Defense Advisor Emphasizes Precision Mapping for National Security and Development

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Brigadier General (Ret.) A.K.M. Shamsul Islam, the defense advisor to the Prime Minister, visited the Survey of Bangladesh in Tejgaon on Tuesday, emphasizing the critical necessity of precise and current cartographic data for national development and security.

Upon his arrival, the advisor was received by the department’s Director General, Brigadier General Mohammad Azizur Rouf. During the briefing, officials provided a detailed overview of the agency’s core operations, which include the creation and updating of national maps, international boundary surveys, the collection of geospatial data, satellite imagery analysis, and the development of digital elevation models, according to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) directorate.

Addressing the staff, the defense advisor highlighted that accurate mapping serves as the essential foundation for strategic infrastructure projects, disaster management, border control, and national defense. He urged greater coordination between government agencies to ensure that geospatial data is both synchronized and consistently updated to reflect changing ground realities.

The advisor issued specific directives to enhance the agency’s operational capacity, including increasing the integration of survey and geospatial knowledge in training programs and exploring the potential for developing indigenous digital mapping applications. He further ordered the systematic collection and analysis of information regarding strategically vital regions.

Operational timelines were also set during the visit, with a mandate for the completion of digital elevation models for Dhaka and Chittagong within four months. Upon the successful conclusion of those projects, the department is expected to immediately extend its mapping efforts to the Sylhet and Comilla regions.

The visit, which was also attended by Defense Secretary Md. Ashraf Uddin and senior officials from the Survey of Bangladesh, concluded with a call for data-driven governance. The defense advisor underscored that informed planning is the only path toward building a secure and prosperous nation, noting that modern geospatial data acts as the ultimate guide for sustainable development.