Workshop on role of geospatial resources in governance held in Kohima

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  Temsunaro Aier addressing participants during a state-level workshop on "Empowering governance and development by leveraging geospatial resources" in Kohima on Wednesday.

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• DIMAPUR — A state-level workshop on "Empowering governance and development by leveraging geospatial resources" was held on Wednesday at the de-Oriental Grand in Kohima.
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• A DIPR report stated that the event, jointly organised by the Nagaland GIS and Remote Sensing Centre Planning (NGISRSC) and Transformation Department, Government of Nagaland, and the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), Department of Space, Government of India, brought together experts, officials and policymakers for a day of knowledge-sharing on geospatial advancements.
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• Speaking at the inaugural programme as the guest of honour, development commissioner of Planning and Transformation, Temsunaro Aier, described the event as a significant initiative aimed at increasing awareness, building technical capacity and fostering collaboration to integrate geospatial resources into planning, governance and development efforts.

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• She highlighted the role of NGISRSC, established in 2006, as a cornerstone institution for geospatial technology in the state and the successful completion of 15 Plan of Action (PoA) projects (10 supported by the North Eastern Council (NEC) through NESAC and 5 through state resources). She praised the centre for its contributions across various sectors and encouraged all departments to utilise the valuable data and resources.
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• She pointed out that geospatial technology is no longer limited to mapping but is now a key enabler for evidence-based policymaking, infrastructure planning, disaster preparedness, resource management and sustainable development.
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• She stated that sectors such as agriculture, rural development, water resource management and urban governance stand to benefit significantly from the integration of geospatial intelligence. She, therefore, encouraged the departments to explore ways to embed space-based solutions into their projects, schemes and service delivery mechanisms. The call was to move from conventional planning to geospatially informed, real-time monitored and scientifically validated models of governance.
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• Reaffirming the Government of Nagaland’s commitment, she stated that the state is working towards becoming a digitally empowered and future-ready region through adoption of geospatial and digital technologies in partnership with national institutions like ISRO, NRSC, IIRS and NESAC.
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• In his keynote address, senior project director of NGISRSC, Mhathung Kithan, said that space technology with all its applications involves a large scale of data sharing and information, which called for close coordination between the different line departments and organisations. He stated that it is vital to ensure that the technology is made accessible to all.
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• The technical sessions were divided into two segments. The first segment featured discussions on the outcomes of Plan of Action (PoA) projects by NGISNRSC, followed by case studies on advanced e-Governance applications by NESAC.
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• Presentations were also made on the North Eastern Spatial Data Repository (NeSDR) and a live demonstration of the NeSDR geoportal, showcasing its functionalities in data registration, search, visualisation and analytics.
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• In the second segment, the focus shifted to state-level initiatives, including the Nagaland state geospatial data infrastructure and geoportal.
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• NESAC presented insights on ISRO/DOS's portals for satellite data and its applications.
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• The event concluded with a feedback and valedictory session, where Dr. D Chutia, head of GID, NESAC, Department of Space, delivered the valedictory address.
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• Report stated that the workshop marked a significant step toward integrating cutting-edge geospatial technologies for better governance and development frameworks in Nagaland.