Smart maps can facilitate the development of India's 100 smart cities, and help the country gain upwards of $8 billion in savings and value, apart from reducing one million tonnes of carbon emissions a year, a new report says.
Strategy and policy consulting firm, Dalbert Global Development Advisors, in partnership with CII, on Thursday released a report 'Smart Maps for Smart Cities'.
According to the report, which is based on detailed analyses of nine high potential uses of maps, India is expected to see the greatest migration to cities in the next three decades. As many as 400 million people will move to urban areas.
Smart maps will make commuting more efficient by providing real-time traffic information, improve emergency service responses by reducing uncertainty about the caller's location, and better coverage of local businesses, among others.
Interestingly, 20 per cent of all Internet searches ask 'where something is', according to data from Google. About 1 million businesses use Google Maps as part of their websites.
The report added that smart maps can save $1.6 billion in productive time and fuel in commuting, save 13,000 lives by helping ambulances locate callers better, and increase revenues to local retailers by $2.2 billion, among others.