K'taka to create spatial database

Karnataka will create a spatial and non-spatial database using satellite imagery in the next three years to supplement the planning process.

According to a senior official of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, the database will assist the government in improving agricultural productivity apart from helping farmers. It is also aimed at raising more revenue.

In a press release, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Director N Manjula said, "The days of visiting a forest or an agricultural field for physical verification of trees and ecological census are gone. Using satellite images, we can easily distinguish an arecanut tree from a coconut tree. Computerisation of the database is also part of the project," she added.

The government will take the assistance of the Karnataka State Science and Technological Council in creating the database.