To assist the fishermen in distress when at sea, the Indian Coast Guard along with the Space Application Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ahmedabad and VXL Technologies Ltd, Faridabad, have jointly developed a low-cost GPS (Global Positioning System)-based alert system.

The ISRO-developed transmitter has a battery life of 24-48 hours after activation. It transmits the boat’s co-ordinates to the Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai.
The distress alerts sent out by the boats will be picked up by the INSAT 3A satellite which will relay the same to the reception centre at the MRCC. Medical emergencies, fire, capsize or capture of the boats can be reported to authorities on the shore for immediate action.

The transmitter operates through a DRT transponder and can send out continuous alerts for 24 hours once every 5 minutes on an average while staff at the rescue centres track the boat as it appears on a GIS map on their computer screens. Each transmitter costs less than Rs 10,000 with an omni-directional antenna and runs on a lithium battery. It will give its identification number and GPS position of the boat to the Coast Guard. “While the other, similar systems are very expensive, the cost reduction has been done by using our own INSAT 3A,” said Wing Commander Satish Menon, Defence Spokesperson in Ahmedabad.

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