Satellite Applications

Satellite Applications

Space has become the mainstay of national infrastructure providing vital services. INSAT with more than 210 transponders, is providing tele-communications, television broadcasting, weather forecasting and societal application services such as tele-medicine and tele-education IRS System with Nine satellites in operation is providing data for a variety of application programmes such as Groundwater Prospects Mapping, Crop Acreage and Production Estimation, Potential Fishing Zone Forecast, Biodiversity Characterisation etc., In order to reach space-based services directly to the rural population, nearly 500 Village Resource Centres (VRCs) have been set up in association with NGOs, Institutes and Government Agencies. INSAT Applications The telephone circuit devices through INSAT connect remote inaccessible areas to major cities in India. The launch of INSAT-4A during December 2005, INSAT-4B in and INSAT- 4CR in 2007 have ushered in Direct To Home (DTH) television services in the country. Television reaches 85 percent of India's population via INSAT. Over 200 AIR stations are linked via INSAT network. In the recent years, Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) have revolutionised our telecommunications sector. INSAT supports over 20,000 VSATs for e-commerce and e-governance. National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange use VSAT technology across the country for instantaneous transactions. Today exclusive channels are provided for interactive training and Developmental communication including distance learning. India has an exclusive meteorological satellite Kalpana - 1. The imaging instruments (VHRR) & (CCD) collect meteorological data and provide timely warnings on impending cyclones. The data relay transponder in the INSAT system is used for collect real time hydro meteorological data for river monitoring flow forces. The launch of EDUSAT on September 20, 2004 heralded new era in the field of distance education and today, about 35,000 class rooms are in the EDUSAT network providing services at primary, secondary and university levels. The satellite based telemedicine network has expanded its network connecting 375 hospitals (305 remote and rural hospitals including those in Jammu & Kashmir, North Eastern region and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 13 mobile units and 57 super specialty hospitals in major cities). IRS Applications Imagery taken by Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) Satellite System has found application in diverse fields ranging from agriculture to urban planning. Crop health monitoring, crop yield estimation and drought assessment are the significant areas of application in the agriculture and the allied fields. Soil mapping at different scales with relative ease has become a reality. IRS data has also been used for Ground Water potential zone mapping and mineral targeting tasks. The ocean applications of IRS data include potential fishing zone identification and coastal zone mapping. Forest cover mapping, biodiversity characterisation and monitoring of forest fire is now carried out using IRS imagery. IRS spacecraft provide timely inputs to Flood and earthquake damage assessment thereby providing the necessary supportive strength to disaster management. Even in the field of Archaeological survey, the utility of IRS imagery has been well established. The judicious combination of information derived from space based imagery with the ground based socio economic data is leading to a holistic approach for resource monitoring and its management. Village Resource Centre (VRC) Combining the services offered by INSAT and IRS satellites, a new concept namely Village Resource Centre (VRC) to provide information on natural resources, land and water resources management, tele-medicine, tele-education, adult education, vocational training, health and family welfare programmes has been established. Nearly 500 such VRCs have been established in the country.