Introduction

Geospatial services industry in India is assessed worth 3 billion US Dollars and it is taking giant steps toward further growth presently contributing 0.2 per cent to the country's GDP. A number of huge geospatial projects have been launched by the national and state governments and applications of GIS for preparing all developmental plans has been made mandatory by several state governments. Serving to the changing geospatial needs of the country, maintaining current status of the industry and its further growth very much depends on the increasing availability of competent geospatial workforce. It has been assessed that by 2015 India's annual demand of skilled human resources will be about 7 to 10 thousand persons having various types and levels of geospatial competences. This offers lucrative attractions to the current professionals for enhancing their capabilities and enormous amount of opportunities to the young students to take standard education and training for making a career in geospatial sector.

Knowledge Partner

The situation boosts high hopes and motivates a drive toward take-off. But it also triggers serious challenges focussed on the capacity building processes which are crucial to the professionals and students for converging geospatial careers and educational practices.

• Is India well equipped to meet the human resource requirements of this sector?
• Is India utilising full capabilities of the available geospatial workforce and finds these sufficient?
• Is India well prepared to face the challenge of procuring competent human resources?
• Are education and training institutions playing effective roles in producing fit-for-job graduates?
• Are geospatial organisations, industry and academia designing an integrated and competitive regional response to global challenges and opportunities?

For preparing the regions to respond to the above questions, GeoSmart India’ 2016 organises exclusive ‘Geospatial Youth Forum’ for giving huge impetus to creative teachers, progressive students, innovative researchers and successful entrepreneurs and providing a platform for sharing achievement with wider gis communities.

Geospatial Youth Forum

As said by Late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam “ignited mind of the youth is the most powerful resource on the earth, above the earth and under the earth” and here comes the opportunity to prove you with the technology of the earth. The significance of geospatial technologies and their applications in numerous fields are immeasurable. India realizes the importance and need for geospatial technologies and has been employing this indispensable technology in a big way for more than 15 years. However, the ‘geospatial technology revolution’ will emerge only with the involvement of young minds. With such motivation, this session has been designed to provide an opportunity exclusively to the young minds, to young and budding geospatial professionals, researchers and entrepreneur to showcase their abilities through their research paper or product/ application development etc.

Objectives

• Aims to offer the sea of opportunities to young minds comprising of young & budding geospatial professionals, researchers and entrepreneurs
• Provide opportunity to showcase your abilities through your research paper or product/ application development etc.
• To witness the paper, product presentations and various latest geo-enabled applications demonstration from enthusiastic youth

‘UNIGIS Award for Best Presentation at Geospatial Youth Forum 2014’ carries cash prize of INR 10000/- and a Certificate.

Coordinator:
Dr. Shahnawaz
Director (S/E Asia), UNIGIS International
Interfaculty Department of Geoinformatics - Z_GIS
University of Salzburg, AUSTRIA
s.shahnawaz@sbg.ac.at