Date:09/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/01/09/stories/2006010902230200.htm

Back Informatics Centre mulls high speed gigabyte network

Moumita Bakshi Chatterjee

New Delhi , Jan. 8

THE National Informatics Centre (under the Department of IT) is working on a proposal to establish a high-speed gigabyte network for applications such as telemedicine, education, and e-governance.

"Unlike the State Wide Area Network (SWAN) under the National e-governance Plan (NeGP), which supports a 2MB speed, the proposed network would have Gigabyte capacity. Users, including schools and hospitals, can pay for its usage and it would be on a self-sustaining model," the NIC Director General, Dr N. Vijayaditya, told Business Line.

He said that the data network would act as an information highway (similar to networks in the US, Japan and Taiwan.)

The NIC expects to complete a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based project, offering 23 layers of information, including soil, water and demography up to the village level, for the Planning Commission by the second quarter this year.

"The GIS system would facilitate micro-level planning, looking at the available resources and ensure a more targeted planning for socio-economic development. It would offer ground level information, including telecom connectivity, population, soil type and water, education institutions and hospitals," Dr Vijayaditya said.

Dr Vijayaditya said that NIC was working with other organisations, including the Geological Survey of India, National Remote Sensing Agency, Ministry of Science and Technology and Central Ground Water Board, for collating information.