - G. R. N.Somashekar

Bangalore , Jan. 12

IN the wake of the recent tsunami disaster, the Government is racing along to put in place a geographic information system (GIS). To enable this, it entered into a pact with Microsoft Research India (MSRI) here on Wednesday.

Inaugurating Microsoft's third research facility outside the US, the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ocean Development, Mr Kapil Sibal, stressed on the need for the country to set up a disaster monitoring system and the role Microsoft had to play in this venture.

The Bangalore lab will conduct long-term basic and applied research in various areas. According to Mr Sibal, representatives from the Gates Foundation met the Ministry to initiate collaborative projects in healthcare and research and development.

MSRI will initially investigate areas such as GIS, technologies for emerging markets especially mobile computing technologies that could empower the rural community, the company's Managing Director Mr P. Anandan said.