Survey of India Proposes to Re-Measure the Height of Mount Everest

Survey of India completes 250 years of its service to the nation and is celebrating its achievements this year. A National Conference on, "Users' Perspective on Geospatial Policy Framework in India" was organized by Survey of India (SoI) and FICCI, in New Delhi. The 10th of April was also celeberated as National Survey Day.

As a part of its 250 years completion celebrations, Survey of India has proposed to re-measure the height of Mount Everest during the year 2017. India was the first country under Sir George Everest's leadership as 'Surveyor General of India' to have declared the height of Mount Everest and establish it as the highest peak in the world in the year 1855. Subsequently, India once again carried out the exercise and declared the height of Mount Everest in the year 1956. After the Gorkha Earth Quake in the year 2015,various doubts were raised by the scientific community. In response to this, the Survey of India proposed re-measuring the height of Mount Everest as an 'Indo-Nepal Joint Scientific Exercise' along with Survey department of Nepal. The proposal has been forwarded to Nepal through diplomatic channels and the expedition will start after the formal concurrence of Government of Nepal is received.

Discussions and deliberations of all stakeholders of Survey of India products and services focussed on users' perspective on Geospatial Policy Framework in India during the panel discussions.

The Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, said that the panel discussions and the opinion and suggestions from all the stakeholders assembled in the forum would facilitate the inclusion of wider spectrum considering present day technology scenario and developmental needs and challenges in the country, and will prove to be very useful inputs for shaping the geospatial policy paradigm in the country.

 "Nakshe" Portal launched

A new web portal "nakshe" was launched by the Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan in New Delhi, on the occasion of 250th anniversary of Survey of India(SoI).

Topographic maps or Open Series Maps (OSM) containing natural and man-made geographical features including terrain or topography are prepared by the SoI since its inception in 1767 and is in conformity with the National Map Policy-2005. These OSM maps have been made available for free download from "nakshe" web portal in pdf format on 1:50,000 scale through Aaadhar enabled user authentication process, in line with Digital India programme of the Government of India.

The Survey of India, the principal mapping agency of the country is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. Origin of the Survey of India is traced back to Year 1767. It is the oldest scientific department in India and one of the oldest survey establishments in the world. Foundation for the scientific survey and mapping of the country was laid with The Great Trignometric Survey (GTS) in 19th century on this day i.e. 10th April, 1802, by noted surveyors Col. Lambton and Sir George Everest. SoI has surveyed and mapped each and every part of the country and these maps have played an invaluable role in the saga of India's nation building and were pivotal in the foundation of almost all major developmental activities of modern India.

The launch of the portal was followed with a curtain raiser of SoI Geo-portal and Web Services Platform and a panel discussion on Geospatial Paradigm in India that deals with the users' perspective on Geospatial Policy Framework in India. A technical presentation on development of the Geoid model for country was also made.

Minister of State for the Ministry of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Y.S. Chowdary, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Dr. Ashutosh Sharma, Surveyor General of India Dr. Swarna Subba Rao and several other scientists and professionals of Geospatial Industry were present on the occasion.

PIB