DIGITAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY REACHES GRASS ROOT LEVELS IN INDIA

摘要

Revenue surveys initiated by East India Company towards the end of 18th Century remained the responsibility of Survey of Indiaestablished in 1767 till 1904 and later came under the State government Departments.Starting 1949, attempts have been made to use aerial photography for cadastral surveys. Digital photogrammetry emerged as themost efficient technology for mapping large areas for cadastral surveys. Amendment to the existing Act in 1995 by government ofAndhra Pradesh allowed for public-private partnership in cadastral surveys. As a result of this, the first Integrated Land InformationSystem (ILIS) project using photogrammetry materialized and has reached successful completion stage in 2008. In this project, about 6000 sq km area is involved. In the field, ownership boundaries have been identified on the ortho images. Usingthe laptop computers, the surveyors produced Land Parcel Maps （LPMs) with an accuracy of 20 cm in position. What is mostinteresting in this project is delivering latest LPMs to owners within 24 hrs of ground visit with all the measurements and otherdetails.Cost under ILIS has worked out to less than Indian Rupees 700 per hectare (one US $=Indian Rupees 39 approx). Governmentsin India are planning to take up over 500 districts in India using this technology in the coming years. Digital Photogrammetry thushas emerged as the most efficient and cost effective model while providing land base vital to various development activities andgenerating huge employment in rural areas in particular.