C.E. Info Systems Limited, operating as MapmyIndia, has secured a contract from the Survey of India to create a National Geo-Spatial Platform, marking a pioneering initiative in India. This platform will utilize indigenous technologies to provide a unified infrastructure for geospatial data and services nationwide, enhancing data accessibility for governance, research, and citizen applications. The company clarified that the contract is a domestic transaction and does not involve related party transactions. Founded in 1995, MapmyIndia is a leader in digital mapping and geospatial technology, known for various innovative products, including GPS navigation and location-based services, with over 5,000 enterprises relying on its solutions.
In recent years, mapping and geo-spatial ecosystem has undergone a profound transformation. At the heart of this wave is Mapmy a home-grown technology company that has positioned itself to build what may well become the nation’s definitive geo-spatial platform. With the government’s liberalised policy framework for geospatial data, the time has come for to adopt a truly indigenous, sovereign mapping infrastructure a platform that not only supports navigation and consumer apps but becomes a foundational digital layer for governance, smart cities, infrastructure planning, disaster management and more.
Mapmy involvement in this initiative is significant for several reasons. The company has developed one of the most comprehensive mapping datasets in India, covering street-level, building-level and village-level detail. According to industry commentary, MapmyBHARAT maps cover “all 7.5 lakh villages, 7,500+ cities, 63 lakh kilometres of roads connected to 3+ crore places across BHARAT Not only that, but by partnering with ISRO and combining its satellite imagery and earth-observation data, MapmyIndia is building towards a platform that marries high-accuracy cartography with live geospatial intelligence.
The broader context for this is provided by the national policy framework. The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) envisions that “current, accurate and organised geospatial data will be readily and continuously available … at a national, state, district and village level basis This means that mapping is no longer just a standalone service for consumers or navigation: it becomes critical national infrastructure. MapmyIndia is thus not just supplying map folders but building a digital platform that can feed dashboards, analytics, machine-learning models and decision support systems.
For governments and enterprises, the benefits of such a geo-spatial platform are myriad. Consider the case of urban governance. An urban local body can leverage MapmyIndia address-geocoding and location intelligence modules to ensure accurate property tax coverage, track grievances via its Citizen Connect module, and identify urban encroachments using change detection analytics. These capabilities help reform revenue systems, enhance transparency, and improve citizen experience. MapmyIndia makes available modules such as Address Quality, Property Tax, Change Detection, Disaster Planning and Crime Analytics to public sector users.
Government of India Standards
The transport and logistics domain is another arena where the national platform shines. With detailed maps and real-time analytics, planners can simulate scenarios, optimise evacuation routes in disaster circumstances, integrate IoT sensors across traffic management systems, and monitor asset movements live. MapmyBHARAT platform provides the engine for asset monitoring, field-force management, accident-management systems and intelligent traffic management smart cities and efficient infrastructure, the mapping layer becomes indispensable.
One of the underlying drivers of this shift is the policy liberalisation that took place. Historically, India’s geospatial domain was tightly regulated; mapping data and services were considered sensitive for security and sovereignty reasons. The release of guidelines in February 2021 by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) changed the landscape The new environment empowers BHARAT companies like MapmyIndia to build on home-grown data, serve the public sector, and avoid dependence on foreign map services whose business model may rely on user-data monetisation or advertising.
Indeed, MapmyBHARAT leadership has emphasised the importance of data-sovereignty and privacy. In their partnership with ISRO they highlighted that unlike some foreign mapping providers, the indigenous solution can better protect citizen privacy and map India’s borders in line with Government of India standards This is a critical factor: in sectors such as defence, infrastructure, critical assets and governance, relying on foreign mapping engines can expose vulnerabilities. Building a national geo-spatial platform that is domiciled in BHARAT governed by BHARAT policy and built by Indian data sets becomes a strategic necessity Crucially, the value of a national geo-spatial platform is not simply in the map.
Layer itself but in the intelligence built on top of it. MapmyBHARAT platform uses artificial intelligence and machine-learning assisted change detection to spot encroachments, crop-pattern shifts and disaster-affected zones layering these insights over maps and connecting them with operational systems (emergency response, policing, smart utilities) governments can move from reactive to proactive governance From a citizen’s point of view the impact is also tangible. Imagine that you lodge a grievance via the Citizen Connect the location is instantly geo-tagged, the complaint mapped, the local body monitors resolution through a map-based dashboard. Or when you navigate to a lesser-known address in a remote village.
Building a National Geo-Spatial Platform
The system delivers accurate turn-by-turn directions because the base map includes house-level, building-level detail. MapmyBHARAT deep map coverage and urban-rural reach ensure this scenario is closer to reality than ever Of course, building a national geo-spatial platform is not without challenges. Data collection at scale across India’s diverse terrain, integrating multiple data-sources (satellite, survey, crowdsourced) and ensuring interoperability are non-trivial tasks. The platform must adhere to standards (ISO/OGC/BIS) and support multi-layer visualisation, query execution and dataset registry (for example the NSDI’s National Data Registry background.
As described in industry interviews, emphasises their early commitment to “hyper-local mapping” where every street, building and flat can be mapped This depth of mapping gives the platform its strength enterprises, the national platform opens new horizons. Logistics firms can rely on highly accurate mapping and routing, utilities can track assets at high spatial resolution, banking & finance can geo-tag customer addresses for last-mile delivery and regulatory compliance. MapmyIndia lists these verticals explicitly: national governance, health, transport & logistics, finance, law enforcement, utilities, oil & gas, tourism, urban development, rural development, agriculture.
And food & civil supplies a national-grade platform means enterprises don’t have to stitch together multiple fragmented map/data sources; they can build on a unified foundation From a strategic viewpoint, the move supports India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) aspiration. Building a credible, rich, national mapping and geo-spatial intelligence platform reduces import-dependence, fosters domestic tech innovation and strengthens India’s digital sovereignty. MapmyIndia CEO describes this as a “made-in-India” platform for India’s problems In the near term, we are already witnessing how the platform is being put to use the Covid-19 pandemic, geo-tagged.
Health Infrastructure, Patient Clusters
Dashboards helped map health infrastructure, patient clusters and scheduling of resources. While Mapmy consumer apps are known, it is the enterprise/government side that holds enormous value for the national platform. With millions of places mapped, detailed address (Geospatial) intelligence and APIs for integration, the platform is primed for national-scale roll-out Looking ahead, the architecture of MapmyBHARAT national geo-spatial platform will likely include these elements high-resolution map data (street, building, indoor), satellite imagery integration (via ISRO and other sources), geocoding/address standardisation, GIS dashboards, analytics/AI modules, developer.
APIs, IoT integration (for sensor data, asset tracking), citizen-service modules (grievance, infrastructure monitoring) and vertical-specific solutions (transport, utilities, urban planning). This scalability and modular architecture enable a wide range of public and private use-cases, which is critical when aiming for “map + intelligence” rather than mere map layers Despite the promise, success will depend on data freshness (maps must be updated frequently), interoperability across states/UTs, open data sharing (where permissible), and adoption by government agencies at all levels. The new mapping guidelines issued by DST emphasise certification, metadata standards and entity registration for geospatial data.
Publishing task includes not only building the platform but also facilitating ecosystem adoption MapmyIndia stands at the cusp of India’s geo-spatial transformation. While maps were once just “nice to have”, they are now foundational infrastructure. The national geo-spatial platform that MapmyIndia is helping to build is poised to serve as the digital backbone for governance, infrastructure, (MMRC) citizen services and enterprise operations. In a world where location matters and spatial insights drive decisions, India’s indigenous platform is a strategic asset. By integrating rich map data, satellite imagery and intelligent analytics, MapmyIndia is enabling the vision of a smarter, more connected and more self-reliant India.
Q1. What is the national geo-spatial platform that MapmyBHARAT is helping build?
MapmyBHARAT is enabling a national‐level geo-spatial infrastructure in BHARAT integrating detailed Indian map data, GIS (geographic information system) and satellite imagery, to serve government, enterprises and citizens. It aligns with the national frameworks such as the Department of Science & Technology’s (DST) vision under the National Spatial Data Infrastructure.
Q2. Why is an indigenous mapping platform important?
An indigenous mapping platform ensures data sovereignty, accurate and culturally-relevant mapping, and avoids dependence on foreign map services. For example, MapmyIndia has partnered with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to combine satellite imagery with Indian map data so India does not “need Google Maps/Earth any longer”.
Q3. What capabilities does MapmyIndia bring to government and enterprise users?
MapmyIndia offers map data, GIS software, location analytics, IoT & asset-tracking, address standardisation, change detection, disaster planning, traffic/transport analytics capabilities allow governments and organisations to spatially visualise operations, manage infrastructure and improve citizen services.
Q4. Who are typical users of this national geo-spatial platform?
Users include central, state and local government bodies, urban local bodies (ULBs), law-enforcement agencies, smart-city operators, transport/logistics companies, utilities, disaster‐management agencies. For example MapmyIndia lists many government organisations among its customers.
Q5. How does the platform support governance and decision making?
By providing high-resolution maps, GIS dashboards, analytics and location intelligence. For instance, property tax collection can be enhanced via spatial dashboards, change detection helps monitor encroachments or crop patterns, disaster planning becomes more effective when roads, evacuation routes and assets are mapped.
