Online ‘mapathon’ launched to create resource maps for the country

Now, anyone can create a map of their area and use it to understand how their environs have changed in the last few decades. This can be done using data generated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under the Free Open Source Software in Education (FOSSE) process.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), along with the Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay (IIT-B), ISRO and FOSSE have launched an ‘online mapathon’ to popularise open-source educational tools to create resource maps for the country. Peoples’ participation would improve resource mapping and make it more accurate in solving complex real-time problems.

This will also create awareness that ISRO’s data can be used not just by government agencies but also by common people to track natural calamities, floods, droughts, crop failure, assess soil fertility, water and cropping area. AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe said, “The mapathon will allow Indian researchers to use the data obtained by Indian satellites rather than relying on foreign data.”

Principal investigator of the project, Kannan Moudgalya, said people who participate in the mapathon will access data through an open source, which will provide a level playing field for all participants. They can self-learn the open source software QGIS using spoken tutorials in English or Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil or Telugu. They are available at https://spoken-tutorial.org.

The maps would be hosted on open source archives of FOSSEE or RuDRA at the IIT Bombay that anyone can access for community applications.

According to him so far 2,000 persons, including schools and district collectors, have registered.

While large cities are fairly well-mapped, smaller towns and rural areas have not benefited. A map of their locality would help the people assess risks and develop capabilities to prepare for challenges, he said. “This mapathon can aid in building local capacities for mapping and generating data that can address larger goals,” said Mr. Pennan, who specialises in GIS applications.

Participation is open to Indian citizens who can register at https://iitb-isro-aicte-mapathon.fossee.in till December 18. The completed maps must be submitted from December 14 to 31. The results would be announced from January 4 to 10. Completed entries will receive certificates jointly issued by AICTE, IIT Bombay, ISRO and FOSSEE.