Remote Sensing activities in India
M G Chandrasekhar, A K Gupta, V Jayaraman, P P Nageswara Rao,
K Radhakrishnan, B Manikiam
Earth Observation System
ISRO Headquarters
Bangalore - 560 094, India
Abstract
This report highlights details of remote sensing activities in India during 1989-90. The major milestones during the year have been the successful operation of space and around segments of IRS-1A satellite and high degree of utilization of monitoring and management of natural disasters such s floods, cyclones and droughts etc. As on March 1990, over 11,000 IRS-1A data products have been supplied to various users in the country and abroad. All the sensor, systems and sub-systems of the spacecraft IRS-1A are functioning satisfactorily. The sale of IRS-1A data products has touched a new high of Rs. 18.1 million as against Rs. 8.3 million during the same period, last year. The National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad continued to receive, process and disseminate data from IRS-1A, Landsat, SPOT and NOAA satellites. The demand for the IRS data product has been on the increase. Most of the ongoing projects under IRS-utilisation programme towards rural development initiated by government of India includes major national projects using remote sensing data in the themes of Water management and Landuse. Several new application areas have emerged. The projects are being carried out in a time bound mode. The progress of about 80% of these projects is as per schedule. Various high level theme specific standing committees have been set up by the planning commission, government of India to guide the remote sensing applications in concerned resource area and initiate specific programme for utilisation of remote sensing technology. These standing committees have met during the last one year and many new projects in the respective fields, amounting to several millions of rupees have been initiated in a time bound mode to harvest the benefits of remote sensing technology in these areas for national development. Remote sensing activities in the country are being furthered under National natural resources management system (NNRMS). The IRS programme is major milestone towards establishment of NNRMS in the country. Evolution of national (natural) resources information system (NRIS) is one of the major elements under NNRMS. Towards development of a national (natural) resources information system (NRIS), 14 pilot projects have been taken up in different resource management. RRSSCs are now the major remote sensing work centres in the country along with space application centre - Ahemedabad, national remote sensing agency Hyderabad and Indian institute of remote sensing - Dehradun. By now as any as 23 states have setup remote sensing application centres (RSACs) and all these centres are in operational stage. Two more visual analysis equipment and one mid end - image processing system have been developed by the department of space and technology transferred to industry for regular productionisation of these equipments / software / systems. Over 700 scientists were provided training in various training institutes and RRSSCs. So far more than 300 persons have been trained in digital processing of remotely sensed data. Some of the state remote sensing centres also organised appraisal course in remote sensing specific to state participants. The user interaction continued through involved of users in various national remote sensing projects, and their representation in various national remote sensing projects, and their representation in committees and sub-committees for promotion of remote sensing technology. Through various bulletins and news letters published from different remote sensing centres in the country, the users are kept informed of various remote sensing activities in the country and also regarding developments in technology etc.
Introduction
Activities related to remote sensing in India have been reported regularly in the earlier Asian conference on remote sensing. This national report is an updata on the activities and developments in the field f remote sensing during the last one year period. Successful operation of IRS-1A satellite / sensors, regular and uninterrupted supply of IRS and other remote sensing data products to and significant growth in remote sensing application / activities in almost all the sectors of natural resources survey and management by the concerned governmental organisations are the major highlights of activities during the last one year.
