Survey of India

What Survey of India does

Survey of India, headquartered in Dehradun, is the National Mapping Agency of the Government of India under the Department of Science and Technology. Established in 1767, it is the country's oldest scientific department and bears statutory responsibility for surveying and mapping the entire Indian territory. It operates four zonal headquarters (Jaipur, New Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore), state-level geo-spatial directorates across India, the Geodetic & Research Branch, the GRF & Geospatial Data Exchange Division, and the National Institute for Geo-Informatics Science & Technology (NIGST) in Hyderabad.

Its product portfolio centers on geospatial data and mapping infrastructure: the SOI Geo Portal (indiamaps.gov.in/soiapp), the OnlineMaps Portal (onlinemaps.surveyofindia.gov.in), the CORS network of high-precision GNSS reference stations, the SAHYOG mobile application for field surveys, and the Administrative Boundary Data Base. Core technologies include drone-based aerial surveying, LIDAR, Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and Ortho Rectified Imagery (ORI), geoid modeling, and national geodetic reference frame maintenance. Specialized projects include SVAMITVA (drone-based rural property mapping), the National Hydrology Project, the National Mission for Clean Ganga, NAKSHA, and salt pan land surveys achieving +/-10 cm ORI accuracy.

Revenue is generated primarily through central-government budget allocations and large project contracts with ministries (Panchayati Raj, Jal Shakti, NMCG) and PSUs (Indian Oil Corporation). Map products are distributed via a freemium model — many maps are free downloads while premium large-scale products are sold through authorized agents and online portals. The go-to-market is direct-to-government rather than commercial, with strategic technology partnerships (notably MapmyIndia in November 2025 for the National Geo-Spatial Platform) supporting digital transformation under the National Geospatial Policy-2022.

Name

Survey of India

Legal name

Survey of India (Office of the Surveyor General of India)

Website

https://surveyofindia.gov.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1767

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Survey of India is the National Mapping Agency of India under the Department of Science & Technology, providing authoritative geospatial data, mapping, and geodetic infrastructure for central ministries, state governments, PSUs, and citizens since 1767.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Geospatial and Mapping Services

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (54137), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM)

Keywords

• National mapping agency
• Geospatial data services
• Topographic surveying
• Geodetic reference infrastructure
• Cartographic map products

Headquarters

HQ city

Dehra Dun

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Survey of India is a government department under Department of Science & Technology, funded through annual government budgets and project allocations for national mapping and geospatial data collection activities
2. Map and Data Products: Sale of topographic maps, navigational charts, administrative boundary data, and geospatial datasets to government agencies, businesses, and citizens through online portals and authorized agents
3. Geospatial Services: Contract-based geospatial surveying, mapping, and platform development services provided to government ministries, PSUs, and state governments under various national missions and projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Survey of India is the National Mapping Agency of India, providing official geospatial data, topographic maps, and surveying services for the entire country under the Department of Science & Technology. It produces and distributes political, physical, road, railway, and administrative boundary maps through online portals and authorized agents, and executes large-scale national projects such as SVAMITVA (drone-based rural property mapping), National Hydrology Project, NMCG (Ganga basin DEM), and CORS network-based high-precision positioning for government ministries and state governments.

Product overview

Survey of India serves as India's National Mapping Agency under the Department of Science & Technology, operating since 1767 as the oldest scientific department of the Government of India. The organization offers a portfolio of geospatial products and services centered around the SOI Geo Portal and OnlineMaps Portal, which provide access to various map products including political, physical, road, railway, and tourist maps. Key offerings include the CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) network for high-precision positioning, the SAHYOG mobile app for field surveys, and specialized projects like SVAMITVA (drone-based rural property mapping) and NAKSHA (surveying standards). The organization maintains the Administrative Boundary Data Base (ABDB) and supports national initiatives like the National Hydrology Project. The product ecosystem includes open series maps, antique maps, educational map series, and state-specific maps across multiple Indian languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SAHYOG - SOI Mobile App: Mobile application developed by Survey of India for geospatial data collection and coordination purposes
• SOI Geo Portal
• OnlineMaps Portal
• SVAMITVA

Products and services

• SOI Geo Portal Web-based geospatial data portal providing access to Survey of India's mapping services and geographic information for the Indian subcontinent; targeted at government, enterprise, and public users.
• OnlineMaps Portal Online portal for accessing and downloading open series maps and purchasing topographic, political, and thematic map products from Survey of India.
• SAHYOG Mobile App (सहयोग) Mobile application developed by Survey of India for geospatial data collection and field survey activities under the National Mapping Agency mandate; used by survey officers in the field.
• Political Map of India Comprehensive political map showing all states and union territories of India with capital cities, available in multiple Indian languages and editions for educational and reference use.
• Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) Network of permanent GNSS reference stations providing high-precision positioning data for surveying, mapping, and geodetic applications across India; available via the CORS Web Application.
• SVAMITVA Scheme Survey of Villages Abadi & Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas - drone-based rural property mapping scheme providing integrated property validation for rural India; Survey of India serves as the technology partner.
• NAKSHA (Survey Standards Framework) Standard Operating Procedure framework for systematic mapping and surveying of land areas, providing standardized methodology for geospatial data collection across states.
• National Hydrology Project (NHP) Datasets Project for generating high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and GIS-ready data for river basin areas at 3-5m and 0.5m vertical accuracy to support water resources management and flood hazard mapping.
• Open Series Maps (OSM) Open-access topographic map series introduced under the National Map Policy 2005, providing standardized mapping data for various states and regions with open distribution through the OnlineMaps Portal.
• Administrative Boundary Data Base (ABDB) Comprehensive database of state, district, sub-district, and village boundary data for India, available for government-to-government data sharing and administrative use.
• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Geospatial Datasets High-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) at 0.5 m resolution and GIS-based data for the Ganga river covering up to 10 km extent on both sides of the river for the Namami Gange mission.
• Drone-based Salt Pan Land Survey Drone-based aerial survey of salt pan lands using high-resolution mapping with accuracy of ±10 cm for Ortho Rectified Images and ±20 cm for DEM.

Quantifiable outcome

• SVAMITVA scheme enables property rights for rural households by mapping village abadi areas using drone technology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• MapmyIndiacoreTechnology or Integration · 11 November 2025MapmyIndia has secured a contract to develop Survey of India's National Geo-Spatial Platform. This partnership represents a major expansion in government business for MapmyIndia and aligns with growth targets for the geospatial sector. The platform development is part of Survey of India's digital transformation initiatives under the National Geospatial Policy-2022.
• Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2020Survey of India serves as the technology partner for the SVAMITVA scheme - Survey of Villages Abadi & Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas. The scheme aims to provide integrated property validation solution for rural India using drone surveying technology to demarcate rural abadi areas and provide record of rights to household owners.
• Ministry of Jal Shakti (Department of Water Resources)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurvey of India is a Central Implementation Agency for the National Hydrology Project (NHP) of Government of India, responsible for generating geospatial datasets including DEM of various resolutions and GIS ready data of 1:25K scale topo sheets for river basin areas.
• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurvey of India generates High Resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of 0.5 metre resolution and GIS based data for Ganga river covering up to 10 km extent on both sides of the river under the Namami Gange mission for river conservation and rejuvenation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• MapmyIndia (C.E. Info Systems): India's leading private digital-mapping and location-tech company. Already a strategic partner building SOI's National Geo-Spatial Platform; competing in commercial mapping/navigation while collaborating on national platform development.

Direct peers

• Lantmäteriet: Sweden's national mapping, cadastral, and land registration authority. Comparable to SOI as a state-owned national mapping agency with both geodetic and land-record responsibilities.
• Natural Resources Canada / Canada Centre for Remote Sensing: Canadian federal department covering mapping, remote sensing, and geodesy, with a role analogous to SOI in producing authoritative national geospatial datasets.
• Ordnance Survey: UK's national mapping agency with a comparable legislated mandate to produce official geospatial data for Great Britain. Closest functional peer to SOI in terms of statutory role, base-map production, and commercial data licensing.
• Geoscience Australia: Australian government's national geospatial and geoscience agency with a comparable mandate to provide authoritative topographic, geodetic, and Earth observation data for the country.
• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS): U.S. federal science agency for mapping, geology, and geospatial data including The National Map. Comparable to SOI in scale, federal mandate, and role as a primary national source of topographic and geodetic data.
• Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière (IGN): France's national mapping and forestry agency, also a long-established state mapping organization with a comparable mandate to produce authoritative geospatial reference data for the country.
• swisstopo: Switzerland's national mapping agency, known for high-precision topographic maps. Direct functional peer to SOI in producing authoritative national-scale topographic and geodetic data.

Others

• Esri: Global GIS software and platform provider whose ArcGIS technology underpins much of the world's geospatial analysis, including government mapping workflows. An ecosystem/technology peer rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO): India's national space agency, with NRSC/BHUVAN delivering satellite-based geospatial data. Peer in Indian geospatial ecosystem with overlapping mandate on Earth observation and national mapping data, though primarily space-borne vs SOI's ground/survey-led approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/india_soi
• Facebookfacebook.com/SOIDST
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/survey-of-india-chandigarh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Survey of India