Geo Informatics is a branch of Civil Engineering that
mainly uses Cartography (map based technology) to resolve issues in Land
engineering. This field also has a hefty of job opportunities in the fields of
Geodesy, Global Navigation, Satellite Systems, Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing,
Spatial Analysis and Web Mapping. This
field is primarily based on Geodesy method.
The importance of this field can well be understood by the popularity
gained by Mr. Ramanan, the Head of TamilNadu Meteorological Department during
those days of cyclones and thunder showers. Anna University offers a course for
enthusiasts in this discipline in the name of B.E in Geo Informatics.
Subject
covered in B.E Geo Informatics:
1) Land
Mapping
2) Land
Measurement
3) Remote
Sensing Principles
4) Light
Measurement
5) OOP
in Geo Informatics
6) Remote
Sensing of Heat and Light
7) Geo
Database system
8) GIS
9) Remote
Sensing with Microwaves
10) Open
Source GIS
11) Disaster
reduction and Management
Target
Companies Geo Informatics Graduates:
1) National
Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA)- Hyderabad
2) ISRO
Bangalore
3) SAT
4) IARI
5) ICAR
6) Reliance
Energy
7) Cyber
Tech
8) DRDO
9) Desert
Research Medicine Centre
10) Forest
Survey of India
11) Geopatial
Delhi
Job
Roles of Geo Informatics Personnel:
At present, graduates in Geo Informatics field have ample
opportunities in the fields of Epidemiology, Crime mapping and even in Tourism
industry. The various roles available are as follows:
1) Project
Fellow
2) Defence
Personnel
3) GIS
Expert
4) Image
Analyst
5) GIS
Business Analyst
6) GIS
Programmer
7) Geo-Spatial
Software Engineer
8) Project
Scientist
9) Project
Manager
10) Scientist
11) Project
Coordinator
12) Project
Scientist
13) Technical
Assistant
14) Research
Scholar
15) Research
Associate
16) GIS
Environmental Analyst
17) Senior
System Executive
18) Image
Analyst
19) GIS
Engineer
Geo Informatics industry includes captivating technologies
such as GPS, Satellite Navigation Systems and communication technology along
with other varied specialised tools. It is a key developing and evolving
industry that offers an excellent career opportunity with great potential and boasts
of availability of plenty of undiscovered opportunities. To make it simple Geo
Informatics deals with the tools and technology required to acquire, analyze
and visualize our planet from space – like the geographic location of Earth's
boundaries, oceans, natural and man-made structures, etc. This geospatial
information is in turn used to tackle varied problems of geosciences and geography.
This field also involves remote sensing of images, modeling, mapping, development
of geospatial databases and information systems design. Geo Informatics technique uses geo computation
and geo visualization for analyzing the geo information. The derived results
are finally presented in user-friendly formats.
Significance
of Geo Informatics:
Geo informatics is multi faceted field with applications
addressing a broad spectrum of problems that occur in almost all walks of life.
It is most useful in urban and rural planning, land use management,
agriculture, forestry, public health, natural resource management,
infrastructure development and even the defense sector. It also makes its mark
in transport by providing various cutting edge technologies in-car navigation
systems, automatic vehicle location systems, maritime transport, aviation and
traffic network planning and management. Geo informatics also finds its worth
in Meteorology, disaster management and preparedness, climate change studies, oceanography,
environmental modeling and analysis, criminology, telecommunications and crime
simulation. By use of latest methods of Geo informatics industries such as business
location planning, architecture and archaeological reconstruction have gained
intensively. Geography and Earth Sciences heavily rely on data retrieved from
Geo Informatics too.
Academic prospects of Geo Informatics
Engineering:
Geo informatics is a specialized field demanding expert
knowledge. Background in science stream is a must. Students from geography,
geology, agriculture, engineering, IT or computer science fields can gain
admission to M.Tech Course in Geo informatics. There is also an option for
students to follow it up with a doctoral degree.
Geo Informatics Engineering deals with technology and
models used for projection systems, annotation dimension and plotting, 3D visualization,
database management, thematic mapping, geographic information systems, remote
sensing platforms, global positioning systems and the latest trends in
geospatial science and technology. Various branches include web mapping, Photogrammetry,
cartography, geodesy, disaster management, global navigation satellite systems,
remote sensing and geographic information systems.
Job opportunities for Geo informatics
Professionals:
Major users of geo informatics applications are the local
and union governments and hence undoubtedly the biggest employers are the Central
and State governments. Central government agencies are under the Department of Space
- National Remote Sensing Agency, North East Space Application Centre, Regional
Remote Sensing Application Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, Advanced
Data Processing Research Institute, Space Application Centre, Indian Agriculture
Research Institute and Indian Council of Agriculture Research. State
governments provides job opportunities in their individual National Informatics
Centre and Space Application Centres
with various State Electricity Boards lined up to implement geo informatics.
With the private sector discovering the benefits of geo informatics,
there is growing demand in top companies like Google, TCS, Reliance Industries,
Reliance Communications, Reliance Energy, CyberTech Systems, Geofiny
Technologies, Magnasoft Technology Services, etc. Then comes all those
environmental agencies, national survey and mapping organisations, mineral
exploration, utility companies, emergency services, public health and
epidemiology, international organisations, United Nations, crime mapping, transportation
and infrastructure, tourist industry, market analysis and e-commerce etc.,
There is also chance of becoming a professor, filling up the reader and
research positions that are available in academic institutions. Even you can
start your own enterprise!
Salary
Range for Geo Informatics Engineers:
Salary ranges depend upon the work location, work discipline
and number of years of experience. The approximate starting salary for a
fresher is Rs. 2, 50, 000 per annum with higher positions offering upto
Rs.5,00,000 annually.
Career scope of Geo Informatics discipline:
The Geo informatics field is still in its very early
stage of development in our country at present while at the same time expanding
at a good pace as many industries have started employing spatial data to manage
their day to day activities. Today it has become a norm that almost no
developmental project can get completed without geo spatial information. The
only limitation is the acute shortage of skilled professionals in this sector.
So there is tremendous scope along with accelerated growth and development
prospects for young entrants to this industry. The extensive uses of Geo
Informatics in several different disciplines have now ensured a wide range of
employment opportunities.
Best institutes of Geo Informatics
Engineering:
·
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing and
Sensing, Dehradun
· Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Kanpur
· Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, Extension centres – Kolkatta, Jaipur
· National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad
· Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad and New Delhi
· ISRO, Bangalore
· Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University, Hyderabad
· Survey Training Institute, Hyderabad
· Symbiosis Institute of Geo informatics
· Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Kanpur
· Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, Extension centres – Kolkatta, Jaipur
· National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad
· Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad and New Delhi
· ISRO, Bangalore
· Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University, Hyderabad
· Survey Training Institute, Hyderabad
· Symbiosis Institute of Geo informatics
To conclude on the personal front, this on demand field demands
genuine interest and true passion for the subject. Students should be eager to
learn and enthusiastically push the limits to find new solutions to come out
with flying colors in this industry. Robust analytical and problem-solving
skills, positive outlook, creativity and strong verbal and written
communication skills are vital to succeed in this challenging sector. Two other
essential requirements are the candidate’s willingness to relocate and ongoing
learning process for life time to get themselves updated on latest happenings.