GIS-enabled Website to debut in '05

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad-based MapWorld Technologies is developing a GIS-enabled Website that will enables visitors of the site with specific location based information that's not supported by conventional Websites. According to the company, the Website a first of its kind in India would be functional by the end of 2005.

"GIS is one efficient solution that will have a tremendous impact in various services. Over a period of time, there wouldn't be any service that is not GIS-enabled. It's applications have to be known by all and once known it will prove to be a boon for carrying out various tedious activities with ease," explained MapWorld Technologies chairman, GS Kumar.

"Traditional Websites generally don't give you the specific information. For instance, if one wants to know children hospitals around MG Road in Hyderabad, it would be a futile attempt searching on the net. For, no Website offers an integrated database of various locations and the presence of numerous public utility centers be it hospitals, shopping centers, schools, colleges etc. This is where, GIS proves its efficiency," he added.

Informing about the investments being made in this project, Kumar said that the company is investing about Rs 50 lakh. "Most of the database is ready, just few upgrades need to be done. We are awaiting the clearance from the Ministry of Defence. Once its there this would go online. Also, in the mean time we are working out on an effective revenue generating model," he informed.

According to him, access to Internet is increasing tremendously and this kind of value addition needs to be induced so as to retain the efficiency of the Internet. The proposed Website would start as a pilot project initially and will provide information about the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Later, it would be extended to other cities and states.

Dispensing away the myth that for miscreants it's a one-stop solution to know more about the locations since everything is on spatial data, Kumar asserted, "We don't give the correct coordinates as far as the area is concerned. That information would be falsified and when an unauthorized user tries to trace out this, he will get incorrect data."