NITI Aayog Launches Geospatial Energy Map Of India, Provides Detailed View Of Energy Production And Distribution

Geospatial Energy Map of India was launched by NITI Aayog on Monday (18 October 2021). NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has developed a comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) Energy Map of India with the support of Energy Ministries of Government of India.

The GIS map provides a holistic picture of all energy resources of the country, which enables visualisation of energy installations such as conventional power plants, oil and gas wells, petroleum refineries, coal fields and coal blocks, district-wise data on renewable energy power plants and renewable energy resource potential, etc. through 27 thematic layers.

The map attempts to identify and locate all primary and secondary energy sources and their transportation/transmission networks to provide a comprehensive view of energy production and distribution in India. The GIS-based Energy Map of India can be accessed at https://vedas.sac.gov.in/energymap.

It is a unique effort to integrate energy data scattered across multiple organisations and present it in a consolidated, visually appealing graphical manner.

It leverages the latest advancements in web-GIS technology and open-source software to make it interactive and user friendly. The Geospatial Energy Map of India will be helpful in planning and making investment decisions. It will also aid in disaster management using available energy assets.

Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, while launching the GIS-based Energy Map of India, stated that GIS mapping of energy assets would help ensure real-time and integrated planning of India's energy sector, given its extensive geographical distribution and interdependence.

"Energy markets have immense potential to bring in efficiency gains. Going forward, GIS-based mapping of energy assets will be advantageous to all concerned stakeholders and will help in accelerating the policy-making process. Fragmented data has been brought together; this will be a great research instrument," he said.