Smart Maps for Smart Cities

This is an independent study conducted by Dalberg Global Development Advisors in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and supported by Google, from September 2014 to April 2015. Smart Maps are critical tools to accelerate progress toward India’s social and economic development agenda. Maps answer the basic questions that come up in our daily lives – for citizens, for businesses, and for governments. Maps help us search for places we are interested in, pinpoint their locations, optimize routes to get there, understand surrounding neighborhoods better, and communicate better with others. When maps cannot answer these questions, we rely on other sources that may be costly, time-intensive, or incomplete. Smart Maps use cuttingedge technology to enable users to quickly and effectively achieve their day-to-day and long term goals. Smart Maps capture detailed data for a broad range of inputs; present data in a user-friendly, intuitive format; are dynamically maintained in real time; and allow individuals to add additional information, creating a platform for innovation. Smart Maps have a range of applications across sectors and regions of India, but hold particular promise to help achieve the Government of India’s ambitions around Smart Cities.