Oceansat-II of India will provide fishing location data

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Oceansat-II, scheduled to be launched on October 12, will provide information to fishermen on the optimal locations for fishing. The ground station will be in a position to issue the advisory by 5 PM which would prove handy for fishermen, since most of them go into the sea in the evening, stated SSC Shennoi, Director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), during the inauguration of the ground station to receive data from the OCEANSAT-II satellite at the INCOIS.

Oceansat-2 is an Indian satellite designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM)instrument on Oceansat-1. It will also enhance the potential of applications in other areas. The main objectives of OceanSat-2 are to study surface winds and ocean surface strata, observation of chlorophyll concentrations, monitoring of phytoplankton blooms, study of atmospheric aerosols and suspended sediments in the water.Oceansat-2 is ISRO’s second in the series of Indian Remote Sensing satellites dedicated to ocean research, and will provide continuity to the applications of Oceansat-1 (launched in 1999). Oceansat-2 will carry three payloads including an Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM-2), similar to the device carried on Oceansat-1. Data from all instruments will be made available to the global scientific community after the post-launch sensor characterization, which is expected to be completed within 6 months of the launch.

Oceansat-2 will carry two payloads for ocean related studies, namely, Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) and Ku-band Pencil Beam Scatterometer. An additional piggy-back payload called ROSA (Radio Occultation Sounder for Atmospheric studies) developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) is also proposed to be included. The major applications of data from Oceansat-2 are identification of potential fishing zones, sea state forecasting, coastal zone studies and inputs for weather forecasting and climatic studies.

As a Cyclone Predictor

India’s Oceansat II satellite is capable to predict accurately the intensity of cyclones as well as the locations it will hit as early as three days in advance. The data is available in near real time mode (within 3 hours) through www.nrsc.gov.in, according to Dr Raj Kumar, Head of Oceanic Sciences Division, in Space Application Centre.

Links and Sources;

Geospatial World  , Wikipedia,

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Southeast Asia Experiencing Greatest Biodiversity Loss

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

One of the most exotic and wild places on Earth has been undergoing an unprecedented loss in biodiversity during the past 50 years. As these nations in the region became industrialized and their populations boomed, their once pristine forests have fallen rapidly. The deforestation is occurring for agricultural use, palm oil plantations, timber harvesting, and various other human uses. As the forests go, so do the species which dwell in them. In a new study published by researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia, it was found that this region has experienced the greatest loss of biodiversity in the whole world.

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Indonesia develops NSDI using cloud computing

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Indonesia’s National Coordinating Agency for Survey and Mapping, BAKOSURTANAL, is taking its GIS initiatives to a whole new level by developing its National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) using cloud computing technology. This initiative aims to provide accurate and reliable geospatial information to government agencies and the general public.

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Residents of UP,India shaken up by mild quake tremor

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Panic gripped people in Uttar Pradesh when an earthquake said to be measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale with epicentre in Sikkim jolted north India at 6.17 pm on Sunday.

The state Meteorological department described the quake as of “moderate intensity” in UP. It has not ruled out the possibility of after shocks. Earlier, on September 7, tremors had hit some areas of UP adjoining Delhi. However, on Sunday no causality of any kind was reported till reports last came in. State Met director, JP Gupta said that after shocks can occur in next 24 hours.

The people in the Lucknow also felt the tremors for 30 seconds. Initially, people could not realise but later came out in open space leaving offices and home when they felt the tremors. The impact was more visible in the high rise buildings. But at some places, people did not feel anything and came to know about the quake later through news channels. Similar reports were received from Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Meerut and Gorakhpur.

Significantly, the city does not have any seismometer to record earthquake. A senior officer of the earthquake division, at the regional office of Geological Survey of India (GSI), Lucknow, said that they rely on data of the Meteorological department.

Geologist Dhruvsen Singh, also faculty in the department of geology in Lucknow University, said that there is no seismometer in the state anywhere to measure earthquake. In some research institutes, small seismometers have been installed purely for research. The geology department of Lucknow university also has a seismometer installed by National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, for research activity.

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