By:
Shri. Agendra Kumar
Managing Director at Esri India,
Board Member – Master Mentors Geo-enabling Indian Scholars (MMGEIS)
Past President – Association of Geospatial Industries
Former Chair – FICCI’s Committee on Geospatial Technologies
Data resilience is critical for national security, economic growth, and social stability. Data resilience refers to the ability to protect, recover, and maintain access to critical data in the event of disruptions like, cyberattacks, natural disasters, technical failures, and geopolitical threats. With almost 1.2 billion cellular mobile connections which form the primary device for most of its population to access content and applications on the internet, and the robust growth of the digital economy, it is imperative that India establishes a robust data resilience framework.
The success of India’s data resilience efforts will depend on strong governance, use of appropriate technologies, industry collaboration, and continuous adaptation to the evolving threat landscape. By taking a proactive approach, India can build a resilient data ecosystem that supports economic growth, national security, and the well-being of its citizens. This approach will include Strengthening National Cybersecurity framework; Investing in Infrastructure for Redundancy and Recover; Regular Audits and Testing of Resilience Systems; and Legal and Regulatory Framework for Data Sovereignty.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is one of the technologies which plays a pivotal role in supporting data resiliency, especially in the context of disaster management, infrastructure monitoring, and emergency response. GIS technology enables organizations to collect, analyse, and visualize spatial data in ways that can significantly enhance the robustness, continuity, and recovery of critical data systems.
In situations of natural disasters, GIS supports Data Resiliency in the following ways:
- Disaster Preparedness and Risk Assessment
- Identifying Vulnerable Areas
- Risk Modelling
- Scenario Planning
- Real-Time Monitoring and Situational Awareness
- Tracking and Response Coordination
- Monitoring Infrastructure Health
- Disaster Recovery Plans
- Data Integrity and Disaster Impact Assessment
- Damage Assessment
- Real-Time Data Integrity
- Supply Chain and Infrastructure Resilience
- Supply Chain Mapping
- Infrastructure Resilience:
- Spatial Data Redundancy and Protection
- Geospatial Data Storage and Backup
- Spatial Data Security
- Collaboration and Information Sharing
- Cross-Sector Collaboration
- Public Awareness
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an invaluable tool for enhancing data resilience, providing both proactive and reactive strategies to ensure that critical data remains safe, accessible, and recoverable during emergencies. From improving disaster preparedness and enabling real-time situational awareness to enhancing infrastructure resilience and ensuring efficient recovery, GIS technologies empower governments, businesses, and individuals to respond to data disruptions more effectively.