NEW DELHI: In a significant development, India is now utilising space-based inputs for disaster monitoring and damage assessment in Jammu & Kashmir, particularly for major natural hazards such as floods, landslides and forest fires.
Geospatial products, including flood inundation maps, landslide inventories and forest fire detection, are being disseminated through Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) geoportals such as Bhuvan and the National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM).
ISRO has also developed a customised mobile application for monitoring forest fires in the region.
Sharing this information in a recent written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh said, “ISRO has also developed a customized mobile application and dashboard for visualization for forest fire reporting using geospatial technology for Jammu & Kashmir forest department”.
He added, “ISRO/DoS collaborates with J&K Remote Sensing Application Centre (JKRSAC) for UT-level implementation of space application programmes such as the Natural Resources Census, National Wetland Inventory, biodiversity characterisation, desertification & land degradation mapping and disaster management support. Space-Based Information Support for Decentralized Planning–Update (SIS-DP Update) was also jointly executed, to aid evidence-driven planning across sectors such as agriculture, forestry, rural development, and watershed management”.
He further stated that ISRO has established the Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Science (SDCSS) at the Central University of Jammu, where faculty and researchers are provided access to ISRO facilities to support learning and enhance understanding of space technology.
Additionally, he informed that ISRO has set up a Space Technology Incubation Centre (STIC) at NIT Jalandhar and a Regional Academic Centre for Space (RACS) at NIT Kurukshetra for the northern region, which includes Jammu & Kashmir.
Explaining the objectives of STIC and RACS, the minister said these programmes provide opportunities for students to work on space technology-related projects.
“Regional colleges and other institutions within the northern region can submit project proposals through these programmes. This arrangement enables students from both the host institutions and other colleges in the region to actively participate in and work directly on ISRO projects”, he said.
He also noted that to expand space research opportunities across institutions nationwide, ISRO operates the RESPOND (Sponsored Research) programme, which allows any academic institution in India, irrespective of location, to submit project proposals and participate in space technology-related work.
“ISRO supports use of space inputs and geospatial tools for disaster early warning and coordination through the implementation of National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) under the Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER) of MHA”, he added.
It is worth noting that the NDEM integrates early warning inputs from satellite data with alerts issued by operational agencies such as the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Central Water Commission (CWC) and Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE).
It also includes decision-support tools for emergency response, Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), and hosts the India Disaster Resource Network for effective disaster response and coordination.