SmartData · FAQ
SmartData, your questions answered
What the portfolio is, how it differs from global map data, trying it without a contract, freshness, rural coverage and custom datasets, the questions data and engineering teams ask most, answered straight from how SmartData is built and delivered.
Get a demo →What is SmartData?
SmartData is India’s most comprehensive geospatial data portfolio: 28 datasets across 7 categories, PAN India, built from primary field survey and refreshed annually. You can take it as licensed datasets delivered to your stack, or build on it self-serve through our APIs at leptonmaps.com.
How is it different from global map data?
The world’s leading mapping platforms license their India layers from Lepton. Because our origin is primary field survey, not a global average, you get attributes the global sets are thin on or simply lack for India: posted speed limits, locality hierarchies, building-level geocodes, cuisine-level points of interest, and truck timings.
We already use a global map dataset. Why add SmartData?
For India-specific depth, the global sets are often thin or wrong: speed limits, localities, tolls, truck timings, footfall. We are the source the platforms enrich their India coverage from, so you are licensing the ground truth directly rather than a second-hand layer.
OpenStreetMap is free. Why pay for this?
The difference is primary-survey accuracy versus volunteer coverage. Our portfolio carries 2.17 crore building-level geocodes, cuisine-level QSR attributes, posted speed limits and ward-level demographics, the kind of attributes a volunteer dataset structurally lacks. You are paying for depth and consistency you can build a product on.
Can I try it without a contract?
Yes. leptonmaps.com has a free tier with an API playground and console, so you can test the Toll, Routes, Detect and Catchment APIs from day one. Start with one layer and expand into bundles when it earns its place in your stack.
How fresh is the data?
The portfolio refreshes annually, and the layers that move fastest are real-time where it matters: road closures across 37 cities, fuel prices updated daily, and real-time transit feeds for 3 agencies, a first in India with DIMTS Delhi, WBSTC Kolkata and Mysore City Transport.
Do you cover rural India?
Yes. Populace+ goes down to 6,41,731 villages across India, with rural market profiles at the tehsil level, rural roads mapped to 1:200,000, and village-level soil maps. The coverage does not stop at the metros.
We only need one dataset, not all 28. Is that an option?
Yes. Each of the 28 datasets licenses separately, and the APIs are metered per call. Most teams start with a single layer, for example the Toll API, prove the value, then expand into bundles or additional datasets from there.
Can you build a custom dataset for us?
Yes. Beyond the standard catalog we take on custom survey mandates, white-label data delivery and co-development, so you can commission the exact India ground truth your product needs.
Who already trusts SmartData?
On the public-sector side, Railtel and NIC have worked with us on a 40,000+ km NOFN infrastructure survey and 4,08,563 sq km of map enhancement to 1:10,000. On the platform side, the world’s leading mapping platforms license India data from Lepton. Across the board the portfolio serves 700+ customers worldwide and handles 10M+ API hits.