The Delhi Assembly on Wednesday approved the Delhi Geo-spatial Data Infrastructure (Management, Control, Administration, Security and Safety) Bill, 2011. The project is one of the flagship projects of the state government, launched to frame and implement policies for issues related to geo-spatial data.

Delhi is the first state to enact such an act which was unanimously passed in the assembly.

The DSSDI was approved by the Cabinet on November 13, 2010 and the project was awarded to the Survey of India for execution. In order to provide teeth to implement the project the Bill has been framed.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said that the Act aims at creating, updating, managing, disseminating and sharing Geo-spatial data, geo-spatial map, geo-spatial system, geo-spatial application and geo-spatial portal of Delhi which will serve as a base for planning and executing various development projects and utility services to be undertake by various departments, corporations, boards, local bodies, public authorities and public and private agencies to achieve goals of coordinated planning, effective governance, public welfare in Delhi.

It is conceived to have a common and integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) under this programme. The CM said that 30 departments / local bodies / public authorities / public or private agencies rendering services of public utility have been brought under the ambit of the project.

The Bill makes the utilization and application of the data infrastructure as compulsory and mandatory and to continue to upgrade the data information.

In order to have proper coordination the Bill envisages creation of a Regulatory Authority headed by the chief secretary.

Dikshit added that the data could be utilized through the GIS system established at two centres in Delhi. 63 cameras are being put at strategic positions in the city for transmitting relevant information to the monitoring centres which could be super imposed on the data residing in the GIS system and the changes could be identified and investigated.

Similarly, the data could be utilized for better disaster management in case of any natural calamity. Overall, the bill after becoming an act will prove to be a substantial factor in ensuring a better work culture in the national capital as all records and data will be available on fingertips to effectively implement the schemes and policies.