India bets on Big Data to address its urban challenges

India bets on Big Data to address its urban challenges
Representational Image. Photo by Nick Hillier

New Delhi: India will have an online database of all cities by 2024, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry confirmed on Monday.

The database that can be accessed by anyone and free of cost will hold data from several vital fields including infrastructure, education and health facilities, among others. It is part of an effort to create a "culture of data" to address urban challenges of the country.

The database will be created on a single platform in a phased manner, the ministry said.

In the first phase, a database for 100 cities under the Centre's flagship 'Smart City Mission' will be created by March 2020. An additional 500 will be brought under the project by 2022 in the second phase.

HUA Joint Secretary and Director of the Smart City Mission Kunal Kumar said 100 "data officers" are being trained for the task.

They will be responsible for better coordination between government agencies and providing information on the single platform, he added.

For instance, a person looking for a property in a particular area can utilise the online data to see what civic amenities are available nearby.

People can use data on the 'Open Database' platform for their needs accordingly, Kumar said.

Streets which are in crime-prone areas can also be identified through the platform, as per officials.

Under the project, the government has planned to set up an online 'Swachh Kashi' platform for the people of Varanasi. On this platform, people can post photos of dirty and clean areas, which will be scored automatically by the software.

Similarly, an online platform has been created in Pune, and people can get details about which streets are safe to use, another official said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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