Why Bangladesh needs a National Geospatial Data Framework

As Bangladesh navigates its transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a vital enabler of progress remains underdeveloped: a National Geospatial Data Framework, or NGDF. While sectors such as digital governance, smart infrastructure, and disaster resilience continue to garner attention, the geospatial foundation necessary to integrate and elevate these ambitions is yet to receive its due importance.

Geospatial data—information linked to specific locations—is no longer confined to cartographic purposes. Around the world, it is transforming urban planning, disaster response, natural resource management, and public service delivery. 

For a country like Bangladesh that is densely populated, disaster-prone, and rapidly urbanising, a robust, standardised, and interoperable geospatial framework is not a luxury. It is a national necessity to ensure the best use of each inch of land.

Why the time is now

With a population exceeding 17 crore in a low-lying deltaic region, Bangladesh faces critical challenges that demand spatial precision in planning and policymaking. The NGDF would provide a single, authoritative foundation for the collection, integration, and dissemination of location-based information across public and private sectors.

Urban growth, for instance, is outpacing the planning capacity of local authorities. A geospatial framework could map land use, infrastructure, and informal settlements in real-time, helping planners to design smarter transport systems, allocate resources efficiently, and manage informal urban sprawl.

In the face of increasingly frequent and intense climate events, geospatial intelligence can guide flood management, cyclone preparedness, and emergency response. By identifying vulnerable zones and modelling hazard exposure, NGDF can support real-time coordination during disasters by saving lives and minimising loss.

Moreover, Bangladesh's economic backbone, such as agriculture, water resources, forestry, and fisheries, requires modern monitoring tools. Satellite imagery and remote sensing can revolutionise how these sectors adapt to climate variability, ensure food security, and sustain biodiversity.

Spatial intelligence is also essential for accelerating economic development. Whether identifying high-potential industrial zones or guiding rural electrification and tourism infrastructure, location-aware decisions lead to more equitable growth. A well-structured NGDF can make these insights widely accessible and actionable.

Learning from global best practices

Other nations have already demonstrated the benefits of national spatial data frameworks. Australia's ANZLIC Foundation Spatial Data Framework (FSDF) encompasses 10 core themes, guiding decision-making in land management, taxation, and infrastructure development. 

The United States' National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and Canada's CGDI facilitate collaboration across agencies and industries, while the European Union's INSPIRE initiative showcases the power of geospatial data in environmental monitoring and cross-border cooperation.

These models provide valuable lessons for Bangladesh. While global templates exist, local adaptation is critical. Bangladesh's version must be responsive to its socio-economic priorities, administrative structure, and environmental context.

Geospatial data: A catalyst for economic growth
Beyond its technical merits, spatial data has emerged as a major economic driver. In New South Wales, Australia, a 2022 report on the "Economic Value of Spatial Information" showed geospatial investments delivering more than $1.3 billion in annual benefits.

Key highlights from that study underscore the economic promise for Bangladesh. The Cadastre NSW Project, for example, was projected to save $8.5 million annually, with potential cumulative benefits of $240 million. In the construction sector, engineering surveying generated $50 million in yearly efficiency gains by 2022. Sydney's traffic system leveraged spatial intelligence to deliver $3.6 billion in annual savings, with $360 million directly linked to spatial data contributions. 

Future technologies such as federated 3D models and Building Information Modelling (BIM) are expected to save another $800 million over the next 15 years.

Globally, similar trends prevail. In the United States, spatial tools saved $1.2 billion in environmental costs linked to agrochemicals and prevented $4 billion in earthquake-related losses. The OECD reports that spatial data contributed over $350 billion to GDPs across member states within a decade. Meanwhile, Europe's INSPIRE initiative demonstrated more than €3.3 billion in annual savings, thanks to better planning, monitoring, and resource allocation.

Aligning with Bangladesh's vision

In the aftermath of a fascist regime, Bangladesh seeks to rebuild with democratic accountability, sustainable growth, and digital modernisation. The NGDF can become the data backbone for this transformation. Integrated into the upcoming National Spatial Planning Framework—currently under development by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners—it would ensure that development decisions are driven by real-time, location-based insights.

Prioritising critical themes such as administrative boundaries, land parcels, transport networks, water resources, elevation, and demographic datasets, an NGDF can enable planners to map vulnerability, track development goals, and ensure transparency across governance layers. Geocoded addresses and place names can modernise everything from postal services to emergency response, while imagery and land use data can enhance both environmental and agricultural planning.

Building the framework: Enablers and roadblocks

Implementing NGDF will require more than technical infrastructure. Bangladesh must enact legislative reforms to mandate data sharing and interoperability across agencies such as the Survey of Bangladesh, LGED, Rajuk, BBS, and the Ministry of Planning. Equally important is capacity building in spatial data science, GIS, and remote sensing technologies.

Public-private partnerships, an open-data ethos, and institutional alignment will be key to driving innovation. However, challenges abound. Data silos, outdated base maps, absence of metadata standards, and bureaucratic inertia could derail progress. Political will and sustained funding are essential to overcome these barriers.

A National Geospatial Data Framework is not merely a technical blueprint—it is foundational digital infrastructure. It has the potential to unlock billions in economic returns, strengthen disaster resilience, empower smarter governance, and support equitable development.

In an age increasingly defined by data, spatial intelligence is no longer optional for a nation like Bangladesh—it is existential. With global models to learn from and compelling evidence of its value, Bangladesh must act now to create its own NGDF. The cost of inaction is high, but the dividends of foresight could define the next chapter of the country's transformation.

Sketch: TBS

Dr Faysal Kabir Shuvo is an Australia-based Data Professional and Urban Planner. He can be reached at shuvobuet81@gmail.com. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.