What is Geo Tagging of an asset?
It is the process of adding geographical identification like latitude and longitude to an asset. Geo-tagging can help users find a wide variety of location-specific information from a device. It provides users the location of the content of a given asset.
The information included in a geo-tag may include place co-ordinates (latitude and longitude), bearings, altitude, distances, or even place names.
Geo-tagging location services can be used to find location of assets, specific websites, news and other information. It is based on positions and coordinates and is often directly taken from a global positioning system (GPS).
Why Geo Tagging is important?
The intent of geo tagging is to bring in transparency in the system by providing an ocular portrayal of assets on top of the map or satellite visual. In doing so, the assets are better monitored, and leakages can be plugged. Additionally, this helps in creating an online database for the company, which may in turn help the public obtain relevant information online.
How Geo tagging is widely used by the government of India?
Several assets are created in the states under various schemes of the Ministry of Agriculture. Under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) also, states have been utilising substantial amount of funds for creation of infrastructure/assets in agriculture and allied sectors such as soil testing labs, pesticide testing labs, bio fertiliser setting units, custom hiring centres, vaccine production units, veterinary diagnosis labs, dispensaries, milk collection centres, fish production units, godowns, cold storage, shade nets, pandals for vegetable cultivation etc. Monitoring of such wide spread activities is of paramount importance to states and Government of India to understand flow of funds, inventorising the assets, bringing in transparency, planning of assets for future, and finally informing the farmers about the facilities available.
PM on several occasions emphasised on use of technology for reporting of assets created through geo-tagging. Finance Minister also highlighted monitoring of MGNREGA assets through Geotagging in his budget speech.
Geotagging for monitoring of assets is already started in Ministry of Rural Development for MGNREGA and Department of Land Resources for monitoring of watershed activities in the states. Postal department has also geo-tagged the post offices using NRSC Bhuvan Platform.
Indian companies now have to geo-tag their registered offices in statutory filings with the Registrar of Companies (view notification), a move that will help identify shell companies from the same premises view eForm INC-22A -ACTIVE (Active Company Tagging Identities and Verification).
Download – e-Form with Instruction kit
What are the cons of Geo-tagging?
1) While transparency and openness may be important to some, the dangers of geotagging should now be apparent—providing constant location updates to the public, it exposes users to unwanted users knowing their locations.
2) By providing location data to the public, users might unknowingly be having greater powers invade their privacy.
3) While oftentimes geotagging requires explicit permission from a user, sometimes the information is leaked unknowingly from the user.