In order to help the users discover/ access geo-spatial data sets useful in Decentralised Planning in Karnataka, a single window access mechanism, called Karnataka Geo-portal, has been developed. The Geo-portal has been released in the annual NSDI event held at Pune on 22-24 December 2009 by Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Hon'ble Minister of State (I/C) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India. The Geo-Portal will be useful in providing access to data sets acquired, maintained, and provided by various concerned State-level government/ private/ academic/ or civil society organisations. The Geo-portal will initially be used for providing access to spatial data/ metadata sets currently held by Karnataka State Council for Science & Technology (KSCST) at different district data centres set up under Natural Resources Data Management System (NRDMS) Programme of Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. Other organisations/ agencies in the State will be gradually sensitized and invited to share their data/ metadata sets held or provided by them by publishing their details in the Geo-portal.

The Geo-Portal has been set up under a joint project of Department of Science & Technology, Government of India and the Department of Science & Technology, Information Technology, and Bio-technology, Government of Karnataka.

For details, please see www.karnatakageoportal.in