BENGALURU: With the aim of protecting heritage and cultural sites in the country and promoting tourism, two satellite-based technological interventions have been introduced on Bhuvan, an Indian geo-platform developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Besides providing details about tourist sites to citizens, the new applications allow officials to track encroachment and other damage in real time.
The portal provides information on protected sites listed by UNESCO, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), state archaeological departments and the Ministry of Culture. Visitors can access the newly launched knowledge base through the Spatial Technologies (Kasturi) and Bharat Darshan applications.
The two applications are part of four new features added to Bhuvan. They were launched during the User Interaction Meet-2026 (UIM) held on March 13 in Hyderabad, information about which was released on Monday.
The applications were developed by researchers from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), the Ministry of Culture and ISRO, using documented information from various state government websites, research papers and related sources.
At present, Bharat Darshan provides information on 42 locations protected by UNESCO, while Kasturi has details on 20 cultural and heritage landscapes. Sources in the ministry said more sites will be added in the coming days.
“This is the first initiative in the country to list all sites under one platform with GPS coordinates and satellite monitoring of locations,” sources said.
An expert from NIAS said Kasturi is the country’s first curated geospatial gateway, bringing together satellite images, historic maps and field data to reveal cultural and ecological signatures. It offers an interactive map-based experience where users can explore evidence around settlements, rivers, coasts and historical sites.
Bharat Darshan provides virtual 2D and 3D tours of locations along with terrain data. The information is categorised, and each location includes a link to the respective state or ministry website for more details.