Today, when consumers are rewriting the paradigms of ownership patterns by making conspicuous spatial decisions even for shopping, dining and travelling, the requirement for GII is typically widening. It is no longer the demand/requirement of only the administrators. The user-catchments of geo-information are both vertically and horizontally expanding. So is the need for GII to enable sharing. GII will be a virtual reality only if the accuracy, quality and cost considerations towards geographic information are aptly felt by everybody and this reality check is the agenda of the present article.

What is GII?
Geo-Information Infrastructure (GII) is a utility to support and facilitate the access of existing geo-information by creating a platform regulating it (Fig.1). GII is like any other infrastructure for water, telecommunication, gas or any other utility service which operate under technical, institutional, legal or economic regulations (Fig.2). But what is important here is that in GII, there is no scope for a compromise like other products which are grappling with the quantity versus quality dichotomy wherein low cost is often being confused with low service. The accuracy of shared information can at no time be negotiated.

The objectives of GII:
o Improve access to information hosted in different organisations;
o Improve interoperability among GIS systems;
o Develop related standards;
o Stimulate and support the development and use of GI and GIS technology as a result of cost reduction for data collection.

What is important is to understand that same information may not convey the same meaning and interpretation for everybody. It may vary with space and time and geography matters in true understanding (Parihar, 2005). Understanding sits between information and knowledge (Berry, 1989).

What is important to understand in the delivery mechanism of GII is that geo-information is a commodity which can be bought and sold. Thus, the information takes the shape of a data and metadata with value. Data are factoids, bits of information, typically but not exclusively in the numeric format. Metadata is structured, encoded data that describe characteristic of information bearing entities to aid in the identification, discovery, assessment and management of the described data (Parihar, 2007). Value can be added in various processing steps. Moreover, different values need to be ascribed for different applications and further there need to be change of value in time.

Geographical hierarchy of terms in information infrastructure
Information infrastructure is required at all spatial levels in developed societies. Infrastructure in geospatial arena is to be treated as an underlying base or supporting structure for accessing accurate geo-information. Therefore in different spatial levels, the use of simple term as ‘spatial data infrastructure’ (SDI) has been preferred with different suffixes as GSDI, NSDI or RSDI. Whereas SDI can be defined as the combination of technology, data, institutional arrangements and people that enable the discovery, evaluation and application of geospatial data for users from all sectors of the economy, plus the general citizenry; further extension to cover global domain applications results in a Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) (Groot and McLaughlin,2000). When considered at the national level, which is most usual, the SDI becomes National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), a strategic national resource. NSDI has come to be seen as the technology, policies, criteria, standards and people necessary to promote geospatial data sharing at all levels of government, private, non-profit sectors and academia. It provides a base or structure of practices and relationships among data producers and users that facilitate data sharing and use. It is a set of actions and new ways of accessing, sharing and using geographic data that enables a more comprehensive analysis of data to help decision-makers chose the best course(s) of action. Extending the concept across international boundaries to a region or continent for varied applications results in a Regional Spatial Data Infrastructure (RSDI) removing the boundary issues (Mulaku, 2002). All GII initiatives should be provided with the basic facilities, equipment, services and installations needed for the growth and functioning of a country, community or organisation with a backup of a governmental or administrative apparatus.

Geo-information : Accessible trends
Geo-information today is getting more real and is widening its accessibility, though with variations from region to region, industry to industry and government to government (Lavridsen and Daugjberg,2001; Gran et.al, 2001; Jiping, et.al 2001; Aalders and Moellering, 2001; Nag, 2006; Siva Kumar, 2006). The trend towards access to geo-information largely appears positive (Table 2). Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal assured that availability of digital geospatial data would become virtual reality in the days to come in India, with possibilities of wider coverage and usage through various initiatives undertaken by the Government of India.