A household name with its ever pervading presence on the internet, Google has revolutionised our lives. Their ever increasing bouquet of offerings and services has had an impact on net users across the world. Google follows its own core principles and has been able to play a pivotal role in information access across many parts of the world…

NSDI in India runs the risk of losing its relevance.
That’s the reality and that’s the challenge.
The NSDI VI meet in Goa (see sidebar) was not able to rejuvenate the movement which is slumped by the feel of fatigue and frustration.
It was a high moment in the movement of NSDI when last year on June 13, the Government of India came out with a resolution on the constitution of NSDI.
The resolution established National Spatial Data Committee (NSDC) as an apex national authority for formulating and implementing appropriate policies, strategies and programmes for the establishment, operation, management of the NSDI and utilization and any other activities related to spatial data in the country.

Filmmaker Rakesh Sharma has sued New York City for being `detained and harassed’ by its police while making a documentary about ordinary folks in a post-9/11 world. Backing Sharma’s suit, the New York Civil Liberties Union has challenged curbs on people’s right to photograph public places. Police offi cers confronted Sharma in May 2005 for allegedly fi lming a “sensitive building”. They interrogated him for three hours. Despite “cooperating with them, they treated me like a criminal,” the maker of Final Solution, a documentary on the Gujarat riots, said. Mr Sharma was told he needed a permit to fi lm on city streets and then was denied one without explanation when he applied to the Mayor’s Offi ce of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, the lawsuit said. (Hindustan Times, January 12, 2006, New Delhi).

The order issued last year to de-restrict the import of GPS and DGPS receiver is a boon to the GPS market in India. However, some of us are unaware of this development despite the fact that the notification was issued in January 2004, and this information is available at the website of Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Government of India.