Bhuvan has been hailed by the media as the Google Earth killer. 'Bhuvan to beat Google Earth' and 'India’s answer to Google Earth', praised the media headlines.

But even before its launch by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bhuvan is already at the centre of controversy regarding its possible use by terrorists.

'Bhuvan', meaning earth, is an indigenous mapping system by the ISRO. Bhuvan will receive images from satellites and offer high resolution imagery data of the order of five metres. According to S K Pathan, head of the ISRO's Geo Informatics Data Division, Bhuvan will be useful for real-time activities such as disaster management and military operations.

It will have multiple layers of information and will show topography, altitude, depth and other features of any specific location. The data could also be helpful in managing public services, internal security, town planning, and infrastructure development activities.

The ISRO compares Bhuvan with Google Earth. Bhuvan will be better in terms of quality of data, Pathan said, and would provide data covering different dates. ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair also said that Bhuvan would be 'much more precise'. While initially Bhuvan will map the Indian subcontinent, the ISRO has plans to extend it to the entire earth. The maps will cover the upper surface as well as the minerals below. Bhuvan will also incorporate inputs from local players such as farmers and fishermen who are familiar with the terrain. The focus of Bhuvan will be essentially on information.

Bhuvan will use data recorded by the Indian satellites only, and will be updated annually - unlike other mapping sites, which take four years. Nair promises that these will not be mere images.

Will Bhuvan be available to the common man like Google Earth? It has not yet been decided whether the data will be available on the web for public access. Security concerns about its possible use by terrorists is a major factor. However, a senior defence ministry official seemed confident. He said that images in certain locations would be blocked or images of sensitive locations would be blurred to prevent misuse.

There have always been fears about providing such minute details of the landscape. Alleged use of Google Earth by terrorists to attack Mumbai has increased this concern. In 2005, the then president Abdul Kalam expressed his concern about how Google Earth could be misused. Google Earth featured Indian defence establishments and other sensitive areas, to the dismay of Indian security agencies. This led to many people wondering why the Indian government was going ahead with a project like Bhuvan, which could end up as another tool in the hands of terrorists.

Vice president of India M Hamid Ansari’s speech at the Map World Forum at Hyderabad implies that geospatial technologies are essentially classified documents. He lamented the fact that today everyone can access them freely online through Google Earth and other services. According to Ansari, geospatial systems do not make a significant difference to the daily lives of the majority of Indians. While applications for decentralised governance and for agriculture have been discussed often, success stories are few, said Ansari. Although its utility in land records is very obvious, its implementation has not progressed much, he added. Ansari said that technology should be guided by the political, social and economic context of the time.

Ansari said, 'Like any technology, geospatial technologies could be used either for welfare of mankind or to its detriment. Sensitive geospatial data have serious implications not only for development and governance but also for national security. The terrorists who attacked Mumbai used global positioning systems and Google Earth maps to identify their targets and the terrain.'

Would restricting technology or preventing access help? The trouble is knowing which technologies to restrict. Mobile phones and satellite phones have been used by terrorists. They also use various advanced technologies to plan and execute their terror operations and rely on the internet extensively.

'The solution to this would not be in capping the use of technologies or in preventing access. The only constructive option lies in better regulation of geospatial data and of relevant stake-holders.  A fine balance is needed to allow geospatial technologies to flourish without compromising on national security concerns. The government of India is committed to bring legislation for creating a National Geospatial Data Regulatory Authority,' said Ansari.

Even though Bhuvan is touted as the Google Earth killer, its use may be at a different level and the two may not compete in the near future. Considering the security concerns expressed by the vice president, it is unlikely that Bhuvan will be made available on the web to all, like Google Earth, immediately. It may be used only by a select group of professionals. We'll know more when it finally launches this month. X

Check Out
ISRO takes on Google Earth
Indian Google Earth raises security concerns
ISRO develops new weather mapping satellite
PIB 

Check out the World news at our sister site The News