Sri Lanka National Spatial Data Infrastructure Geoportal NSDI

History and Founding

The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) of Sri Lanka is a government digital platform initiated in 2016 by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), under the country's national digital policy framework. The NSDI geoportal was formally launched in December 2018 at Trace Expert City, Colombo. The project was developed in collaboration with more than 27 government organisations and built with technical assistance from Avineon, an international geospatial services firm.

Collections and Holdings

The NSDI geoportal hosts over 130 spatial data layers contributed by government departments and agencies across Sri Lanka. These include topographic maps, cadastral surveys, satellite imagery, geological data, soil surveys, and natural resources inventories. Use-case applications cover five sectors: tourism, agriculture, urban development, disaster management, and archaeology. The platform incorporates a website, a metadata catalogue, and a geoportal providing single-window access to geospatial data previously scattered across multiple organisations.

Access and Usage

The NSDI geoportal is publicly accessible online at nsdi.gov.lk. It allows government and private sector users to browse, visualise, and download spatial data layers. The platform is designed to improve data interoperability, reduce duplication, and support evidence-based decision-making in national planning, land use, infrastructure development, environmental management, and disaster response. Satellite data may require approval from the Surveyor General for certain uses.