Task Forces

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The GIS Academia Council of India (GACI) regularly publishes reports that capture the outcomes of its task forces, research initiatives, and collaborative programs. These reports serve as reference points for academicians, policymakers, and industry leaders, offering actionable recommendations to advance GIS education and innovation in India.

Impact

  • Influencing GIS curriculum across universities
  • Providing roadmaps for industry-academia collaboration
  • Supporting national goals for geospatial leadership

Task Force Report 2025

Inside the Report

  • Curriculum Template: A flexible, modular framework designed to keep GIS curricula future-ready, aligning with emerging technologies, workforce needs, and real-world applications.

  • Training: A “Train the Trainers” model with practical strategies to upskill and reskill academicians, ensuring educators stay current with global best practices.

  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Recommendations on embedding GIS across diverse disciplines, fostering innovation and preparing graduates to address complex societal challenges.

Download the report
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Task Force on Curriculum Template

This task force is focused on developing a structured yet adaptable curriculum framework for GIS education in India. Its purpose is to ensure that academic programs remain future-ready, equipping students with strong fundamentals in current technologies while preparing them to embrace upcoming innovations. The framework is designed to evolve continuously, aligning education with emerging research and industry needs.

Chair: Dr. R.P. Singh, Director, IIRS

Members

  • Dr. Pramod Kumar, Dean (Academics), IIRS

  • Prof. RAAJ Ramasankaran, Dept. of Civil Engg., Dept. of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

  • Dr. T.P. Singh, Professor & Director, Symbiosis Institute of Geoinformatics

  • Dr. Seema Joshi, Vice President – Technical Academia and Sustainability Solutions, Esri India

Interior photo of a modern high school with students climbing the stairs and walking through the hallways

Task Force on Training

This task force works to strengthen the capacity of educators and learners by addressing critical gaps in GIS teaching and learning. It promotes a balanced approach that combines conceptual understanding with hands-on practice, encourages active engagement with industry, and leverages both in-person and digital platforms for wider reach. Its framework is practical, scalable, and adaptable to institutions of varying sizes and contexts.

Chair: Dr Khanindra Pathak, Professor & Head - Department of Mining & Engineering,   IIT - Kharagpur

Members

  • Dr. Roshan Srivastav, Associate Professor, IIT – Tirupati 

  • Dr. Shamita Kumar, Principal, BVIEER, Pune, Maharashtra

  • Alok Bhardwaj, Assistant Professor, IIT – Roorkee

  • Dr Seema Joshi, Vice President – Technical, Academia and Sustainability Solutions, Esri India

Interior photo of a modern high school with students climbing the stairs and walking through the hallways

Task Force on Interdisciplinary Collaboration

This task force is dedicated to positioning GIS as a catalyst for innovation across academic disciplines. By fostering a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration, it aims to integrate geospatial thinking into diverse fields, enabling students and researchers to tackle complex, real-world challenges. Its efforts focus on embedding GIS as a unifying tool that drives cross-domain research and delivers tangible societal impact.

Chair: Prof. Chander Kumar Singh, TERI School of Advanced Studies, N Delhi

Members

  • Prof. Seema Jalan, Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan

  • Prof. Dheeraj Kumar, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) 

  • Dr. Vijaya Lakshmi Thatiparthi, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad

  • Dr Seema Joshi, Vice President – Technical, Academia and Sustainability Solutions, Esri India

Interior photo of a modern high school with students climbing the stairs and walking through the hallways

How can you participate?

This council is an Esri India initiative and participation is by invitation. We are looking at academicians from India who are passionate about GIS.

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Get in Touch

For any queries, please email gaci@esri.in

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