What does it mean to agencies involved in data generation?
It’s a very significant step in terms of ownership of data. Individual institutions would continue to keep control over the information generated out of their data. But what is important is they become part of a synergetic system which would deal with several data producers and information creators for a single thematic application. It is an interesting development which would now gain visibility in terms of its potential.

NSDI would now start formulating policies relating to spatial data requirements, access and pricing. What in your view are the issues that need to be focussed now? What should be the agenda?
The first and the foremost is the degree to which particular data is needed – in terms of spatial resolution, spectral resolution and radiometric characteristics. For a particular application in the civilian domain, whatever is necessary should be made available and if there are any issues of policy, they have to be examined to ensure that access is not constrained. Second is the issue of pricing. We should try and create a cost structure for the total application taking into account the individual costing of the data bases available with different departments. I would assume that private service providers will also have the benefit from this new system. In which case, there would be the question of pricing. It could be a complicated pricing structure which has to be gone through.

The third of course is the question of royalty. I am not sure whether everything is addressed with respect to this or not. Fourth of course is the need to have a system of checks and balances on the use of information. This has to be instituted by the government to ensure that either the work that is being done is done for the purpose specified or for which the necessary approval exists in the agency through whatever mechanism the government chooses to set up.

What is the significance of institutionalising Indian NSDI in the international scenario?
The Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) is a reality. Many international meetings related to GSDI were held. Our NSDI becomes a kind of subset for this.

More important is the fact that there are areas like the global status of forestry, desertification and patterns of land use – that need to be addressed. We need to follow the trends happening across the world cutting across geographical boundaries and for this, you need to have agreements between nations. Obviously, NSDI could become an important element or an integral part of such global system that can address some of the global issues related to environment, forestry, desertification and others.