Why GIS and GeoAI must be in every student’s toolkit

Over the past decade, India has moved from being an emerging economy to a digital powerhouse driven by innovation, entrepreneurship, and a young, technologically adept population. One technology that has made an impact by integrating everything everywhere is Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Over the years, GIS has evolved from a mapping tool to a force shaping how India plans, builds, and governs.

GIS has evolved into a language of connection between geography and data and between disciplines and decisions. Engineers use it to design smarter cities, economists to study regional trends, ecologists to monitor biodiversity, and public health experts to track disease outbreaks. Today, for students, learning GIS isn’t just about mastering a tool; it’s about developing spatial thinking. It encourages curiosity, problem-solving, and the ability to see relationships that aren’t obvious.

GIS must become an integral component of all Engineering disciplines. Whether it is planning cities, managing resources, or building intelligent systems, GIS education equips engineers to create solutions that are more efficient, sustainable, and connected to the environments we live in.

Staying updated

The rapid evolution of GIS technology necessitates that our academic institutions keep pace in imparting the latest knowledge to the students so that they become future-ready. While educational institutions must align curricula with emerging industry demands, industries need to provide real-world exposure through internships, apprenticeships, and collaborative research.

Academic councils can play a pivotal role in uniting industry and academic thought leaders and fostering an environment of collaboration to advance geospatial education, research, and innovation in the country. This can include curriculum design, training and interdisciplinary collaborations that institutions can readily adopt.

Given the rapid advancements in GeoAI, it is also necessary to educate students about both AI and GIS concepts, such as using Python for spatial data analysis and machine learning algorithms for pattern recognition in satellite imagery. Educational programmes should offer different pathways based on student backgrounds, with options for AI developers to learn geospatial principles and for geomatics experts to gain AI skills. The integration of AI and GIS can transform how students explore and understand spatial phenomena by leveraging personalised, data-rich, and interactive learning experiences. For instance, students can use GIS to map and analyse patterns of urban growth, land-use change or environmental risk, while AI techniques help automate the classification of satellite imagery and provide adaptive feedback on their spatial analyses.

The National Geospatial Policy 2022 envisions geospatial education and capacity development as a cornerstone to drive advancements in urban planning, disaster management, agriculture, environmental conservation, and various other sectors. Integrating GIS education into academia will fuel India’s growth and help realise its global geospatial leadership vision.

The writer is Director of National Institute of Advanced Studies and Chair, GIS Academia Council of India (GACI)