Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the UN World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) in Hyderabad on Tuesday, where India is set to showcase the strides it has made in the sector over the past several years.
The five-day conference will see the participation of over 550 delegates from 115 countries to discuss issues related to the development and strengthening of integrated geospatial information management, its capacities, and its capabilities.
“We will present the geospatial ‘Chaupal’ initiative that seeks to link village communities with geospatial services,” Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh told reporters here.
Singh said initiatives such as Swamitva, to map revenue lands in villages and the steps taken by the government to empower common citizens using geospatial data will form a key component of India’s focus area during the conference.
“We are not in an era where we can keep a veil of confidentiality on our data,” the minister said when asked about the response from the industry to the government’s initiatives in the geospatial sector.
“This scientific program has been diligently planned. We have plenary sessions which will deal with sustainable development goals. Parallel sessions dealing with strategy. We also have a unique Geospatial Chaupal which no other country in the world can offer,” Singh said.
Science & Technology Secretary S Chandrashekar said the automobile sector had embraced navigation services offered by domestic companies.
The second UNWGIC will focus on the theme ‘Geo-Enabling the Global Village: No one should be left behind.’ The conference will reflect the importance of integrated geospatial information to support sustainable development and the well-being of society, address environmental and climate challenges, embrace digital transformation and technological development, and catalyze a vibrant economy, Chandrashekar said.
He said the conference will demonstrate the importance of international cooperation and coordination for building a human data and geography community, against the three pillars of sustainable development, for a shared future and a better world, leaving no one behind within an inclusive and equitable global society.
