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Indian space programme is well recognised for the effectiveness in utilising the space systems for a variety of applications. The two main space systems, the INSAT and the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite continue to be used for a number of applications relevant to national development. New initiatives are being undertaken to expand the application of these systems. During the year, a new initiative has been undertaken to establish Village Resources Centres (VRCs) aimed at providing locale-specific information to rural population by effectively combining the communication capacity of the INSAT and earth observation capability of the IRS. The highlights of the applications programme are given in the following paragraphs. Village Resource Centres (VRCs) DOS has embarked upon setting up satellite based Village Resource Centres (VRCs) to effectively use the potential of communications satellites like INSAT and earth observation satellites like Indian remote sensing satellites to transform the traditional rural societies. VRCs facilitate access to spatial information on important aspects like land use/land cover, soil and ground water prospects and enable the farmers in taking important decisions based on their query. Besides, VRCs will enable online interaction between the local farmers and agricultural scientists and provide critical information to fishermen like sea state and wave heights. Provision of information on many governmental schemes, farming system, action plans based on weather, community-specific advice on soil and water conservation, etc., are the other services.
In addition, VRCs can act as virtual community centric learning centres and provide access to knowledge at the village doorstep. At the same time, VRCs will provide connectivity to speciality hospitals and thus can bring the services of expert doctors closer to the villages. VRCs are implemented through partnership with NGOs and other agencies. The first cluster of VRCs, established jointly by ISRO and M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Tamil Nadu, was inaugurated in October 2004. The VRC is a totally interactive VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) based network. To start with, the network consists of four nodes located at Thiruvaiyuru, Thankatchimadam, Sempatti and Chennai. The central node is located at the MSSRF office in Chennai. Persons located at one node of this network can fully interact with others located at another node through video and audio links via the INSAT. Each of the four nodes can be further extended using other technologies like Wi-Fi, Wireless and Optical Fibre. These extensions may serve as local clusters around the areas where the VRC is located. An MOU has also been signed with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, for setting up more VRCs. As a follow up, individual Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) for the establishment of VRCs across the country have been signed by several prominent IT industries with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The industries will provide ground infrastructure and other IT based systems. To start with, 25 such VRCs will be set up. INSAT Applications The EDUSAT programme has been started to provide a sustainable distance education service in India using advanced space technology and ground technology of convergence. This system is primarily meant for school, college and higher level of education and to support non-formal level of education and to support non-formal education. The EDUSAT utilisation has been planned to be implemented in three phases namely Pilot Project Phase, Semi Operational Phase and Operational Phase. Pilot projects have been taken up under EDUSAT programme in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh ahead of EDUSAT Launch using INSAT-3B. In Karnataka, the Visveswaraya Technological University has begun regular classes providing lessons for 100 Engineering Colleges from September 15, 2004. In Maharashtra, Y B Chavan Open University is conducting regular contact classes in 75 locations spread over the State from October 20, 2004. In Madhya Pradesh, Rajiv Gandhi Technical University is conducting trial transmission of classes with 25 nodes. Karnataka Primary Education Pilot Project under `Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' covering about 885 primary and secondary schools is under implementation.
In the third phase, the EDUSAT network will be made fully operational. Manufacturers and service providers will replicate the systems with funding by the end-users and technical and managerial support from DOS. On-going Educational TV Services INSAT is being used to provide Educational TV (ETV) service for primary school children in Tamil, Marathi, Oriya, Telugu and Hindi. A general enrichment programme on higher education (college sector) is telecast on the national network. These programmes provided by the University Grants Commission (UGC) are a part of its countrywide classroom programme. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) broadcasts, half an hour daily via the national network, curriculum based lectures for students of the open university. Gyandarshan is an exclusive Educational TV channel of India started in January 2000 by IGNOU, Ministry of Human Resources Development and Prasar Bharti. Gyandarshan-I beams round the clock programmes acquired from UGC, National Council for Educational Research and Training, Central Institute for Educational Technology, State Institute of Research and Training and IGNOU. Aka Eklavya - Gyandarshan-III channel dedicated to technical education was started on January 26, 2003, in collaboration with the Department of Technical Education of the HRD Ministry and IITs with IIT, Delhi as the nodal point. The channel airing programmes originating from different IITs for the benefit of students pursuing studies in Technology and Engineering has marked the beginning of new era in spread of Technical Education in the country. Satellite-Based Training and Developmental Communications Channel (TDCC) Training and Developmental Communication Channel (TDCC) using INSAT is operational since 1995. It provides one-way video and two-way audio system of interactive education. The teaching-end includes a studio and uplink facility for transmitting live or pre-recorded lectures. The participants at the class-rooms located nation-wide receive lectures through simple dish antennas and have facility to interact with lecturers using telephone lines. The teaching-ends are now available at Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka, Goa University, Anna University and NE-SAC, Delhi and Ahmedabad. The Direct Receive System network consists of more than 2000 classrooms spread over the country. Several State Governments are using the TDCC system extensively for distance education, rural development, women and children development, Panchayat Raj and industrial training. Average monthly utilisation of TDCC is 57 programmes over 24 days with 398 interactive training programmes. GRAMSAT Programme - GRAMSAT Pilot Projects (GPP) GRAMSAT programme is an initiative to provide a communications network at the state level connecting the state capital to districts and blocks. The networks provide computer connectivity, data broadcasting, TV broadcasting facilities having applications like e-governance, National Resource Information System (NRIS), development information, tele-conferencing, disaster management, telemedicine and distance education. The GPP/TDCC networks are operational in Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan. It is under implementation for North-Eastern region. During the year the Andaman and Nicobar (VSAT based) network has been implemented. The planning for NE-SAC, Rajasthan and Kerala is in progress. In Andaman and Nicobar the network utilisation during first two months was 45 days/122 hours for vocational training in multicast and multipoint video conference mode providing computer education (polytechnics). In Orissa the network has been expanded and upgraded for TV broadcasting to Khalahandi Bolangir Koraput region (800) and also for interactive training programmes, e-governance. National (Natural) Resources Information System to reach all the234 blocks in 30 districts. Telemedicine Telemedicine is one of new applications area of satellite communications where the remote hospitals/health centres located in villages / districts can be connected to the speciality hospitals located in the cities. ISRO telemedicine pilot project was started in the year 2001 as a part of proof-of-concept demonstration programme. Telemedicine system consists of customised medical software integrated with computer hardware along with medical diagnostic instruments connected to the commercial VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) at each location. The medical record/history of the patient is sent to specialist doctors, who study and provide diagnosis and treatment during videoconference with the patient's end. During the year, the telemedicine network has been further expanded and it now covers 100 hospitals - 78 remote/rural/district hospitals/ health centre connected to 22 super speciality hospitals located in the major cities as follows:
Besides the above, a temporary telemedicine facility was set up for two months at Pamba at the foothills of Sabarimala shrine for the benefit of visiting pilgrims. A mobile teleopthalmology facility has been provided to Shankara Netralaya, Chennai and Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai to extend services to rural population in Tamil Nadu. Operational telemedicine network is being established in Chhatisgarh connecting 14 district hospitals/health centres to Raipur Medical College Hospital. More than 25,000 patients have so far been provided with teleconsultation and treatment. An impact study conducted on thousand patients has revealed that there is a significant cost saving in the system since the patients avoid expenses towards travel, stay and for treatment at the hospitals in the cities. The Andaman Telemedicine Network consisting of Telemedicine centres at G.B. Pant Hospital, Port Blair, Bishop Richardson Hospital, Car Nicobar and INHS, Dhanavanthri Naval Hospital at Port Blair alongwith the Andamans Gramsat Network was extensively used for tele-consultation and treatment in the aftermath of the tsunami that hit the island. Television INSAT has been a major catalyst for the expansion of television coverage in India. Satellite television now covers over 65 percent of the Indian land mass and over 90 percent of the Indian population. At present 28 Doordarshan TV channels and 32 private TV channels are operating through C-band transponders of INSAT-3A/3C and INSAT-2E (INTELSAT leased). Most of the TV channels are digitised. The following satellite television services are being operated by Doordarshan:
At present, 1407 transmitters are working in the INSAT system out of which 1138 transmitters (115 HPTs, 740 LPTs, 264 VLPTs and 19 transposers) are working in the DD-1 network and 159 TV Transmitters (69 HPTs, 84 LPTs and 6 VLPTs) are working in the DD-2 network. 104 Regional service transmitters (3 HPTs, 8 LPTS and 93 VLPTs), 4 HPTs for digital transmissions and 2 LPTs for other services are also operational in the Doordarshan Network. Satellite News Gathering and Dissemination Satellite News Gathering using INSAT system enables on the spot real-time news coverages. Prasar Bharati has twelve digital Outdoor-Broadcast DSNG terminals operating through INSAT network to cover important events in different locations for transmission to a central station at Delhi for rebroadcast over DD channels. Two Ku-band DSNG terminals are being added by DD in the INSAT network. Press Trust of India (PTI) is implementing a system to provide its news and information services at higher speed and increased volume and variety directly to a wider range of media and other users by utilising the broadcast facilities of INSAT-3C. The project utilises a Radio Networking (RN) type of channel on one of the broadcast (CxS) transponders of the satellite. The PTI satellite news and facsimile dissemination project is working with 15 terminals (14 from PTI and one shared with AIR). Radio Networking Radio Networking (RN) through INSAT provides a reliable high-fidelity programme channels for national as well as regional networking. At present, 213 All India Radio (AIR) stations have been equipped with S-band receive terminals out of which around 100 AIR stations have been upgraded to receive C-Band RN carriers and around 80 stations are being upgraded to receive C-Band carriers by end of 2005. There are 54 RN channels at present _ 39 operating in S-Band and 15 in C-Band. A total of 24 earth stations are in S-band AIR uplink, out of which 9 stations are equipped with C-band uplink facility. A total of 50 C-band digital carriers are planned including DSNG with a total bandwidth requirement of 36 MHz Single channel captive uplink earth stations are functioning at major programme producing centres located in Srinagar, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Cuttack, Patna, Guwahati, Shillong, Thiruva-nanthapuram, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Simla, Lucknow, Imphal, Kohima, Agartala, Aizwal, Chennai, Borivili and Hanagai. New multichannel earth stations have been installed at AIR Raipur, Ranchi and Jalandhar. Few more earth stations are being provided at AIR Varanasi, Rohtak, Aurangabad, etc. The earth station at Broadcast House, Delhi, has been augmented to provide uplink for 7 RN carriers in CxS band and 4 in CxC band. Four RN carriers are uplinked from Sikanderabad station of DOT for national networking. Four transportable uplink terminals have been acquired by AIR for coverage of events taking place at remote locations and for relay of programmes directly from the spot via INSAT. These terminals are capable of uplinking CD quality music channel from any remote locations to a central place such as Delhi. Telecommunications A total of 704 telecommunication terminals of various sizes and capabilities (excluding NICNET, RABMN and VSAT micro terminals) are operating in INSAT telecommunications network providing 7163 two-way speech circuits or equivalent to over 143 routes. These include 89 BSNL, 92 for government users and 31 Closed User Group/VSAT operators and 492 BSNL earth stations 287 multi-channel per carrier (MCPC) VSATs, 45 High speed VSAT Network (HVNET) terminals and 160 VSATs are operating under the Remote Area Business Management Network. The Bangalore-Delhi digital network with two 34 Mbps streams has been commissioned. Augmentation of existing 8 Mbps connectivity amongst four metros is planned by using digital channel multiplying equipment. Captive satellite-based networks for National Thermal Power Corporation, Gas Authority of India Ltd, Nuclear Power Corporation, Indian Telephone Industries, Oil and Natural Gas Commission, National Fertilisers Limited and Coal India Limited are operational. A Coal India Limited earth station at Poonch has been commissioned. The National Stock Exchange VSAT network in extended C-band is operational. A number of captive government networks are also working with INSAT. More organisations are in the process of implementing their own captive networks using INSAT capacity. DOT has licensed a few private operators to pro-vide value-added services to the public using the extended C-band. Mobile Satellite Services An S-band Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) was added to the INSAT system with the launch of INSAT-3C in February 2002 and GSAT-2 in May 2003. The following two classes of services were identified for MSS: A small portable satellite terminal that works with INSAT satellite for voice/data communication has been developed with the participation of Indian industries. The terminal is useful for voice communication especially during disasters when other communication means break down. It can be used from any location in India for emergency communication. Transmit and receive frequencies of the terminal are in S-Band. The portable terminal is connected to the EPABX at central hub station through satellite channel and hence could be considered as an extension of the EPABX and call could be made between any satellite terminals and local phones on the EPABX. Central hub station is located at SAC, Ahmedabad. INSAT Reporting system: This consist of low bit rate one-way reporting service using shared channels with portable and hand-held terminals. This unique one-way messaging from a remote location to user-headquarters operates with the Delhi Earth Station (DES) of DOS as the hub. This is an experimental service. Short messages from user terminals are relayed through the satellite to the hub and are automatically forwarded to the respective user headquarters via Fax or data links. This reporting service is provided using small hand-held terminals. There is a provision to attach a GPS receiver to the reporting terminal for position information. Meteorology The meteorological data of INSAT system is processed and disseminated by the INSAT Meteorological Data Processing System (IMDPS) of India Meteorological Department (IMD). Upper winds, sea surface temperature and precipitation index data are regularly obtained. The products derived from the image data include: Cloud Motion Vectors, Sea Surface Temperature, Outgoing Long-wave Radiation and Quantitative Precipitation Index. The products are used for weather forecasting, both synoptic and numerical weather prediction. INSAT-VHRR imageries are used by Doordarshan during news coverage and by newspapers as part of weather reporting. At present, repetitive and synoptic weather system observations over Indian Ocean from geostationary orbit are available only from INSAT system. INSAT VHRR data is available in near real-time at 90 Meteorological Data Dissemination Centres (MDDC) in various parts of the country. With the commissioning of direct satellite service for processed VHRR data, MDDC type of data can be provided at any location in the country. IMD has installed 100 meteorological Data Collection Platforms (DCPs) and other agencies have installed about 200 DCPs all over the country. One DCP is also installed at Schiramacher, the Indian base station in Antarctica. The DCP services are provided using the Data Relay Transponders of Kalpana-1 and INSAT-3A. A rainfall monitoring system which operates at 300 bits/second has been developed. For quick dissemination of warnings against impending disaster from approaching cyclones, specially designed receivers have been installed at the vulnerable coastal areas in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal and Gujarat for direct transmission of warnings to the officials and public in general using broadcast capability of INSAT. IMD's Area Cyclone Warning Centres generate special warning bulletins and transmit them every hour in local languages to the affected areas. Three hundred and fifty such receiver stations have been installed by IMD. Out of these 100 are Digital CWDS (DCWDS) based on advanced technology. The DCWDS has been deployed with acknowledgement transmitters to get confirmation at transmitting station. A cooperative agreement has been signed with EUMETSAT for using meteorological data from Meteosat-5 satellite at 63 degree East in exchange for weather pictures collected by INSAT. Satellite Aided Search and Rescue (SAS&R) India is a member of the international COSPAS-SARSAT programme for providing distress alert and position location service through LEOSAR (Low Earth Orbit Search And Rescue) satellite system. Under this programme, India has established two Local User Terminals (LUTs), one at Lucknow and the other at Bangalore. The Indian Mission Control Centre (INMCC), is located at ISTRAC, Bangalore. INSAT-3A located at 93.5 deg East is equipped with 406 MHz Search and Rescue payload that picks up and relays alert signals originating from the distress beacons of maritime, aviation and land users. INSAT and GOES systems have become an integral part of the COSPAS-SARSAT system and they complement the LEOSAR system. Indian LUTs provide coverage to a large part of Indian Ocean region rendering distress alert services to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. The operations of INMCC/LUT are funded by the participating agencies, namely, Coast Guard, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Director General of Shipping and Services. INSAT GEOSAR Local User Terminal (GEO LUT) is established at ISTRAC, Bangalore and integrated with INMCC. The distress alert messages concerning the Indian service area, detected at INMCC are passed on to Indian Coast Guard and Rescue Coordination Centres at Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai. The search and rescue activities are carried out by Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force. The INMCC is linked to the RCCs and other International MCCs through automatic telex and Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network. The Indian LUTs and MCC provide service round the clock and maintain the database of all 406 MHz registered beacons equipped on Indian ships and aircraft. Development of indigenous search and rescue beacons has been taken up and prototypes are being tested. During the year, the Indian search and rescue system detected and supported two real distress calls that resulted in rescue of 25 people - a Singapore vessel when it caught fire after explosion in July and on November 5, 2004 when a vessel "MV Fresh Market" from Maldives encountered failure of all its engines leaving the ship totally blacked out at about 100 Nautical Miles off the coast of Kochi Standard Time and Frequency Signal Dissemination Services A Standard Time and Frequency Signal Dissemination Service using a Radio Networking (RN) type CxS carrier on INSAT-3C, is being operated by the National Physical Laboratory. This service is available round-the-clock in a broadcast mode at downlink frequency in S-band and is receivable on a set-up consisting of a 2.4 m diameter antenna, a front-end converter, an FM demodulator and a microprocessor controlled signal decoder. The service consists of a train of 5 KHz bursts signal, which is frequency modulated on the carrier. The time has a precision of better than one microsecond and accuracy of better than 20 microseconds. Satellite Navigation The Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to implement an indigenous Satellite-Based Regional GPS Augmentation System also known as Space-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) as part of the Satellite-Based Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS)/Air Traffic Management (ATM) plan for civil aviation. A national plan for satellite navigation including implementation of Technology Demonstration System (TDS) over the Indian airspace as a proof of concept, has been prepared jointly by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and ISRO. The TDS is the first step towards implementing an operational SBAS system. The Indian SBAS is planned to be implemented in three phases: Technology Demonstration System, Initial Experimental Phase and Final Operational Phase. The Indian SBAS is expected to bridge the gap between the European EGNOS (European Geo Stationary Navigation Overlay System) and the Japanese MSAS (MTSAT Space Augmentation System) to provide seamless navigation of aircraft from west to east and vice-versa. When implemented, the Indian SBAS system will play an important role in the introduction of satellite based navigation services in the Asia Pacific region. The Indian SBAS system has been given an acronym - GPS And GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN). The first navigation payload is being fabricated and it is proposed to be flown on the GSAT-4 satellite expected to be launched in 2006-07 Remote Sensing Applications for Natural Resources Management The National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS), under the aegis of DOS, carries out projects of direct relevance at national/regional and local level through NRSA, Hyderabad, SAC, Ahmedabad, five RRSSCs located at Bangalore, Dehradun Jodhpur, Karagpur, and Nagpur and NE-SAC, Shillong. The end users are involved in these projects. Some of the major application projects carried out during the year are highlighted in the following paragraphs. RESOURSESAT Data Utilisation RESOURCESAT-1, launched in October 2003, has several improved features useful for remote sensing and GIS applications. Studies on snow cover discrimination, multiple crop discrimination, crop condition assessment, surface wetness zonation, delineation of soil mapping and salinity units, discrimination of different forest types and crown densities, regional level land use/land cover information and updation of regional geologic mapping have been carried out. Groundwater Prospects Mapping: Under Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, funded by the Department of Drinking Water Supply of the Ministry of Rural Development, the phase-I of Groundwater Prospects Mapping was launched for six States (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Rajasthan). It involved preparation of maps on 1:50,000 scale and generation of digital database pertaining to ground water regime such as lithology, geomorphology, geological structures and hydrology. Under phase-II, all the maps of Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh have been supplied while work is nearing completion in Gujarat and Orissa. The user feedback indicates good success for targeting water. Training workshops have been organised in all the States to demonstrate the utility of these maps for selection of well sites and planning recharge structures. The feedback from the six States of Phase-I shows that more than 67,570 wells have been drilled using these maps with a success rate of about 90 percent and nearly 3,500 recharge structures constructed, which have rejuvenated some of the drinking water wells dried up earlier and improved their sustainability. CAPE and FASAL: Crop Acreage and Production Estimate (CAPE) is a countrywide project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation and executed by DOS along with various State Remote Sensing Applications Centres, State Departments of Agriculture and Agricultural Universities. Acreage and production estimates for principal crops such as wheat, rice, sorghum, cotton, mustard and groundnut are generated under the project using stratified random sampling approach. Achievements of CAPE include evaluation of multi-date remote sensing data for crop identification, creation of a geo-referenced cadastral data-base for accuracy evaluation, development of yield models using trend and weather data. The all India wheat area was estimated as 26.38 million hectares and production as 71.95 million tonne for 2003-04 Rabi season. The national Kharif rice area was estimated as 36.03 million hectares and production as 69.27 million tonne for 2003. Rice acreage and production forecasts for Orissa were 3.87 million hectare and 5.50 million tonne respectively for third forecast. Rabi acreage and production forecasts for Orissa were 76,810 hectare and 444.75 tonne respectively for the third forecast. Cotton acreage estimates for five districts of Madhya Pradesh was completed and the total acreage was 0.431 million hectare and production was 0.26 million bales. Cotton acreage estimates and production for four districts of Haryana were 0.591 million hectare and 1.59 million bales respectively and for five districts of Punjab, they were 0.593 million hectare and 1.79 million bales respectively. Based on experience of CAPE, efforts are on to institutionalise FASAL (Forecasting Agricultural output through Agro-meteorological and Land based observations). FASAL envisages phased implementation in collaboration with State Agricultural Statistical Agencies. CAPEWORKS, a comprehensive software package has been developed for crop acreage and production estimation.
Agroclimatic Planning And Information Bank: Under Phase-II of Agro-climatic Planning and Information Bank taken up for six districts of Karnataka, web based information bank has been generated for 27 major horticultural crops. The website has been successfully launched. Generation of the same in the regional language is nearing completion. Horticulture Mission in North-Eastern States: Funded by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, an integrated remote sensing based study has been taken up to generate information for horticulture development in NE States. To facilitate implementation plan for expansion of passion fruit area, the results are brought out as a map compilation to be used by the State Department of Agriculture for current year planning. Work is in progress to study the cashew plantations in East and West Garo hills of Meghalaya. Pilot study to assess the site suitability for Sikkim Mandarin in East District has been carried out. Site suitability analysis for expansion of pineapple crop has been completed for West Tripura district. Distribution of current Jhum area in Aizwal district was mapped and based on this study, mapping at larger scale is planned using data of RESOURCESAT. Under Phase-II work for Tripura State (i) site suitability analysis for orange in N.Tripura district and Pineapple in Dholai district and (ii) Jhum area/wastelands mapping in entire Tripura has been taken up. In addition, analysis for rubber plantations in W Tripura district for acreage and density classifications is also being carried out. Precision Farming: Precision farming model is aimed at optimising agricultural inputs towards maximising productivity while ensuring maximum return for the farmers. Potential of high-resolution data for precision agriculture is being studied. The experiments being carried out include: yield gap analysis and development of Spatial Decision Support System for site-specific crop management (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, A.P), retrieval of bio-physical parameters for site-specific crop management using remote sensing (Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Hyderabad) and site-specific nutrient management using space technology (Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad). Potential Fishery Zone (PFZ) Forecasting After demonstrating consistent results during two fishing seasons, the technique of integrated PFZ maps based on the chlorophyll information derived from Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) of OCEANSAT-1 and the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data has been transferred to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) of the Department of Ocean Development for operational use. Under INCOIS, 225 nodes have been established where the PFZ maps are distributed to users including fishery departments, central government agencies, corporates and fishermen groups thrice a week. Biodiversity Characterisation: Initiated jointly by the Department of Biotechnology and the Department of Space, the biodiversity characterisation at landscape level, covers four main biodiversity rich regions of the country — NE Region, Western Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Study in Andaman and Nicobar islands has been completed during the year and reports, atlases, CDs, etc. have been published and distributed to the users such as Department of Biotechnology, State Forest Departments, Ministry of Environment and Forests, subject experts, etc. Similar study has been taken up for the Eastern Ghats and some parts in West Bengal, MP, AP, UP, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Orissa. A Biodiversity Information System containing exhaustive database on species has also been developed. It allows identifying the gap areas and species-habitat relationship and helps biodiversity conservation and planning by setting priorities. Desertification Monitoring and Assessment: Funded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the study has been taken up as part of the Thematic Programme Network-1 of UN Convention to Combat Desertification. The study is being carried out in selected parts of the country in both hot and cold desert areas. Work is progressing well for hot desert in Pali and Dausa districts of Rajasthan, Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh, Bellary district of Karnataka, Balia district of UP, Panchkula district of Haryana, Mehboob Nagar district of Andhra Pradesh and Theni Watershed in Tamil Nadu. Work is also progressing for cold desert in Kathua, Padam, Hanle, Leh, Panamic district in J & K and Chamba, Keylong and Lahul Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh. Desertification status mapping of the country using data of RESOURCESAT has been taken up.
Integrated Resources Information System for Desert Areas (IRIS-DA): Funded by the Ministry of Rural Development, this project envisages preparation of land and water resource management and utilisation plans to aid State and district/ block level officials in planning development works. The project covers 76,527 sq km in 83 desert/drought-prone blocks distributed in 18 districts of four States - Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Karnataka. Land resources development action plans have been generated for a total of 43 blocks (Karnataka- 6, Rajasthan - 8, Haryana _ 29) while water resources development action plans have been generated for six blocks in Karnataka. Snowmelt Run-off Forecast: Forecast of cumulative seasonal (April-May-June) snowmelt run-off from Sutlej river basin up to Bhakra reservoir is issued to Bhakra Beas Management Board by the first week of April every year, based on analysis of daily observed satellite data. This forecast is updated subsequently to provide new information for reservoir water scheduling. River Bank Erosion Mapping: At the request of Central Water Commission, Guwahati, bank erosion mapping was undertaken for Brahmaputra river using data of IRS. About 40 erosion maps and 80 photo prints of the area are being prepared. National Wastelands Inventory and Updation Project: Subsequent to mapping and creation of digital database on wastelands of the country, a project has been taken up at the behest of the Ministry of Rural Development to update the wastelands information using recent satellite data. The wasteland atlas depicting the spatial information, identification and delineation of new areas under wastelands, identification of areas where reclamation programme has been implemented are generated. Over 75 percent of the work has been completed in all respects and the final maps and GIS database prepared. Route Alignment Study of Transmission Line: For the Powergrid Corporation of India Limited, a route alignment corridor survey between Teesta-V-HEP in Sikkim and New Siliguri town in West Bengal has been undertaken using topo map data in conjunction with other collateral maps and ground traverses to identify the three alternative routes based on `maximum avoidance criteria' indicators. Final selection of optimal route is based on IRS data and DEM analysis in a GIS environment.
Landuse/Land Cover Study for Pipeline Route: A project on providing remote sensing and GIS based inputs for 20 km corridor on either side of proposed pipeline alignment towards feasibility analysis and preparation of disaster management plan, taken up on behalf of the Consortium of Petroleum Industries, has been completed. Precision geo-coded products and value-added base maps have been provided for east coast covering parts of West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and west coast covering parts of Maharashtra and the entire State of Gujarat. Identification of Sites for Thermal Power Stations: At the request of Central Electric Authority, a study was carried out towards identification of potential sites for coastal thermal power stations all along the east and west coast of India using satellite data. First phase of the study covered Maharashtra and Gujarat. IRS data identified 36 potential sites in Kutchch, Jamnagar, Junagarh and Ahmedabad districts of Gujarat and 20 sites in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra. These sites will form the primary database for further screening in terms of economic and ecological considerations. Watershed Development Project in Karnataka: Under this project, aided by World Bank, 854 micro watersheds in 77 sub-watersheds have been taken up in five districts (Kolar, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Dharwad and Haveri) covered by Karnataka Watershed Development Department. ISRO has the task of independent monitoring and evaluation of the watershed development programme. Monitoring and evaluation units have been established in all the five study districts. Monitoring and evaluation activities in sample micro-watersheds of all the 77 sub-watersheds have been taken up in three phases. Various software packages have been developed for monitoring and evaluation. The entire monitoring and evaluation approach evolved by ISRO has been acknowledged by World Bank review team as a model of excellence. Watershed Monitoring: The second phase of the nationwide project on monitoring and evaluation of treated watersheds through remote sensing and GIS, taken up on behalf of Ministry of Agriculture has been completed and statewise report on change detection analysis for all the identified watersheds in 12 States prepared. Salinity and Waterlogged Area Monitoring in Command area: A project on assessment and monitoring of salinity and waterlogged areas in major and medium commands in the country has been taken up on behalf of Central Water Commission (CWC). In the first year, the project has been taken up in six States and 353 commands: Rajasthan (100), Haryana (18), Bihar (118), Jharkand (18), Karnataka (95) and Goa (4). The first component of waterlogged area mapping has been completed in all the commands and soil salinity mapping is nearing completion. Towards effective visualisation of the outputs at various levels, an information system has been developed. Reservoir Capacity Survey: The project on reservoir capacity estimation and storage loss assessment in 20 reservoirs in the country taken up on behalf of CWC has been completed with submission of reports for all the identified reservoirs — Hallali, Bhadar, Palitana, Jakhan, Parbati, Ramsagar, Isapur, Kyredemkulai, Nizamsagar, Panam, Sondur, Dudhwa, Narayanpur, Mayurakshi, Gumti, Umiam, Idukki, Damanganga and Kallada. Ocean Applications: Sea surface height observations and in-situ temperature profiles have been analysed to study the integrated effect of the sub-surface thermal structure on the sea. National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, Ohio State University, USA and NRSA have jointly published an atlas of the thermal structures and sea-surface heights in the north Indian Ocean. Cyclonic and anti-cyclonic eddies have been studied using sea surface height observations. A novel approach to estimate the ship velocities in any portion of the ocean from any place has been demonstrated. The method involves locating the ships at different times from different satellites and estimating the speed and direction from the displacements. Optical sensors data from remote sensing satellites has been used. This technique is useful to monitor ships continuously and is of interest to the navy, coastguard, shipping corporations, commercial ship owners and fishermen.
National (Natural) Resources Information System (NRIS) Database for 30 district nodes in 17 States with a few case studies relevant to these nodes has been created. Database creation is progressing for 14 States - Mizoram, Sikkim, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Large Scale Mapping: A project on large scale mapping of the country has been initiated using high-resolution satellite images. The objective is to generate a set of cartographic quality maps on 1:10,000 scale. The project proposes to make a new generation base maps for the country. The methodology will also employ GPS based precision control, ortho-correction of satellite images using DEM, feature extraction and mapping, field verification/annotation and final product generation. Under Phase-1 of the project, proto-type work for about 4675 sq km area covering urban areas, rural areas, disaster-prone areas and finalisation of methodology and products priority areas have been taken up. Aerial Surveys: The aerial remote sensing tasks completed during the year include aerial photography of 28 towns over Kolkata, aero-magnetic survey over Indo_Gangetic plains, mapping of four towns for Andhra Pradesh Urban Services for the Poor, etc. WGS-84 datum has been created for CARTOSAT-1. Twenty two zero order points (2-3 cm), 400 first order points (5 cm) and 4000 (30 cm) points have been collected spanning the entire country. Collection of GCPs has started for CARTOSAT_2 mission. GPS surveys and processing of data has been carried out for 16 towns. Under an MoU between India and Maldives, NRSA will provide satellite imaging and aerial services for digital mapping of Maldives and setting up of a Remote Sensing Unit in Male for analysing and updating the data and also provide training for running the centre. As part of this, aerial photography has been carried out for the entire Maldives, covering about 100,000 sq km. Aerial photography was carried out over Dubai covering 5000 sq km and Colombo_Kandy expressway in Sri Lanka. Natural Resources Census: A programme on natural resources census has been initiated for the entire country. The project covers natural resources like land, water, soils, forests, etc. The census conducted with a repeat cycle will depict changes and modifications to provide a snap-shot of the country's natural resources. The census will start with the mapping and inventory using IRS images and generation of a national GIS repository. NNRMS has taken up activity pertaining to the census of land-use/land cover of the entire country. For the remaining themes, discussions are being held with various ministries/departments. Prototype study has been carried out covering different parts of the country. Land-use/cover mapping has already been initiated as Phase-I activity. Chhatisgarh State Developmental Planning: At the behest of the Chhatisgarh Infotech and Biotech Promotion Society - an autono -mous organisation under the Government of Chhatisgarh - a project on state develop -mental planning using remote sensing and GIS for 20,379 villages covering 1,35,194 sq km has been taken up. The objectives include establishment of natural resources database, geo-referencing of village maps and development of land information system and development of road information system. Comprehensive digital database except soil layer has been created for all the 16 districts and soil mapping completed for five districts and geo-referencing of village maps completed for 28 taluks. Natural Resources Repository (NRR): DOS has initiated the generation of natural resources repository for the country comprising mainly of remote sensing based data/information. This repository comprise all the information generated through user funded projects, DOS/ISRO funded projects and others in standard format. Under the NRR activity efforts are on to generate natural resources (Land-use/Land-cover, vegetation, geomorphology, soils, snow cover, wet lands, etc.) information for the country. A portal providing information on NNRMS and metadata of the projects carried out so far has been opened on the internet for disseminating the information to user community. Disaster Management Support (DMS) The disaster management services of DOS are mainly directed towards creation of digital database for facilitating hazard zonation, damage assessment, etc., monitoring of major natural disasters using satellite and aerial data and development of appropriate techniques/tools acquisition of close contour data for hazard prone areas using air-borne Laser Terrain Mapper, strengthening the communication back-bone for timely dissemination of information and emergency support, development of air-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar towards all-weather monitoring capability, establishment of a Decision Support Centre at NRSA as a single-window service provider and support the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, as a signatory. Deployment of Resources during Tsunami Disaster Space based systems have no capability to detect and predict natural calamities like earthquake and its after effects/tsunami. However,the remote sensing and communi-cation satellites provide the means of assessing the extent of damage and enabling the relief operators for planning the mitigation measures as well as establishing emergency communication system. DOS has put into operation all its resources in the aftermath of the tsunami that hit India on December 26, 2004. A fly-away VSAT ten INMARSAT telephones and four Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) Phones were airlifted to Port Blair for augmenting the telecommunications links. VSAT based video conferencing facilities were set-up to connect seven taluk headquarters to secretariat. The Andaman & Nicobar administration used the VSATs at Diglipur, Mayabandar, Rangat, Port Blair, Hut Bay, Car Nicobar, Camorta and Cambel Bay for relief and rehabilitation. Regular video conferencing facility was established between these locations and the main land via INSAT-3E. Satellite based telephone connectivity for video-conferencing purposes were enabled at the above locations through the telephone exchange at Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad. Required transponder capacity on INSAT-3E was earmarked for supporting large capacity telephone links from Andaman & Nicobar Islands to Kolkata which was connected to Delhi. Telephone links from one place in Andman & Nicobar Islands to any other place through transportable VSATs were also arranged.
Impact of tsunami as brought by RESOURCESAT-1imageries Telemedicine facilities are in operation at two Hospitals at Port Blair (GB Pant Hospital and INS Dhanvantari Hospital) and Indira Gandhi Hospital at Car Nicobar to enable the local doctors to communicate with specialty hospitals like Appollo Hospital at Chennai and Amruta Institute of Medical Sciences at Kochi, which are in the ISRO Telemedicine network. Data from IRS satellities (IRS-1C, 1D, OCEANSAT-1 and RESOURCESAT) over affected areas were used for analysis and damage assessment and the information was provided to the Crisis Management Group of the Ministry of Home Affairs and State agencies. Satellite data for Car Nicobar, Chennai, Kakinada, Tamil Nadu coast (especially Nagapattinam), Andhra Pradesh and Kerala were acquired. To obtain high resolution data under cloud/haze conditions, aerial survey, using the aircraft of NRSA was undertaken for assessment of inundation, affected agriculture areas, damaged coastal vegetation, coastal land forms, breaches, beach erosions, and damage to the clusters of habitations. The satellite imageries clearly indicated large-scale damage to the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island and the Indira Point. The Trinkat Island of the Nancowri Group has been separated into two parts due to the water impoundment in the central part. As a member of the International Charter on Disaster, ISRO activated the Charter on December 26, 2004 and the satellite data from foreign satellites such as SPOT, RADARSAT and ENVISAT over Port Blair, Car Nicobar, Cudallore and Nagapattinam were received. DOS closely worked with the Crisis Management teams in providing all possible support, both with regard to space and ground infrastructure. Other Disaster Management Services During June-September 2004, 21 major flood events were monitored in Assam, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal using satellite data. Flood inundation information along with statistics on flood-affected areas was disseminated to the respective State Governments, Ministry of Home Affairs and Central Water Commission. Using multi-date satellite data, the condition of the Pereechu lake in the Tibet region was monitored on daily basis to assess the possible threat of flash floods in the Sutlej basin. The information was of importance for planning precautionary measures, including evacuation of villagers downstream and operations of the Nafta-Jhakri Power Plant in Himachal Pradesh. Under the National Agricultural Drought Monitoring System, using the vegetation index derived from satellite data, the drought conditions were monitored at district/sub-district levels for 14 States — Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh. Monthly reports on agricultural conditions were provided to the Ministry of Agriculture. As a follow up to the major land slides that occurred in Uttar Kashi, an airborne survey of the affected area was carried out and detailed land slide hazard zonation maps were prepared along with suggestions for management/mitigation measures. The maps were provided to the Uttaranchal State Government. Using IRS data, land slide hazard zonation mapping has been taken up for the Dehradun - Yamunotri route. Similar study has also been initiated for Shillong-Silchar-Aizwal highway corridor. The work related to creation of digital data-base for 56 districts in five States (Assam - 21, Bihar _ 10, Orissa - 10, West Bengal - 6 and AP - 10) is nearing completion. Information layers on current land use/ cover and infrastructure are being generated. Decision Support Centre, as a `single-window service provider' at NRSA is being set up which will have capability to monitor disaster events using satellite and airborne data and disseminate the information to users through appropriate network. A Disaster Watch Team has been set up to observe and update information on current disaster events. As part of capacity building, an airborne Laser Terrain Mapper and Digital Camera have been procured for generating close contour (<0.5 m) maps of priority areas in the country. The development of an advanced airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar is in progress to achieve all-weather monitoring capability. During the year, major floods in Bihar and Assam were mapped using the airborne SAR. Emergency communication support using INSAT terminals, INMARSAT Mini M Terminals and Mobile VSATs with WLL was provided in the worst affected districts of Assam at the request of Ministry of Home Affairs. Based on the interactions with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), actions are being taken up for database creation for selected multi-hazard-prone districts and setting up of a satellite based Virtual Private Network (VPN), linking Decision Support Centre of NRSA with MHA's National Emergency Operation Centre and State Emergency Operation Centres and IMD, CWC etc.
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EDUSAT Network concept
