Though the work of various governmental departments varies considerably, space technology has emerged as a common factor enhancing aspects of different departmental works in Uttarakhand. From ascertaining historical aspects like the old forts of Uttarakhand and providing inputs for enhancing tourism to assisting in taxation and developing asset mapping of the state, the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC) has done works related to most departments and is planning or already undertaking various other works using space technology.
The USAC director Mahendra Pratap Singh Bisht recently completed three years of his tenure and was granted a two-year extension by the state government. Talking to The Pioneer about the varied works for which space technology is being used or planned, he said that the centre had recommended the ideal location for creating 10 lakes planned by the state government on different rivers at various locations including the summer capital Gairsain. It was also USAC which prepared the first to the scale tourism map of the state comprising all relevant data. Bisht also checked and then recommended that a cluster of 10 caves including Patal Bhuvaneshwar in Gangolihat be developed as a cave circuit for interested visitors. While Garhwal is traditionally famous as the land of 52 forts, the centre has geo-tagged a total of 264 forts across the state. Further, while the asset mapping of Pithoragarh district has been done, now the centre is working on the asset mapping of Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Bageshwar districts. The information will also be made available to the public through Uttarakhand geo spatial server portal access, said Bisht. Regarding other new projects being undertaken by USAC, he informed that space technology is also being used for taxation purposes. Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping will be used to assist in revenue collection in the state. Apart from this, USAC is also teaming up with Uttarakhand Science Education and Research Centre (USERC)- of which Bisht was recently made the director- to work on preparing the water regime map of Uttarakhand. On the basis of the satellite data provided by USAC, field work will be undertaken by USERC to ascertain the content and quality of water in various parts of the state.
Friday, 22 January 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
