Whenever one opens a newspaper, it is full of news about development and violations. All this generally happens with involvement of common people. Some head and sub-head lines are picked up from The Deccan Chronicle of 11 July 2019. These relate to violations and indicate how use of GIS can prevent or expose violations. See paper clippings of head lines on the next page.
Item 1 - DNC Infra ‘fakes’ invoice to evade GST, is booked
Extract from the news item
The Directorate General of GST Intelligence has booked a case against citybased DNC Infrastructure Private Limited, for creating fake invoices to the tune of `9 crore. After the fraud was discovered `6 crore has been recovered. The company, whose promoter is Naresh Chowdhary Dirishala, allegedly claimed input credit through fake invoices. The promoter is currently absconding, according to officials?.
If GIS is used, it will track and link all stages of operations with attribute data. Fake invoices are possible only due to self interest and manipulation by some – including the common man !!
Item 2 - Encephalitis deaths not just a healthcare issue
Extract from the news item
The recent tragedy in Bihar, in which 162 children died due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), is the result of a combination of circumstances — poverty, illiteracy, malnourishment and a dysfunctional system for public healthcare. However, much of the blame for the deaths has fallen on the health sector that failed to respond appropriately to the situation. Commentators have been quick to point out the weakness in Bihar’s public health system in terms of infrastructure, manpower, health financing and so on. But the fault lines run deeper — and across other sectors.
Use of GIS in the above situation could have been very beneficial. Obviously it is the common people who are part of such preventable mishaps
Item 3 - Migration to surge, we need smarter policies
Extract from the news item
Though India’s fertility rate — that is, the average number of children a woman expects to have in her lifetime — is going down, it is not going down at the same rate everywhere in the country. Disparities continue between various states on not just the rate at which their population is growing or not growing, but also in the pace of their development.
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But in practice, things are a lot more complicated when people move from poor and populous states to those more developed and with lower populations.
GIS based mapping will help not only in analyzing but also take appropriate policy decisions at regional and national levels.
Item 4 - Assam flood submerges 145 villages
Crops spread over 3,435 hectares damaged; IMD predicts more rains in NE
Extract from the news item
With massive rainfall across the Northeastern states, the flood situation on Wednesday deteriorated in Assam.
Informing that the flood has affected over 62,000 people across eight districts of the state, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in its bulletin said that 145 villages are under water and 3,435 hectares of crop areas have been damaged
GIS provides solutions to reduce floods and its damging effects
Item 5 – China’s terrifying surveillance tech
Extracts from the news item
On assignment for the BBC, I found myself wandering the stalls of Europe’s largest international security technology exhibition, filming for a new series on criminal justice.
As soon as I arrived in the main exhibition hall with the production team, we were greeted by roving cameras, high-definition displays, drones and every variety of audio and video surveillance kit. All bar a handful of stands were manned by Chinese representatives, smiling politely, if somewhat stiffly, as we approached them.
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Just as tear gas is fired on the streets of Hong Kong, the Chinese have brought a whole new level of surveillance technology right here in Britain.
……../ almost all of the equipment came with the capability to recognise and monitor the behaviour of every person, whether they like it or not.
Thermal imaging was another function on offer, alongside motion tracking, night vision and directional microphones
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Every single movement of every person in sight of the cameras was being captured by the system. The information was then analysed and used to predict our next moves, based on previous behaviour.
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number-plate recognition systems and a profusion of other data sources.
“So you can really track everyone in society, wherever they go, whatever they do, 24 hours a day?” I asked. “Yes! Of course!” came the eager reply…………………………………./
The UAVs on sale in London do not carry guided missiles, at least not yet, but they do have the same cameras we had seen earlier, with all those tracking and monitoring capabilities.
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Get ready to live in the new world of Big Data, where all that we do and all that we think feeds upwards into a cloud of data and down again into systems to be used for purposes not yet even conceived
The above example shows how GIS is becoming an intimate part of individuals. China’s terrifying surveillance technolog/y is a double edged sword with positive and negative dimensions.
Item 6 - Panel to study law for doctors security
Extract from the news item
Last month, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had held a nationwide protest following an assault on doctors at the NRS Medical College in Kolkata and demanded the enactment of a central law to check violence on medical professionals in hospitals.
Laws for provision of proper services and to check violence on persons providing service already exist. GIS data bases expose shortcomings in services with evidence.
Item 7 – 2 US marines smuggle migrants
Extract from the news item
Two of the migrants said they were planning to pay $8,000 to be smuggled into the country, the complaint says. One planned on traveling to Los Angeles, the other to New Jersey.
Concluding Remarks
GIS helps in exposing violations. In every violation, involvement of common man is obvious. Is adoption of GIS desirable for most people ?
Attack on service providers like doctors, seems to be a direct way of showing dissent as legal measures are not feasible due to heavy costs and inordinate delays. In some countries justice is almost immediate.
British made judiciary immune from penalties. If judgments are reversed in higher courts, the judge who gave wrong judgment is not punishable in a normal way like in other departments. Modifications are essential to settle cases in a few months, to prevent violations.
In one of the report, it is said, … the fault lines run deeper — and across other sectors.
Let me end this note with the following:
· Smoking is injurious to health – Yet people smoke
· Yoga is good for body and mind – Yet most people don,t pracise Yoga
· GIS is good for efficient governance - Yet most people don’t want GIS as most of us are part of violations.
GS Kumar, Retd Director, Survey of India; Editor, Maps Today
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