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AP database for micro-planning

V.Rishi Kumar

HYDERABAD, Jan. 18

IMAGINE a situation where a State Government plans to deploy Rs. 5,000 crores for development in a focussed manner through micro-level planning.

All that it has to do is to look to a solution involving an integrated, digitised database superimposed with satellite imagery developed by the Andhra Pradesh Planning Department.

The Secretary, Finance and Planning, Andhra Pradesh, Mr. A.K. Parida, said the Government was set to commission one of the country's advanced monitoring system - the Andhra Pradesh Development Monitoring System (APDMS) on January 26.

The system comprises data from various sources including high resolution satellite imagery procured from NRSA to a large extent and US-based Ikonas satellite for urban conglomerates. When replicated in other States, it will have the potential of redefini ng the way targeted groups can be accessed and reached.

The APDMS is an IT tool used for efficient administration and for precise micro-level planning. More importantly, the digitised data will be gradually made available on the Internet for the general public too, Mr. Parida said.

Under the project, all geographical boundaries, 23 districts, 1,099 mandals, 116 municipalities, 28,245 revenue villages, 21,945 gram panchayats, 65,505 habitations, 3,393 municipal wards, which were considered as distinct administrative units, have been digitised to a scale of 1:50,000.

The Planning Department has taken the basic `cadestal' map and digitised it and superimposed other details including drainage, contours, water beds, land use, forestry and geomorphology. This includes 42 layers of these features called `spatial' layers. The contours have been integrated into revenue villages, gram panchayats, mandals, and superimposed with satellite imagery.

And this data has been evolved into mosaics which have been stitched together. The spatial data called `Vector' and imagery called `Raster' have been integrated. This has been done for building of non-spatial data basing village as a unit.

Every habitat has over 71 community infrastructure indicators. That is, the system classifies whether a particular facility is available or not. This will display and alert you. What you want is the gap in the Plan development in 50 years.

It has details of every habitation project being executed. It also focuses on every project in the mandal. This helps in identifying the gaps in the projects thus enabling in bridging the Plan gap.

Data relating to human development indicators such as literacy, child labour, elderly persons in the family, shelters, family planning, infant mortality rate, child mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, disabled, availability of drainage, drinking wat er, sanitation, occupation, land ownership etc have been collected.

The data will be made available in both English and Telugu. Information on habitations, villages, panchayats, mandals will be made available to the public even on the Net.

The Government has also developed a human development index (HDI).

The APDMS will enable all ministers, district collectors, secretaries etc to access information round-the-clock. This will help in judiciously utilising available captive resources.

The Deputy Planning Commission Chairman, Dr. K.C. Pant, while complimenting the Government for this pioneering initiative, expressed the hope that a similar exercise would be taken up in other States, Mr. Parida said.

The Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra Governments have sent in their teams to study the project. The project is planned to be showcased at the National Development Council (NDC) meeting. It is to be released by the end of the month.

Another initiative: The State Government has taken up yet another initiative - `Virtual GIS.' The department can help people virtually fly over the State and visualise their needs. This facility will provide satellite imagery with three-dimensional effe ct.

The Government has also embarked on a project for processing information for urban areas in the State especially Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati.