The history of humanity bears testimony to how maps have helped in multiple ways. Explorers have used maps to chart new territories, administrators have used maps to track lands within their jurisdiction, and also to assess revenue sources such as from agricultural and other yields. Maps have also found use in indicating the levels of elevation, rainfall, temperature etc.
With evolution of digital technology, the potential use of maps has scaled new dimensions, as evidenced in practical applications such as remote sensing using satellites. This can further enrich the very basic layer of a map by superimposing with other relevant data to predict weather patterns, report on real-time vehicular traffic to optimize travel times, gauge the levels of sub-terrainial resources like minerals, water etc., and enable data-driven decision making on the effective use of such resources.
Bharat Maps is NIC’s initiative in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to enable and boost the effectiveness of government entities in mapping the rich, diverse, dispersed resources of our country and making possible their desired utilization. Check out this Issue’s In Focus section unveiling an insightful feature on Bharat Maps.
Our Hon’ble Minister, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad was on a visit to NIC Headquarters recently and inaugurated NIC's Software Quality Lab. He further interacted with the senior officers of NIC. A visual coverage of the same is presented in the first Spotlight of this Issue.
Having completed two years of its Webinar Series, NIC commemorated the launch of the knowledge platform in an event at NIC HQ. The top performers were felicitated by Dr. Neeta Verma, DG, NIC. This is featured in the second Spotlight.
NIC e-Governance projects in the State of Himachal Pradesh have been focused in From the States section. District Informatics section highlights ICT advancements in Ajmer District of Rajasthan and Patiala District of Punjab. Articles covered in the e-Gov Products & Services section are National Generic Document Registration System, m-Parivahan, NICCI Chatbot Service and NGT Online Portal. Appscape details eight Apps introduced for citizens and specific authorities. International e-Gov Update, In The News and Accolades sections also bring to you some interesting reads as always.
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Here’s wishing you a very happy new year and joyous time ahead.