Explainer | How will Indian companies benefit from the new mapping policy?

The biggest benefit from the new mapping policy is that red tape has been removed, hence deregulating the sector

The Centre on Monday said that licences and and permissions would not be needed anymore to collect, store and share geospatial and topographical data of India. PM Modi said that the "deregulation" of the mapping and GIS sector will help India achieve its Atmanirbhar Bharat and $5-trillion economy goal.

The move is expected to spur innovation. The new mapping policy will allow Indian firms to use high precision satellite imagery (horizontal accuracy of less than one metre) on Indian soil and territorial waters.

“What is readily available globally does not need to be restricted in India and therefore geospatial data that used to be restricted will now be freely available in India,” the government's science and technology ministry said in a statement.

Also Read | Geo-spatial data beneficial for farmers, says PM Modi as India ends barrier on surveying, mapping to boost infrastructure

One of the biggest advantages for companies and researchers is that they will no longer need to pass through red tape to collect, generate and publish geospatial and mapping data.

However, foreign entities and organisations controlled by or owned by a foreign company can only licence this data from Indian companies.

Google was not allowed to carry out street-view surveys, but Indian firms will be able to perform street-view surveys with some restrictions on sensitive installations.

"India's farmers will also be benefited by leveraging the potential of geo-spatial and remote sensing data. Democratizing data will enable the rise of new technologies & platforms that will drive efficiencies in agriculture and allied sectors," tweeted PM Modi.

A liberalised mapping policy would also allow for better mapping of assets, this would open up capital to those looking for loans with land assets as collateral.

The government hopes that the policy would encourage Indian private companies in a big way to enter this arena, which is likely to be a Rs 1 lakh-crore sector spawning nearly 22 lakh jobs by 2030.

The policy also permits private companies to obtain data generated by public funds – such as ISRO satellite images – for a price. A level-playing field would be provided to private companies, Sharma said. Sensitive information, however, would not be shown.