SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Science & Technology | Survey of India
India has been elected Co-Chair of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management – Asia-Pacific (UN-GGIM-AP) for the 2025–2028 term. The announcement was made following the 14th Plenary Meeting of UN-GGIM-AP, held in Goyang-si, Republic of Korea (24–26 September 2025). Shri Hitesh Kumar S. Makwana, Surveyor General of India, accepted the election on behalf of the country.
UN-GGIM-AP brings together national mapping and geospatial agencies to develop regional frameworks, data standards, and cooperative mechanisms for the effective use of geospatial information in sustainable development, disaster management, and urban planning. As Co-Chair, India will play a leading role in steering regional initiatives, promoting data interoperability, and enhancing capacity-building for developing countries.
The election highlights India’s rising profile in geospatial governance and its progress under the National Geospatial Policy (2022), which liberalised mapping norms and opened data access for start-ups and researchers. The move aligns with India’s broader Digital India agenda, which seeks to integrate spatial data into public-service delivery, infrastructure planning, and climate-risk management.
What is Geospatial Governance? → Geospatial governance refers to the coordinated use of location-based data, mapping, and satellite imagery for planning, service delivery, and monitoring public programmes. It ensures that spatial data from different ministries, satellites, and private systems can be shared, layered, and analysed for decisions in urban planning, agriculture, disaster response, and infrastructure development.
What is India’s National Geospatial Policy (2022)? → India’s National Geospatial Policy (2022), notified by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), liberalised mapping norms and allowed Indian entities to collect, store, and share geospatial data without prior government approval. The policy’s vision is to build a “trusted geospatial data ecosystem” by 2035, encouraging innovation by start-ups, academia, and industry. It also calls for creation of a National Geospatial Data Registry and promotes open-data standards, integration with Digital India, and use of AI-based mapping for real-time governance.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
What innovations in satellite mapping, AI, and open-data platforms can India champion through UN-GGIM-AP to advance regional sustainability goals?
Follow the full news here: India Elected Co-Chair of UN Geospatial Committee for Asia-Pacific