Goa’s landscape is changing fast. The State is no longer what it was a few years ago. In every corner — city or village — construction work is on. But how many of these projects follow accurate plans? And how many come with the assurance that no neighbour, panchayat, or municipality will raise objections later because of some mismatch in the blueprint?
In Goa’s growing real estate market, one quiet issue affects almost every land deal: unclear and unreliable land data. Developers, architects, investors, and even families often realise too late that the plot size, boundaries, or site conditions do not match what is on paper. Old surveys leave gaps, outdated plans do not show current ground reality, and even a small boundary error can derail an entire project.
These mismatches cause disputes, delays, redesigns, legal trouble, and heavy financial loss. The problem was ignored for years — until a Goan startup, SpatialCraft, began changing how land is mapped, verified, and planned.
A Goan vision, built for India
SpatialCraft set out to remove uncertainty from land and infrastructure decisions. Its aim is to become India’s catalyst for geospatial transformation by giving developers, government departments, and communities access to clear, verified, interactive land data.
Founder Malcolm Afonso — a geospatial consultant and Gold Medallist in Geology from Goa University (2015) — saw the gap early. While teaching geology at Chowgule College, he realised that mapping was taught only in theory, while the real world needed practical, technology-based skills.
To bridge this, Malcolm trained in GIS and remote sensing at BITS Pilani under a DST-sponsored Summer School. He returned to Goa and launched one of the State’s first hands-on GIS training programmes. While teaching, he noticed a deeper problem: most communities and planners were using old, inaccurate maps that did not match ground conditions.
In 2019, he began mapping his own village coastline to support CRZ mapping and ground verification. The impact was immediate. What began as a single-village experiment grew into mapping work across 60+ villages, showing a State-wide need for accurate, verifiable spatial data.
From professor to entrepreneur
This journey naturally led Malcolm into full-time entrepreneurship. In 2022, he founded SpatialCraft (earlier called GeoSensitive) to bring precision, transparency, and geospatial intelligence to Goa’s land and infrastructure ecosystem.
SpatialCraft quickly became Goa’s leading provider of high-precision drone surveys, physical land surveys, and Web-GIS mapping. It delivers accurate, independently verified land data that developers, architects, governments, and landowners can trust before investing time and money.
National recognition
SpatialCraft received national recognition with the award for Best Innovation in Drone Technology at Startup Ka Mahakumbh 2024 in New Delhi. It was also honoured at the Lokmat Goa Startup Tourism Awards 2024.
“These awards reflect our growing role in real estate due diligence, plot verification, and boundary validation across Goa. We are redefining how land and planning decisions are made,” says Malcolm.
Developers’ preferred choice
Many top Goan developers — including Vianaar Homes, Escala Realty, and other premium firms — now insist on SpatialCraft’s verification before buying land or planning projects. What they want most is clarity.
One developer faced major setbacks earlier when a survey looked correct on paper, but actual work revealed boundary shifts of several metres, wrong slope and contour data, unseen planning restrictions, and area mismatches. This caused redesigns, delays in approvals, and loss of investor confidence. Since then, the developer has made verified geospatial data a starting point for every new project.
SpatialCraft provides centimetre-level accuracy, digital boundary validation, clear terrain understanding, zoning overlays, and a single ground-truth map that all stakeholders can use — removing the guesswork.
Why Goa needs digital land clarity
Goa’s development boom has increased pressure on land availability, environmental rules, and planning accuracy. With tourism growth, second homes, and gated projects rising, the margin for error is shrinking.
SpatialCraft offers verified boundaries, accurate plot areas, interactive digital maps, contour and slope analysis, 3D terrain visualisation, zoning compliance tools, and encroachment identification — helping avoid legal and financial trouble later.
“In a State where land disputes are common and planning rules keep changing, we offer what Goa needs most — clarity, transparency, and trust in land data,” says Malcolm.
Its work also supports the solar industry by providing accurate roof measurements, slope and shadow mapping, and layout planning — saving time and cost.
Support for govt agencies
SpatialCraft provides GIS consultancy and technical guidance to government departments modernising their systems. It has completed projects for Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation, several panchayats, and the Departments of Agriculture, Tourism, and Forests.
Globally, geospatial tools help governments enforce rules, plan faster, and maintain transparency. Drone mapping, ground truthing, Web-GIS, and spatial analytics help detect violations and encroachments with high accuracy, monitor infrastructure and sensitive zones, and reduce disputes through verified digital records.
Village panchayats in Goa, which often deal with unclear boundaries, illegal structures, outdated records, and unplanned growth, are benefiting from SpatialCraft’s village-level mapping, high-resolution planning maps, encroachment monitoring tools, and inventories of natural assets.
Land visualisation made easy
SpatialCraft’s Smart Interactive Digital Maps allow users to visualise and analyse land in 2D and 3D. They bring together zoning rules, verified boundaries, ground-truthed features like trees and utilities, and environmental layers. Users can measure, compare, and share information instantly through a single cloud-based link.
