HYDERABAD: For the first time, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has proposed to carry out the Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping survey using drones or by camera mounted on aircraft.
This new technology would be used for mapping urban properties and other utilities in the city.
The proposed drone mapping project is expected to make a significant impact on unauthorised constructions, and illegal encroachment.
This would act against the people who are trying to evade taxes, by under-assessing their property. Apart from this, these drones will also keep an eye on city roads, drains, bin mapping, and street lights.
By using drone survey, GHMC has decided to prepare a base map for the city.
While, it may be the first time for Hyderabad to use such technology, a few other cities like Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai are already using drones for mapping urban properties and other facilities.
Talking about the new drone survey, GHMC officials said the corporation has decided to have a comprehensive base map for the city, which would be prepared by capturing the details either through drones or by a camera mounted aircraft. “The drone survey would take a few months, whereas aerial mapping through camera mounted aircraft would just take a few days. However using aircraft for capturing data, requires a series of security permissions from various government agencies, from both Central and State governments, including Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation,” GHMC officials said.
The officials added that drone survey will be able to get high-resolution images within 5 cm, whereas aircraft will get images with an accuracy within 10 cm. “The 3D model will provide the exact details on an area or a building. Further, this survey will help in finding the properties which are not yet assessed. Some parties knowingly or unknowingly have recorded the area of property wrongly, and this will help in detecting such things. Once a map is prepared, it will have to be cleared by the Defence ministry,” officials said.
The survey will capture data with high-resolution cameras and with the help of software, convert the data into Auto CAD drawings. The carpet areas of each property will be captured by the latest survey instruments on site and the same will be geo-tagged to prepare base maps.