ISRO-Geosphere and Biospheric Programme The Earth’s climate is modulated by Land-Air-Ocean interactions through Geosphere-Biosphere-Atmospheric processes. These interactive forces regulate equilibrium in the weather and climate. The indiscriminate land use practices, fossil fuel burning, increased vehicular traffic, loss of vegetation cover, etc., are exerting changes in the earth’s atmosphere. The temporal and spatial scales of changing Earth’s climate result in aberrations of our natural cycles of monsoon, vagaries in the natural disasters, increased temperatures both on surface and oceans, loss of soil moisture, decrease in the extent of snow/glaciers, changes in plant productivity, etc., cumulatively inflicting irrecoverable changes to our climate. Realising the importance of temporal and spatial scales in earth system processes - ISRO-Geosphere and Biospheric Programme (ISRO-GBP) during the 11th FYP focused its objectives mainly on large-scale issues that contribute to the overall understanding of the science aspects of changing climate. ISRO-GBP, with multi-institutional participation, has been pursuing studies in well organised eight specific large scale projects: (i) Aerosol Radiative Forcing over India ARFI involves continuous measurements of aerosols using ARFI network (ARFINET) which has grown to a chain of more than 30 stations. ARFINET, which has data compiled up to 2009 is being stored in a common format that could be effectively used by scientific community for various R&D purposes.Aerosol Radiative Forcing experiments covers the projects related to Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (ICARB) and Regional Aerosol Warming Experiment (RAWEX). Under ICARB, multi-platform field campaigns, involving synchronous measurements of several aerosol parameters from the network, onboard ship and aircraft, balloons and satellites have been conducted. RAWEX is being carried out to assess the impact of regional warming by elevated absorbing aerosols in regional atmospheric warming, monsoon system, weather and climate. (ii) Atmospheric Trace Gases, Chemistry & Transport over India Some of important observations from the research are from the high altitude balloon experiment, revealing the concentrations of CFCs and N2O and their significant role towards depleting the ozone concentrations in the stratosphere. (iii) Atmospheric Dust, Chemistry & Transport Modeling over India Atmospheric Dust Chemistry and Transport Modelling program under IGBP has been working on the Organic Carbon and Element Carbon (Black Carbon) emissions in the various cities in India and their contribution to radiative forcing of the atmosphere. It is understood that secondary aerosols act as a hygroscopic cloud condensation nuclei and has cooling effect. The study on rainwater chemistry in the north-western India has revealed on neutralisation of rains over India and making it non-acidic. (iv) Atmospheric Boundary Layer Network & Characterization Initial observations of atmospheric boundary layer studies over Bay of Bengal region detecting the variable convective processes having significance in modulating regional weather and climate (v) Energy & Mass Exchange in Vegetative Systems A Network of about 20 Agro-Met Stations (AMS) have been established across the country and the datasets are being collected and stored on MOSDAC server. The quality of Primary Data and Intermediate products are being evaluated. Integrated science plan for canopy characterisation through in-situ measurements on phenology, LAI, soil moisture, photosynthesis, biomass etc. are being carried out as part of the research activity. (vi) Land use & Land cover Impact on Human Dimension in River Basins The objective of this program is in setting up and calibration of basin scale model for different river basins under Land use and Land cover scenario and prediction of future scenarios using specific modelling exercise. Remote sensing based information is being compiled at large scale for the country and predictive modelling methods are initiated as part of research. (vii) National Carbon Projects National Carbon Project in terms of soil carbon pool assessment (SCP), vegetation carbon pool assessment (VCP) and soil and vegetation fluxes (SVF) using Flux towers measurements, observations from space and other collateral data and ground measurements are being carried out. The NPP modelling from flux tower to national scale with biosphere model is being done to identify changes in phytomass. The future plans of NCP is to cover multi-constraint modelling, satellite derived top-down (atmospheric CO2) and bottom-up (Remote Sensing-based inventory approach and inclusion of atmospheric transport) approaches. (viii) Quantitative Multi-Proxy Paleomonsoon Reconstruction Quantitative Multi-Proxy Paleomonsoon Reconstruction (QMPRC) programme attempts to reconstruct the SW and NE monsoon precipitation over different regions of India quantitatively using tree rings and speleothems, spanning last 20,000 years and check for the consistency with other proxies. While the methodologies have been established, there is a need for oxygen isotopic and Mg/Ca analysis of a large number of samples to be done as part of the research. ISRO GBP: Highlights of a few outcomes and Ground observation networks

Wastelands Monitoring: At the behest of Department of Land Resources (DoLR) of Ministry of Rural Development, identification and inventorying of wastelands at National level, using satellite data on 1:50,000 scale, was initiated in 1986 and completed in 2000 under 5 different phases. Consequent to the request from the Ministry, updation of these databases was initiated in 2003 with the use of one-time satellite data. However, in 2006-07, monitoring of the wasteland areas was taken up using three season data of 2005-06. It is estimated that 47.23 M ha of lands (14.91 percent of total geographical area) are wastelands. The land with dense scrub with 9.3 M ha and land with open scrub (9.16 M ha), and under-utilised /degraded forest-scrub dominated (8.58 M ha) are some important categories. Further, wasteland monitoring has been initiated for 2008-09 with the analysis of satellite data. The work is progressing well for the entire country and is expected to be completed by March 2011.

Biodiversity Characterisation: Biodiversity characterisation at landscape level was initiated by DOS jointly with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in 4 main biodiversity-rich regions of the country - (a) Northeastern region (b) Western Himalayas (c) Western Ghats and (d) Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Under Phase III, parts of Deccan Peninsula, Gangetic Plains, North-west India, Lakshadweep and Himalayan cold deserts were covered which contained5296 sample plots. The Phase III of the Project, covereing 1,66,688 sq.km has been completed and assessment shows that the biodiversity categories of High (18.33%); Medium (52.77%) and Low (28.90%) respectively. The study has also recorded species which are under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories like endemic, rare, threatened, endangered, vulnerable while economic and medicinally important species are recorded after detailed assessment from published literature and experts knowledge.

Space based Information System for Decentralised Planning (SIS-DP): A unique project to prepare district resource atlases using remote sensing and GIS techniques to strengthen various aspects of decentralised district level planning through a coordinated approach has been taken up at the instance of Planning Commission. The salient aspects of the project includes generation of natural resources database at 1:10,000 scale with Village Cadastral overlay; linking state line department database; developing ICT enabled geospatial platform; engaging local bodies for planning and carrying out area developmental activities in a decentralised, speedy and transparent manner. The sub-components of the project include creation of satellite database, thematic layers such as, infrastructure, slope, settlements and digital village cadastral maps for overlay on thematic maps / satellite data. In the prioritised component of the project, five states have been selected for end-to-end solution. However, the thematic layer preparation has been taken up for all the remaining states. SIS-DP is being executed through state governments with respective State Remote Sensing Application Centers (SRSAC) as nodal centres. ISRO is providing technological solutions, methodology/approach, strengthening the SRSACs and building capacities for effective utilisation.

High Resolution IRS image with Cadastral overlay for Panchayat Level Planning

The thematic mapping manual has been prepared and satellite data preparation has been initiated for 5 states. State level workshops were conducted for 5 priority states, besides a National level workshop. For the smooth execution of the project, State Project Implementation Committee has been formed for 4 states and MoU is signed for 18 states for database creation.

National Urban Information System: ISRO/DOS is participating in realising National Urban Information System (NUIS) of Ministry of Urban Development. NUIS enables creation of Urban Spatial Information System to meet the preparation of Development Plans, Transportation Plans, Urban Site Suitability Analysis and Urban Environmental Planning. Under Phase-I of the project, 158 cities and towns (Class-I to Class VI) representing all States and UTs in the country have been selected. ISRO/DOS shares the responsibility of providing IRS satellite data and aerial photographs as well as preparation of thematic maps at 1:10,000 scale. Till date, the thematic mapping for 86 towns covering an area of 20,700 sq. kms have been completed and the database of all towns would be ready by July, 2011. With respect to aerial photography, during the year, flying task has been completed for 7 towns and the data were delivered, thus reaching to a cumulative figure of 102 towns covering about 80% of the requirement. Balance 31 towns are planned to be completed shortly.

Large scale topographic mapping using Cartosat-1 data: A pilot project for large scale topographic mapping on 1:10,000 scale was taken up to prove the potential of Cartosat-1 data for large scale mapping. Jagatsingpur district in Orissa state was chosen for the study. As envisaged, a large scale topographic map has been generated with interplaced contour interval of 5m. Various tasks involved in the project include aero-triangulation of 10 scenes of Cartosat-1 with 18 GCPs, extraction of DEM with 4m vertical accuracy and vector capture of 56 layers using ortho images. A total of 180 maps have been produced in geo database format.

GCPL Phase-2: The project has been taken up to address the gaps in ground control points that are not covered in earlier phases. This consists of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (50 points- completed), Jammu and Kashmir (42 points out of 70 completed), Lakshadweep islands (32 points out of 40 completed), East and West Coast (210 points out of 640 were completed) and North Eastern region (120 points), which were covered during the year. The project is planned to be completed by the first quarter of 2011.

Elimination of base station operations through Precise Point Positioning (PPP) techniques has yielded significant cost and time savings. Under the project, the zero order points were revisited to compute plate movements and the GCPL reference frame was converted to International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) 2005 which is the current global standard.

CartoDEM: To achieve one of the mission goals of the Cartosat-1 satellite, the project on CartoDEM has been taken up for generation of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with a posting interval of 1/3 arc-sec (~ 10m) and corresponding ortho-image for the entire country, essentially to facilitate the large scale mapping and terrain modeling applications. Development of CartoDEM has been completed and the corresponding ortho-images have been generated for most parts of Indian mainland (~80% of entire India). With the availability of GCPs for the gap areas in the near future (Indian Coast, J&K and Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Lakshwadweep islands), DEM generation will be taken up for rest of the country.

Cal/Val Activities: Cal/Val activities for Oceansat-2 OCM sensor was taken up using Kavaratti Cal/Val site. A vicarious calibration of OCM data was done using in-situ measurements and radiative transfer modeling. Optical buoy has successfully completed is continuous deployment and operation on Cal-Val site at Kavaratti after Oceansat-2 launch. Cal/Val for Megha Tropiques and SARAL Altika are also taken up. Kavaratti CAL-VAL site data is now being provided daily to INCOIS, Ministry of Earth Sciences on an operational basis.

Natural Resources Data Base (NRDB): Natural Resources Database (NRDB) project has successfully established Geospatial data infrastructure with central node and 7 regional nodes which are populated with a large volume of thematic layers. This repository is operational and provides necessary services to meet the needs of different user community.

Bhuvan: Bhuvan, a web portal for virtual earth visualisation system, was been launched by ISRO during August 2009 for the nation. It brings to the fore, distinctiveness of Indian imaging capabilities in multi-sensor, multi-platform and multi-temporal by way of easy access to information on basic natural resources in the geospatial domain. Bhuvan showcases IRS satellite imagery on 3D globe. Version 2.0 of Bhuvan was released and is being accessed by large number of users. The major highlights of the activities accomplished under Bhuvan 2.0 includes (i) Global AWiFS data and LISS IV Mx for India, (ii) Integration of LULC- 5th Cycle, NADAMS-2009 , Wasteland-2005-06 vector Datasets (iii) Integration of following modules - Data Sharing, Community GIS, Information Modules, (iv) Integration of Rediff maps with Bhuvan to have a live information, (v) Development and Deployment of Bhuvan 2D using Opensource GeoSpatial Solutions, (vi) Bhuvan Hindi version towards Multi-Lingual usage, (vii) Robust Bhuvan Plug-in with more stability and functionality and (viii) Augmentation of H/W and S/W.

Capacity Building: The technical support and training for various Central/State line departments, academic institutions, R&D institutions towards better utilisation of space inputs and geospatial technologies is being carried out regularly. Also, as a part of human resources development, special training programs/workshops as well as setting up/ augmentation of computing infrastructure/ facilities at various academic institutions in many states across the country has been carried out. Under the EDUSAT based Distance Learning Program on RS, GIS and GPS, the fifth EDUSAT Distance Learning program on “Basics of RS, GIS and GPS” commenced on October.4, 2010 for 50 universities across India with the participation of more than 2000 students.

Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program: Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP) of Government of India has the mandate of speeding up implementation of on-going irrigation/multi-purpose projects. All the 143 irrigation projects across India using Cartosat-1 data to assess irrigation potential created by these projects have been taken up on behalf of Ministry of Water Resources. Under Phase I, assessment of irrigation potential creation in 53 AIBPs have been completed during 2007-09. The study revealed that the balance Irrigation Potential yet to be created in ongoing projects is 3.27 Mha. The comparison of field reported area of Irrigation Potential created in 50 projects using CARTOSAT data indicated an excess reporting of 0.65 M.ha (by 25%). Under Phase II, AIBP has been initiated in additional 50 projects with an irrigation potential of 0.85 Mha across 14 States.

Natural Resources Census: The Natural Resources Census (NRC) project aims at the generation of a set of thematic maps through systematic inventory and mapping using Resourcesat data and creation of a GIS database of the same for the whole country. The project uses IRS images (55m, 23m and 5.8m) to prepare natural resources information layers, viz., land use/land cover, soil, land degradation, wetlands, vegetation, snow and glaciers, geomorphology at 1:50,000 scale, as well as land use/land cover in zonation at 1:250,000 scale, for periodically monitoring of the natural resources.

National Level land use/ land cover maps at 1:250,000 scale for the years 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 have been completed using multi-temporal IRS AWiFS datasets and the same are hosted on web portal of NRSC as ‘Bhoosampada’. Land use/ land cover mapping for the year 2009-10 (6th cycle) is in progress. Assessment in the fifth cycle (2008-09) shows the Net Sown Area (NSA) as 144.99 Mha, an increase by 5.27 Mha when compared to fourth cycle (2007-08). NSA has increased in A.P, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and U.P and reduced in Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra.

The first cycle of the nation-wide land use/ land cover mapping at 1:50,000 scale has been completed for entire country (except for parts of Jammu & Kashmir). Spatial database organisation and generation of seamless database at state level and aggregated at country level has been organised. A draft Atlas has been also prepared showing maps and statistics at state and district level.

Land degradation mapping at national level on 1:50,000 scale has been completed for the entire country. Harmonisation of land degradation maps with Land Use / Land cover and wasteland categories was done to maintain homogeneity among corresponding classes in all the three layers. The geo-database generation for the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Jharkhand, Orissa, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram has also been completed.

Nationwide geomorphological and lineament mapping at 1:50,000 scale has been initiated jointly with Geological Survey of India. A genetic algorithim based classification system is being adopted with about 360 landform units classified under 8 genetic classes. Manual and customised software have been developed and the mapping activity for about 60% of the country has already been initiated.

The task has been completed and digital database has been prepared for the entire country. Total wetland area has been estimated to be 15.25 Mha (~4.64% of TGA). Wetland Atlas of North-Eastern region has also been released on Feb 2, 2011 (World Wetland Day) by Secretary, North Eastern Council, Shillong.

Snow and Glacier Studies: Snow and Glacier studies have been taken up for the entire Indian Himalayan region at the behest of MOEF. The studies include inventory of glaciers at 1:50,000 scale, snow cover monitoring at 10 days interval, monitoring of around 2,500 glaciers for retreat/ advance and mass balance for glaciers of selected Himalayan basins. Development of Snow and Glacier Information System has also been initiated with the databases already generated under these studies.

Retreat of Milam Glacier (Goriganga basin) during 1990 to 2005

Disaster Management Support (DMS) Programme The Disaster Management Support (DMS) Programme of ISRO, provides products and services emanating from the space systems (INSAT and IRS satellites) and airborne systems, on a reliable and timely basis, to support disaster management in the country. These include monitoring of major natural disasters using satellite and aerial data; creation of digital database for facilitating hazard zonation, damage assessment, etc., development of appropriate techniques and tools for decision support, establishing satellite based reliable communication network, deployment of emergency communication equipments and R&D towards early disaster warning. Floods: The DMS-Decision Support Centre (DMS-DSC), set up at NRSC, has monitored and mapped major flood events that occurred in nine states (Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu). Over 275 flood maps were prepared and information was provided to the concerned for relief measures. At the request of Ganga Flood Control Commission (GFCC), river configuration mapping was carried out for Kosi River using satellite data for the past 15 years (1994 to 2008). Aerial survey was taken up during the Gandak River embankment breach near Semaria in North Bihar’s Gopalganj district on September 16, 2010. From the aerial imageries, the flood affected area is estimated to be about 1680 ha and the length of the breach was measured as 115 m. A cloudburst over LEH (J&K) on August 6, 2010 led to flash floods and mud slides, causing extensive damage to lives and properties. The affected area was analysed using RISAT-2 data of August 07, 2010 and CARTOSAT-1 data of July 16, 2010. The information derived from these images was provided to the concerned authorities. A Flood Forecast Model was developed for Godavari basin using space based inputs and geo-spatial database such as landuse/ land cover, digital elevation model, soil texture and non-spatial inputs such as hydro-meteorological data and gauge discharge curves. The model was calibrated and validated and installed at CWC, Hyderabad. Leh, as seen by Cartosat-1 Drought: The prevalence and severity of agricultural drought in 13 states in the country is assessed at district and sub-district level on a monthly basis, using satellite data and ground information, during the kharif season. A new product indicating crop sown area/Area Favourable for Crop Sowing (AFCS), has been derived from Shortwave Angle Slope Index (SASI) images and incorporated in the drought assessments. AFCS reflects the agricultural area with significant surface wetness and hence favourable for crop sowing activity. AFCS is a direct indicator of early-season agricultural situation. Forest Fire: Active forest fires in the Indian region were monitored and information was uploaded to Indian Forest Fire Response and Assessment System (INFFRAS) website. The services were strengthened in terms of high temporal coverage of 4 passes a day, semi-automated dissemination system of fire information, rapid damage assessment in terms of burnt area and providing early fire warning information towards fire management. National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM): NDEM is conceived by MHA as a GIS based repository of data to support disaster/ emergency management for the country on a near real time basis. It is envisaged to have base data, hazard-specific data, and dynamic data in spatial as well as aspatial form. Under NDEM, database organisation and Decision Support Systems (DSS) development for flood, drought, Landslides and radiological disasters are under progress. NDEM data portal ver1.0 for effective Search, Browse and Visualisation of the geospatial database and its extraction has been developed. Aerial Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) Development: The flight model of the C-band ASAR integration is completed and presently under testing. Onboard test flights are planned soon. The X-band ASAR Radio Frequency (RF) subsystems are ready for use. Near Real Time Processing (NRTP) system with 64 bit processor is ready and tested along with the C-band ASAR. The processing of the Airborne Laser Terrain Mapping (ALTM) data collected earlier over Sabari Basin (Andhra Pradesh) and Mahanadi basin (Orissa) are nearing completion. Communication Network: Towards providing emergency communication for disaster management activities, and at the behest of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), ISRO has set up a satellite based Virtual Private Network (VPN) linking the National Control Room at MHA with DMS-DSC at NRSC. Important national agencies, key Government Offices in Delhi and the Control Rooms of multi-hazard-prone States are also part of this network. Emergency Communication: INSAT Type-D terminal (two way portable voice communication terminal operating in S-band) is developed keeping its primary use for voice communication during disaster when all other communication means brake down. Out of many terminals put to use, 27 are being used by CRPF for emergency operations and 3 were used by National Disaster Management Authority during flash floods at Leh. As a continued effort to develop system with increased capacity, ISRO has initiated development of a handheld satellite phone, which would use high power SxC MSS transponder in the future. System configuration is finalised; RF and Baseband modules are under fabrication and Antenna design is in progress. Simulation for demodulator is completed and development is under progress. Distress Alert Transmitter is a low cost satellite transmitter for emergency communication of alert messages from fishing boats. At present, 800 DATs are distributed to fishermen in the first phase of implementation and field trial. Development of a small size DAT is also completed. 1000 Small size DATs will be delivered soon for deployment. The DTH based Digital Disaster Warning System (DDWS) developed by ISRO was demonstrated to various key officials after a pilot phase with 2 remote headends (warning centres) and 5 user nodes in association with Doordarshan. The network will be increased to 500 nodes in association with India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Doordarshan in the near future. International Initiatives: The DMS programme is supporting the disaster management globally, by sharing data and information for the specific events. ISRO has provided about 26 IRS imageries for 7 disasters during 2010 including Haiti Earthquake, oil spill in Mexico and floods in Venezuela and Thailand, through the International Charter ‘Space and Major Disasters’. Through the Sentinel Asia (SA) initiative, for supporting disaster management activities in the Asia-Pacific region, ISRO has responded to 5 emergency disaster requests by providing data for forest fires in Bhutan, Nepal and floods in Pakistan during 2010. IRS datasets were uploaded on to Sentinel Asia server for appraisal, study and other emergency operations and relief measures. Remote Sensing Applications Remote sensing application projects at national, regional and local levels are being carried out through NRSC, Hyderabad and its five Regional Remote Sensing Centre (RRSC) located at Bangalore, Dehradun, Jodhpur, Kharagpur, and Nagpur, as well as SAC, Ahmedabad and North-Eastern Space Application Centre (NE-SAC), Shillong. State and Central government departments, State Remote Sensing Application Centres and others are also associating in the execution of these projects. Some of the major application projects, carried out during the year, are highlighted below: Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agrometeorology and Land based observations (FASAL) is a countrywide project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation and executed by ISRO/DOS along with various State Remote Sensing Applications Centres, State Departments of Agriculture and Agricultural Universities. Under this project, crop area and production forecast for the Kharif season of 2010-11 was released on August 31, 2010 using two date SAR data. This year, the forecast was advanced by 15 days and significant reduction in rice area in West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand states have been observed. For the first time, the forecast for the Jute crop is also done using SAR data. Work on satellite derived rainfall based soil moisture estimation led to weekly monitoring of Kharif rice suitable area identification. FASALSoft package (prototype) has also been developed. FASALSoft is a distributed software & automation consisting of three major sub-systems viz. (i) Computing System (ii) Central Geo-Spatial Archival System and (iii) Online Geo-Spatial Query System apart from an administrative subsystem. Groundwater Prospects Mapping: Under Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, funded by the Department of Drinking Water Supply of the Ministry of Rural Development, preparation of ground water prospects maps at 1:50,000 scale with digital database pertaining to ground water prospecting such as lithology, geomorphology, geological structures and hydrology was taken up for entire country in phases. After successful completion of Phase I and II activities, under Phase III A & B of the project, ground water prospects mapping for ten states, viz., Andhra Pradesh (western part), Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal (6 districts) and Uttar Pradesh (14 districts) has been covered in the current year. Mapping is completed for all the states and in progress for J&K, Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Uttar Pradesh. Under Phase-IV, remaining 13 states and 5 union territories, which were not covered under earlier phases is being taken up. Similarly, the ground water quality layer for the earlier phases of the project (Phase I, II & III-A) as well as digital database and standardisation of groundwater data generated in Phase I to IV is also taken up. Water Resources Information System: A major project on “Web Enabled Water Resources Information System” (India-WRIS) in collaboration with CWC, New Delhi has been taken up. India-WRIS will provide a comprehensive, credible, and contextual view of India’s water resources data along with allied natural resources data and information. India-WRIS will allow users to search, access, visualise, analyse, look into context and study spatial patterns of water resources in the nation. India - WRIS is currently hosted on NRSC server: www.india-wris.nrsc.gov.in. The present version provides the information on spatial distribution of waterlogged and salt affected soils in major and medium irrigation commands of the country, soil sample points location and values of chemical properties (pH, EC & ESP), ground water observation wells location with pre and post monsoon water levels. It also has information on river basin boundaries along with large number of attributes like dam location, G&D sites and district wise distribution of minor irrigation schemes. Functional tools for data visualisation, charting, search, query, contextual analysis, personalisation, geo-tagging are also developed.

Satellite News Gathering and Dissemination
Satellite News Gathering using INSAT system enables on the spot real-time news coverage and important events at different locations for transmission to a Central Station at Delhi or to State Capitals for rebroadcast over respective DD channels. Prasar Bharati has 13 C-band and
18 Ku-band Digital Outdoor-Broadcast DSNG terminals operating through INSAT, IS-10 (INTELSAT) and IS-906 (INTELSAT) network. 15 more DSNGs in C-Band are proposed to be introduced in the network by DD.

Eight transportable uplink terminals (DSNG) are being utilised by AIR for coverage of events taking place at remote locations and for relay of programmes directly from the spot via INSAT. These terminals are capable of uplinking CD quality music channel from any remote location.

Radio Networking
Radio Networking (RN) through INSAT provides a reliable high-fidelity programme channels for national as well as regional networking. At present, 235 All India Radio (AIR) stations have been equipped with S-band receive terminals out of which around 200 AIR stations have been equipped to receive C-band Analogue and Digital RN carriers also and rest of the stations are going to be equipped with digital C-band RN Terminals by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan.

A total of 85 RN channels are being up-linked at present. For this, AIR is utilising one S-band transponder (S2) and one C-band transponder of INSAT-3C. A total of 90 carriers in CxC band are being envisaged for up-linking by utilising one full transponder of INSAT-3C.

In AIR network, a total of 32 earth stations are present with facility to uplink in both CxS and CxC band frequency. The Central earth station at Broadcasting House, New Delhi, has been augmented to up-link 26 RN carriers in CxS and CxC band.

At present, AIR uplinks 21 radio channels on DTH platform in Ku-band with TV carriers from Todapur, New Delhi on INSAT-4B. Efforts are underway to augment this to 30 channels, and efforts are also being made to uplink 6 radio channels on DTH C-Band to cover Andaman Nicobar areas.

Telecommunications
A total of 883 Earth stations and 1,37,618 VSATs telecommunication terminals of various sizes and capabilities are operating in INSAT telecommunications network providing 9709 two-way speech circuits and providing transmission backhaul point to point connectivities. These include 101 BSNL, 231 Earth stations +435 VSATs for government users and 551 Earth stations +1,32,137 VSATs Closed User Group(CUG)/Commercial VSAT operators earth stations. 46 Multi Channel per Carrier (MCPC) VSATs and 5000 Ku band VSATs under HVNET are working with BSNL. A total of 1,37,618 CUG VSATs are operating through INSAT.

Captive satellite-based networks for National Stock Exchange, Bombay Stock Exchange, National Thermal Power Corporation, Gas Authority of India Ltd., Nuclear Power Corporation, Oil and Natural Gas Commission, National Fertilizers Limited, Coal India Limited, DPNET, ERNET, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited, ITI, GNFC, BPCL, Indian Railway Project Management Unit and ICAR, West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd, IOCL, Khazane Net are operational. A number of captive private networks are also working with INSAT. More organisations are in the process of implementing their own captive networks using INSAT.

Mobile Satellite Services
S-band Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) payloads are supported on INSAT-3C and GSAT-2. The following two classes of services were provided using MSS:

INSAT Type-D Service
A small portable satellite terminal that works with INSAT for voice/data communication has been developed with the participation of Indian industries. The terminal is useful for voice communication, especially during disasters when other means of communication break down. It can be used from any location in India for emergency communication. Transmit and receive frequencies of the terminal are in S-band. This service is mainly used by government users.

The portable terminal connects to the EPABX at central hub station through satellite channel and hence could be considered as an extension of EPABX and call could be made between local phones through EPABX. Calls could also be made between the portable terminals.

INSAT Type-C Service (Reporting system)
This consists of low bit rate one-way reporting service using shared channels with hand-held terminals. Short messages from this terminals are relayed through the satellite to the hub and are automatically forwarded to the respective user headquarters via Fax or data links. There is a provision to attach a GPS receiver to the reporting terminal for position information.

Meteorology
The meteorological data of INSAT system is processed and disseminated by INSAT Meteorological Data Processing System (IMDPS) of India Meteorological Department (IMD). The products derived from the satellite data include: Cloud motion vectors, Water Vapour, sea surface temperature, long-wave radiation, quantitative precipitation estimates, Upper tropospheric Humidity and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index. Cloud images in the Visible, Infra-red and Water Vapour Channel are obtained from the satellites. The products are used for weather forecasting, both synoptic and numerical weather prediction.

INSAT-VHRR imageries are used by Doordarshan during news coverage and by newspapers as part of weather reporting. At present, repetitive and synoptic weather system observations over Indian Ocean from geostationary orbit are available only from INSAT system. INSAT VHRR data is available in near real-time at 40 Digital Meteorological Data Dissemination (DMDD) stations in various parts of the country as well as in neighboring countries Nepal, Maldives and Srilanka.

With the commissioning of direct satellite service for processed VHRR data, DMDD type of data can be provided at any location in the country.
IMD has installed 522 meteorological Data Collection Platforms (DCPs) and other agencies have installed about 1000 DCPs all over the country.

IMD has also installed 356 Automatic Rain Gauge (ARG) Stations. DCP and ARG services are operational by using the Data Relay Transponders (DRT) of Kalpana-1 and INSAT-3A. ISRO has indigenously developed a low cost automatic weather station for deployment in the country in large numbers.

For quick dissemination of warnings against impending disaster from approaching cyclones, specially designed receivers have been installed at the vulnerable coastal areas in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal and Gujarat for direct transmission of warnings to the officials and public in general using broadcast capability of INSAT. IMD’s Area Cyclone Warning Centres generate special warning bulletins and transmit them every hour in local languages to the affected areas. 352 such receiver stations have been installed by IMD. Out of these 100 are Digital CWDS (DCWDS) based on advanced technology. Efforts are on to replace the network of CWDS/DCWDS by ISRO developed DTH modified type CWDS.

Satellite Aided Search and Rescue (SAS&R)
India is a member of the international COSPAS-SARSAT programme for providing distress alert and position location service through LEOSAR (Low Earth Orbit Search And Rescue) satellite system. Under this programme, India has established two Local User Terminals (LUTs), one at Bangalore and the other at Lucknow. The Indian Mission Control Centre (INMCC) is located at ISTRAC, Bangalore.

INSAT-3A, located at 93.5 deg East, is equipped with 406 MHz Search and Rescue payload that picks up and relays alert signals originating from the distress beacons of maritime, aviation and land users. INSAT and GOES systems have become an integral part of the COSPAS-SARSAT system and they complement the LEOSAR system.

Indian LUTs provide coverage to a large part of Indian Ocean region rendering distress alert services to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. The operations of INMCC/LUT are funded by the participating agencies, namely, Coast Guard, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Directorate General of Shipping and Services.

INSAT GEOSAR Local User Terminal (GEO LUT) is established at ISTRAC, Bangalore and integrated with INMCC. The distress alert messages concerning the Indian service area, detected at INMCC, are passed on to Indian Coast Guard and Rescue Coordination Centres at Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai. The search and rescue activities are carried out by Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force. INMCC is linked to the RCCs and other International MCCs through Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN). The Indian LUTs and MCC provide service round the clock and maintain the database of all 406 MHz registered beacons equipped on Indian ships and aircraft.

Development of indigenous search and rescue beacons has been completed, and is now in certification phase. Shortly it will be released to the Indian fishermen community.

During the year 2010, INMCC provided search and rescue support to 4 distress incidents through INSAT GEOSAR system and contributed in saving 12 lives (within INSAT coverage).

During 2010, about 4485 new radio beacons have been added in Indian database that shows rapid growth of the users in India (3459 on ships/boats, 846 on aircraft, 180 Personal). Till date, there are about 550 registered user agencies (Maritime & Aviation) in India with more than 9801 radio beacons in use.

Migration from LEOSAR and GEOSAR to MEOSAR system has been undertaken. Design of an upcoming MEOSAR system is ready and will be implemented in 2 years.

Standard Time and Frequency Signal Dissemination Services
A Standard Time and Frequency Signal Dissemination Service using a Radio Networking (RN) carrier on INSAT-3C is being operated by the National Physical Laboratory. This service is available round-the-clock in a broadcast mode at a downlink frequency in S-band and is receivable on a set up consisting of a 2.4 m diameter antenna, a front-end converter, an FM demodulator and a microprocessor controlled signal decoder. The service consists of a train of 5 KHz bursts signal, which is frequency modulated on the carrier. The time has a precision of better than one microsecond and accuracy of better than 20 microseconds.

GPS AIDED GEO AUGMENTED NAVIGATION (GAGAN)
The Indian Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) called GAGAN has entered into the implementation of Final Operational Phase (FOP) since July 2009 and is planned to be ready for operations and certification by June 2013.

The GAGAN-FOP would have a total of 15 INRES, 3 INLUS, 2 INMCC, 2 DCN and 3 GEO satellites configuration. Currently, the major ground equipments are at various stages of installation, site acceptance and integration. One of the major elements in ensuring the APV-1.0/1.5 performance for GAGAN is the selection of ionosphere model (IGM-MLDF), which has been developed by ISAC and is currently under implementation in the operational system.

The next major milestone in GAGAN is the conduct of PSAT (Preliminary System Acceptance Testing) which has been successfully completed in Dec 2010. The first GAGAN navigation payload is slated on GSAT-8 scheduled in the second quarter of 2011. The second GAGAN payload is scheduled to be launched on GSAT-10 in the first quarter of 2012. The third GAGAN payload is planned on another GEO satellite.

INDIAN REGIONAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (IRNSS)
IRNSS constellation consists of seven satellites. Three satellites will be placed in Geostationary orbit (GEO) at 34°E, 83°E & 131.5°E and two satellites each will be placed in the Geosynchronous orbit (GSO) with equatorial crossing at 55°E and 111.5°E with an inclination of 29° to the equator. Two spare satellites are also planned. IRNSS provides two services – a Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for common civilian users and a Restricted Service (RS) for special authorised users on L5 and S bands.

Navigation Payload configuration is frozen and Preliminary Design Review (PDR) has been completed. The EVM model is being integrated and tested. The proto flight model and flight model subsystems are under realisation. The EM and PFM models of Rb Atomic Frequency Standards and Atomic Clock Monitoring Units have been delivered. IRNSS Signal and Data structure has been prepared after extensive study and review by groups at the work centers and reviewed.

The civil construction work for the Navigation Control Centre at Bangalore and the Satellite Control Facility at Hassan is in progress. The associated Servers, Data Archival systems, Communication units, Work terminals have been procured and are under installation. Multipath and Noise Survey has been completed at most of the Reference Stations. The TT&C stations and CDMA ranging stations are being established at the designated places.

The satellites of the constellation are configured identically, with each spacecraft weighing 1380 kg. Fabrication of six structural cylinders is completed. Efforts are on to productionise the standard subsystems. The spacecraft is basically configured with I-1K Bus to be compatible with launch onboard PSLV.

The navigation software for IRNSS is being indigenously developed at ISRO Satellite Centre. As a part of this activity, many analysis modules have been developed and used in various studies like Coverage Studies, Error Analysis, Uplinking scheme for Navigation Parameters, CDMA Ranging Analysis, etc. The realisation of the Payload Engineering Model is progressing satisfactorily.

The breadboard model of user receiver is being realised. Efforts are on to develop the IRNSS Signal Simulator to be used for testing of IRNSS receivers. ISRO is collaborating with NPL to realise space qualified Rb Atomic Frequency Standard.

Space Applications

INSAT Applications Tele-Education Programme The objectives of the tele-education programme are to supplement the curriculum-based teaching, imparting effective teachers training, providing access to quality resource persons and new technologies, thus finally resulting in taking education to every nook and corner of India. ‘Edusat’, the India’s first thematic satellite dedicated exclusively for educational services, was used extensively to cater to a wide range of interactive educational delivery modes like one-way TV broadcast, video interactive, multimedia based instructions, etc. Edusat provided connectivity to schools, colleges, universities and other institutions of higher education and also supported non-formal education including development communication. Tele-education Programme has been implemented in three phases, pilot, semi-operational and operational phases. Pilot projects were conducted during 2004 in Karnataka, Maharashtra and MP with 300 terminals. The experiences of pilot projects were adopted in semi-operational and operational phases. During semi-operational phase, 23 states, 3 UTs and major national agencies are covered under Edusat programme. The networks are being expanded under operational phase with the partnership of state governments and other user agencies. The networks implemented under Tele-education programme comprise of two types of terminals, namely, Satellite Interactive Terminals (SITs) and Receive Only Terminals (ROTs). So far, a total of 74 networks have been implemented connecting to about 55,000 schools and colleges (4050 + SITs and 51,000 ROTs) covering 23 States and 3 Union Territories of the country. About 15 million students are getting benefited through the tele-education programme every year. ISRO has also set up networks for users with special requirements like: a. Blind People’s Association (BPA) – for Visually challenged b. Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), Father Felix Institute, C-DAC– for Mentally challenged c. National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) – for Network of museums d. IIT-Bombay Network – for Higher Technical Education Technical Support and Training Centre (TSTC) are established to provide technical support on continuous basis to all the Remote Sites, Hubs and Teaching-Ends of the state networks in the North East Region. Edusat, which was an exclusive satellite for Tele-education through applications of space technology, has successfully fulfilled its mission objectives. Further, tele-education services are being continued on other INSAT/GSAT satellites. Elements of an Edusat interactive class teaching end On-going Educational TV Services INSAT is being used to provide Educational TV (ETV) service for primary school children in Tamil, Marathi, Oriya, Telugu and Hindi. A general enrichment programme on higher education (college sector) is telecast on the national network. These programmes, provided by the University Grants Commission (UGC), are a part of its countrywide classroom programme. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) broadcasts half an hour curriculum based lectures daily through national network for the students. Training and Development Communication Channel (TDCC) A total of 8 Ext. C-band channels are operational for Training and Development Communication Channel (TDCC), a service that has been operational since 1995. It provides 1-way video and 2-way audio system of interactive education. The teaching-end includes a studio and an uplink facility for transmitting live or pre-recorded lectures. The participants at the classrooms located nationwide receive lectures through simple dish antennas (DRS) and have facility to interact with lecturers using telephone lines. Several state governments and universities are using the TDCC system extensively for Distance Education, Rural Development, Women and Child Development, Panchayat Raj, Health, Agriculture, Forestry, etc. The teaching-ends are now available at Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka and Goa. The DRS network consists of more than 5000 classrooms spread over the country. Under TDCC project, during 2009-10, a total of 883 Interactive Training Programmes (ITPs) were conducted with an average utilisation of about 23-26 days a month. Similarly, From April to October 2010, a total of 470 ITPs have been conducted. On an average, around 70-75 ITPs per month were conducted by around 39 departments of the various States. Telemedicine Telemedicine is one of the unique applications of Space Technology for societal benefit. Telemedicine programme, which started in 2001, has been connecting remote/rural/medical college hospitals and Mobile Units through INSAT satellites to major speciality hospitals in cities and towns. Telemedicine network covers various regions including Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshdweep Islands, North Eastern States, mainland states including tribal districts of mainland states like Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. Presently, the telemedicine network of ISRO has covered about 382 hospitals with 60 specialty hospitals connecting to 306 remote/rural/district/medical college hospitals and 16 Mobile Telemedicine units. The Mobile Telemedicine units cover diverse areas of medicine like Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Radiology, Diabetology, Mammography, general medicine, women and child health. A patient being treated through a Mobile Telemedicine Facility While DOS/ISRO provides Telemedicine systems software, hardware and communication equipment as well as satellite bandwidth, the state governments and the speciality hospitals have to allocate funds for their part of infrastructure, manpower and facility support. In this regard, technology development, standards and cost effective systems have been evolved in association with various state governments, NGOs, specialty hospitals and industry. DOS/ISRO interacts with state governments and specialty hospitals for bringing an understanding between the parties through MOU. Under ISRO Village Resource Centre Programme, limited Telemedicine services are provided at the village level at several VRCs during the year. These VRCs will cater to providing various aspects of health promotion and disease prevention. During the year, ISRO has upgraded the network technology with the state-of-the-art systems to create a single platform for providing greater flexibility in terms of connectivity. Actions are also initiated to understand the performances at various levels of operations under Telemedicine Programme. Television INSAT has been a major catalyst for the expansion of television coverage in India. Satellite television now covers 100% area and 100% population. Terrestrial coverage is over 65 percent of the Indian landmass and over 90 percent of the population. At present 40 Doordarshan TV channels, including news uplinks are operating through C-band transponders onboard INSAT as well as leased ones. All of the Satellite TV channels are digitalised. The following satellite television services are being operated by Doordarshan: DD National (networking service) (DD-1), DD News (DD-2), DD-Sports, DD-Urdu, DD-India and DD-Bharati Regional services in States of Kerala, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, UP, Assam, Maharashtra, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura, Odysha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Mizoram, Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh As on date, 1416 transmitters of Doordarshan are working in INSAT system out of which 1134 transmitters [131 High Power Transmitters (HPT), 725 Low Power Transmitters (LPT), 260 Very Low Power Transmitters (VLPT) and 18 Transposers] are working in the DD-1 network and 169 TV Transmitters (73 HPTs, 79 LPTs and 17 VLPTs) are working in the DD-News network. 108 Regional service transmitters (6 HPTs, 8 LPTS and 94 VLPTs), 4 HPTs with digital transmissions are also operational in the Doordarshan Network. Out of these, four transmitters, one located at Delhi is carrying 16 mobile TV services for experimental purpose. 56 DD and Private TV channels are operational through DTH service (“DD Direct+”). INSAT provides bandwidth for DTH broadcasting service over Indian region. INSAT-4 series have high power Ku-band transponders to support DTH service with 60/90 cm dish of TVRO at receive side, all over India. TATA-SKY operates DTH service through INSAT-4A at 83 deg East with a total number of 150 video channels. Bharti Air Tel is operating on INSAT-4CR.Doordarshan (DD-DIRECT) operates DTH service through INSAT-4B at 93.5 deg East with a total number of 48 channels which are free to air. Other private DTH service providers are also using INSAT/GSAT platforms. In all, around 30 million of TVROs are distributed and operational all over India by various service providers including DD DIRECT. DD Direct TVRO’s number is in excess of 10 million.