Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016 - Purpose, Impacts & Role of Security Vetting Authority

What is Geospatial Information?

According to the draft bill, Geospatial Information includes:

1. Data or images obtained through various platforms including satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft, and balloons.
2. Digital or graphical data that represents any physical features, whether natural or man-made.
3. Charts, maps, and terrestrial photos.

Candidates can also refer to the following links for further assistance in their preparation:

The Purpose of the Geospatial Information Regulation Bill

1. The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill seeks to regulate the geospatial industry to maintain national sovereignty over India’s geospatial data.
2. The bill aims to prevent illegal acquisition of geospatial information of India and proposes fines ranging from INR 1 crore to INR 100 crores, or imprisonment of up to 7 years.
3. Any addition or creation related to any geospatial information in the country will require government approval.
4. Permission from a government authority will be required before acquiring, disseminating, publishing or distributing any geospatial information of India.
5. The bill also mandates a check on the use of geospatial information of India outside the country.
6. A Security Vetting Authority will be established to implement the Geospatial Information Regulation Bill.

Role of the Security Vetting Authority

The Security Vetting Authority has two main roles under the Geospatial Information Law:

1. It is responsible for granting licenses to organisations or individuals who wish to use Geospatial data.
2. It must verify the content and data provided to ensure that it does not compromise national security, sovereignty, and integrity.

Who will be Affected by the Geospatial Information Law?

The Geospatial Information Law will impact all individuals and business entities that rely on location data for their operations. Examples include companies like Uber, Google, Ola, Facebook, Twitter, Swiggy, and Zomato. However, due to the potential negative impact on major businesses in India, the bill has yet to be passed in the Parliament of India and is currently on hold.

The information provided above will assist candidates preparing for the UPSC 2021 examination.

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