The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016”-Why you should be concerned?

Maps of India – a brief history

Maps have been a source of political controversy in India dating back to the days of the British Empire. The legacy of development of Maps of India goes back to the days of the British Empire which commissioned the great trigonometric survey to map territories under their occupation.   Maps provided a strategic advantage in wars, especially at a time when other European powers were circling India for occupation. The British government therefore created a series of laws and regulations to restrict the production and dissemination (sharing) of maps. The Survey General of India, originally a military position, was created for this very reason. When India gained independence in 1947, it inherited much of the laws pertaining to the production, reproduction and dissemination of maps.   Since then, the Indian government has maintained this position, largely citing concerns with security and sovereignty.

An Example of a 1 in 1 million map of Perth, courtesy ICSM

This policy had been a major impediment to the scientific/engineering community. Detailed high quality mapping information is critical for Engineers, environmentalists / scientists, and restriction on this affects research. For example, the Open series maps currently produced by the Survey of India (SOI) is limited to a scale of 1in 1million which is hardly useful for any research or engineering propose. For example, in a map drawn to a scale of 1 in 1 million, 1 cm in the map will represent 10 km of actual land. This is too high level for a researcher involved in mapping a river flow or modeling traffic information.  (See picture for an example of map of this scale).  The SOI does have more detailed (up to 1: 25,000) but acquiring those maps is a complete bureaucratic nightmare. In addition, if you happen to live in areas classified as restricted zones (Andaman Islands for example) it will be next to impossible to get any mapping information.   The ministry of defense is extremely sensitive to the release of more detailed maps of the restricted zones which is understandable in the age of “paper maps”.   However in the digital age we need to seriously question the relevancy of these restrictions.

The digital age

With satellite imaging technology emerging in the 1990s, the art of map making moved to the sky. Satellite imagery along with the Global position System (GPS) equipment changed the dynamics of topographic survey and mapping.  Countries that have the capability to launch satellites (including India) have the eyes in the sky that allows them to peer into any part of the planet.  The American spy satellites, allegedly, can zoom in, and read number plates of cars.  Now the world is open from the sky! 

In India, ISRO became a pioneer in producing digital maps of India. The laws that existed at that time in India pertaining to maps did not address digital information so ISRO was able to get around it and produced fantastic maps useful for scientific purpose. Then Google entered the fray and became the leader in map making.

 Digital maps transformed our way of life, especially for scientists and engineers.  Digital maps form a key component of navigation; it is the lifeline of everything from Pizza delivery to mapping people affected by flood or forest fire.

Today, detailed and up to date information of every corner of the world is available at our finger tips. India’s digitized maps, that include the so called “sensitive information” is already out in the internet. The cat is out of the bag.    Gone are the days of guarded secrecy of the British Empire and strategic advantage of keeping maps a secret.

Google Map snapshot of IAF base in Carnicobar

The laws governing map making and distribution are therefore now outdated and redundant in the digital age.  For example, the Andaman and Nicobar islands is a part of the “restricted territory”. You could be arrested if you carry a map of these areas out of India. There are several military installations in those islands and you would think it would make sense to protect the locations, right? Except that, you can zoom into the Indian Air Force base in Car Nicobar Island in Google maps with extreme precision. So why stop a person carrying a 1 in a million scale map in which an entire city looks the size of a peanut, when someone can zoom in much closer via Google?

What is wrong with the current Geospatial information Bill?

Before we begin, let me put down a small disclosure. I am an engineer and I work with maps. I also deal with government regulations pertaining to engineering/environment. The review presented here are my concerns from an engineering point of view, and by no means a legal review.

Let us look at the key features of this proposed legislation here:

Acquisition of Geospatial Information of India: it reads “ no person shall acquire geospatial imagery or data including value addition of any part of India either through any space or aerial platforms such as satellite, aircrafts, airships, balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles or terrestrial vehicles, or any other means whatsoever” .

The definition of “Geospatial information”  is very broad in the Bill and it seems to include Ariel photographs.  

Furthermore, the Bill also extends to existing Geospatial information. People possessing Geospatial information (maps, aerial photos, etc.) are required to obtain permission from the proposed Security Vetting Authority (SVA) within one year from date the law comes into effect.  For example all Navigational equipments(GPS) contain map. So does that mean everyone who has a navigational equipment (GPS device) will need to apply for an approval with the SVA ?

Dissemination, Publication or Distribution of the Geospatial Information of India- in a nut shell, sharing of Geospatial information by any means, including the internet is prohibited.  Say, for example, if you took a picture of the Kannagi statue in Chennai from an aircraft and post it in your Facebook page, that would essentially contravene with the proposed law. This can result in fines and/or imprisonment for a period up to seven years. This has serious consequences for the academic community. Any report that contains mapping or aerial imagery will require permission from SVA (which can take up to three months). During the recent Chennai floods, some good hearted volunteers produced excellent maps of Chennai showing the areas that were under flood. Under the proposed law, you must first obtain permission from SVA (which can take up to 3 months and the floods would have receded by then!) before posting any Geospatial information!

Use of Geospatial Information of India outside India- you are not allowed to take any geospatial information outside India without prior permission from the Security Vetting Authority.

My response is:  why? And how is the government going to monitor and control this?

Outside India, this information is already widely available (my point about zooming into IAF airbase). In the old days, you can confiscate maps in the airport. The digital mapping information comes in various file formats which makes it nearly impossible for government officials to detect this.  Also any time you upload any information to the internet or the cloud, the information has technically gone outside India?

Wrong depiction of map of India etc.-“No person shall depict, disseminate, publish or distribute any wrong or false topographic information of India including international boundaries through internet platforms or online services or in any electronic or physical form”.  This is the only part of the law that  make sense.

With the exception of this, all above clauses have no strategic value and should be discarded or rewritten. For example, how is the government going to enforce violations in cases, say , a teenage kid posting geospatial information (that could be an aerial photo)  in Facebook?.  Likely, the government will neither know about it nor will start legal proceedings. In reality, this law will be used for the convenience of the political establishment.

Interestingly, Section 1.1 of this law seems to imply that the law is only applicable in India and/or only applies to Indian citizens.  Technically a Pakistani citizen publishing maps of India is not breaking any law as long as it is done outside India.  From a national security point of view, this doesn’t make any sense.

Conclusion: with the exception of the law pertaining to wrong depiction of maps of India, other clauses are either unrealistic to enforce or create severe bureaucratic hurdles for small scale operators like auto rickshaws and cab services. This affects every citizen in India who relies on GPS and mapping data. Anyone who owns a GPS navigation equipment should pay attention to this law. The law should be rewritten to provide more clarity and minimize impact on academic research and small scale business organizations. 

I welcome any comments and corrections.

 I urge citizens to provide their feedback by sending an email to jsis@nic.in.

Psychology of Astrology

Millions of people visit astrologers. They seek the advice  of astrologers, and are fully satisfied with the service. Some people I know would consult astrologers on a daily basis. For them, Astrology is true and there is nothing in the world that would change their views.

So, how does it work?  and why do so many people believe in them?


Let us look at  how our attitude influences our belief system (be it astrology or any thing else).


I sum up my conclusion first and then explain it.

“Most of the astrological predictions come true, because we want to make it come true!”

The whole thing hinges on how we interpret the astrologer’s predictions and how we evaluate an incident in our own mind (after the fact).



Let me give you two scenarios: One involves a good prediction from the astrologer, the second involves a bad prediction; and two things happen ( same for both scenarios)  following the prediction.

See Figure on the right and detailed explanation here.

Our attitude influences our interpretation of events

Scene1 - A Bad Prediction:

Ramu goes to an astrologer . The astrologer looks at this horoscope, review his material etc and tell him that the Mars is currently in Aeries (or some thing of that sort) and hence some thing Bad would happen. Therefore Ramu should carry some thing blue.
Two things happen to Ramu:

Incident  1:
One month later, he receives a bonus of  $1000 from his employer
Ramu’s Response/Reaction:
"It is unfair , they gave me  only $1000,  my Colleague got $1500. It is not good time for me".

Incident 2 :

A few weeks  later Ramu drives his bike, and was hit by a truck.  He is pushed out of the road. He falls flat in the ditch with minor injuries, not admitted to hospital but his bike is damaged.
Ramu's reaction:

Ramu will tell his wife that that the astrologer was correct. Some thing terrible happened to him; lucky he carried a blue pen (which he does any way, even before the astrologer’s advice!). He says it is bad that he had to pay a lot of money to repair the bike.



Now rewind the tape, let us take a look at the same two incidents and see how Ramu will react if the astrologer had given him a "good" prediction.

Scene 2 - A good Prediction:

Ramu goes to an astrologer. The astrologer looks at this horoscope, review his material etc and tell him that the Mars is currently in Scorpio (or some thing of that sort) and it is a GOOD time for him, blue will be his lucky colour.
Two things happen in this young man’s life:

Incident 1:

One month later, he receives a bonus of $1,000 from his employer.
Ramu’s Response/Reaction

“Look at this, the astrologers was right; he said it is all good for me”



Incident 2:
 A few weeks later, Ramu drives his bike, and was hit by a truck. He is pushed out of the road. He falls flat in the ditch with some minor injuries, not admitted to hospital but his bike is damaged.


Ramu’s Response/Reaction

He comes home and tells his wife that he escaped an accident by miracle. “It was a pretty big lorry, I still couldn’t believe how I managed to get only minor injuries” .He looks at the pen he usually carries  and says “ it is good that I carried some thing blue just like the way the astrologer recommended, otherwise I would have been dead”.



Incidents 1  and 2  are same in both scenes, but Ramu’s reaction is different.

Depending on the Astrologer’s prediction,  Ramu changes his reaction. His personal reaction to the incident is heavily influenced by what the Astrologer predicted. So as you can see, the astrologer’s prediction is always right, because the way we evaluate an incident is dependent on our mindset and how we are pre-influenced by an astrologer.

The glass is “half empty” when the astrologer give you a grim prediction and “half full” when he gives you a good prediction.




It is how you see your life!.



Likely  you will  never come across any astrologer who can give a detailed and very specific prediction.

  Say, something like “On November 15 at 10.30 am, you will be hit by a black Ford Fiesta Car registration number TN5 6YZ and you will suffer injuries in your lower left jaw, elbow and knee”?.

If you find some one like that let me know!