Kerala is trending towards an information and knowledge society, specifically with the focus on Information Technology and ‘transparent’ e-governance, IT Minister P K Kunhalikutty said after inaugurating the geoportal, Kerala Spatial Data Infrastructure (KSDI).
Spatial data, an electronic map of environmental or demographic information, include features such as city boundaries, census tract boundaries, streets, schools, etc.
This spatial information will help in making appropriate decisions at the local/state-level planning, implementation of state action plans, infrastructure development, disaster management support, business development, etc.
Until recently, data in paper form have been the key source in a wide variety of applications and decision-making.
“This is changing as more spatially referenced data and information on a wider variety of topics or themes can be availed of just by the click of the mouse,” the Minister said.
Over the years, Kerala had produced a lot of information through topographic surveys, geological surveys, soil surveys and the use of the remote sensing images.
“But this information is not available for everybody in a systematic manner - mainly because the information is ‘owned’ by various agencies and there exists differences in formats, standards, update-cycles, etc. Encapsulating these maps and images into a Spatial Data Infrastructure has been recognised which has led to the formation of Kerala Spatial Data Infrastructure (KSDI) on similar lines as National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI),” said a press release issued by the IT Department.
The advantage of the Spatial Data Infrastructure is that it allows each agency to provide its data in any digital format.
It is like a collective gain from individual ownership. KSDI ensures the availability of converged and meaningful data for the benefit of this state and thereby the country, it said.