Mumbai: Mid-sized software firm Rolta India Ltd is to acquire a US-based company that specialises in geographical information system (GIS) solutions. Further details were not available, but sources said a formal signing was at hand.

A top official said “evaluation and other financial procedures for this latest acquisition are already on and there would be an announcement soon.”

Rolta had on January 23 announced the acquisition of US-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions major, TUSC.

So far, it has been providing specialised services and solutions for implementing proprietary GIS systems, besides providing consultancy for engineering design, ERP consultancy, and data security.

A research note by Edelweiss Securities said, “Outsourcing of engineering services is expected to reach $38-50 billion by 2020 compared to $ 2 billion now, as per the IT trade body Nasscom and Booz Allen Hamilton study.”

Industry estimates expect the GIS market in India to be $10 billion in 10 years, by when the global revenue pie would have swelled to $150 billion.

The growth is due to the demand from government and private companies and individuals to use spatial information for planning, infrastructure development, disaster management, etc. GIS and imagery services are used as tools to acquire those information.

Currently, as a distributor for US-based spatial information management software maker Intergraph Corporation, Rolta sells the software in India. Implications of the latest acquisition for the distributorship could not be ascertained immediately.

In October 2007, Rolta had entered into a joint venture with French defence equipment manufacturer Thales to manufacture high-technology sensors. Kamal K Singh, CMD, had then told DNA Money he intended to spend roughly Rs 150 crore to set up a manufacturing unit for sensors.

Source : Dna