THE NEW NATIONAL Map Policy can be described as the first major step towards removing the restrictions on the sale, publication and distribution of maps. For more than three decades now, security issues had kept maps of some areas out of the reach of even government agencies seeking to use them for developmental activities. Ironically, the emergence of satellite imagery and new digital technology that helped enhance maps have made the government policy more rigid. Sourcing any digital map required the clearance of the Ministry of Defence and updating of maps became almost impractical.

While the demand for maps from the private sector, a large number of government bodies and research agencies grew, their availability from domestic sources did not. This virtual self-denial happened at a time when satellite imagery, with fine resolution and vaster coverage of the land mass was available to users outside India. Obviously, the fact that one agency was in charge of creating maps for defence and civilian use did not help matters.

In this background the Inter-ministerial Task Force, drawn from the Departments of Science and Technology, Defence, Home, Space, etc., needs to be commended for recognising certain redundant features of the existing policy in the radically changed global context. Though late,the moves are definitely in the right direction. By creating two streams of maps — Open Series Maps (OSMs) and Defence Series Maps (DSMs) — and declassifying maps of scale 1:1 million and smaller, the new Policy has addressed some of the key concerns of the growing private industry needing such information. Further, by allowing accredited private agencies to survey all parts of the country using public domain data, the Policy brings in more flexibility in generating user interest maps. It also permits value addition to the OSMs, both in digital or analogue format, by the recognised agencies. The large number of infrastructure projects underway, the various citizen services that need to be provided, and the creation of large databases of natural resources for efficient execution of projects would require a range of new generation, high quality, high content maps that are made to the required scale. All this is expected to translate into opportunities running to thousands of crore rupees for the map industry.

There must be more emphasis from now on for the public-private partnership for the creation and enrichment of the database. The preparation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), on now for three-four years, involving the digitisation of existing map data has remained in the domain of public institutions, with the S&T, Space, and Defence Departments. Bringing in the private sector in this effort, say, in undertaking aerial surveys, could be a welcome step. With the private sector better placed to raise resources to meet the challenges of generating contemporary, user-targeted civilian maps and creating large database, the Map Policy has definitely opened a window of opportunity.

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