The Royal Government of Bhutan and the JICA, Japan has approved the technical transfer project titled ‘Establishment of National Geospatial Data Infrastructure’ for Bhutan. The project covers an area of 9850 Sqkm in the southern part of the country to develop a repository of digital geospatial data to support the Socio-Economic Development Activities of Bhutan. The project is scheduled to commence by the early 2015 within a period of 32 months.

In the context, the preliminary study mission comprising five delegates from JICA and relevant agencies, Japan has arrived in Bhutan with effect from September 8, 2014 till September 26. The primary objective of the mission was to carry out detailed study and develop strategy for the project and to endorse the Minutes of Meeting (MoM) after a series of consultative meetings with counterparts and relevant stakeholders.  The mission has visited the major user agencies of geospatial data in Bhutan for needs assessment and has also visited the project area in Phuntsholing to discern the site conditions. Following a series of discussions between the counterparts, the MoM was signed between NLCS and JICA on September 25, 2014.