Yesterday we carried a story that explains noted novelist Amitabha Bagchi’s view on the proposed Geospatial bill. He believes that the current form of the bill will be a hurdle to innovation, especially in the face of the pet projects of the government, viz. Make in India and Smart Cities. You can read the story here. If you too feel the same and would like to make your view known to the government, Save The Map has readied a template response for you that you can use and make changes that you desire and forward to the Ministry of Home Affairs for their consideration. The ministry is accepting public response on the proposed bill till June 4.
The proposed Geospatial Bill seeks to license and regulate the acquisition, dissemination, publication and distribution of geospatial information that is likely to have an effect on the security, sovereignty and integrity of the nation. The bill has been in the news since it was made public on 4th of May. The bill has created quite a stir mainly because of its implications to the businesses and even individual use of maps and other geospatial information. If one comes to think of it, even the use of GPS and navigation can be barred if the bill becomes and act and comes to force.
Karthik Balakrishnan was at the forefront of the SaveTheInternet campaign which was a massive success and he can now come out against the proposed bill. His website SaveTheMap carries the template response which lists all those things that an individual will be barred from doing of the bill is passed. These include often day to day tasks like geotagging photos on social media, recording one’s daily running, cycling, riding or driving activity, or even sharing locations via WhatsApp, food delivery apps and transportation apps.
