GHMC to use drones for GIS mapping

HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has planned to carry out the Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping survey using drones or by camera mounted on aircraft for the first time. This new technology will be used for mapping urban properties and other utilities in the city. 

The proposed drone-mapping project is estimated to make a major impact on unauthorised constructions, and illegal encroachments. These drones will also keep an eye on city roads, drains, bin mapping, and streetlights and will act against the people who are trying to evade taxes, by under-assessing their properties.

GHMC officials said that the corporation has decided to have a complete base map for the city. “The drone survey would take a few months, whereas aerial mapping through camera mounted aircraft would just take a few days. However, using aircraft for capturing data, requires a series of security permissions from various government agencies, from both Central and State governments, including Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation,” GHMC officials said. 

According to the officials, drone survey would be able to get high-resolution images within 5 cm, whereas aircraft will get images with an accuracy within 10 cm. The survey will capture data with high-resolution cameras and will convert the captured data into AutoCAD drawings with the help of a software. The latest survey instruments on site will capture the carpet areas of each property and the same will be geo-tagged to prepare base map of the entire city.