As a Geospatial Information Sciences Professional with a Computer Sciences Engineering background, the field of Geospatial sciences and data analytics is always a passion for A Jai Sankar. He got an opportunity in 2004 to study at the University of South Alabama-Mobile, US, where he joined the Post Graduate program (MS in Computer Sciences & Information Systems). Neer Interactives, the first company co-founded after his return to India, has given an opportunity to work closely with State Govt and Central Govt bodies with a focus on the data and work on their analysis and visualisation.

The opportunity to work on different GIS projects have given thorough insights and knowledge for conceptualisation on Assets Monitoring and Protection, personnel safety and Industrial Safety especially. The project Geo-AMS, Geotagging Asset Management System, built for AP Govt, in monitoring their loans disbursed. The team felt that the opportunity of tracking, monitoring and surveillance is quite huge, especially in critical Infrastructure and Industries, with the integration of drones and Perimeter Security Solution systems. “This made us take the guidance of retired Government officials, scientists and veterans from industry to initiate a new mission oriented start-up as Geo Land Doctor – with a motto- “Secure -Earn – Sustain,” said Mr. A Jai Sankar in an exclusive interview with CIOLOOK INDIA. A detailed discussion is given herein.

Please brief our audience about your firm, its USPs, and how you are currently positioned as one of the best performing GIS service providers.

Geo Land Doctor India is one of the first Civilian Solutions in assets and estates monitoring using Geospatial Artificial Intelligence, Drones, Perimeter Intrusion Detection Systems. It has also extended support for industries and pipelines to cover and monitor for intrusions, leakage, fire, etc for round the clock service with 6-7 seconds real time response period.

Our range of applications focuses on primarily 3 Major Verticals. First one is Estates and Pipelines Monitoring (EPM), Second one is – Industries- Safety Security and Inventory (ISSI), and the Third one is Ports Infrastructure and Railroads Monitoring (PIRM).

Land Doctor aims to provide real-time insights into security and emergencies for better control, precise information gathering and comprehensive situational awareness, and more informed decision-making using drone surveillance. This also helps in quick decision making, risk assessment/management and planning, besides improving your industry outcome.

Aerial data will be processed and analysed in real time. Increasing work efficiency and productivity, decreasing workload and production costs, improving accuracy, refining service and customer relations, and resolving security issues on a vast scale are a few of the top uses that drones offer industries globally. The adoption of drone technology across industries derived from the vogue stage to the mega-trend stage fairly quickly as more businesses realize its potential, scope, and scale of global reach.

The following are the main aspects of every industry in which drones can be a part of and play a vital role.

What professional qualities and values do you think your clients admire in you the most?

We strongly believe that the depth of domain knowledge and cordial leadership are essential for an organization in strategizing, leading, and executing their plan.

Geo Lands Doctor always works with senior veterans and young talent in the industry to help keep the balance of experience and wisdom. It continues with the firm belief that speed, experience, and wisdom are critical in balancing the execution and evaluation of new/expanding avenues.

Being an experienced leader, share your opinion on how adopting modern technologies like AI and ML impacts the GIS solution space and how your company is adapting to the change.

Technology adaptation is always easy when the need is great, and the end user’s affordability and adaptability are guaranteed. GLDI- Geo Lands Doctor India is always keen and excited to re-educate customers and pilot it to showcase success stories in one or two places, allowing customers and clients to read or feel it for themselves.

All Engineering and Industry veterans honestly accept that, ML and AI, IoT, Digital Twin technology is already a decade-old technology and is not new to the industries or security sector at all. However, industry needs leaders to strongly include this in their plans quickly in order to go to market with a service or solution.

Considering the current industry scenario, what challenges do you face, and how do you drive your firm to overcome them?

As we are more inclined towards the India Govt./ Public Service Undertaking segment, our client meetings have multiple constraints, compliances, resulting in deviation in timelines, delay in payments, and sometimes ending up in the wrong department / team who don’t own the problem statement or who is not the owner of the data. It is advised that the product specialist / team lead pick the right problem statement and identify the right team that can fit in the chosen time frame and affordable cost.

On a social enterprise model, we are planning to support some small and medium industry ecosystems, temples and endowments groups helping them to create momentum and streamline their assets. This has created a market buzz in the industry that we are happy for. Our Mentors are our strong pillars guiding us to the problem statements with sufficient inputs and supportive information. This makes us precisely focus on the subject and analyze the facts from news and announcements, as necessary. A strong background in domain knowledge is required to compete with bigger organizations, which is always a hurdle in any industry. Hence we generally choose not to go alone and work with a strong partner.

How is stakeholders support and team support in your organization? Whom do you count as your strong supporters in this journey up to here and further from here?

While thanking the support and advisory of the stakeholders, directors of Lands Doctor and Neer Interactives, I  am happy to share that 2022-23 has been a great push for all of us to get into the core avenues of three focussed avenues.

I convey my special thanks to Sri A V Ramana Rao Garu, Chairman Neer Interactives, Dr Rajeev Aluru, Vice President, Neer Interactives for the encouragement and streamlined funding, so far in supporting the commitment without compromising on quality. And Mr Dileep Ravuri, Director, LD and Sr Business Head at LD and Dr Ravi Kiran , Director, LD Edu Tech Operations, for the constant support and motivation in guiding and standing next to us at every crucial turn, without which we are nowhere here.

What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the GIS solution space?

The GIS solution space is vast, with numerous opportunities both in India and abroad.

I believe that a passionate entrepreneur must first select the appropriate problem statement. A good problem statement would honestly save a lot of effort/costs/ to the mission making the solution cost-effective, pragmatic and understandable.

The second priority is to form a cohesive team. Sometimes entrepreneurs create a team of close friends and search for possible avenues, resulting in a disastrous outcome. Of course, it is true that assembling the right team does not happen overnight; therefore, one must choose what is best for them, as time is of the essence in any program.

Technology firms can create a positive social impact. What kinds of Social Initiatives like Health/Education is Land Doctor pursuing?

While working with prestigious and multi-folded organizations on serious issues of safety of industry, Geo Land Doctor is parallelly working on a proud mission related to the Mother and Child health issue (IMR Infant Mortality Rate, MMR Maternity Mortality Rate) by re-educating and feeding free healthy snacks for 1.0 lakh mothers a year, during pregnancy (Nine months), with a program titled as Maatru Devoh Bhavah.

The sloka –Maatru Devoh Bhavah, in Sanskrit means “Revere mother as God ”. The project is getting executed in association with three other players – Neer Interactives, Ovis Equipment Pvt Ltd (OEPL), Good Universe (A NGO based out of Hyderabad working in Girl Child Health arena).

The project initiative has also received appreciation from Govt of India- Union Health Secretary and the Hon. Governor of the Telangana state during the celebrations at Raj Bhavan on World Breastfeeding Week.

The goal of this project is to re-educate using digital media the pregnant women, married and expecting pregnancy, newly married women in the rural and tribal areas to avoid issues in pregnancy and ensure safe delivery with healthy infants. We are planning to join hands with other firms and enterprises who are interested in joining this mission.

How do you envision future scaling your brand’s operations and offerings?

According to the international geospatial market projections, it is expected that for the year 2026, the North America market size is approximately USD $100 Billion.  we are working on a plan to target a 50 Million USD target in next three years, while 30 Million USD works are in pipeline for execution.

While thanking the recent relaxation of norms by Govt of India for Drones, the use of digital twins technology – Geo secure factory has made GSF simplified and aid in streamlining the process of assisting its customers more easily. This segment works with integration of critical assets and estate management with perimeter security, Radars, Panoramic cameras, etc.

Geo Lands Doctor (GLDI) is confident about tapping in a 1 Billion USD in North America by FY 2026 and ready to dive-in at full speeds, as the R&D and market analysis is completed. The management is also considering possible acquisitions in AI and Industrial Safety, in order to expand and attend to the extended needs of the industry by 2026.