THE answers will be available at the click of a mouse, thanks to a unique project by students of the University of Pune (UoP) to map villages in Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik districts using Geographical Information System (GIS). Under Samartha Bharat Abhiyaan (SBA), detailed geographical, historical and socio-economic data of each village will soon be available in digital maps.

Each of the 400-odd colleges affiliated to UoP will adopt one village and the UoP’s geoinformatics department will be coordinating a massive effort to train college students in gathering data. “A total of 206 students have already received training,” said SBA executive council chairman Sambhaji Pathare.

Called Samartha Bharat Geoinfosys, the project has already begun with mapping of Mokasbaug, Vadu Budruk and Narayangaon near Pune. Using the talathi or revenue map, students divided the village into sections and then walked through the village, measuring road lengths and taking the latitude and longitude coordinates using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices.

“Each house was given a number, and a sketch prepared. GPS coordinates were taken at road intersections, temples and schools,” said final year M.Sc student Kiran Mane. This data was then plotted on the revenue map using the GIS software, and non-spatial attribute data like names of roads and landmarks were added.

The next step was the socio-economic profiles of each family. Information was entered into exhaustive feedback forms comprising 208 questions ranging from the head of the family, crop cultivated, income generated, health problems and educational status.

“Rapport was important so that they give accurate data,” said Vivek Gaikwad, teaching associate at GIS department.

Such data mapping can help identify location-specific problems and planning infrastructure decisions accordingly, said UoP GIS department head Vrushali Deosthali, who is heading the project and training the students. “Solutions in a location-specific manner to problems like inadequate drinking water supply, toilet facility or illiteracy can be planned,” she said.