GIS needs a little help from the government

T R Srinivasan, president, WTI, who is also a member of the GeoSpatial Information & Technology Association of the US shares his views on the potential of Geographic Information System (GIS) applications in India with G Sankaranarayanan

* What is GIS and how is it relevant in the Indian context?

Simply put a GIS is a computer-based tool for mapping and analysing geographical information. It helps visualise database queries and statistical analysis. A geographical analysis with GIS helps in explaining events, predicting outcomes and planning strategies. India has a huge population but its resources are inadequate. In this context, effective planning of resource development and monitoring its deployment becomes necessary. GIS can play a critical role in government and private enterprise, and thereby in people’s lives.

* How viable and effective are WTI’s GIS solutions?

WTI has a strong presence in the overseas market in terms of executing offshore projects and a substantial presence in the domestic market as well. Within India, we are quite mindful of local conditions. Take the example of LISMAN. We have developed this solution to digitise and view land records. It is capable of taking survey data as input directly from the Land Records Department’s field measurement books. Needless to say this data is kept in a certain format, and were it not for the localisation technology we built into our application it would not work. Government departments use GIS to map water resources so that optimum supply to citizens can be ensured. Other Indian clients include people who plan road networks; power companies who monitor their distribution networks and insurance companies who use GIS in risk analysis.

* Are Indian corporates and the government sufficiently aware of GIS technology?

Our experience has been that there is scope to raise GIS awareness. The moderate usage of GIS in India has been partly due to restrictive government policy in making map data available. We see a slow change in mindset and perhaps this technology can be used more effectively once map data is made available without restrictions.

* GIS applications are wide and almost all industrial and government sectors can deploy them. Which segments do you expect to take a lead?

The government has been and will be the biggest generator and consumer of GIS data and applications. Some of the varied areas where governments use GIS are water management, forestry, defence, urban development, environment, agriculture etc. The telecom market has seen tremendous growth in India and GIS has made inroads as a useful technology within this market. We see ample growth opportunities in India. Similarly, the power and utilities segment, insurance, financial services and consumer goods are the other segments that have potential.

* How do you differentiate yourself in a crowded market?

The GIS market in India is extremely fragmented. There are a few large horizontal players (including WTI) and a host of smaller players operating in niche areas. Based on current information, there are about 70 to 80 GIS companies in India. WTI is a full service GIS company. Our positioning in the market is as an end-to-end services player offering customers data management as well as application consulting and development services. We have decided to focus on a few industry verticals to strengthen our domain capabilities. Some industry verticals where we have considerable capabilities are: telecom, power, gas distribution and government.

* Can you describe a couple of key projects undertaken for the government and the private sector?

I would like to mention projects for two customers. One is Qwest (a US telco) and the other is the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and drainage board (TWAD). We have helped Qwest, a telecom network covering 14 states in the US; create an Outside Plant Facility management system by providing data digitisation services for raster data. We have captured facility graphic data as well as the relevant attribute data and helped Qwest create a consistent facility database.

With TWAD, we have been able to create a water resource atlas for the entire state of Tamil Nadu. Primarily we have mapped ground water for Tamil Nadu in terms of availability of potable drinking water, so that it facilitates planning. Water being a critical resource we are proud to have been associated with this project.

* What are your immediate plans?

We are keen to develop industry-specific indigenous technologies. We are experimenting with several vertical domain-specific solutions to provide a solution that is open and platform independent. Our approach is to concentrate on some industry segments and develop expertise to provide services that leverage GIS in those segments.