2nd UNWGIC 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the 2nd edition of the United Nations World Geospatial Congress (UNWGIC) 2022 in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Key Points:

• It has been organized from October 10 to 14, 2022 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
• It is being hosted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and convened by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM).
• The event will witness the participation of over 2,000 delegates from over 120 countries across the world.

Theme of the event:

• The theme of the event is “Geo-Enabling the Global Village: No one should be left behind”.
• By establishing a community for the gathering of human data, it will focus on creating an inclusive and equitable global society.

Agenda:

• It will promote dialogues on the management of global geospatial information that will benefit governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, and academics.
• Additionally, it emphasizes on the importance of global coordination and cooperation in the growth of human data connected to geography
• which can help in the creation of a high-quality and reliable geospatial data that can help in the international and national policy agenda.
• In order to support the implementation and oversight of the sustainable development goals, it will strive to highlight the importance of the integrated geospatial information infrastructure and knowledge services (SDGs).
• The discussions will be held on improving the well-being of society, resolving issues relating to the environment and climate, and promoting technology advancement.

About UNWGIC:

• The first United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) was held in Deqing, Zhejiang Province, China in 2018.
• The United Nation Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) organizes the United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) every four years.
• Its objectives include enhancing international collaboration among the Member States and relevant stakeholders in Geospatial information management, capacities, related technologies to help in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The Moganshan Declaration was adopted at the conclusion of the event to make a commitment to acknowledging the significance of geospatial and localized information and promoting SDGs at the national level.

Additional Info:

What is meant by geospatial technology?

Geospatial Technology is an emerging field of study that includes

• Remote Sensing
• Electromagnetic impulses
• Filmed or digital aerial imagery
• Radars and lidars
• Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Geospatial technology enables us to acquire data that is referenced to the earth and use it for analysis, modeling, simulations, and visualization.

It allows us to determine the exact location of an object or person on our planet.

Applications of Geospatial Technology:

Meteorology: Referring weather forecasts to particular territories.

Forestry: Detecting forest fires and deforestation & preventing large-scale wildfires.

Agriculture: Assessing vegetation state on a selected terrain.

Healthcare: Monitoring areas of epidemic outbreaks.

Ecology: Tracing species populations in certain areas, preventing and addressing calamities.

Logistics: Tracking goods and ensuring their quality.

Transportations: Identifying location and time of arrival, route making, and navigation.

Marketing and advertising: Targeting ads to relevant regions.

Real estate: Visualizing and analyzing real estate objects remotely.

Insurance: Managing risks in questioned areas via historical georeferenced data analysis.

New Guidelines on Geospatial Policy of India:

• New guidelines on geospatial policy of India was recently released by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
• This new policy liberalizes the sector to a more competitive field.

Objectives of new policy:

Free access to geospatial data:

• All Indian entities have unrestricted access to its geospatial data and services, including maps, with the exception of information that relates to sensitive defence or security.
• It envisions the advantages of geospatial technologies reaching both urban and rural areas and making geographic information available to everyone.
• For instance, the SVAMITA scheme, which gives rural landowners a digital certificate of their landholding, aims to empower the rural populace.

Restrictions Removed:

• Indian corporations and innovators are no longer subject to restrictions nor do they need to obtain prior approval before collecting, generating, preparing, disseminating, storing, publishing, or updating digital geospatial data and maps inside the boundaries of India.