The government is developing a national data registry (NDR) that will require all agencies— state, private and academic — that collect and store geospatial data to provide details of the data they store.
Need for NDR:
The purpose of such a registry is to create a “catalogue” that would “prevent duplication” of data sets and to help users locate the right agencies to source information.
Key facts:
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The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has been selected as the nodal coordinating agency.
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The registry will be a ‘meta-data’ repository: it will not actually be a source of geospatial data but will only inform about the nature of the data a service provider has.
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The registry will serve as a source of authenticated information.
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This initiative would also act as a clearing house for geospatial applications.
Way ahead:
Everyone from restaurant-location-services providers to hospital-location aggregators will have to comply with the directive, and the government may consider bringing in legislation