General Information Services of National Informatics
General Information Service of National Informatics
E GOVERNANCE CASE STUDY (BSCCSIT/BCA/MASTERS)
Introduction
In this era of information, right to information is vital. To collect data about various walks of life, churning them into useful information is a gigantic task. In view of the availability of NICNET throughout the country including all states and districts and with the advent of Internet, reaching the people with information (and vice versa) is no more a dream. The General Information Service Terminal of National Information Centre (GISTNIC) is a national project, meeting the challenges of data collection, moulding it as useful information and making it available for public access.
Objectives of Gistnic
The objectives of GISTNIC initiated by the National Information Centre are:
1. Offer online general information/database services to common public by deriving useful information from various existing databases and other information sources.
2. Act is a NICNET/Internet based communication channel for the Government to assist in disseminating important development information to common public.
3. Popularize informatics culture into the life style of common public for improving quality of life.
Pre-Internet Era
GISTNIC was available throughout the country through NICNET, the first ever Governmental communications network and at specially designed GISTNIC booths that are strategically located at secretariats, legislative assemblies, libraries, airports, hotels etc offering online information services such as:
- Statistical profile of India.
- District Level Economic Indicators
- District Profiles
- University Education Guide of India
- Tourist Guide of India
- All India Railway Time-Table
- Hotel Guide of India
- General Information Guide
- All India Hospital Directory
- Country Profiles
- Work Economy Tables
- Industrial Directory of India
- Employment Guide
- Investment Guide
GISTNIC was first made available on the NEC-1000 mainframe system over NICNET. Upon invoking GISTNIC a Main Menu was displayed. One can select any one of the displayed service guides. For example, one can select Tourist Guide by selecting the Tourist Guide by number and pressing Return key. Further selections of the sub-means are made to furnish other details. Similarly, all other guides and schedules were made available Data was being updated every month. At that time GISTIC was the only source of information in India on the network.
Internet Era
GISTNIC is designed with an objective to make available the general information to public using the state-of-the-art technology. With the advent of Internet and worldwide web, GISTNIC was quickly geared up to cater to the needs of the internet users.
The content and scope of information provided on GISTNIC span a wide range of potential users like farmers, tourists, students, researchers and Government departments. The information requirements of individuals very widely. The data flows constantly at regular intervals form various sectors such as agriculture, corporate industry, and financial institutions and so on, and the same is being updated regularly on GISTNIC.
In, addition to the information being derived out of the databases maintained for government applications, a large amount of published and open information which are noteworthy for the common man is also being provided through this service. GISTNIC project is presently offering information categorized into the following areas:
- Agriculture statistics
- Corporate statistics
- Primary Census Abstract-91
- District profiles
- Public finance
- Education after 10+2
- GIST-educations
- GIST-STD codes
- Rural technologies
- Exports statistics
- A.P. Engineering Admissions
- Social Sector Statistics
- Industries directory
- Tourism information
- Industrial statistics
- Traditional Sciences
- Industry Infrastructure
- Village amenities
- Primary Census Abstract-1991 in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil
- Provisional Census -2001 population in A.P. in Telugu
- Government orders of A.P., M.P., Punjab
- A.P. Marketing
- A.P. Vaidya Vidhan Parishad
- A.P. State museum
- A.P. Cooperatives
- A.P. Technical Education
- Directory of World government web sites.
In addition to the above sectoral information and web sites, links are also provided to various public utility information as follows:
- South Central Railways
- Indian Newspapers
- Indian Government web sites
- Indian Railwasy
- Train Ticket (PNR) Status
- Trains between Two places
- Indian Airlines
- Cochin Airport
- All India News
- Doordarshan
- India Population Commission
A brief description of some of the services is as follows:
Agriculture Statistics
This module provides statistical information on rainfall, area under various crops, fertilizer consumption, details of credit, irrigated area, trends in utilization, operational holdings and statewide agriculture output i.e. ,area, product and yield of various crops.
Education
This is a comprehensive information portal on educational resources in India and abroad and is powered by up-to-date, reliable information. It is the best resource to the students, educational institutions, academic experts and all others in education field wherein a lot of information on course, degrees, colleges, and professional course-state wise is made available. To know more about the career prospects in IT field after Intermediate, the separate module 'Education after 10+2' is the right choice to browse and know. Information about various vender certified IT programs is also available.
Tourism
India being a paradise for tourists, GISTNIC has provided a lot of information about various tourist sports in India. One can categorically search based on a region (south/north/east/west) historic sports, religious sport etc. or make a state wise search. The data includes how to reach the sport, where to stay, important place to visit around it, climatic conditions and the like Pictures were also included wherever available.
District profiles
This module gives various socioeconomic statistics and general information about a district of your choice.
Rural technologies
The module offers information on various technologies useful for rural development, employment generation, use of non-conventional and renewable energy.
Traditional sciences and technologies of India
This module provides information on traditional sciences and technologies of India in the field of medicine, metallurgy, architecture, agriculture and irrigation, textiles, and arts and crafts. A separate module is available to provide information about medicinal plants.
India's rich and varied heritage in Science and Technology has been universally recognized. Even up to 18th Century the technological culture in India has been identified as the forerunner of the Industrial Revolution in the West. In diverse fields of Science and Technology as Medicine, Metallurgy, Architectures, Textiles and theoretical science as Logic and Mathematics, India held a place of pride in the world before the Industrial Revolution. The survival of a large number of traditional methods and practices, especially system such as Ayurveda. Yoga and architecture, even after several thousand years, amply demonstrates the inherent strength and tenacity of traditional Indian sciences and technologies. The westernized orientation of the present system of education and the cultural invasion of the West in all channels and directions has resulted in almost of final detachment of the common man, especially the younger generation, from the Traditional Sciences and Technologies of India. This has resulted in a great loss, not only to the India scientific spirit and technological capabilities in the country, but also in affecting the developing mental planning and implementation.
However, an appropriate role the Traditional Science and Technologies can play in rural development has been recognized of late, and various efforts towards promoting the Traditional Sciences and Technologies have now begun. In this direction NIC has taken up the task of creating and disseminating a computer based database on Traditional Science and Technologies of India under the GISTNIC. This database has been classified into about 10 major subject areas and 100 minor subject areas.
GISTIC-STD code enquiry service
This allows the user to search for an STD code. By giving the first 3 characters (or the Exact name) or a place or by giving a STD code you can know the place name. You can even search by complete number (complete number as per the telephone bill and search). This makes the user to know the code of the place for which the call was made. Links to various DOT sites is also made available from which one can search for a phone number or name anywhere in India.
Companies and Industries directory
This provides product wise company profiles and addresses, while exports statistics include the trends and scenario in India Exports.
All India Primary Census Abstract 1991
The abstract of 1991 census is also made available keeping in view the importance of the census statistics. All India, statewise, districtwise, mandalwise, talukawise, townwise and villagewise details of the primary census is made available under this module.
Engineering and MBBS admissions
These are very crucial moments for the aspiring engineering and medical students community. Realizing the need and importance of this, GISTNIC project added a separate portal service. Once the EAMCET admissions start in AP student community will be anxious to know the seat vacancy position in various course and college-reservation category wise. All such vacancy position details are well updated on the EAMCET site under GISTNIC umbrella. Data will be updated right from the admission center. Every year, lakhs of people throng the GISNIC site during admission time to know the latest status of admission. Same is the case with MBBS admissions. While engineering admission continue for a period of a least not less than 3 months with a hit rate of more than 20,000 hit per day, medical admissions with a hit rate of more than 20,000 hits per day, medical admission for a period of not more than 10 days.
Monthly Indian Economic Review
This covers the following: GNP and related indicators, Gross domestic product by industry, Net domestic product by industry, private final consumption expenditure, Gross capital formation by assets and industry, Gross capital formation by industry, Gross fixed capital formation by assets and institution, Gross fixed capital formation by industry, Gross fixed capital formation by industry, Gross Domestic saving, Net capital stock by institution, Net capital stock by industry, Net fixed capital stock by industry, Value of output, Factory incomes, Gross documents product from public sector, Gross capital formation in public sector and so on.
How to access this data?
The convergence to IT is completed. The services are being improved constantly with the new technologies and new databases. One can log on to http://gist.ap.nic.in/ for more information on GISTNIC service.
Conclusion
In this case study, GISTNIC (General Information Service Terminal of National Information Centre), a public information service, is presented, GISTNIC predate Internet and, therefore, was a forerunner of the concept of Internet based information delivery services. In the Internet age also GISTNIC continues to be the largest source of general information on India, especially in some subject as rural technologies and traditional science and technologies of India.
REF: E GOVERNANCE BOOK BY CSR BOOK