From grounds to turfs, Kerala's first-ever mapping to identify all government sports assets

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala sports could be in better shape. Realising this, the government is set to implement an ambitious plan to revamp the sector by introducing, upgrading and optimising its sports assets. To start with, the government will map all its resources, including grounds, turfs, coaching centres, coaches and students, said sports department officials. Expected to start in full swing by November the initial process has already begun the project is being envisioned as the first step of a comprehensive overhaul of the states sports sector. The exercise will provide information about currently available sports facilities, infrastructural requirements, coaching irregularities and the potential of each space. Geospatial mapping and real-time data collection are the key components being used for the mapping, and it will be conducted with the support of the Kerala Startup Mission, the officials said. Sports mapping is just the beginning of the revamp process, said director (sports) Vishnu Raj P. In the later stages, the department is planning to develop a new database and sports dashboard to monitor day-to-day activities at the facilities. The web platform for this will be developed by Keltron, said additional director (sports) Pradeep C S. Once the mapping is done, if we see that a particular resource, say a ground, is underutilised, we can initiate necessary actions from here, Vishnu Raj said. It will also allow redistribution of facilities and deployment of coaches, if necessary. The department will deploy panchayat-level officers to identify the resources and coordinate the mapping. Though the initial process will be data-oriented, we will eventually make it athlete-oriented, wherein an athletes profile, competitions, milestones, etc, will be noted, Vishnu Raj said. If everything goes as planned, we can even implement a card system through which an athlete registered with the department can utilise any of the mapped resources, wherever they are in Kerala, he said, while adding that though time-consuming, the process will benefit the sports sector in the long run. Pradeep said the long-term goals include enhanced talent identification and overall fitness development of the state. There are possibilities to link the fitness of not just athletes, but also the general public, which can potentially help in understanding how healthy Kerala is, he said, adding that an overall fitness development will result in personnel productivity and improvement of the states socioeconomic structure.