India’s Fresh Approach to Earth Observation and The Geospatial Sector

India is transforming its Earth Observation and geospatial sectors through liberalized policies, opening opportunities for private players and startups. Key initiatives include satellite constellation development and democratized data access. Despite progress like the competitive “Map Wars,” challenges remain in infrastructure development and value chain coordination for sustained growth.
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This policy paper examines India’s strategic shift toward liberalizing its Earth Observation (EO) and geospatial sectors to capture a larger share of the global space economy. Through the Indian Space Policy 2023 and the National Geospatial Policy 2022, India has opened these sectors to private players, democratized access to Earth observation (EO) data, and launched initiatives such as the development of satellite constellations. While progress includes emerging startups and competitive dynamics (exemplified by the “Map Wars”), challenges persist in infrastructure gaps, upstream-downstream coordination, and AI/ML compatibility, all of which are essential for future growth.

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