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India’s National Map Policy: HOPE vs HYPE
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National Map Policy1 PreambleAll socio-economic developmental activities, conservation of natural resources, planning for disaster mitigation and infrastructure development require high quality spatial data. The advancements in digital technologies have now made it possible to use diverse spatial databases in an integrated manner. The responsibility for producing, maintaining and disseminating the topographic map database of the whole country, which is the foundation of all spatial data vests with the Survey of India (SOI). Recently, SOI has been mandated to take a leadership role in liberalizing access of spatial data to user groups without jeopardizing national security. To perform this role, the policy on dissemination of maps and spatial data needs to be clearly stated. 2 Objectives• To provide, maintain and allow access and make available the National Topographic Database (NTDB) of the SOI conforming to national standards. • To promote the use of geospatial knowledge and intelligence through partnerships and other mechanisms by all sections of the society and work towards a knowledge-based society. 3 Two series of mapsTo ensure that in the furtherance of this policy, national security objectives are fully safeguarded, it has been decided that there will be two series of maps namely a. Defence Series Maps (DSMs)- These will be the topographical maps (on Everest/WGS-84 Datum and Polyconic/UTM Projection) on various scales (with heights, contours and full content without dilution of accuracy). These will mainly cater for defence and national security requirements. This series of maps (in analogue or digital forms) for the entire country will be classified, as appropriate, and the guidelines regarding their use will be formulated by the Ministry of Defence. b. Open Series Maps (OSMs) – OSMs will be brought out exclusively by SOI, primarily for supporting development activities in the country. OSMs shall bear different map sheet numbers and will be in UTM Projection on WGS-84 datum. Each of these OSMs (in both hard copy and digital form) will become “Unrestricted” after obtaining a one-time clearance of the Ministry of Defence. The content of the OSMs will be as given in Annexure ‘iA’. SOI will ensure that no civil HOPE vs HYPE and military Vulnerable Areas and Vulnerable Points (VA’s/ VP’s) are shown on OSMs. The SOI will issue from time to time detailed guidelines regarding all aspects of the OSMs like procedure for access by user agencies, further dissemination/sharing of OSMs amongst user agencies with or without value additions, ways and means of protecting business and commercial interests of SOI in the data and other incidental matters. Users will be allowed to publish maps on hard copy and web with or without GIS database. However, if the international boundary is depicted on the map, certification by SOI will be necessary. In addition, the SOI is currently preparing City Maps. These City Maps will be on large scales in WGS-84 datum and in public domain. The contents of such maps will be decided by the SOI in consultation with Ministry of Defence. 4 National Topographical DatabaseSOI will continue to create, develop and maintain the National Topographical Data Base (NTDB) in analogue and digital forms consisting of following data sets: Both the DSMs and OSMs will be derived from the NTDB. 5 Map dissemination and usage• Open Series Maps of scales larger than 1:1 million either in analogue or digital formats can be disseminated by SOI by sale or through an agreement to any agency for specific end use. This transaction will be registered in the Registration database with details of the receiving agency, end use etc. 6 Applicability of previous instructionsThe Ministry of Defence has from time to time issued detailed guidelines on various aspects of map access and use. These instructions shall continue to hold good but for the modifications cited herein.
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The only thing new is introduction of DSMs and OSMs. It is surprising that Indian geodesists, cartographers, and other experts have “guided” the Government to retain the 19th century, mix it with 20th, and introduce the incompatibles. And, all this is to start the 21st century! Thus, here are a few innovative observations for the record. For DSMs –1. The “Everest/WGS 84” is not a valid “datum”. Does it mean that Indian geodesists are to define WGS 84 all over again with the Everest ellipsoid? 3. It is also not clear that contours will be in which height system. The old heights will be in conflict with GPS. 4. Having full information about the definition problem in WGS 84, Indian geodesists should have worked for a 21st century accurate and correctly defined Indian Geodetic Reference System (IGRF) 2005. It would also be easy to enhance the accuracy of IGRF, as and when India requires. 5. This series for the whole country should only be for selected areas.To maintain two overlapping series is practically unrealistic. For OSMs –1. The right and timely choice for the horizontal datum would be the new Indian Geodetic Reference System 2005. 2. When a new 21st century mapping system with zero distortion is available, India has a better choice over a 16th century projection with distortion. For Charts –1. The policy does not “cover” the nautical and aeronautical charts. No-projection, seamless, and distortion less charting is available. 2. For safe navigation, new technique to survey time-invariant sea floor depths provides a 21st century system than the most ambiguous LAT datum. In the 21st century, India deserves the Best and that is achievable only with new research, ideas, techniques, and innovation. “The civil maps seem to have the needed features”
The National Map Policy is a major positive step forward. I note that Contours have been included in the Open Maps to be sold tothe public. This is a great relief. I cannot say anything about the Military maps as I do not know much about their needs. The Civil (“open”) maps seem to have the needed features. The fact that City maps at high resolution will also be “open” is all to the good. It is also good to leave the restriction-of-mapobjects issue to the SoI, so that once the maps come into the public domain, we do not have to worry about anything which is depicted thereon. I also note that people who procure the maps from the SoI are at liberty to provide value-added additions and to resell. That is a major step forward. However, I note that a (typically Indian) bureaucratic interpolation was made in the Policy statement requiring registration of each purchase when one buys the map – and also when one resells the map. This does not really seem to provide any REAL safeguards (what are we now safeguarding in regard to the “open” maps?), and I hope it will eventually be dropped by the Ministry as they implement the system of map-distribution. With the exception of the above requirement, I can only welcome the statement of Policy, and express my hope that the (unspoken, unfortunately) objective of the whole policy – namely a much more rapid rate of utilisation of the maps aimed at economic growth and more efficient land-use and planning and investment decisions – is achieved. |
The impact will hinge on the implementation guidelines
The Map Policy per se is very reasonable. The concept of having two series of maps, one restricted for defense and security (Defense Series However, the impact this Map Policy will have and whether it will really result in economic benefits of over Rs. 20,000 crores as estimated by the Minister, will crucially hinge on the detailed implementation guidelines that are expected to follow. While the Map Policy is very reasonable, these guidelines that will flesh out the details need to be reasonable and clear as well. My first hope is that there is a time-bound schedule for publishing of these guidelines, because without timely guidelines, the Map Policy will be not be implemented with the impact that the government hopes to have. My second hope is that the guidelines will be comprehensive, clear and fair to both the private and public sector. Some of the issues and questions that the geospatial industry will hope to see addressed and clarified in these guidelines are: • Will the OSMs cover some/all areas of the country that were previously “Restricted” after removing Vulnerable Areas and Vulnerable Points? • What will be the procedure for access to the OSMs for the private sector? Hopefully this will not be a tedious or bureaucratic process that makes it very difficult for the private sector to access the OSMs, thereby defeating the very purpose of the Map Policy. • What will be the nature of the agreement between the Survey Of India and the users for getting permissions to add value and to prepare their own value-added maps? The guidelines will also address and describe the terms of agreement for further resale of the value-added maps to other users. • Clear and unambiguous product information and pricing structure for access to maps. It would be of great benefit if the Survey Of India could publish a well-defined catalog of metadata on each map that contained information such as vintage of maps, data layers available, etc. and an upto- date pricing catalogue. • What will be the policy regarding keeping the OSMs current? One of the big drawbacks of the present maps of the SOI is that many of them have not been updated for many years. One of the Objectives of the Map Policy is “to promote the use of geospatial knowledge and intelligence through partnerships and other mechanisms by all sections of the society. The partnership approach has been adopted by other national government mapping organizations. An example is the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain’s data reseller partnership with the private sector, which makes it easier for all sections of the society to access and use geospatial data without compromising the ownership and associated revenue considerations for the Ordnance Survey. We hope that the guidelines embrace such partnership concepts. Lastly, now that we have seen the National Map Policy, one is tempted to ask for a more comprehensive National Spatial Policy that covers other equally important sources of spatial data acquisition and information, such as aerial photography and satellites and other remote sensing devices. A welcome step but…
The map policy creates more confusion than what was already there. Comments are given below: – 1. National Topographical Data Base (NTDB) has to be clearly defined in detail. Does it cover all topographical maps on all scales? National Spatial Reference Frame and National Topographical Template need further explanation. 2. Map Dissemination and Usage (Para 5). Open series maps on scales larger than 1:1 million can be obtained only after registration and agreement with Survey of India for specific end use. Does it mean that the maps will not be available to general public, over the counter? Presently general public can get all unrestricted maps over the counter. Will there be a fee for registration? 3. Para 3. Defence series maps will be prepared without dilution of accuracy. Does it mean that there will be dilution of accuracy in Open Series Maps? If so to what extent? 4. Para 3a. Defence series topographical maps will be on Everest / WGS84 and Polyconic / UTM projection. It is not clear whether all maps will be on both datums and projections. 5. Para 3b. It appears that sheet numbers and layout etc. of OSMs have not yet been finalized. When will the new maps of the whole India will be available, is not known. We fear that it may take a very long time, may be even 10 years to make available all OSMs. Time frame has not been given. 6. Annexure 1A. Details to be included in OSMs have been listed. I would have been better if the details, which cannot be included in OSMs, had been listed. The inclusion list creates a lot of confusion. A few examples are given below: – A) 13 Water features – Tanks. Does mean that water features other than tanks, such as reservoirs, swamp or marsh etc. cannot be included? B) 27 Heights. Spot approximate heights can be shown. Does it mean that triangulation heights and spirit-leveled heights cannot be shown? C) 28 Bench marks-Geodetic, Tertiary, Canal. Does it mean that railway; road or other benchmarks cannot be shown? It is not clear whether heights of these benchmarks can be shown? Also if the heights are to be rounded to 1 metre or 0.1 metre. Similar are the cases with many items. It is silent on coastal features, high mountain features, Electric power lines, Telegraph and telephone lines, water pipe lines etc. 7. It does not speak about supply of coordinates in curvilinear or rectangular systems. To what accuracy coordinates can be supplied, has not been mentioned. 8. It is silent on air photographs. 9. It is silent on satellite imageries. 10. It does not deal with gravity data. 11. What about independent surveys by state government, local government and private agencies? It is hoped that all concerns mentioned above will be looked into and a comprehensive map policy is formulated soon. The National Map Policy is a major positive step forward. I note that Contours have been included in the Open Maps to be sold tothe public. This is a great relief. I cannot say anything about the Military maps as I do not know much about their needs. The Civil (“open”) maps seem to have the needed features. The fact that City maps at high resolution will also be “open” is all to the good. It is also good to leave the restriction-of-mapobjects issue to the SoI, so that once the maps come into the public domain, we do not have to worry about anything which is depicted thereon. I also note that people who procure the maps from the SoI are at liberty to provide value-added additions and to resell. That is a major step forward. However, I note that a (typically Indian) bureaucratic interpolation was made in the Policy statement requiring registration of each purchase when one buys the map – and also when one resells the map. This does not really seem to provide any REAL safeguards (what are we now safeguarding in regard to the “open” maps?), and I hope it will eventually be dropped by the Ministry as they implement the system of map-distribution. With the exception of the above requirement, I can only welcome the statement of Policy, and express my hope that the (unspoken, unfortunately) objective of the whole policy – namely a much more rapid rate of utilisation of the maps aimed at economic growth and more efficient land-use and planning and investment decisions – is achieved. |
Digital Mock-up of International Boundaries should be made available
I congratulate the Department of Science & Technology (DST) for their historic achievement and evolving a New National Mapping Policy and for making diverse Spatial Data Bases available for use in an Integrated manner but the mandate still rests with Survey of India, one of the oldest scientifi c departments of Government of India with a lot of old legacies which are very hard to die, as I have first hand experience while working as co-ordinator Survey of India (SOI) Computerization program when digital mapping /digital technology was adopted, and implementation shall require a real push from DST. The need of the hour is therefore immediate action for implementation to fulfil the objectives of New Mapping Policy on dissemination of maps & spatial data on one side & formulation of mechanisms of partnerships, be it for promotion of geo-spatial knowledge or value addition of available products, on the other. While issue of two map series is a welcome move, unless OSMs (Open Series Maps) are made available quickly the very purpose shall get defeated. Since the Onus of bringing OSM also lies exclusively with SOI which involves redesigning the numbering system, specifying the deletion of Civil & Military Vulnerable areas and points etc., the DST may kindly ensure their quick availability for the whole upto international boundary. The user community is eagerly awaiting issue of detailed guidelines regarding all aspects of OSMs, procedure for accessing them and value adding them. I feel digital Mock-up of International boundaries on various scales should be made available to mapping agencies who want to print a map with containing International boundaries, to avoid verifi cation from SOI as these boundaries are fixed, and a note to this affect shall suffice. I presume that contents of City maps to be decided by SOI in consultation with Ministry of Defense (MOD) shall be one time actively and approved contents shall be circulated and made available as free for use and updating. Maintenance and updating NTDB is going to be Herculian Task and here public/private partnership with companies having ISO Certification in ground Survey & Digital Mapping should be invited and after registration they could be assigned the task for better service to the public. National Digital Elevation Model could however be treated differently from Digital line graphics for obvious reasons of security. The procedure for registration of user agencies, their selection, for specific tasks and agreement contents require to be laid down for value The guidelines for sharing of information through map Transaction registry are also required to be laid down as it may involve issue of IPR for data generated or value added by various agencies other than Survey of India. It shall not be out of place to mention that a compiled pamphlet of MOD detail guidelines is made available to general public on various aspects of map access and use as they still continue to hold good. I feel the following should also be included in ANNEXURE – IA The purpose of above observations is not to undermine the above historic achievement but to request for fast implementation and to give impetus to Government of India’s desire for fast Infrastructure development. In case it is found appropriate a working group with public-private participation could be constituted for Implementation of New Mapping Policy in a pre-determined time frame to ensure execution of the new policy. The present map policy is a pale shadow of the original proposal
The present policy as originally drafted by Department of Science and Technology/ Survey of India and approved by committee of secretaries has been far more comprehensive and detailed and very different from the final form as it appeared. It stands today as a pale shadow of the original proposal and will not change things very much. However, as the policy is silent on many issues eg the map data held by private sector and its publication and dissemination, this silence can be hopefully constructively interpreted and used for value addition. Similarly other places where policy does not explicitly prohibit anything, it can be assumed that doing anything does not require any permission. In any case hopefully in view of the developments like Google Earth, the very concept of map policy will lose any value what so ever. |
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There is an urgent requirement of largescale maps
There are few directional changes that the proposed map policy must undertake in its initial take off/rampup period. Some of the lessons learnt in other countries are in front of us. As Kampsax India is associated with the Positional Accuracy Improvement (PAI) Program of Great Britain I would like to touch upon some of the available highlights in public domain as a back drop to the directional changes referred above. The PAI program is aimed to improve absolute accuracy of existing maps (including rural areas) to the level of about 1 meter (RMSE). Most of the existing maps were based on overhaul mapping from 1950s and subsequent 1996 update. It was also aimed to sell web enabled digital map to all users across the nation via Internet. Ordnance Survey that had continued making losses for 35 years, were converted into Trading Fund in 1999 with target of 9% return on Capital employed in 5 years. The target was achieved in 2004 as the PAI program started with 7 consultations (1997-2000). The major directional change at that point was recognition of the fact that greater use of GPS was essential to survey assets. The PAI Program started in April 2001 and is due for completion in early 2006. The sale of maps was started by Ordnance Survey via their website and through identifi ed stockists in all major cities. In FY 02-03 a turnover of Rs 851 crores was achieved with a loss of Rs 3 crores which turned into profit in FY 03-04 to the level of Rs 72 crores against a turnover of Rs 913 crores; the surplus contributing to meeting target of 9% 5-year Return on Capital Employed , set by treasury when Ordnance Survey became a Trading Fund in 1999. In the Indian context and at this historical moment, Survey of India need to take the leadership role as a national agency who shall be the custodian of one single map (mosaic) of the entire country that shall provide uniform accuracy of atleast 1 meter for the entire nation. That such a map shall be updated periodically atleast every 5 years. For urban areas, local civic agencies or even Survey of India may undertake large scale mapping which shall provide accuracy levels in the range of 5-10 cm. Such a step would lead to 5-year mapping program covering 6 lakh Sq-km of mapping every year that shall require doubling of existing strength of Survey of India from present 4000 to 8000 level (mainly to undertake quality control activities), involvement of industry to undertake matching production deploying 40,000 production staff for a period of 5 years and investment of about Rs. 2000 crores. Needless to say required funds would be available from International lending agencies such as DANIDA, ADB, World Bank etc. or alternatively from Central Government. In case Government does not have the funds for such an important activity, the private sector would be more than willing to undertake this financing once request is made public. Coming to some of the specific issues relating to the proposed map policy it may be pointed out that (1) For value addition to the SOI digital maps, the essential inputs are Aerial Photographs. This has not been dealt with in the proposed policy. Without the availability of aerial photographs to the private mapping companies and users, the new map policy will not achieve the desired target. (2) Map policy should make it mandatory for all civic authorities, planning bodies, custodian of cadastral maps and other users of public money to use this one single map as a means of reducing conflicts while digging the roads or by judiciary while deciding the Title of Land to the Poor. (3) From the List of Map Features given in the Annexure to the New map Policy, it appears that the new policy basically deals with smallscale maps like 1:25,000 / 1:50,000 / 1:250,000. These small scales will not serve the purpose of most of the users of geo-spatial data both in Government, Industry and public. (4) There is an urgent requirement of making the maps of the entire country available at scale as large as 1:2,500 providing uniform 1- meter accuracy across the nation. For mapping on this scale, the list of features should include atleast 1000 features of interest, 78 of which are listed in Annexure – 1 to this note as a starting point. (5) From the New Map Policy, it appears that the Open Series Maps produced by SOI will remain tile-based as before. The World is moving toward ‘Seamless Data’ or one single mosaic of the entire nation. This concept should be incorporated in the new policy as a starting point. Recommendation of features for inclusion in open series public domain (large scale) maps Let’s give spatial applications a new life
The map policy is truly a positive step as it corrects a long time anomaly in the existing laws. With this forward looking document, the spatially enabled services in our country will get a big boost benefi ting the common man and also enhancing efficiency across industry segments through various high-end applications. I feel that there is still scope for improvement; by restricting the availability of the data through specific channels and seeking that each copy be tracked and recorded we are increasing bureaucracy and burdening the industry. While it is understood that the restrictions appear beneficial as per national interests, it should be kept in mind that people who buy data with ill intentions are not likely to purchase it from the Indian market. The global market has many other sources which they will utilise and then misuse the data. Even the Google Earth images show entire Delhi and specifically Rashtrapati Bhavan etc with great precision. The city of Mumbai, which is completely “restricted” as per SOI guidelines, is also clearly visible. We need to ask ourselves what we are achieving by a restrictive policy? Let’s give GIS and Spatial applications a new life by further improving the policy, make map making and mapping a noncumbersome effort so that good quality databases come into the market and those can be used for even life saving applications like flood mapping simulation etc to avoid the kind of calamities that recently happened in Mumbai.” |
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