In an effort to better coordinate resources and information in emergency situations, India says it intends to start geotagging telecommunications towers and optical fiber cables. The Indian government has said the process will create a digital map of telecom infrastructure locations, which could prove to be crucial in the event of a crisis. As IndianWeb2 reports, plans are underway to complete the geotagging initiative by 2027. The initiative will be directed by the Department of Telecommunications.
The process of geotagging assigns precise geographic coordinates to digital media. It has been used to pinpoint digital interactions and already functions on mobile devices that can share information or show where the phone’s user is located. Adding markers to communications towers will allow the Indian government to better assess digital traffic flow and outages, stepping in to provide assistance to enhance emergency response capabilities, according to IndianWeb2.
Geotagging is already in use in both the United States and Mexico, where it has been instrumental in zeroing in on specific phone and cell tower locations. Law enforcement has been able to use geotagging to assist in criminal investigations where time was of the essence. Being able to quickly find a kidnapper’s phone, for example, has saved lives.
As IndianWeb2 notes, the Indian government has declared that it is continuing to make changes to improve the lives of its citizens and intends to become a fully developed nation by 2047.
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