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National Geospatial Policy 2022
“Powering India’s Vision for Viksit Bharat”
Introduction: The National Geospatial Policy 2022 (NGP 2022), notified on December 28, 2022, aims to position India as a global leader in geospatial technology by liberalising and democratising access to geospatial data.
- It focuses on fostering innovation, governance, and economic growth while ensuring a citizen-centric approach. The policy mandates open accessibility to publicly funded geospatial data, promoting its widespread use for national development.
Key Objectives and Vision
- The vision is to leverage geospatial technology for economic growth, governance, and sustainable development.
- It aims to establish a world-class geospatial innovation ecosystem, ensuring easy access to valuable geospatial data for businesses and citizens.
- The policy provides a long-term roadmap until 2035, focusing on infrastructure, institutional frameworks, and skill development.
Recent Allocations and Trends from the Union Budget 2025-26
- The Government of India has allocated ₹100 crore for the National Geospatial Mission to develop foundational geospatial infrastructure.
- The PM Gati Shakti portal will provide geospatial data access to private enterprises, fostering Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for infrastructure development and efficient decision-making.
Key Goals
By 2025
- Establish a policy and legal framework to support geospatial sector liberalisation.
- Develop a unified digital interface for accessing publicly funded geospatial data.
- Enhance the availability and accessibility of high-quality geospatial data across industries.
- Redefine the National Geodetic Framework using modern positioning technologies.
By 2030
- Conduct high-resolution topographical surveys (5–10 cm for urban/rural areas and 50–100 cm for forests/wastelands).
- Develop a high-accuracy Digital Elevation Model (DEM) (25 cm for plains, 1–3 m for hilly/mountainous areas).
- Establish a Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure (GKI) with an Integrated Data and Information Framework.
- Enhance geospatial education and skill development to meet future demands.
By 2035
- Generate high-resolution bathymetric geospatial data for inland waters and deep-sea topography, supporting the Blue Economy.
- Survey and map sub-surface infrastructure in major cities.
- Develop a National Digital Twin for major urban centres, creating digital replicas to enhance urban planning and management.
Key Focus Areas
- Geospatial for Transformation & SDGs – Aligning geospatial technology with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for efficient governance and transparency.
- Atmanirbhar Bharat & Self-Reliance – Empowering Indian geospatial enterprises to reduce dependency on foreign data.
- Global Best Practices & IGIF – Implementing international frameworks like the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF) under UN-GGIM.
- Robust Geospatial & ICT Infrastructure – Strengthening real-time accessibility of geospatial data for cross-sector collaboration.
- Fostering Innovation & Startups – Supporting startups, R&D, and emerging technologies to modernise regulations.
- Standards & Interoperability – Advocating open standards and compliance frameworks for seamless geospatial data integration.
- Capacity Development & Education – Introducing geospatial education at school levels and skill development programs.
- Ease of Doing Business – Liberalising regulations to attract investment and support geospatial enterprises.
- Democratisation of Data – Treating Survey of India (SoI) and publicly funded geospatial data as a public good for easy access.
Geospatial Policy Under PM Gati Shakti
- PM Gati Shakti – National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity integrates 16 key Ministries for coordinated infrastructure planning.
- The initiative leverages real-time geospatial data to streamline infrastructure projects and improve resource utilisation.
- Geospatial technology from ISRO and BiSAG-N supports data-driven decision-making for economic growth and connectivity.
National Geospatial Data Repository: Seamless Data Integration
- A centralised platform for geospatial data sharing across government and private sectors.
- Enables real-time, interoperable geospatial data access to support governance, infrastructure, and economic development.
Operation Dronagiri: Transforming India’s Geospatial Landscape
Launch and Overview
- Launched on November 13, 2024, as a pilot initiative under NGP 2022.
- Demonstrates real-world applications of geospatial technology for citizen services, business efficiency, and governance.
Implementation and Key Features
- Being implemented in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
- Integrated Geospatial Data Sharing Interface (GDI) for seamless access to geospatial data across sectors.
Impact and Future Expansion
- Supports urban planning, disaster management, and environmental monitoring.
- Envisions a nationwide rollout under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
- Enhances governance, infrastructure planning, and geospatial innovation.
Empowering Inclusion and Progress
- Democratisation of geospatial data enhances citizen services and governance.
- Survey of India (SoI) launched a Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) Network for high-accuracy location data.
- SVAMITVA Scheme has surveyed 2.8 lakh villages using drone mapping for streamlined land records and property rights.
- Encourages private sector participation and supports geospatial startups, incubators, and industry accelerators.
