The Army must find a solution to obviate in-service bureaucracy and give precedence to overall capacity building over consolidation of individual turfs

Military Survey was brought under the newly established Directorate General of Information Systems (DGIS) in 2005 under the express directions of the Raksha Mantri himself. This was considered vital for operational capacity building – Geographical Information Systems (GIS) being domain of Military Survey was required to merge with the DGIS with the latter already chartered to develop and handle Operational Information Systems (OIS) and Management Information Systems (MIS).

Confluence of the OIS, MIS and GIS was designed to accelerate the pace of acquiring net-centric warfare capabilities by the Army in particular and sister Services in general, Military Survey being the provisioning agency for maps to all three Services (and paramilitary forces on demand from Ministry of Home Affairs) that would also handle the Enterprise GIS once introduced. Prior to merger with DGIS, Military Survey was in Military Operations Directorate, where the Engineer-in-Chief’s (E-in-C) branch considered it its “Fourth Pillar”. Merger of Military Survey with DGIS brought out a host of shortcomings in Military Survey ranging from archaic map production, focus own side of border instead of trans-border despite Map Policy of India being categorically stating that all mapping within Indian borders is responsibility of Survey of India, focus on physical survey within own borders, sustained voids of survey trained officers spanning over a decade, and little efforts to digitize, use available advanced technologies and introduction of GIS.

Even a GIS Policy and common military symbols had not been evolved. Under the DGIS, a GIS Policy with common symbology for the military was issued in 2009 preceded by a tri-Service study albeit with avoidable delays posed by E-in-C’s branch who considered GIS within their turf. More importantly, an Army study for reorganisation of Military Survey was ordered at the initiative of DGIS, which made significant recommendations that were approved by the hierarchy but are yet to be implemented. A request for proposal (RFP) to establish an Enterprise GIS floated by DGIS in mid March 2009 is still shuttling between E-in-C’s branch and Military Operations. What a shame that learning from Military Survey, the BSF and CRPF introduced GIS in the years 2008 and 2010 respectively but the Army and the Military are still sans one. An erstwhile Vice Chief from Engineers tried to revert Military Survey back to Military Operations on pretext of ‘training’ but failed when it emerged that Corps of Engineers had little contribution in provision of training to Military Survey.

Surprisingly, in a shocking recent development, Military Survey has actually been moved out from DGIS and reverted back to Military Operations. It is understood that this move was ordered by the Vice Chief of Army Staff who has the powers to order such moves as part of reorganisation of Army Headquarters. However, what is relevant in this case is that the move of Military Survey under DGIS in December 2005 was under the express sanction of the Raksha Mantri and reversion should have had the sanction of the Ministry of Defence, which has been brushed under the carpet in this case. It is significant to note that the Project Army Strategic Operational Information Dissemination System (ASROIDS) lying defunct in Military Operations for 13 years eventually had to be moved to DGIS, where it has been revived. The moving out of Military Survey from DGIS is a retrograde step that will adversely affect the military acquiring net-centric warfare capabilities – MoD intervention is certainly warranted. The Army must find a solution to obviate in-Service bureaucracy and give precedence to overall capacity building over consolidation of individual turfs.