A bunch of home-grown companies are taking on global giants like Google by offering geospatial solutions that they claim offer better features than those by competitors. Suraksha P explains how India's latest geospatial data policy is giving them an edge.
Think of Maps, and you will most likely think of Google!
A host of home-grown firms are, however, trying hard to change that perception.
MapmyIndia, Genesys International and RMSI - to name a few - are taking on Google, aided in part by robust guidelines that give Indian companies a definite edge.
The guidelines for acquiring and producing geospatial data services, including maps, was released by the Ministry of Science and Technology in February last year and have come as a boon for Indian companies that provide digital maps, geospatial software and location-based Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.
These companies say their products offer more detailed maps and technologies than those offered by global tech giants such as Google.
Publicly listed MapmyIndia recently launched earth observation, satellite data, geospatial analytics, and simplified mapping services for the public, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).
It put its Real View maps and technology live on its Mappls.com portal for end-consumers and plans to launch more technology and metaverse-ready maps to the Mappls app for Android, iOS, and the web in future.
“We signed an MoU with Isro last year for an indigenous end-to-end mapping solution. We are unfurling the ongoing results of that partnership and releasing some valuable applications and use cases,” chief executive Rohan Verma told ET. “The combined maps and technologies of
MapmyIndia and Earth Observation Data of Isro allow us to do so.”
Mappls is ahead of Google in terms of detailed maps and technologies in this domain, he said.
Verma cited the example of how snowfall cover can be checked on any route, with its use case varying across sectors like agriculture, research etc.
The Mappls app has seen a few million downloads so far on Android (over one million on Google Play Store) and iOS. On the web, the number is far higher, Verma said.
It is, however, hard to break into this market, he pointed out.
“It is rare for PhonePe, Paytm, Alexa, or Amazon to use somebody's maps or APIs anywhere in the world. The choices would come down to global tech giants like Google, or some very strong players. It is hard to break through this market, but it is exciting to see people attempt it. This will push innovation, and consumers will benefit,” he said.
MapmyIndia has about 2,000 large enterprise customers, including some marquee names such as Apple, Amazon, Flipkart, Maruti, Hyundai, BMW, McDonald's, and HDFC Bank.
On the government side, the Goods and Services Tax Network, Central Board of Direct Taxes, and Isro are among its customers.
The company has already created maps for more than 8,000 pin codes in urban areas, and 800,000 villages and rural habitations, covering 6.4 million road kilometres.
On the app, one can check soil moisture, the air quality index, weather, temperature, rainfall, vegetation cover, solar potential and heat maps. These will help various types of users: commuters, farmers, businesses, and government organizations. One can even search down to the house-address level or village level.
“The information and geospatial intelligence are overlaid, and when consumers navigate, it is not just the traffic congestion information that we give, we also provide road safety alerts like speed cameras, unsafe zones, or speed breakers ahead,” Verma said.
In Real View, the satellite data from Isro has been combined with the road data that MapmyIndia has been collecting for hundreds of thousands of kilometres, providing a 360-degree street view.
This feature is available in the United States, but foreign players are restricted from offering the same in India under the geospatial policy.
“India restricts foreign entities from doing ground survey and mapping. There are a lot of accuracy and depth reductions in maps produced by foreign players. They’re also restricted from collecting, processing, publishing and hosting high accuracy/ high-definition maps like 360-degree street view on their servers, whereas Indian entities are allowed to do so,” Verma said.
Policy clarity, speedbumps
The new mapping policy promises to change the contours of the sector.
It aims to open the field for public and private companies, ease regulations on making, storing and accessing geospatial data – previously the prerogative of a few government departments – and brings clarity on who can map what and up to which resolution. Finally, it gives a big push to domestic firms to steal a march on global giants.
International companies that capture data about India through satellite-based operations can continue to do so, said Sanjay Kumar, founder and CEO, Geospatial World, a knowledge organization that advocates for technologies and organizations working in this sector.
The advantage for Indian companies is that any geospatial data of spatial accuracy/value finer than the threshold value of one metre horizontally, and three metres vertically can be collected only by entities controlled by Indian citizens.
“This doesn’t mean foreign companies cannot use that data. They can subscribe to that data through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) from Indian companies. Through this policy, India intends to develop a robust geospatial data infrastructure for the country which is captured and managed by companies that are controlled by Indian citizens,” Kumar told ET.
High-resolution geospatial data is not only an economic asset but also critical for maintaining security, internally and externally, he added.
“India does not want that level of high-resolution data to be captured by companies that are not controlled by Indian citizens and wants to make sure that this data does not go beyond the cloud environment of India, or its territorial jurisdiction. To host this data, one must have servers in the country,” Kumar said.
“This applies only to high-resolution imagery below the threshold value. Above that value, anybody - Indian or foreign firms - is free to collect data,” he added.
While Google did not respond to ET’s request for a comment on Indian players competing with it, a company executive said many features of Google Maps in India have become possible only due to the deep partnerships with local authorities and organizations.
Many global Google Maps features saw their genesis in the country. These include landmark-based navigation, and public transport schedules (real-time bus information for Delhi, Surat, Mysuru, and Kolkata so commuters can see exactly when the next bus is arriving at their stop, view estimations of trip duration, and recommended routes).
Read More at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/mapmyindia-and-other-home-grown-geospatial-players-are-taking-on-google/articleshow/92769370.cms
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