BANGALORE: Media Lab Asia has launched the world's first open-source
Geographical Information System (GIS) software for handheld computers, according
to media release.
The software, GramChitra, has been developed in collaboration with research
partner, Centre for Spatial Database Management and Solutions (CSDMS). GIS
software enables creation, storage, editing and accessing of map related
databases for visually intuitive and effective decision making.
Typically, the cost of GIS software on PCs starts at around Rs 65,000 and
goes up to Rs 4-5 lakh. Media Lab Asia has decided to release GramChitra free of
cost in order to promote the use of GIS software for developmental purposes. The
software can be downloaded from www.csdms.org/gramchitra.
GramChitra has been developed on the popular Linux operating system to serve
as a cost-effective means of enabling community level resource management. The
software has vast potential applications in areas like census data collection,
revenue maps, block-and-panchayat level planning for water wells, tube wells,
epidemiological data collection for rural healthcare etc.
Media Lab Asia, Director, Prof. Alex Pentland, said that GIS software can
serve as a fundamental tool for planning at all levels. "We developed
GramChitra on the open-source platform to ensure that this technology can be
used even by villagers. The combination of free software and low-cost handheld
computers opens up a world of possibilities. This software can be used at the
grassroots level for collection and analysis of local data all the way up to the
national level for strategic planning."
Media Lab Asia has also integrated GPS (Global Positioning System) with the
GramChitra GIS software. Users can automatically incorporate on a map, the date,
time and location where the data is captured. In future, GramChitra's
capabilities will be extended to support data collection using low cost sensors
for water and soil analysis, meteorological data, livestock management,
environment and ecological conservation and planning etc.