Kerala moves ahead in setting up KSSDI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA: Kerala Government has taken the lead to create, maintain and deliver geospatial data and metadata for their external clients, in real time. It has announced setting up of a Spatial Data Infrastructure called Kerala State Spatial Data Infrastructure (KSSDI) and has already approved Rs..9.37 crore for the project, said a press release issued today.

The objective of the SSDI is to provide a basis for spatial data discovery, evaluation and application for users and providers within all levels of government, the commercial sector, the non-profit sector, academia and by citizens in general.

The Geo portal once set up will allow the users spread across the Internet, to view and query the spatial information and the related maps. KSSDI will act as a web-gateway to access geospatial data content with facility to search, locate and publish geospatial data which the end users can access, download, integrate, share and publish in response to the needs of diverse user groups. The portal will maintain process, store, distribute and improve the utilization of geo-spatial data for planners, decision makers and public, said the release.

Dr. Ajay Kumar, Secretary for IT, Government of Kerala said that the Kerala SSDI was a major initiative in the state, to satisfy data exchanges between users and provide integrated spatial information services. “The SSDI is the next logical step of National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) set up at the national level and Kerala is one of the first states in the country to take this initiative forward,” he added.

Kerala Government had set up a technical committee headed by Dr. Ajay Kumar, Secretary (IT) and Dr. Samsudin, Scientist, Center for Earth Science Studies (CESS) as Convenor and comprising of members from various organizations including, NIC, KSITM, KELTRON, KSCSTE, KSREC, CESS, among others to study the various aspects of setting up of Kerala SSDI.

Based on their study, the State Government has invited proposals from consulting firms to establish a Geo portal and Clearing House for the SSDI on a turnkey basis and has already approved Rs.. 937 lakhs for the project for a five year project. The process of selection of the turnkey partner has already been initiated and the Request for Proposal is available at Kerala State IT Mission website www.itmission.kerala.gov.in.

The KSSDI would be located in Tecnopark adjoining the new State Data Center. The proximity with the data center is expected to bring in synergies for the State Spatial Data Infrastructure.

“The objective of the KSSDI is to create a reliable and supporting environment to access geographically related information using a minimum set of standard practices, protocols and specifications. With sustained support of the Government, we aim for the Geo portal to be operational by August 2010,” said Dr. Samsudin, Scientist, Center for Earth Science Studies (CESS).

Government of Kerala is also proposing to set up a separate management structure for KSSDI. Seven technical posts have been created for the purpose including that of Director, Remote Sensing (GIS Specialist) and Spatial Data Officer.

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