Union Minister Jitendra Singh predicted that India's geospatial economy would reach Rs 63,000 crore by 2025

Speaking at the Second United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UN-WGIC) 2022 in Hyderabad today, Union Minister for Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh predicted that India's geospatial economy would reach Rs 63,000 crore by 2025, growing at a rate of 12.8%.

Additionally, he said that it would primarily be geospatial start-ups that would create jobs for over 10 lakh people.

He highlighted that there are over 250 geospatial start-ups operating in India that are utilising geospatial technology in a variety of fields, including waste resource management, forestry, urban planning, and road mapping. Singh added that the "Geospatial Incubator" inaugurated by him was to further develop this industry, which is now seeing a surge in technology-driven start-ups.

In addition, he noted that national organisations such as the Survey of India, Geological Survey of India, National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and National Informatics Centre have carried out a number of GIS-based pilot projects across a variety of fields, such as waste resource management, forestry, urban planning, etc., to show the uses of geospatial technology.

He emphasised that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial technologies will have a big influence on how India uses this technology going forward.

According to him, the democratisation of the Indian geospatial ecosystem would promote domestic innovation, provide Indian businesses access to cutting-edge geospatial technology, and enable them to fully realise the goal of "Atmanirbhar Bharat," or "Self-sufficient India."

As per the official press release from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the 5-day Congress will bring together more than 2000 attendees, including more than 700 foreign delegates and participants from around 120 nations.