Delivering the keynote address at the three-day geographic information technology conference `Map India '99' organised by ISRO on Tuesday and the Centre for Spatial Database Management and Solutions (CSDMS), Chairman, ISRO, Kasturirangan stressed the need for having a National Spatial Information Policy to harness the capabilities of the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) programme.

He urged the civic bodies in the country to use Geographic Information Services (GIS) and digital maps for improving basic amenities including improving of water, sewage, telecom and drainage system.

Though India has more than 200 year old national surveying organisation `Survey of India' and the best civilian remote sensing capability in the world, we still lagged behindother countries in the use of maps for improved decision making, Kasturirangan pointed out.

Sudhir Jalan, President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), inaugurating the conference emphasised the need for having zonal atlases for the whole country to help industrialists set up units according to the requirements of each area. He also advocated extensive use of GIS in business to promote faster economic growth.

Former Union minister Y K Alagh suggested that GIS and mapping technology should be used for urban planning including water supply, electricity, transport, and drainage system to avoid collapse of urban centres.