Jammu, Nov 17 (PTI) Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched the Jammu and Kashmir Remote Sensing Information System (JKRIS), a spatial data infrastructure initiative, and g-SAM (Gram Panchayat Spatial Assets Mapper) Mobile app. He said the Geographic Information System technology ecosystem is offering new communication tools to different sectors and making greater impact in areas like weather forecast, urban and transport planning, security and biodiversity protection.He also released on Wednesday reports on the assessment of inherent vulnerability of climate change and internal monitoring of Wular lake and its catchment area.Highlighting the significance of the GIS technology in addressing new challenges and exploring new opportunities, Sinha said the encouragement to spatial thinking, development of new GIS tools, real world applications are accelerating the growth in business, government and society.On the GIS technology and its revolutionary use across the country over the past eight years, the Lt Governor said, "Under the guidance of Hon"ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, GIS has now become the mainstay of development planning and being widely used in the planning and monitoring of development works." About 1,000 GIS applications are being used everyday by professionals, researchers, common citizens in more than 50 sectors to address various challenges and opportunities, he noted. The Lt governor also threw light on the government"s efforts to use GIS for better urban and industrial planning, improve decision-making, reforms in agriculture sector, modernisation of land records, road safety, smart city projects, connecting producers and markets, preserving biodiversity and ensuring equity in the society."GIS is playing a crucial role in the identification of forest boundaries, GI tagging, J&K green drive, conservation of wetlands, and census of waterbodies," he added.Observing that geographic approach is the only way to integrate all the information available for sectoral growth, the Lt Governor stressed the need to prepare a report on the encroachment of water bodies through comparative analysis of latest and earlier data.The latest census of 2815 water bodies in J&K by the remote sensing department can be used for mapping flood risk areas and sharing information with all concerned departments in an integrated manner, he said. With the help of GIS, traffic accidents can be tackled through identification of accident locations and hotspots, the Lt Governor observed.The Lt Governor advised all the departments to collaborate in using GIS in network design, network optimisation and data enhancement in remote areas.GIS can help in better planning of schemes and asset allocation according to the population and their needs, he added. PTI AB TIR