Spatial Data Infrastructure for Sustainable Development: Evaluating PM Gati Shakti as India’s Geospatial Framework

Abstract. Spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) play a crucial role in sustainable development as they integrate diverse geospatial datasets, policies, and technologies to support evidence-based decision-making. This paper evaluates India’s PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan as a nascent SDI. Using official documents, literature on SDIs, and case studies, the study examines the platform’s design against SDI components—data/metadata, standards, technological architecture, policy, and users. It analyses strengths such as overall data integration, cross-ministerial coordination, and real-time analysis; identifies gaps in open data policies and interoperability, metadata catalogues; and provides measures of improvements in data governance, quality assurance , and state-level logistics integration. The findings of the research suggest that PM Gati Shakti has the potential to become a robust SDI unde rpinning sustainable and inclusive growth when coupled with open standards, transparent policies , and capacity building.