A nine judge bench of the Supreme Court of India in its 547 page judgement ruled Right to Privacy as a Fundamental Right, falling under the purview of Article 21, which is the Right to Life. This landmark judgement has already set in motion ripple effect affecting pan India Unique Identification or the Aadhar card scheme and calls for formulation and implementation of robust data protection law. This also coincides with the time when planning profession has come to the forefront through India’s plethora of missions of smart city development, AMRUT, HRIDAY, and such others. It might be the best time when planners can voice their concerns over data availability and coverage, an important factor that guides decision making and public policies.

In the planning profession, every step of planning process is grounded on data available, either in the form of primary data or secondary data collected by various institutions and agencies, but rarely shared in the public forum. A project clearly demarcates ample number of days where data is collected either from offices on repeated perusal, or collected personally in the form of primary data through surveys, interviews, visual perspective, and other such methods. Cost associated with such efforts of data collection, in terms of money and time, is often large. The cost becomes an issue when the data that needs to be collected surpasses the funds and manpower availability. However, the costs can be drastically reduced if the data is available online through governmental or government regulated portals, either free of cost or at affordable costs.

Not only would the data availability help cut down costs of procurement, but also enlarge the time frame a team devotes to non-data collection exercises including conceptualization of problem, analytical framework, research, modelling, formulation of strategies, testing of strategies and such others. In other words, planners are closely related to the data protection law. What data, how much of the data and for whom the data would be available? are some serious questions that need to be answered to before notifying any legislature.

Several cities in developed as well as developing nations, have pioneer exhibits of incorporating the benefits of open data in planning practice. New York and several nations of the European Union are prime candidates. Plethora of data is available free of cost under the aegis of national or state or local government on respective online portals, which public policy makers and planners alike are using to their benefit. Several studies on socio-economic parameters, climate change, spatial dimensions, temporal variations are being conducted at a much efficient rate and better credibility. 

The paper highlights a case example whereby role of open data in climate resilient development for Delhi is worked out. The example indicates use of open data, available on the geoportal of international agencies, national agencies and local government, in conducting spatial-temporal analysis of spatial development, climate change environmental degradation, for three decades within a time span of 5 months. The study is grounded in remote sensing based on Landsat imageries made available from the online portal of United States Geological Survey (USGS) and digital elevation model available from the USGS as well as national geoportal called Bhuvan. The models built from these aerial imageries is empirically analysed in a correlation model supported by data inputs through national, state and local government data available on various government portals of Delhi, including Geospatial Delhi Limited.

With over 70 per cent analysis and modelling work based on open data, the research was further supported by statistics collected and published by government bodies but not available online, including economic and statistical handbooks, as well as stakeholder consultations. The latter was conducted to assess risks to climate vulnerable population. The crux of the panel is to emphasize on the importance of open data for urban planners and administrators in ever-changing dynamics of city and its region.