..

providing high-quality remote sensing data,

indigenous capacity and application services to facilitate
enhanced utilisation of Remote Sensing in resource
management and disaster mitigation...

Thirty-second Annual Report

National Remote Sensing Agency

Department of Space, Government of India

The Society of NRSA 2005-2006

Composition

Members

President
Minister of State in the Prime
Ministers Office

Shri Prithviraj Chavan

Minister of State (MoS), Prime Ministers
Office (PMO)

Vice-President
Secretary to Government of India
(GOI), Department of Space (DOS)

Shri G. Madhavan Nair

Members
Secretary to GOI, Dept. of Science
and Technology (DST)

Dr. T. Ramasami

Secretary to GOI, Ministry of Defence

(MoD)

Shri Shekhar Dutt

Three Eminent Scientists

Prof. Y.V. Venkatesh

Retd. Dean, Engineering Facility
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore

(IISc),

Prof. Damodar Acharya

Chairman, All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE), New Delhi
Shri K. Kiran Karnik
President, National Association of
Software
and
Service
Companies
(NASSCOM), New Delhi
Additional Secretary and Internal
Financial Advisor, DOS
Member (Finance), Space
Commission and Ex-officio Secretary
to GOI, DOS

Ms. Veena Sreeram Rao

Shri S.K. Das

Director, Earth Observation System

(EOS), DOS

Dr. V. Jayaraman

Director, National Remote Sensing

Agency (NRSA)

Dr. K.Radhakrishnan

The Governing Body of NRSA 2005-2006

Composition

Members

Chairman
Secretary to Govt. of India (GOI),
Dept. of Space (DOS)

Shri G. Madhavan Nair

Members
Secretary to GOI, Dept. of Science
and Technology (DST)

Dr. T. Ramasami

Secretary to GOI, Ministry of Defence

(MoD)

Shri Shekhar Dutt

Three Eminent Scientists

Prof. Y.V. Venkatesh

Retd. Dean, Engineering Facility
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore

(IISc),

Prof. Damodar Acharya

Chairman, All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE), New Delhi
Shri K. Kiran Karnik
President, National Association of
Software
and
Service
Companies
(NASSCOM), New Delhi
Additional Secretary and Internal
Financial Advisor, DOS

Ms. Veena Sreeram Rao

Joint Secretary (Finance), DOS

Shri P. Mukherjee

Director, Earth Observations System

(EOS), DOS

Dr. V. Jayaraman
Dr. K.Radhakrishnan

Director, NRSA

Highlights 2005-2006
Technology and Operations
Reception of data from Cartosat-1; data products announced to users
4.8 m antenna, satellite reception terminal at Balanagar and Shadnagar
for disaster support
Over 19,000 data products disseminated
Data Capturing System at Svalbard; OBSSR data processing facility at
NRSA
Aerial services - mapping of towns; aeromagnetic survey over Indo
Gangetic plains; garland canal mapping in Karnataka; 3D digital
topographic databases; electrical utility network mapping; customized
municipal GIS solution
Mapping of Maldives completed successfully; primary GPS network in
WGS-84 datum established; remote sensing centre established at Male
Acquisition of ALTM-DC data for disaster management, river linking

Wasteland Atlas of India released

Resource Assessment and Monitoring

Natural Resources Repository (NRR) - Land use/land cover mapping
using AWiFS
Wasteland Atlas of India released
Web-based Wasteland Information System (WALIS) developed
Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission - Phase-II completed
Biodiversity Characterization at Landscape Level Phase II completed
Crop Acreage and Production Estimation (CAPE) for Rice and Cotton
Aeromagnetic Studies; exploring shallow gas zones
Power transmission route alignment
Identification of hazardous waste dump sites
Snowmelt runoff forecast provided
Assessment of Irrigation Potential
ISRO Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP), RISAT-JEP, etc.
Disaster Support
Decision Support Centre for Disaster Management inaugurated at NRSA
NRSA is nodal agency for National Database for Emergency
Management (NDEM)
Earthquake damage assessment
Flood monitoring and inundated area assessment
Flood hazard zonation mapping for Assam
Hazard perception from water bodies - Snowmelt in Kashmir and
Pareechu lake
Detailed tsunami damage assessment for Tamil Nadu
Andaman & Nicobar islands - one year after tsunami
Drought monitoring
Forest fire watch - INFFRAS
Monitoring fire at oil platform and Barren island volcanic activity

Cartosat-1 Team

Decision Support Centre at NRSA

Chandrayaan Workshop at NRSA

Training & Capacity Building

439 officers/scientists trained in RS, GIS and allied areas
CSSTEAP - decade completed; faculty/infrastructure support by IIRS
International Ground Stations - New station being set up at Algeria
Technology development and R&D studies on various data reception,
processing and application themes

Quiz Programme for School Children

Contents
1.

Executive Summary

01

2.

Governing Body and Society Meeting

04

3.

Satellite Data Services

04

4.

Remote Sensing Applications

09

5.

Aerial Services & Digital Mapping

18

6.

Training

20

7.

Technology Development/R&D

22

8.

Outreach Programme

22

10.

Academic Sensitization

23

12.

International Collaboration

23

13.

Library

23

14.

Finance

23

15.

General

24

Appendix: Audit Report and Annual Accounts

List of Acronyms

annual report
National Remote Sensing Agency in 2005-2006

1. Executive Summary

There were several new developments in the

data reception chain, with a focus on achieving
the goal of multi-mission capability and total
automation of antenna systems. Establishment
of Terminal-II controls at Control Room has
enabled ease of operations. X-S band feed
systems were realized and are operational at
Shadnagar. Automatic Weather Stations were
installed at Balanagar and Shadnagar campus
to measure crucial weather parameters.

The National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA)

under the Department of Space is Indias
premier organization that addresses the need
for satellite and aerial remote sensing,
mapping and monitoring of natural resources,
decision support during disasters and
environment study, all under a single umbrella
(Fig.1).
To support this diverse range of activities,
NRSA has a dedicated earth station with multimission satellite data reception capability,
aircrafts and related electronics, valuable data
archives, processing and analysis facility.
Technology outreach and capacity building is
being achieved through training and education
in remote sensing and related areas.

Towards Disaster Management Support

Programme, a 4.8 m antenna and reception
terminal was installed at Balanagar and
Shadnagar. Bandwidth of the Spacenet
network was enhanced. Direct-to-Home (DTH)
units were installed at Balanagar and
Shadnagar campus to facilitate direct reception
in Ku band.

There were several high points this year. The

major highlight was reception, processing and
operationalisation of data from Cartosat-1
satellite, which was launched on May 5th,
2005. For the first time, a real time stereo
image covering India was received.

In order to achieve efficient use of the OnBoard Solid State Recorder (OBSSR)
capability of the IRS satellites, a total facility
was established by NRSA (along with ISRO
Centres) at Svalbard in Norway. This facility
has increased the scope of catering to the data
needs of international users by improved
global coverage through Indian satellites.

Starting with a single antenna that received

Landsat data, NRSAs earth station at
Shadnagar has seen several major milestones.
Today, the earth station is a multi-mission
system with 3 antennae that cater for as many
as 9 satellites, both Indian and foreign. NRSA
has also set-up a network of ground stations
across the globe that cater for data from Indian
Remote Sensing satellites.

The Data Processing Facility supports archival,

processing,
product
generation
and
dissemination of data from IRS-1C, IRS-1D,
IRS-P3, Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4), Cartosat-1
(IRS-P5), Resourcesat-1 (IRS-P6), ERS,
NOAA and Terra/Aqua. e-IIMS, based on web

Fig.1 Role of National Remote Sensing

Satellite Data Services

Remote Sensing Applications

Developed know-how and demonstrated

Operational data
remote
sensing
reception, processing
data
utility;
and dissemination
operationalised the same for monitoring
facility for state-of-art
environment, its processes and
satellite systems in India resources in the country
Capability in setting up Vital contributions to develop a national
IRS data reception and
framework (policy, institutional, utility,
processing facilities
industry) for earth observation
around the world
Decision making support for disaster
mitigation

Aerial Services

Training & Education

A national civilian World class training

and education facility
facility for aerial
for remote sensing in
surveys
India and developing
Developed a
the critical mass of
national capability
human resource in the
for high resolution
country
digital mapping
Regional leadership in
Strong
capacity building in
international
remote sensing
presence

technology, is operational for all the satellites.

As per the Data Archival and Acquisition
Policy, historic data of all satellites in NRSAs
archives is available on digital media while
browse data is available for users on Internet
for viewing and data selection. A range of
utility software was developed to cater for
customized needs.

was done for 13 states and these inputs

helped in reaching rescue, relief and
rehabilitation to the affected. A post-disaster
assessment study was done to bring out the
damage caused by the October 2005
earthquake that stuck Northern India. Satellite
data helped in quantifying the damaged
buildings and also in assessing the changes in
the terrain. Hazard perception in downstream
areas resulting from snowmelt and landslides
was studied. Detailed damage assessment for
Tamil Nadu and vegetation recovery studies in
Andaman & Nicobar islands were done one
year after the tsunami.

Over 19,000 data products, of which IRS holds

the lions share, were disseminated to Indian
and foreign users/organizations. The demand
for high resolution and microwave data has
increased, and so has the usage of remote
sensing data in the academic sector. The first
phase Cartosat-1 data products mono and
stereo data - are available for the users.

Under the National Agricultural Drought

Assessment
and
Monitoring
System
(NADAMS), near real-time information on
agricultural conditions at district/sub-district
level is being provided for 14 states in the
country. A comprehensive Indian Forest Fire
Response
and
Assessment
System
(INFFRAS) was operationalised in order to
meet the requirements of the forest
department at pre-fire, during fire and post-fire
levels. The fire at ONGCs oil platform and the
Barren Island volcanic activity were monitored.

Over the years, NRSA has helped in enabling

a global network of International Ground
Stations (IGS) to receive and process data
from IRS series of satellites. While the existing
stations are being upgraded to cater for the
latest missions, a new ground station is being
set up at Algeria. The reception and
processing chain are being upgraded for future
missions like Cartosat-2, RISAT and
Oceansat-2.

A Geoinformatics Division was created with the

mandate of organizing, developing and
managing geospatial data at NRSA. Spatial
modeling and data analysis and development
of decision support systems is also among the
areas of focus.

Data quality evaluation and quality control

activities have been quite significant by means
of providing timely and necessary feedback to
mission and software teams to fix all issues
related to data products, and mainly for
releasing Cartosat-1 products to user
community. Quality evaluation of more than
27,000 data products was completed during
the year.

As part of the Natural Resources Repository

(NRR) activity of the National Natural
Resources Management System (NNRMS),
rapid assessment of national level land
use/land cover has been taken up on
1:250,000 scale using multi-temporal AWiFS
datasets, with an emphasis on net sown area
for different cropping seasons. This is the first
effort of its kind at national level. The digital
database generated under this project will
become a part of Natural Resource Database
(NRDB).

NRSA is one of the key members in the

national
disaster
management
support
mechanism as well a participant of the
International Charter for Space and Major
Disasters. The Decision Support Centre for
Disaster Management, which was inaugurated
in 2005 with NRSA as the node, is designed to
consolidate the efforts towards providing data
that will aid in timely action for disaster relief as
well as build up a strong base for operational
disaster management activities involving other
organizations. NRSA is also the nodal agency
for establishment of the National Database for
Emergency Management (NDEM), which
envisages generating and organizing multilevel, multi-scale geospatial data to facilitate
emergency management for the entire country.

The Wasteland Atlas of India was updated in

terms of the spatial information, identification
and delineation of new areas under
wastelands, and identification of areas where
reclamation programme was implemented.
The Wastelands Atlas of India 2005 was
released. The huge amounts of geospatial
data and output generated during this project
was organized in the web-based Wasteland
Information System (WALIS), that proposes to
make available this key information to the
planners, decision makers and other user

All the major flood events in the country during

2005 were mapped. Near-real-time flood
monitoring and inundated area assessment

groups by organizing the geospatial data in a

centralized database server, and develop a
customized user-friendly Information System.

building for maximum utilization of RISAT SAR

data from its launch.
The unique aerial remote sensing facility at
NRSA has been offering a range of valueadded services to users for over two decades,
including aerial photography and digital
mapping, infrastructure planning, scanner
surveys, aeromagnetic surveys, large scale
base map and topographic and cadastral
mapping, etc. Among the aerial survey tasks
carried out this year were mapping of towns,
aeromagnetic survey over Indo Gangetic
plains and garland canal mapping in
Karnataka. 3D digital topographic databases
were generated for 187 sq.km and 112 sq.km
of Kolkata and Visakhapatnam municipal
corporation areas respectively.

Phase-II of the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking

Water Mission was successfully completed for
10 states, demonstrating the application of
space technology for providing potable water
to the masses in the country. Phase-III
covering the remaining states is being taken
up. Second phase of the Biodiversity
Characterization Project is nearing completion
for the Eastern Ghats and Central India. A
Biodiversity Information System, which aims at
providing
a
single-window
source
of
information on bioresources of the country, is
being developed.
Crop acreage and estimation was done for
Kharif and Rabi rice and cotton. Soil resource
appraisal for Sadasivapet mandal on 1:12,500
scale helped in land use planning, resource
allocation and monitoring activities. Mineral
exploration studies including those for shallow
gas and oil were taken up to explore potential
zones. Satellite data was used in other diverse
applications like power transmission route
alignment and identification of hazardous
waste dump sites.

One of the challenging tasks completed this

year was the mapping of Maldives. Aerial
photography for entire Maldives was done on
1:40,000 scale and of 16 selected islands on
1:6000 scale. A primary GPS network in WGS84 datum extending over the entire country
was established for the first time in the
countrys history. A remote sensing centre was
established at Male and the manpower was
trained
on
remote
sensing
and
photogrammetry activities.

The annual snowmelt runoff forecast into Sutlej

basin at Bhakra reservoir was provided to the
Bhakra Beas Management Board. A satellitebased assessment of snow-fed and rainfed
catchment areas of Siang basin was done.
Ocean related studies on chlorophyll, sediment
dynamics and algal blooms were done. The
scope of high resolution satellite data was
explored for monitoring the progress of
irrigation/multi-purpose
water
resources
projects. An assessment of irrigation potential
created and/or percentage progress of works
with critical gap areas was made and a
presentation was made to the Planning
Commission on the study, which was well
appreciated.

Diversified applications of aerial remote

sensing were demonstrated for projects such
as electrical utility network mapping in West
Bengal and a customized municipal GIS
solution for Bangalore Mahanagar Palike. The
Airborne Laser Terrain Mapping Digital
Camera (ALTM-DC) system made significant
contribution to important national projects in
the areas of disaster management and river
linking.
Creating trained manpower for optimum
utilization of remote sensing technology as well
as building awareness about allied areas is
one of the key areas of focus. The Indian
Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), which has
the mandate of transfer of technology in the
field of Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics,
has completed 40 years of service to the
nation. Long and short-term training in various
application disciplines and Geoinformatics are
being imparted.

Besides these, several studies were taken up

as part of the on ISRO Geosphere Biosphere
Programme.
Under
the
RISAT
Joint
Experiment Programme (JEP), nine studies
covering the themes of agriculture, soil
moisture, geosciences, forestry, land use and
land cover, oceanography, snow cover, floods
and software development are being
addressed
with
the
participation
of
collaborators from non-DOS organizations.
The main objective of these studies is to
develop operational methodologies addressing
the needs in respective themes and capacity

This year, a total of 439 Indian and foreign

participants were trained at Indian Institute of
Remote Sensing (349) and at NRSA
Headquarters (90) at Hyderabad. As part of
HRD activities, 130 employees at various
levels were trained for both technical as well

Cartosat-1 was tracked at the Earth Station. Sband telemetry data was received. Once the
payload was switched on, the Earth Station
received data from both the fore and aft PAN
cameras. The first scene acquired was that of
Maldives. Payload calibration was done for
PAN fore camera. The first digital and photo
products were developed. For the first time, a
real time stereo image covering India was
received.

as soft skills such as management and

personality development.
The Centre for Space Science and Technology
Education in Asia and Pacific (CSSTEAP),
which is being supported by IIRS/NRSA and
other Centres of the Department of Space, has
completed a decade of its establishment this
year. So far, a total of about 170 students from
over 25 countries have been trained under the
9-month PG Course on Remote Sensing and
GIS at IIRS.

3.1.2 Data Reception

NRSAs earth station is a multi-mission system
with 3 antennae that cater for as many as 9
satellites. The ground station operations were
carried out with an efficiency of better than
98% to receive data from Indian Remote
Sensing Satellites IRS-1C, IRS-1D, IRS-P3,
IRS-P4 (Oceansat-1), IRS-P6 (Resourcesat-1),
IRS-P5 (Cartosat-1) and USAs Terra and
Aqua, with an
average of 17
Multi-mission data
satellite passes
reception
per day. ERS
IRS-1C, IRS-1D, IRS-P3,
data is being
Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4),
acquired against
Cartosat-1 (IRS-P5),
specific
user
Resourcesat-1 (IRS-P6)
request.
Data
Terra & Aqua
reception
from
NOAA
NOAA satellites
ERS
is being done
through a Metsat terminal at Balanagar.
Among the major maintenance activities at
earth station this year was the replacement of
Elevation (EL) Gear Box in Terminal-I, and
Terminal-III feed, which resulted in improved
chain performance of Terminal-III.

Several Technology Development and R&D

studies are being carried out. Strong outreach
programmes have helped promote the
technology of remote sensing, while also
creating awareness about the Indian earth
observation programme. 12 exhibitions and
workshops were held in different places in
India. Specific demonstration of technology are
being done for users. Support was provided to
22 ongoing Research Sponsored (RESPOND)
Programme for universities.

2. Governing Body and Society

Meetings
2.1 Governing Body Meeting
Thirty-fourth meeting of NRSA Governing Body
was held on December 10, 2005. The following
decisions were taken in the meeting:
(a) Approval of Accounts and Annual Report of
NRSA for 2004-2005.
(b) Approval of Plan of Action and Budget for
RE 2005-2006 and BE 2006-2007.
2.2 Society Meeting

3. Satellite Data Services

During the last one year, about 4500 passes

were acquired and archived at the earth
station. Data are recorded onto digital media
by the archival and quick look browse systems.
The browse data along with ancillary data is
being transmitted over the Spacenet from
Earth Station facility at Shadnagar to the
browsing facility at Balanagar, Hyderabad. The
data stored on the browse archival system is
available for users on Internet for viewing and
data selection.

3.1 Data Acquisition and Archival

3.1.3 New Developments at Earth Station

3.1.1 Cartosat-1 - launch and beyond

The focus of new developments was towards

achieving the goal of multi-mission capability
and total automation of antenna systems.
Newly-developed digital phase shifters were
incorporated in tracking systems, making them
suitable for multi-mission tracking. The new
component not only has the advantage of

Thirtieth meeting of NRSA Society was held on

December 17, 2005. Shri Prithviraj Chavan,
Minister of State (MoS), Prime Ministers Office
(PMO), and President, NRSA Society,
presided over the meeting. The Annual Report
and audited accounts for the year 2004-2005
were approved.

The data receive chain at Earth Station,

Shadnagar was upgraded for Cartosat-1.
Station test and evaluation was conducted.
Pre-launch simulation was carried out, after
which all the systems were in readiness. After
its launch on May 5th 2005, the first pass of

space and cost saving, but also is also highly

adaptable to all frequencies. An electronic IF
switch was incorporated in place of the earlier
manually-patched chords. A set of multimission demodulators were incorporated in the
system, which allow the same equipment to be
used for any bit rate and of any modulation
method. The demodulators can tune to two
carriers simultaneously and demodulate those
signals parallely.

received simultaneously. These were also

operationalised at Shadnagar.
Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) were
installed at NRSAs Balanagar and Shadnagar
campus under IGBP program, which measure
crucial weather parameters and transmits to a
centralized
control
room
through
geosynchronous satellite Kalpana.
3.1.4 Communication Links

Developments in data reception chain

Readiness and reception of data from Cartosat-1
Newly-developed digital phase shifters
incorporated in tracking systems
Electronic IF switch in place of manually-patched
chords
Improved multi-mission demodulators
New wind speed measuring system at Shadnagar
Terminal-II controls at Central Control Room
New laser beam based alignment fixture
developed
X-S band feed system supporting dual polarization
in X-band and transmission in S-band developed
X-band dual conversion Down Converters
operationalised at Shadnagar
Automatic Weather Stations at Balanagar and
Shadnagar
4.8 m antenna, satellite reception terminal at
Balanagar Shadnagar for disaster support
Bandwidth of Spacenet network enhanced
Direct-to-Home (DTH) units at Balanagar and
Shadnagar to facilitate direct reception in Ku band

A 4.8 m antenna and satellite reception

terminal was installed at NRSAs Balanagar
and earth station, Shadnagar in order to cater
for the activities of Decision Support Centre
(DSC).
Bandwidth of the Spacenet network, that
provides connectivity between all DOS centres
for exchange of data/information, was
increased to 384 Kbps from 64 Kbps, at both
Balanagar and Shadnagar campus. INSAT
CCD data is being downloaded daily in realtime through Spacenet network from MCF,
Hassan for use at applications area. A video
conferencing facility was established at earth
station, Shadnagar. Direct-to-Home (DTH)
units were installed at Balanagar and
Shadnagar campus to facilitate direct reception
in Ku band during special transmissions like
satellite launches, etc.
3.2 Data Processing

A new wind speed measuring system using

Ultrasonic sensor was installed at Shadnagar.
Establishment of Terminal-II controls at Central
Control Room has enabled ease of operations.
Development of a new laser beam based
alignment fixture was done for feed-subreflector alignment in field. An X-S band feed
system, which is a combined effort of NRSA
and ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), was
developed (Fig.2). It supports dual polarization
in X-band and transmits in S-band. Four such
feed systems were realized, and are
operational at Shadnagar. The X-band dual
conversion Down Converters are low intermodulation products where four carriers are

3.2.1 A new facility at Svalbard

The IRS satellites are programmed for data
acquisition using the On-Board Solid State
Recorder (OBSSR) whenever the required
area of interest does not fall within the
coverage of NRSA's earth station at
Shadnagar. In order to increase the playback
capability in a day and in turn, achieving
efficient use of the OBSSR capability of the
satellite, the existing X-band reception facility
at Svalbard in Norway is being availed to
acquire the playback passes. Being a high
latitude station, Svalbard can receive IRS
series satellite data from more number of
orbits.

Fig.2 Improved version of X-band feed

A total facility starting from payload

programming and scheduling to supply of data
to users and virtual ground stations was
established by NRSA along with ISRO Satellite
Centre (ISAC), Space Applications Centre
(SAC) and Spacecraft Control Centre (SCC)
through ANTRIX. The facility is distributed at
three locations request handling and

programming
at
NRSA,
Hyderabad;
commanding at SCC, Bangalore; acquisition at
Svalbard and processing and dissemination
from NRSA. The payload programming
systems were augmented to handle Solid
State Recorder (SSR) requests to schedule for
playback either at Svalbard or Shadnagar
based on the urgency. All other workcenters
were also augmented to cater for SSR
requests.

switched over to DLT media using direct data

logging system interfaces. A 3-week tutorial
was organized jointly by NRSA and RSI,
Canada for Radar image data users at New
Delhi.
The in-house developed Advanced Front End
Hardware (AFEH) was modified for Cartosat-1
data handling using state-of-art Very Large
Scale Integration (VLSI) Integrated Circuits
(ICs). These units were subjected to stringent
quality tests for complying with International
standards. Eight AFEH units were fabricated,
tested and integrated in Cartosat-1 DAQLB
systems at earth station for acquiring data in
real time daily. These units are also being
upgraded for handling data from Cartosat-2,
which is to be launched shortly.

A Data Capturing System (DCS) was installed

at Svalbard to receive data from Cartosat-1,
Resourcesat-1 and the future IRS missions
(Fig.3). The OBSSR data received at Svalbard
is archived on Super Digital Linear Tapes
(SDLT) and couriered to NRSA regularly. To
process this data, an OBSSR data processing
facility was established at NRSA's Data
Processing Area. This facility broadly consists
of Ancillary Data Processing (ADP) systems
and a Data Product Generation System with all
the required interfaces. About 143 SDLTs of
Resourcesat-1 and 127 SDLTs of Cartosat-1
were received since data reception from
Svalbard commenced on operational basis
from January 2006. The corresponding browse
data is available of NRSAs website.

Several types of special products were

generated on request. Anaglyphs were
prepared using Cartosat-1 stereo data for
various places in India and other countries
including Alps, Kiev, Seoul, Goa, etc. Flythrough using Cartosat-1 and Resourcesat-1
data were also generated, both against
request as well as for Village Resource
Centers (VRC) project. A full India hybrid flythrough with path indicator was created using
multi sensor data (Fig.4).

Fig.3 Data Capturing Systems at Svalbard

Fig.4 Fly-through model of India

3.2.2 Operational Activities

The data processing facility supports data
archival, processing, product generation and
dissemination of data from all satellites of IRS
series, ERS, NOAA, Terra and Aqua. All major
workcenters handling large data volumes
operate with Gigabit (GB) network connectivity.
Web-based
Integrated
Information
Management System (e-IIMS) is operational
for all the satellites. Support is also provided
for all IRS missions for data quality evaluation.
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar
(InSAR) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are
being generated. Interfaces to HDTs are
completely removed and transcription is

Special products were been generated for

National
Informatics
Center
(NIC),
Aeronautical
Development
Establishment
(ADE) and Natural Resources (NR) Census
projects. State mosaics were generated for
Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh
and Uttaranchal using AWiFS data.
Historic data of all satellites in NRSAs
archives is available on high-density digital
media like DLTs and CDs. OCM/NOAA data
are being made available through ISDN to
important users like IIT, INCOIS, SAC etc.
Data is also being disseminated to

International Charter and United

Department of Agriculture (USDA).

States

3.3 Data Dissemination

Under the Remote Sensing Data Policy of the
Government,
NRSA
is
the
national
acquisition/distribution agency for all satellite
data within India. Besides the acquired and
archived data, distribution of data from
IKONOS, QuickBird and ENVISAT, and
RADARSAT satellites is also being done.
Distributors for IRS data are appointed in USA,
Iran, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Singapore.

The photo processing facility is equipped with

specialized/custom-made modern processors,
printers, enlargers, printing and processing
aids and other equipment for processing,
printing and generating various types of
satellite and aerial photo products. A Digital
Image Library of photographs was developed,
which
contains
photographs
of
the
workshops/seminars/ meetings/ events at
NRSA since its inception.

About 19,705 data products worth Rs. 35.49

crores were disseminated to Indian and foreign
users/organizations,
major ones being Survey
Data being
of India (SOI), National
distributed
Informatics Centre (NIC),
IRS-1A
NR Census, etc. 250 new
IRS-1B
user
accounts
were
IRS-1C
added to NRSAs user
IRS-1D
base during the year. IRS
IRS-P3
data formed the major
Oceansat-1
chunk of the distributed
Resourcesat-1
data. The User Order
Cartosat-1
Processing
System
Terra/Aqua
(UOPS) is being used for
LANDSAT
Cartosat-1
operations.
SPOT
Browse
data
are
NOAA
available on NRSAs
ERS
website. Several value
IKONOS
added products like Path
RADARSAT
Row based, Area of
ENVISAT
Interest (AOI) based,
QuickBird
Geocoded
(floating,
precision, ortho-rectified), Merged (geo/scene
based), Mosaics, Extractions, etc. are being
disseminated.

3.2.3 Developmental activities

Utility software was developed to cater for
customized needs. An image masking
software package was developed for Cartosat1 products and integrated with Digital Quality
Control (DQC). An interactive mosaic of
Cartosat-1 split geocoded products was made.
For evaluation of Cartosat-1 Area-of-Interest
(AOI) products, a software was developed and
tested. An Image Display Utility software with
minimum image processing tools was
integrated with Resourcesat-1 data processing
system scheduler for appending this utility with
digital products.
Developments in data processing chain
Data Capturing System at Svalbard; OBSSR data
processing facility at NRSA
Image masking software for Cartosat-1 products
developed and integrated with Digital Quality
Control
Interactive mosaic of Cartosat-1 split geocoded
products
Software developed for evaluation of Cartosat-1
Area-of-Interest (AOI) products
Image Display Utility software integrated with IRSP6 data processing system scheduler for
appending with digital products

The first phase Cartosat-1 data products

mono and stereo data - are available for the
users. Demand for Cartosat-1 data has been
increasing since its launch in May 2005.
Dissemination of high resolution data saw a
60% increase while microwave data sales
went up by 65%. There was a 25% increase in
the demand of the data from academic sector
owing to the discounts on data products and
also increased awareness on remote sensing
owing to its inclusion as a part of curriculum in
universities/colleges. The data usage in private
sector showed a 15% increase.

3.2.4 New initiative - INDIA Vision

INDIA Vision, a web-based utility that will
enable a general user to locate and view any
specific area within India as imaged by IRS
satellites, is being developed. The experienced
users will be allowed to go through an online
library of data covering Indian landmass and
download the datasets specific to their area of
interest in a predefined format. A prototype has
already been prepared, while the detailed
utility is under development.

New
initiatives
like
knowledge-based
integrated data selection and off-the-shelf
products are being planned.

Point Library (GCPL) database to meet the

Cartosat-2 mission requirements.

3.4 Support to other ground stations

Over 15 International Ground Stations (IGS),
including a mobile station are now receiving
IRS data, and pass programming is being
done for all these stations. The IGS are being
upgraded to support Resourcesat-1 and
Cartosat-1 operations. 18 AFEH units were
fabricated, tested and integrated with
Resourcesat-1
and
Cartosat-1
DAQLB
systems, and these were supplied to Antrix for
various International Ground Stations at Iran,
Svalbard, Taiwan, UAE and Algeria (Fig.5).

RISAT is the first satellite to have

simultaneous Dual Polarization combined with
a very high (320 Mbps in each polarization) bit
rate. This involves modifications and upgrade
of various sub-systems at the earth station. A
Project Document was prepared. The
preliminary design review of Dual Polarization,
dual band feed was completed. Procurement
and fabrication of antenna, sub systems and
components is in progress.

Fig.5 DAQLB System at Ground Stations

Project document was prepared for Oceansat2. Ground station reception and processing
configuration are being planned for other future
Indian missions like Resourcesat-2 and Third
World Satellite (TWSAT), and also foreign
missions
like
National
Polar-orbiting
Operational Environmental Satellite System
(NPOESS).
3.6 Quality and reliability
Data quality evaluation and quality control
activities have been quite significant during this
period, by means of providing timely and
necessary feedback to mission and software
teams to fix all issues related to releasing
Cartosat-1 data products to user community.
Many new methodologies were developed to
help fine-tuning the algorithms and sensor
alignment in ground processing software.
Quality verification of more than 27,000 data
products, including 662 data products of
foreign satellites, was completed during the
year.

The IRS data reception facility at Iran was

upgraded to cater for Resourcesat-1, with the
following activities - upgrade of demodulations
and simulation, upgrade of tracking system
with new Tracking Control Unit and PC Based
Servo Control System, TPG Simulators,
remote bore sight facility and breakdown
maintenance of EL gear box with new gear
boxes. As per an MoU, upgradation for
Carotosat-1 has been taken up.
NRSA will be setting up a reception station at
Algeria for receiving data from IRS satellites.
Configuration of the ground station system was
completed. A 24-week training program for
Algerian personnel was formulated. Site
selection and infrastructure planning of the
ground station was done. An Antenna Test
Facility was established at Shadnagar.
Procurement/fabrication of hardware and
software systems is being done.

NRSA has passed through two surveillance

audits subsequent to its ISO certification and is
in the process of procuring the updated
standards.
Rigorous
quality
assurance
procedures were followed for the various
hardware equipment developed by NRSA for
IRS projects as well as for International
Ground Stations (IGS) through qualification
tests.

3.5 Readiness for New Missions

4. Remote Sensing Applications

The ground systems for reception, processing
and product generation are being upgraded for
the future missions like Cartosat-2, RISAT and
Oceansat-2. A new 7.5 m antenna is being
installed for Cartosat-2 mission. Level O
systems were upgraded with new systems and
software. Dual conversion Down Converters
were developed. Software requirements were
finalized. Over 1950 Ground Control Points
(GCPs) were populated in the Ground Control

The remote sensing application programme at

NRSA is focused on utilizing the technology of
remote sensing to fulfill the larger goals of the
country towards food security, water security,
environment security, energy security and
support during disasters.
A host of studies were carried out for users
and also well as part of the Earth Observation

Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar (Fig.6)

were mapped.

Applications
Mission
(EOAM),
ISRO
Geosphere Biosphere Programme (IGBP),
RISAT-Joint Experiment Programme (JEP),
Technology Development Projects (TDP) and
R&D.

Fig.6 Flood image and map of Muzaffarpur

Under the Applications Facility Group, a

Geoinformatics Division was created with the
mandate of:
Organizing, developing and management
of geospatial data
Spatial modeling and data analysis
Development and integration of computer
tools for visualization of geospatial
problems
Development of decision support systems

Flood inundation
Flood recession/water-logged areas
Pre-flood river/water bodies
Village boundary
Roadway

IRS and Radarsat data were used to generate

about 40 flood maps at different scales from
state level to city level in near-real time basis.
District-wise flood damage statistics were sent
to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Central
Water Commission (CWC), respective State
relief commissioners and other users.

State-of-art infrastructure is being set up for

geospatial data analysis, management and
software applications development related to
geographic information science.
4.1 Disaster Management Support

4.1.3 Flood hazard zonation mapping

4.1.1 Decision Support Centre (DSC) for

Disaster Management

Using the historic satellite data from 1998 to

2003, a flood hazard zone map for
Brahmaputra river in Assam was prepared
(Fig.7). Maximum flooded areas for six years
were integrated to form one inundation layer
along with digital database layers such as
crop, road network, land use/land cover etc., to
estimate the frequency of flooding in the 12
districts.

Decision support Centre serves a single

window service provider of timely information
derived from aerospace data and disseminates
the same covering all phases of disaster.
The Decision Support Centre was formally
inaugurated at NRSA on May 7th 2005 by Shri
G. Madhavan Nair, Secretary, Dept. of Space,
Chairman, ISRO and Chairman, NRSA-GB.

Fig.7 Flood Hazard Zonation Map of

Brahmaputra and Barak Rivers in Assam

The Disaster Watch Team

(DWT) kept
constant
watch on the natural
disasters and about 250
disaster watch reports
were
generated.
The
information
on
the
disasters is compiled from
various
websites
maintained
by
nodal
government organisations
viz. India Meteorological Department (IMD),
National Disaster Management (NDM) of the
Ministry of Home Affairs and news media.
Disaster Support
Floods
Tsunami
Snowmelt
Lake blockade
Drought
Landslide
Earthquake
Forest fire

During 1998-2003 (6 years)

Flood inundation observed
Six times (every year)
Five times (out of 6 years)
Four times (out of 6 years)
Three times (out of 6 years)
Two times (out of 6 years)
One time (out of 6 years)
Normal river bank

4.1.2 Flood Studies

All the major flood events reported during 2005
in Gujarat, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu &
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra during
June/July and in Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra

River/stream
District boundary
Roadway
Railway
Settlement
Normal river course/
water bodies

4.1.4 Monitoring Pareechu Lake

The water-spread area of Pareechu lake in the
Tibet region, formed during end of July 2004

due to blockade of landslide was regularly

monitored using satellite remote sensing data.
On 26th June 2005, flash floods occurred in
Himachal Pradesh. From the satellite data, the
blockade was seen to have breached and the
lake water appeared to flow downstream
(Fig.8). All the information was furnished to
National Disaster Mitigation Division, Ministry
of Home Affairs, besides other organizations
concerned.
Fig.8 Monitoring Pareechu
Before breach
193 ha

After breach
99 ha

Lake
17 June 05Blockade

27 June 05

4.1.5 Andaman & Nicobar Islands - one year

after tsunami
Resourcesat-1 data was used to study the
vegetation recovery in Katchall and Trinkat
islands. Fig.9 shows the status of Katchall
Island during and one year after the tsunami
struck.
Fig.9 Effect of tsunami on Katchall island

4.1.6 Detailed tsunami damage assessment

for Tamil Nadu
At the request of Relief Commissioner, Tamil
Nadu, a study was taken up to map tsunami
inundation extent in selected districts of Tamil
Nadu (Chennai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam,
Villupuram, and Kanyakumari) and union
territory of Pondicherry along with Regional
Remote Sensing Service Center (RRSSC),
Bangalore. IRS, MODIS and SRTM DEM were
used to generate the final inundation layer on
1:12,500 scale for planning rehabilitation.
4.1.7 Model to understand tsunami wave
propagation (IIRS)
Understanding the wave propagation is very
important when a tsunami occurs. Towards
this, an attempt was made to model the
tsunami event incorporating Earth Topography
- 2 Minute (ETOPO2) and near shore
bathymetry data from National Hydrographic
Chart. The model shows the arrival time and
expected run up at various points in Indian
coast. The model was validated from the
observed tide gauge wave amplitude from the
four ports on 26th December 2004. Fig.10
shows the relationship between the modelderived wave amplitude and the observed tide
gauge measurement at the four sites using
Earth Topography - 5 Minute (ETOPO5) and
ETOPO2 bathymetry.
Fig.10 Validation of peak wave amplitude

Vegetation
recovery over
241.70 ha

19 Oct 2005
Water

Vegetation

Forest
Agriculture
Plantations
Degraded forest
Water
Sand

Cloud
Fragmented land cover
Built up area
Recovered land cover

4.1.8 Waterlogging at SDSC

A study was carried out to investigate
waterlogging at Satish Dhawan Space Center
(SDSC) due to heavy rainfall. Major drainage
outlets, streams and waterlogged areas were
identified
using
satellite
data
from
Resourcesat-1 LISS-IV sensor.

10

4.1.9 Drought Monitoring

As part of National Agricultural Drought
Assessment
and
Monitoring
System
(NADAMS),
generation
of
Normalized
Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) images
over agricultural areas was carried out at
district/sub district level in Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka and Maharashtra using high
resolution images. District-level assessment
with coarse resolution NOAA AVHRR data was
carried out for rest of the 10 states from June
to October.
Monthly agricultural drought reports were
sent to the Ministry of Agriculture (Govt. of
India) and relief and agriculture departments of
14 states and State Remote Sensing
Application Centers on a regular basis by the
first week of succeeding month. The
agricultural drought information was used as
an input in the review meetings of agricultural
situation by state agriculture departments,
preparation of contingency plans and for relief
claims. Agricultural drought assessment of
Andhra Pradesh using IRS AWiFS data for
kharif is shown in Fig.11.
Fig.11 Agricultural Area NDVI for
Kharif 2005 for Andhra Pradesh
September 2005

1 Adilabad
2 Anantapur
3 Chittoor
4 Kadapa
5 East Godavari
6 Guntur
7 Karimnagar
8 Khammam
9 Krishna
10 Kurnool
11 Mahbubnagar

season of 2006, daily near-real time day and

night-time active forest fire alerts based on
MODIS and DMSP satellite data were provided
through the NRSA website. Value added
products showing range boundaries and
providing locations were sent to Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh
Forest Departments (Fig.12).
Fig.12 Monitoring forest fires

Bhatagao

Srinagar
Bageshw
Bageshwar
AMORA

12/06/05
13/06/05
14/06/05

4.1.11 Earthquake damage assessment

A post-disaster assessment study of Jammu
and Kashmir earthquake was carried out using
2.5 m panchromatic data of CartosatI
(Fig.13), for damage assessment along with
Resourcesat1
multispectral
data
for
understanding the regional tectonics. Nearly
25% of the buildings were identified as fully
collapsed in Uri and Punch region of Jammu
and Kashmir. Other damage such as bridge
collapse, road blockage due to landslides etc.
could also be identified from the satellite data.
The co-seismic landslides show clear spatial
association with the pre-existing faults such as
Jhelum fault and Main Boundary Thrust (MBT).

12 Medak
13 Nalgonda
14 Nellore
15 Nizamabad
16 Prakasam
17 Rangareddy
18 Srikakulam
19 Visakhapatnam
20 Vizianagaram
21 Warangal
22 West Godavari

Fig.13 Post-earthquake showing damaged

buildings and landslides in Uri

4.1.10 Forest Fire Management

Indian Forest Fire Response and Assessment
System (INFFRAS) integrating multi-sensor
satellite data and ground data in GIS
environment was developed.
Information on active fire locations over India
using MODIS data were disseminated on
experimental basis in 2005 and during the fire

11

4.1.12 Earthquake Risk Assessment

4.1.13 Barren Island Volcanic Activity

Dehradun, which is the interim capital of

Uttaranchal in India, has been short-listed by
the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) as one of the most earthquake-prone
cities in the country. The direct relationship
between the damage of civil structures such as
buildings to the number of casualties helps in
adopting risk models developed in other
countries to minimize the devastating effect of
an earthquake to a great extent. The HAZUS is
one such tool, which assesses earthquake loss
for the built environment and population in
urban areas. This study aimed at analyzing the
applicability of HAZUS model for the
assessment of earthquake risk of buildings in
India.

On May 28th 2005, the Barren island volcano,

135 km northeast of Port Blair reported
spewing red-hot flame and lava with violent
bursts. This volcanic activity was observed on
a daily basis using nighttime satellite data sets
from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
(DMSP-OLS) from 22nd May to 2nd June.
Analysis of datasets indicated that eruption
started on 26th May, two days before it was
reported.

The municipal ward of Dehradun was the study

area. The Reinforced Masonry (RM) and Unreinforced Masonry (URM) model classes from
HAZUS were selected as most representative
buildings in the study ward. The damage
probability matrix was developed for four
model-building types by applying HAZUS
methodology and risk was evaluated in terms
of damage probability of each model building
type for all four (slight, moderate, extensive
and complete) damage states (Fig.14).

Fig.14 Probability of Damage of

Buildings during Earthquake

4.1.14 Monitoring Fire at Oil Platform

The entire offshore oil platform of ONGC in the
Bombay High area was gutted on 27th July
2005. The DMSP-OLS nighttime data sets
were processed for fires over the region on
daily basis in addition to data sets from other
satellites.
4.1.15 National Database for Emergency
Management (NDEM)
The National Database for Emergency
Management (NDEM), an initiative of Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) and a multi-institutional
endeavor,
envisages
generating
and
organising multi-level, multi-scale geospatial
data to facilitate emergency management for
the entire country on 1:50000 scale, for 169
multi-hazard prone districts on 1:10000 scale
and for 5 mega cities on 1:2000 scale. NRSA,
the nodal agency to establish NDEM, identified
the core and hazard-specific datasets, and
prepared a detailed technical document for
organization of NDEM.
Development of decision support tools are also
envisaged
for
addressing
emergency
management
for
natural,
manmade/
technological disasters. Establishment of an
institutional mechanism for sharing and
updating database on continuous basis and
setup mirror/replica of database at MHA with
suitable access/security mechanism is also
planned. System architecture, software,
networking, data mirroring, etc. are also
worked out.

Ward boundary
Road

Probability of extensive damage

11% extensive damage
9% extensive damage
4% extensive damage
0.5% extensive damage

4.2 Towards Food Security

4.2.1 Land use/land cover mapping
As part of Natural Resources Repository
(NRR) activity under National Natural
Resources Management System (NNRMS) of
Department of Space (DOS), a study has been
taken up for rapid assessment of national level

12

land use and land cover on 1:250,000 scale

using multi-temporal AWiFS datasets, with an
emphasis on net sown area for different
cropping seasons starting from 2004-05
(Fig.15).
Fig.15 Land use map of India

reclamation
programme
has
been
implemented. The Wastelands Atlas of India
2005 was released on 28th November 2005 by
Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Union Minister
for Rural Development, Govt. of India. The
100-page Wasteland Atlas gives information
on status of wastelands in India depicted as
state-wise spatial maps and district/categorywise area statistics of the year 2003.
4.2.3
Wasteland
(WALIS)

Built up land
Kharif crop land
Rabi crop land
Zaid crop land
Double / Triple crop land
Currently fallow
Plantation / orchard
Evergreen / Semi-evergreen
Deciduous Forest

Shrub / degraded forest

Littoral/swamp/mangrove
Grassland & grazing land
Other wasteland
Gullied / Ravines
Scrub land
Water bodies
Snow covered
Shifting cultivation

Multi-temporal AWiFS data covering Kharif

(AugNov), Rabi (Jan- Mar) and Zaid (AprilMay) seasons of 2004-05 were used. Legacy
datasets on forest cover/type, wastelands and
limited ground truth were used as inputs for
classification. Out of the total geographical
area of 328.72 Mha of the country, the net
sown area during different cropping seasons of
2004-05 was estimated as 140.18 Mha,
constituting 43%, while the double cropped
area was estimated as 42.79 Mha. The land
use and land cover information generated was
compared with the Department of Economics
and Statistics (DES) figures of 2001-02. The
net sown area reported matched closely with
latest available national estimate of 141.11
Mha.
4.2.2 National Wastelands Inventory and
Updation
The Wasteland Atlas of India was updated in
terms of the spatial information, identification
and delineation of new areas under
wastelands, and identification of areas where

Information

System

Under the wastelands mapping project, huge

amounts of geospatial data and outputs were
generated for entire country on 1:50,000 scale.
The Wasteland Information System (WALIS)
proposes to make available this key
information to the planners, decision makers
and other user groups by organizing the
geospatial data in a centralized database
server, and develop a customized user-friendly
Information System. The WALIS is a webenabled GIS which provides a facility to access
and query geospatial data in a simple web
browser without using specific GIS software at
user end (Fig.16).
Fig.16 Wasteland Information System

The spatial data is available in four basic

themes - base layer (road and rail network,
forest boundary, settlements etc.), admin layer
(administrative units from international to
village boundary), watershed layer (delineation
up to micro watershed) and wasteland layer
(28 categories of wastelands). WALIS provides
a facility to overlays these layers, querying and
GIS analysis, map composition and printing
facility etc, in an interactive environment.
4.2.4 Crop Acreage
Estimation (CAPE)

and

Production

Pre-harvest Kharif rice acreage and production

in 18 major districts of Andhra Pradesh were
estimated using three dates RADARSAT data

13

of July, August and September 2005.

Resourcesat-1 AWiFS data of October and
November months were also utilized to cover
late transplantations. The analysis revealed
that these 18 districts contributed 25.9 lakh
hectares of kharif rice with 66.31 lakh tones of
production. An overall reduction of 21.8% in
acreage and 7.7% in production was observed
in these districts as compared to the previous
year.
Cotton crop acreage estimation was carried
out for 10 major districts of Andhra Pradesh
using LISS-III and AWiFS data. During this
year, an overall decrease of 10.4% in acreage
and 9.7% in production was estimated in these
districts with respect to 2004.
Rabi rice acreage and production were
estimated using LISS-III/AWiFS data for 13
major districts of Andhra Pradesh. Analysis of
the data showed that Rabi rice occupied 14.26
lakh ha area with 43.9 lakh tonnes of
production. An overall increase of 63.7% in
Rabi rice acreage and 36.93% in production
was seen when compared to the previous
season.
4.2.5 Estimation of regional level cotton
yield (Technology Mission on Cotton)
Resourcesat-1 LISS-III data of Sirsa, Bharuch,
Nagpur and Dharwad districts were analyzed
for deriving distribution of cotton crop. The
spatial distribution of cotton crop was
integrated with the pedo-climatic data viz.,
soils and weather information. The acreages of
cotton crop under each of the pedo-climatic
zones was generated for further analysis in
crop modeling for generating cotton yield and
aggregate cotton production at district level.
4.2.6 Village soil resource appraisal and
land utilization plan
At the behest of Department of Agriculture,
Government of Andhra Pradesh, soil resource
appraisal task for Sadasivapet mandal
consisting of 30 villages in Medak district on
1:12,500 scale for land use planning and to
provide sustainable action plan. Based on
analysis of soil and land use/land cover maps
derived from LISSIV data along with local
agricultural practices, detailed action plans
were prepared. The village cadastral map was
overlaid on satellite data for prescribing survey
number/plot wise action items on the ground
with reference to image characteristics.

4.3 Towards Water Security

4.3.1 Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water
Mission
The Rajiv Gandhi National drinking water
mission successfully addressed the key issue
of locating ground water potential zones for
providing drinking water to the rural masses by
applying space technology. In addition to the
identification of probable potential zones, the
project also provides information on suitable
location for constructing the artificial recharge
structures for the sustainability of the ground
water resources.
Six states viz. Andhra Pradesh (part),
Karnataka,
Kerala,
Madhya
Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in Phase-I, four
states viz. Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh,
Gujarat and Orissa in Phase-II were
completed. The user feedback indicates the
overall success rate of 90 percent for targeting
ground water.
Under Phase-III, the remaining states - Andhra
Pradesh
(part),
Uttaranchal,
Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur,
Mizoram, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana,
Maharashtra, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir are
planned to be taken up.
4.3.2 Snowmelt runoff forecast
Snowmelt runoff forecast of inflows during AprMay-June 2005 into Bhakra reservoir was
issued as 17.0 lakh cusec-days. The actual
measured inflows were 14.50 lakh cusec-days,
resulting in a deviation of -17.2%. The forecast
was provided to Bhakra Beas Management
Board.
4.3.3 Satellite-based assessment of snowfed and rainfed catchment areas
At the request of National Hydroelectric Power
Corporation (NHPC), Faridabad, snow cover
maps were prepared for Siang basin covering
about 2,49,000 sq.km using NOAA/AVHRR
satellite data of the past 5 years to assess the
snow-fed and rainfed catchment areas of
Siang basin. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of
the basin was used for deriving elevation zonewise snow cover information. The snow cover
was predominant in above 4000 m elevation of
eastern region of Siang basin and the
permanent snowline was in the range of 4000
m to 4800 m elevation.

14

4.3.4 Flood threat

Kashmir valley

from

snowmelt

in

4.4 Towards Environment Security

4.4.1 Biodiversity Characterization

Unprecedented snowfalls in the Kashmir valley

in February-March lead to a threat of floods in
the valley. The historic snow accumulation and
depletion patterns from satellite data,
discharge data, snowfall and temperature were
analysed. The study indicated that major threat
of floods from snowmelt in the valley are not
envisaged.
4.3.5 Assessment of Irrigation Potential

Biodiversity Characterization at Landscape

Level Phase II, funded by Department of
Space and Department of Biotechnology has
been taken up in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and
parts of Tamil Nadu at 1:50,000 scale using
LISSIII scenes of two seasons. The study
area covers a total of 5,38,742 km2 with forest
cover of 1,10,069 km2, accounting for 16.27%
of the total forest cover in the country.

Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP),

launched in 1996-97 by the Government of
India, aiming to speed up the implementation
of on-going irrigation/multi-purpose water
resources projects. The Planning Commission
evinced keen interest to know the scope of
high resolution satellite data for monitoring the
physical progress made as on 31st March
2005, and the potential created through AIBP.

A Biodiversity Information System (BIS) is

being developed for characterising the
vegetation cover, fragmentation, disturbance
and biological richness across the landscape.
Development of the web-based Indian
Bioresource Information Network (IBIN) to
serve as a single-window source of information
on bioresources of the country is in advanced
stage.

Two projects viz. Upper Krishna and Teesta

were taken up using high resolution IKONOS
and QuickBird data of March 2005, the
irrigation infrastructure in terms of entire
irrigation canal network, structures and other
construction were inventoried and mapped.

4.4.2 Power transmission route alignment

This satellite data-derived canal network

information was compared vis--vis with
planned infrastructure. Based on all the
information, an assessment of irrigation
potential created and/or percentage progress
of works with critical gap areas was made.
The proposed total Irrigable Command Area
(ICA) of Upper Krishna Project (UKP) Stage-I
and Phase-III is 1,43,839 ha. Based on
satellite data analysis, it was assessed that the
total Irrigation Potential created were 1,33,133
ha as on March 2005. Therefore, the balance
OIP to be created was estimated at 10,706 ha.
The total IP created by end of March/April
2005 in Teesta project command area is
83,565 hectares and the utilizable irrigation
potential created was 54,263 ha.
A presentation was made to the Planning
Commission on the study, and the potential of
Cartosat-1 data for monitoring of irrigation
infrastructure projects for updating the
progress of Irrigation Potential creation was
demonstrated. It was decided that all the
projects under AIBP will be monitored by
Cartosat-1 & 2 data.

A corridor route alignment study between

Gajwel and Kamareddy sub-stations was
carried out using satellite remote sensing and
GIS techniques for Transmission Corporation
of
Andhra
Pradesh
(APTRANSCO),
Hyderabad. Three preliminary alternative
routes were identified using Resourcesat-1
LISS-IV data, besides topographical maps,
collateral maps, and field traverses. The final
route was optimized in consultation with
APTRANSCO by evaluating terrain conditions,
number of crossings and angular bends. The
selected final route is of 65.69 km length
between the starting point (Gajwel) and
terminal point (Kamareddy).
4.4.3 Identification of hazardous waste
dump sites
At the instance of the Supreme Court
Monitoring
Committee
(SCMC),
NRSA
undertook this pilot study of identification and
mapping of waste dumpsites in two sites at
Taloja and TTC Thane and one site near
Tarapur industrial area. High resolution LISS
IV data and QuickBird multispectral data was
used to delineate waste dump sites (Fig.17).
Gypsum was a separable waste class and the
rest are mixed with the other land surface
features. It is possible to identify the waste
dump areas for specific sites by using high
resolution satellite data only through
secondary data and ground observations. The

15

Fig.17 Delineating waste dump sites

Sludge

Gypsum

Sludge

recent space-based techniques for measuring

sub-centimeter ground displacement is the
Differential
Synthetic
Aperture
Radar
Interferometry (D-InSAR), which was used to
assess the potential land subsidence
phenomenon of Kolkata city. An area in
Kolkata city in and around Machhua Bazar,
Kolkata University and Raja Bazar Science
College, which had been undergoing
subsidence during the period of observation
i.e., 1992-1998 with an estimated rate of
5mm/year to 6.5mm/year, are shown in Fig.19.

Coal

Fig.19 IHS colour composition of

areas that underwent subsidence
during 1993-1996

results of the study were presented to

Supreme Court Monitoring Committee. At the
instance of the Pollution Control board of Delhi
and Andhra Pradesh, NRSA is initiating similar
studies to standardize the methodology.
4.4.4 Saltwater intrusion into coastal
aquifer in low-lying coastal mudflats (IIRSITC)
The objective of this research was to
understand the behavior of saltwater migration
into coastal aquifer because of unscientific
withdrawal of ground water or relative sea level
rise. Assessment of the vulnerability of coastal
villages due to saltwater ingress in pre and
post-monsoon season in a GIS environment
and modeling technique was carried out
(Fig.18).
Fig.18 Vulnerability
assessment of coastal villages
May 2003

Highly vulnerable
Less vulnerable
Moderately vulnerable
Non vulnerable

October 2003

Highly vulnerable
Less vulnerable
Moderately vulnerable
Non vulnerable

4.4.5 Studying subsidence of Kolkata city

(IIRS-UMLV Collaborative ESA EO Project)
The occurrence of a thick surface clay layer
with an average thickness of ~40 m and above
raises
question
on
land
subsidence
phenomenon in Kolkata. One of the most

L1 Machhua Bazar
Calcutta
L2 : University
Rajabazar
L3 Science College

1.0

25
50

L
L

00

Subsidence
contour
with figures in
mm/year

Average subsidence rate = ~6.5mm/year(Max.)

4.5 Towards Energy Security
4.5.1 Exploring Shallow Gas Zones
Three potential zones, which are suitable for
occurrence of shallow gas as indicated by
ONGC, were considered in this study. ASTER
data (Visible and SWIR) bands and calibrated
with ground spectrometer data were used in
Anakaleshwar main field, Olpad field and
Kosambi field.
The ground spectrometer samples collected
for 34 different locations revealed the mineral
abundance of the area. The Notronite
occurrence
concentrated
along
the
topographic highs in all the three fields.
Jarosite, which is an iron-rich mineral, was
seen in the topographic highs of extreme east
of Anakaleshwar main field and also south of
Tapti river.
4.5.2 Aeromagnetic Studies
Aeromagnetic data for about 25,000 line km
over Ganga basin was acquired for Directorate
General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) with the
objective of identifying potential zones for

16

hydrocarbons, during the field seasons 2003

04, 200405 and 200506 respectively over
three different blocks. This data was
processed and corrected for errors, including
the International Geomagnetic Reference Field
(IGRF) corrections. The entire database was
transformed into UTM projection. The IGRF
corrected data highlighted the crustal
anomalies, which are essential to locate the
potential zones for oil exploration.

associated with a mixed layer deepening of 1015 m for May 2003 tropical cyclone. An
increase of 0.5 Tg of Carbon due May 2003
cyclone was observed in the central Bay of
Bengal (Fig.21).

4.6 Ocean related studies

Nine studies covering the themes of

agriculture, soil moisture, geosciences,
forestry, land use and land cover,
oceanography, snow cover, floods and
software development are being addressed
with the participation of collaborators from nonDOS organizations to develop operational
methodologies. Five of these studies use both
DLR ESAR high resolution, multi-frequency
and
multi-polarization
data
for
crop
classification and soil moisture estimation,
forest biomass, land use land cover
classification, ship and oil spill detection. In
addition, Envisat SAR data was also used.

4.6.1 Seasonal and inter-annual variation of

surface chlorophyll in Bay of Bengal
Seasonal and inter annual variation of
chlorophyll was studied using monthly
averaged chl-a from SeaWiFS at 9.0 km
resolution for Sep 1997 to Dec 2005. Inter
annual/inter seasonal chlorophyll variability in
the Bay of Bengal is minimum except at certain
locations like southern Bay of Bengal,
Godavari river mouth, north Andaman Sea and
head Bay of Bengal. Chl was maximum ~0.280.3mg/m3 during Aug-Sep (SW monsoon) and
minimum (~0.18- 0.21 mg/m3) during Apr-May
(pre-monsoon) months (Fig.20).
Fig.20 Chlorophyll variation in
Bay of Bengal

4.7 Utilization studies of future missions

4.7.1 RISAT Joint Experiment Programme
(JEP)

The lakes in Himalayan region are covered

with snow during winter months, and difficult to
identify using optical data. Envisat ASAR and
LISS data show the discrimination and
nondiscrimination of one of the lakes,
respectively during the winter months (Fig.22).
Fig.22 Glacial lakes buried under snow

ASAR data - 24 Feb 2006 AWiFS data - 7 Sep 2004 AWiFS data - 17 Feb 2006

4.6.2 Cyclone induced productivity in the

Bay of Bengal

Groundnut crop cultivated in Anantapur district

of Andhra Pradesh (Fig.23) was identified
using multi-date data and acreage estimated.
Fig.23 ASAR data showing cropped area

Enhanced chlorophyll (about 1.5-2.2 mg/m3)

and increased primary productivity (2600-3600
mg C/m2/d) was observed after the passage of
the cyclone. Sea surface temperature dropped
by 2.0-5.00C deg after the passage of cyclone

HV-1 HH-3 HV-1

LISS III (Oct

Fig.21 Cyclone induced

productivity in Bay of Bengal
4.8 Village Resource Centre (VRC) project
The Village Resource Centre (VRC) project,
initiated by the Dept. of Space, Govt. of India

17

aimed to provide space enabled services to

the rural poor for improving their socioeconomic conditions and quality of life through
tele-medical
consultation,
tele-education,
agriculture advisory, disaster warning etc.
NRSA was identified as the nodal DOS centre
for establishment and operationalisation of
VRCs in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Six
NGOs namely Byrraju Foundation and Dhan
Foundation in Andhra Pradesh and Center for
Youth and Social Development (CYSD), Gram
Vikas, Peoples Rural Education Movement
(PREM) and Agragamee in Orissa were
identified to collaborate in the first phase.
Simultaneously, the expert Centres were also
identified in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Oneday consultation meet was organized at NRSA
on 23rd February 2006 and VRC Project
execution documents for Andhra Pradesh and
Orissa were prepared.

5.
Aerial Services and Digital
Mapping
5.1 Facilities
The unique aerial remote sensing facility at
NRSA has been offering a range of valueadded services to users for over two decades,
including aerial photography and digital
mapping, infrastructure planning, scanner
surveys, aeromagnetic surveys, large scale
base map and topographic and cadastral
mapping, etc.
Two aircraft with modern navigational aids,
aerial cameras and sensors and trained
human resources carry out these activities.
Facilities
like
photo
processing
lab,
analytical/digital photogrammetric systems,
GIS systems, survey systems like GPS, etc.,
supported by dedicated human resources take
care of all the analysis and processing
requirements.
Augmentation
like
FMC
magazine, Gyro-stabilized mount etc., are
being planned to meet the international flying
standards. Installation and acceptance of
Airborne Laser Terrain Mapper - Digital
Camera (ALTM-DC) system was done.

Visakhapatnam and East Godavari (1:8000),

Andhra Pradesh Police, Nizamabad entire
district rural (1:10000), SS&LR, A.P,
Nizamabad, Bodhan, Banswada, Yellareddy,
Armur, Kamareddy (1:4000) SS&LR, AP,
Hyderabad and Ahmedabad (1:6000) NIC,
Aeromagnetic survey over IndoGangetic
plains covering Punjab, Haryana, Uttaranchal
and Uttar Pradesh (12,765 line km at 500 ft,
ALTM-DC survey over Garland canal in
Karnataka (1000 ft altitude) WRDO, Govt. of
Karnataka and ALTM-DC calibration flights
over Shadnagar and airport.
5.3 Range Calibration/Sensor validation
1. SAR Sensor validation flights comprising
of 25 hours over Ahmedabad (SAC)
2. Vertical profiles along the ship cruise tacks
for marine aerosol campaign under
Integrated Campaign on Aerosol and
Radiation Budget (ICARB) for 91 hours 30
minutes (IGBP)
5.4 Generation of Aerial Photo Products
As many as 58,124 frames were processed to
generate B&W prints, enlargements and
diapositives from aerial survey tasks, mainly
for SS&LR, NTPC and Abujmad projects.
11,500 frames of aerial photographs were
scanned using two precision photogrammetric
scanners.
5.5 GPS Operations
GPS data collection and processing of data
was carried out during aerial flights and for
providing control points for subsequent
rectification of raw data for seven projects
covering 990 points and 31 towns.
5.5.1 Reference station operation for KGPS
during aerial photography
1. Nizamabad entire district (rural) 4 stations
2. 6 urban areas in Nizamabad district 7
stations
3. WRDO, Govt of Karnataka - 10 ground
reference stations and 4 base stations
4. Digital Camera (DC) calibration for ALTM

5.2 Aerial Survey and Digital Mapping

Tasks

5.5.2 Other works related to GCPL project

This year, the utilization of the two SKA B200

aircraft was 473 hours. During the year, ten
aerial survey tasks were carried out namely
Bhatkal
(1:8000),
KSRSAC,
Abujmad
(1:15000) Government of Chhattisgarh,
Tapovan, Loharinag-pala (1:15000), NTPC,

1. Correction of field sketches, map chips,

description, image chips and field photos
of all points spread over entire country
(Area-A to Area-H)
2. Reprocessed GPS data pertaining to AreaA

18

3. Marking 60 GCPS on PAN images

4. Assisting Cartosat-1 data processing and
SAC, Ahmedabad for identification in
stereo strip identification operations
5. Cartosat-2 mission - 56 towns - Approx.
1550 points and preparation of field
sketches, description, extraction of map
chips, extraction of image chips from
IKONOS, QuickBird, aerial data and
scanning of field photos of GCPs.
5.6 Digital mapping
photographic data

based

on

aerial

using 1:6000 scale aerial photographs with

contours at 1 m interval.
5.6.3 Kolkata for
Corporation (KMC)

Kolkata

Municipal

3D digital topographic database was

generated for 187 sq.km of Kolkata Municipal
Corporation area on 1:500 scale using 1:4000
scale aerial photographs with contours at 0.5
m interval. Digital orthophotos and ward-wise
orthophoto mosaics were generated for total
area comprising of 141 wards.

5.6.1 Maldives for Ministry of External

Affairs

5.7 Electrical utility network mapping using

GIS and GPS techniques

The archipelago of Maldives comprises of

1192 islands having an area of 300 sq.km of
land spread over 80,000 sq.km of water. Aerial
photography for entire Maldives was done on
1:40000 and of 16 selected islands on 1:6000
scale. A primary GPS network in WGS-84
datum extending over the entire country was
established for the first time in the countrys
history. Digital maps were prepared for entire
Maldives on 1:25000 scale and for 16 selected
islands on 1:1000 scale (Fig.24). A remote
sensing centre was established at Male, and
the manpower was trained on remote sensing
and photogrammetry.

The project, being carried out for West Bengal

State Electricity Board in collaboration with
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority,
involves mapping of electrical network of
different categories in 125 supply units of West
Bengal. GIS techniques were used to map the
locations and store the attributes of about 12
Lakh poles (Fig.25). Work was completed for
30 supply units and is in progress for 20 supply
units.
Fig.25 Electrical Network map of
Arabindnagar Supply Unit

Fig.24 Map showing part of

Nilandhoo island, Maldives

5.8 Digital mapping based on satellite data

Mapping of Maldives was a challenge in terms
of the geography of the area, and it was
completed successfully.
5.6.2 Visakhapatnam for Visakhapatnam
Municipal Corporation (VMC)
3D digital topographic database was
generated for 112 sq.km of Visakhapatnam
municipal corporation area on 1:1000 scale

Andhra Pradesh Urban Services for the Poor

(APUSP),
Municipal
Administration
Department, Government of A.P has entrusted
base map preparation at 1:5000 scale for 11
towns in A.P. using high resolution satellite
data. Final maps for 4 towns and draft maps
for 5 towns were delivered to user. Work is in
progress for remaining 2 towns. Large-scale
mapping and geospatial database creation for
25 sites covering 4500 sq.km was completed.
Mapping of other 79 sites is in progress.

19

5.9 Municipal GIS

A customized municipal GIS solution
developed for Bangalore Mahanagar Palike
(BMP) was installed and demonstrated for the
user (Fig.26). Training was imparted to the
users.
Fig.26 Municipal GIS for Bangalore

5.10.2 Krishna-Godavari link canal project

(NWDA) - The project involved ALTM-DC data
acquisition,
mapping,
DEM
extraction,
generation of L-sections and Cross sections
for 460 line km (2 phases) of canal alignment.
Maps on 1:2500 scale with contours at 0.5 m
interval are being made.
5.10.3 Netravati river water diversion
project (WRDO) After the ALTM-DC survey,
a Detailed Project Report (DPR) was made for
a garland canal (2000 km) and service canal
(3000 km) for diversion of excess water from
the west-flowing Netravati river to east up to
Bangalore. Data acquisition of garland canal
was completed. Data processing and topomap
generation (1:10000 scale with 1 m contour) is
in progress. Aerial flights over service canals
are proposed to be taken up during 2006-07
flying season.
5.11 Current Assignments

5.10 ALTM-DC

5.11.1 Aerial photography

Airborne Laser Terrain Mapping Digital

Camera (ALTM-DC) system made significant
contribution to important national projects in
the areas of disaster management and river
linking.

Aerial photography was done over Chennai on

1:6000 scale (SOI), Mumbai (NIC), Delhi
(NCT), aerial photography on 1:6000 scale and
mapping was done on 1:1000 scale for
Bangalore and Kolkata (NIC) and Kolkata and
surroundings (KUSP).

5.10.1 Tsunami studies - Digital camera was

used to photograph an area of 9000 sq. km.
covering parts of Andaman and Nicobar,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu (Fig.27) and
Kerala at a resolution of 65 cm. The data
acquisition started within 2 days of occurrence
of disaster, covering up to an extent of 2 km
inland. This data was used for analysis and
also given to Reactor Research Centre (RRC),
Kalpakkam. Similar coverage was done for
1500 sq. km. area of Sri Lanka coast at the
instance of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Fig.27 Aerial image showing tsunami
damage in Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu

5.11.2 LiDAR survey and mapping projects

LiDAR survey and mapping was done for
entire Indian coast (DM SP, DOS), Kanpur (IIT,
Kanpur), entire Indian coast with 2 km inland
area (ICMAM, DOD), Greater Mumbai at
1:5000 scale with 0.5 m contour interval for
(MC Mumbai), Sun Kosi, Sapta Kosi rivers,
command areas, main canals, branch canals
and major tributaries in India and Nepal (JPO,
SKSKI, Govt of India and Govt of Nepal) and
survey at three different heights along with
satellite data and volumetric analysis of coal
dumps for establishing photogrammetric
technique for estimating the overburden at
CMPDI.
5.11.3 Aeromagnetic surveys
Aeromagnetic survey was done over IndoGangetic basin covering Mizoram (DGH).

6. Indian
Sensing

Institute

of

Remote

Creating trained manpower for optimum

utilization of remote sensing technology as well
as building awareness about allied areas is

20

one of the key areas of focus. The Indian

Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) was
established at Dehradun, Uttaranchal with the
mandate of transfer of technology in the field of
Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics in
developing countries.
The IIRS, formerly known as Indian PhotoInterpretation Institute (IPI), completed 40
years of service to the nation. With its journey
from photo-interpretation to remote sensing
and geographical sciences, IIRS has come a
long way in imparting training, education and
awareness to various cross-sections of people
right from students and trainees to
government officials, middle-level managers,
working level professionals and decisionmakers. It is a unique organization in the entire
South-East
Asia,
fully
equipped
with
sophisticated systems for Image Processing,
GIS, Geoinformatics, Digital Photogrammetry,
etc.
IIRS has also contributed towards several R&D
studies that have helped in operationalisation
of technology in various application areas like
landslide hazard zonation, ground water
targeting, bio-diversity characterization etc.
The focus is now on developing virtual
classrooms that use Internet for training and
education, developing networks with nonremote sensing institutions and increasing its
outreach. Under the proposed EDUSAT
facility, a teaching end studio and uplinking
facility are proposed at IIRS premises under
national beam coverage of EDUSAT and link
with
users.
Initially
eight
to
ten
universities/institutions are planned to be
linked in the first pilot phase for conducting 6week training on Remote Sensing and GIS,
and expand gradually to cover larger number
of institutions.
6.1 Training and Education
Long and short-term training in 32 specialized
courses in various areas of natural resource
management, geoinformation science and
related technologies are being imparted,
leading to Certificate, PG Diploma, M.Sc and
M.Tech degrees. This year, Geoinformatics in
Geo-hazards was added as a separate topic,
both as long and short-term courses.
The M.Tech. programme is accredited
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.
also recognized by UNESCO as a
center in capacity building for
reduction program.

with the
IIRS is
training
disaster

Short-term courses ranging from four to twelve

weeks on remote sensing and its applications,
image processing and GIS are offered by the
Training Group at NRSA, Hyderabad. This
year, a total of 439 Indian and foreign
participants were trained at IIRS (349) and at
NRSA Headquarters (90) at Hyderabad,
including 20 participants of the CSSTEAP
course.
People trained during 2005-06
M.Tech/M.Sc.
28
PG Diploma
39
CSSTEAP
20
Short courses
78
Special / user-defined
274
As part of the Radar Imaging Satellite - Joint
Exploration Programme (RISAT-JEP), a
special training was organized at IIRS for
various user departments, highlighting the
application potential of radar data. A 4-week
international training course on Geoinformatics
for Sustainable Agriculture was conducted.
The first workshop on Village Resource
Centres (VRC) for Uttaranchal and Himachal
Pradesh was organized at IIRS. 16 NGOs from
Uttaranchal
and
Himachal
Pradesh
participated. IIRS has been identified to
conduct
National
Natural
Resources
Management System (NNRMS) sponsored
training programme in remote sensing and GIS
for University Faculty.
As part of an ISRO-INCT (Ministry of Defense,
Algeria) cooperation for setting up a reception
station in Algeria, training was provided to 28
INCT personnel. Among the special courses
conducted were GIS Application Training for
Municipal Engineers and Applications of RS
and GIS in Groundwater Studies for Central
Ground Water Board.
An Intranet Web Portal was made operational
to access the information about various
activities of IIRS through a central forum
established as learning resource facility.
55 publications on various studies were
brought out.

7. Technology Development
As part of Technology Development Project
(TDP), histogram database development was
completed. Significant work was done towards
development of advanced methodologies in
image processing and data analysis. Some of
these methods were presented in the first
National User Meet on Digital Image

21

Processing, and bagged the best technological

paper award. In the area of hyperspectral data
analysis, a new method of identifying objects
from their spectral signatures was proposed.
Seven abstracts of research works carried out
during the current year in the area of data
processing were submitted for publication.

22 such projects that are going on in

universities all over India, are supported by
NRSA.

8. Outreach Programme

The collaboration between Indian Institute of

Remote
Sensing
(IIRS/NRSA)
and
International Institute for Geoinformation
Science and Earth Observation (ITC),
Netherlands spans over last 40 years. Based
on the success of the earlier collaborations, a
new joint project on research collaboration has
been started between ITC, IIRS/NRSA and
other DOS centers. This will facilitate joint
research work, publications, data sharing and
scientific interactions.

NRSA participated/organized 12 workshops

and seminars towards promotion of remote
sensing, including Indian Science Congress,
Map India 2006, etc. A permanent exhibition at
NRSA campus gives a picture of the space
activities in India and about NRSA.
Advertisements were released in technical
magazines. Specific training/demonstration of
technology are being done for users. In order
to encourage the use of remote sensing data
in research and for other new areas, data is
being provided to the academic users at a
discount.
NRSA regularly organizes and participates in
activities that help in creating awareness
amongst students in remote sensing and allied
areas. One among them was a quiz
programme for school children, which was
organized jointly by the Indian National
Cartographic Association (INCA), Survey of
India, Osmania University and GeoJunior
Magazine. The quiz was aimed mainly at
creating map consciousness in the student
community. Over 270 students from different
schools in the twin cities participated.
ISROs
Planetary
Science/Exploration
(PLANEX) program aims at strengthening
planetary science research in India and to
provide
a
forum
for
planning
and
implementation of Indian planetary exploration
missions. NRSA hosted the 6th PLANEX
Workshop during October 2005. The topic
'Remote Sensing and Chandrayaan-1 had 30
participants comprising of students, research
scholars and young faculty from different parts
of the country.

9. Academic Sensitization
The Research Sponsored (RESPOND)
Programme of the Department of Space
encourages quality research in fields
considered relevant to the countrys space
programme. Financial support is provided to
universities and academic institutions for
conducting
research
and
development
activities related to Space Sciences, Space
Technology and Space Applications in India.

10. International Collaboration

10.1 IIRS-ITC

10.2 Centre for Space Science and

Technology Education in Asia and Pacific
(CSSTEAP)
Under the initiative of the United Nations, the
Centre for Space Science and Technology
Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP)
was set up in India in 1995, with IIRS as host
institution. Programs related to Remote
Sensing and GIS (PG Course in RS and GIS
and also international short course every year)
are being conducted, for which faculty and
infrastructure support is provided by IIRS. The
Center's
education
programmes
are
recognized by Andhra University, India. So far,
nine batches of about 170 students from
various countries have been trained under the
9-month PG Course on Remote Sensing and
GIS, while 10th course for 19 students is in
progress.
The CSSTEAP completed one decade of its
establishment in November 2005. To
commemorate this occasion, a function was
held at New Delhi on November 8, 2005. Shri
Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State in the
Prime Minister's Office, was the Chief Guest.
Among others who attended were Mr. G.
Madhavan Nair, Chairman ISRO/CSSTEAP
Governing Body; Mr. Sergio Camacho,
Director UN OOSA, and senior functionaries of
ISRO/DOS.
10.3 Space Imaging (SI) - ANTRIX Project
Pre-pass programming is being done for all
existing Indian/International Ground Stations
(IGS) to receive/process IRS data. Apart from
this, a mobile station is also receiving IRS
data.

22

were trained in technical and commercial

trades during the year.
As part of HRD activities, 130 employees at
various levels were trained for both technical
as well as soft skills such as management and
personality development.
Independence Day, Republic Day, National
Science Day, National Safety Day, Vigilance
Awareness Week and Safety Week were
observed at NRSA. Popular lectures on
various topics were also arranged.
13.2 Official Language Implementation
More than 90% of NRSA employees possess a
working knowledge of Hindi. Regular Hindi
Prabodh and Praveen classes are being
conducted in NRSA. In-house Hindi shorthand
and typewriting training classes were
organized during the year. Typewriting training
was provided on desktop computers with the
help of multilingual software.
NRSAs efforts towards implementation of
Official Language were appreciated by the
Second Sub-Committee of Committee of
Parliamentarians on Official Language. An
exhibition showcasing various publications and
other documents in Hindi, and the multilingual
hardware/software used in NRSA was also
organized.
Rajbhasha Samaroh-2005 was celebrated in
NRSA during September 2005, with various
competitions and a cultural program. A special
Hindi workshop for administrative staff and
stenographers was also organized in March
2006. Fifth issue of NRSA house journal
Samvaad was released on August 15, 2005.
The Hindi digital weekly Guruvaar Bulletin is
being circulated through e-mail as internal
public relations activity. Apart from highlighting
the latest happenings in science, technology,
medicine arena, the achievements of NRSA
employees and their family members are also
included in this bulletin.

2. Mr. Rajiv Kumar, Scientist from Land Use

Division of NRSA, received the Best
Poster Presentation Award on "National
Wasteland Database for Sustainable
Development" at the National Conference
on "Space Science and Technology for
Geographical Research", organized jointly
by Centre for Land Use Management
(CLUMA), NRSA and Jawaharlal Nehru
Technological University (JNTU)
3. Shri
Milap
Punia,
Scientist
from
Photogrammetry and Remote sensing
Division of IIRS, received best paper
award on his paper titled Visual
Perception and Design at International
Cartographic Congress of INCA.
4. B. Jayachandriah, S. Jayabharathi, S.
Muralikrishnan and A.S Kumar from
NRSAs Data Processing Group received
best technological paper award for their
paper Development of Advanced Data
Quality Evaluation Tools for high resolution
IRS satellite imagery with IDL/ENVI,
presented in ENVI/IDL User Meet at New
Delhi.
5. A paper co-authored by Ms. Sadhana Jain,
Scientist from Human Settlement Analysis
Group of IIRS on Information System for
Barunda Village using Remote Sensing
and GIS Techniques was awarded 3rd
prize for best paper presentation in student
oral session in Map India - 2006 at Delhi.
13.4 Selected list of Publications and
Reports
Publications
1.

A.S. Kumar, A.S. Kiran Kumar and R.R.

Navalgund, Selection of a Spectral Band
for RESOURCESAT-1 LISS-4 MONO
mode data acquisition, IEEE Trans.
Geoscience & Remote Sensing Letters,
vol. 3(1), 32-35, Jan. 2006.

2.

A.S. Kumar, S. Jayabharathi and K. Vinod

Kumar, Identification of Spectral features
from Hyperspectral imagery with variable
interval spectral average method, in 14th
National Space Science Symposium held
in Andhra University, Visakapatnam, Feb.
9-12, 2006

3.

Behera, M.D., Kushwaha, S. P. S. and

Roy, P. S., 2005. Rapid assessment of
biological richness in a part of Eastern
Himalaya:
an
integrated
three-tier

13.3 Awards/Honors for NRSA

1. Dr B.R.M Rao, Senior Scientist from the
Agriculture & Soils Group at NRSA, was
conferred with an award by the Soil
Conservation Society of India for his
contribution towards soil and water
conservation
and
remote
sensing
application
in
natural
resources
management.

24

approach.
Forest
Ecology
Management, 207(3), 363-384
4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

and

Behera, M.D., Kushwaha, S. P. S. and

Roy, P. S., 2005. Rapid assessment of
biological richness in a part of Eastern
Himalaya:
an
integrated
three-tier
approach.
Forest
Ecology
and
Management, 207(3), 363-384.
Champati ray P.K., 2005. Landslide
Hazard and Risk Assessment in IndiaIIRS
experience,
presented
at
International Seminar on Landslide Risk
Management, organised by Asian Disaster
Preparedness Centre (ADPC), Bangkok
and Norwegian Geotechnical Institute,
Oslo at Colombo, Sri Lanka, 6 June 2005.
Champati Ray P.K., Lakhera R.C., 2005.
Spatial models for landslide hazard
assessment using GIS and remote
sensing
techniques,
presented
at
Regional Training for Landslide Risk
Mitigation, organised by Asian Disaster
Preparedness Centre (ADPC), Bangkok
and Norwegian Geotechnical Institute,
Oslo at Bandarawela, Sri Lanka, 8-12
June, 2005.
Champati ray P.K., Taneja V., Lakhera
R.C., 2005. Assessment of Precipitation
Control on Triggering of Debris Slide/Flow
in Garhwal Himalaya, India, presented at
Regional Training for Landslide Risk
Mitigation, organised by Asian Disaster
Preparedness Centre (ADPC), Bangkok
and Norwegian Geotechnical Institute,
Oslo. Bandarawela, Sri Lanka, 8-12 June,
2005.
Champati ray, P.K., Perumal, R.J.G.,
Thakur, V.C., Bhat, M.I., Mallik, M.A.,
Singh, V.K., and Lakhera, R.C., 2005. A
quick appraisal of ground deformation in
Indian region due to the October 8, 2005
earthquake,
Muzaffarabad,
Pakistan,
Journal of ISRS, Vol 33, No. 4, 465-473.
Charatkar,S.L., Mitra, D., Biradar, R.S.
and Madhavi Pikle, 2005 Study of Salt
Pan increment in Gulf of Cambay using
GIS Paper presented at 25th Annual
ESRI User International Conference at
San Diego, California, USA, July 25
29th, 2005.

10. Dishanayak, D.M.D.O.K., Gunawardana,

G.M.W.L., and Das, I.C., 2005. Remote
sensing and GIS approach for delineating

ground water potential zones in hard rock

terrain, 2nd National Symposium on Geoinformatics for future of Srilanka, August
26, 2005, University of Peradeniya,
Srilanka.
11. G.Murali Krishna, D.Mitra, A.K.Mishra, Sh.
Oyuntuya and K.Nageswra Rao, 2005
Evaluation of Semi-automated Image
Processing
Techniques
for
the
identification and delineation of Coastal
Edge using IRS LISS III Image- A case
study on Sagar Island, East Coast of
India
International
Journal
of
Geoinformatics, Vol. 1, No. 2, June 2005
12. Joshi, P.K., Q. Li, N. Lele, and Xuefei
Yang. (2005). Land use land cover
change (LULCC) analysis and its impact
on soil erosion processes using geospatial
tools. Indian Journal of Soil Conservation
33(3): 200-203.
13. Joshi, P.K., Q. Li, N. Lele, and Xuefei
Yang. (2005). Land use land cover
change (LULCC) analysis and its impact
on soil erosion processes using geospatial
tools. Indian Journal of Soil Conservation
33(3): 200-203.
14. Joshi, P.K., Q. Li, N. Lele, and Xuefei
Yang. (2005). Land use land cover
change (LULCC) analysis and its impact
on soil erosion processes using geospatial
tools. Indian Journal of Soil Conservation
33(3): 200-203.
15. Kaushik, P., P.K. Joshi, and Xuefei Yang
(2005). Multiple Hazard Mapping (MHM)
for vulnerability assessment in Pali Gad
watershed using geospatial tools. Journal
of Indian Society of Remote Sensing
33(3): 441-445.
16. Kushwaha, S.P.S. 2005. Geospatial
technology
for
forest
resources
management. Int. J. Ecol. Env. Sci. 31(1),
9-20.
17. Kushwaha, S.P.S. and Hazarika, Rubul
2005. Case study on Kameng and
Sonitpur Elephant Reserves. In: One
Planet many People: Atlas of Our
Changing
Environment.
A
UNEP
Publication, Nairobi, Kenya, 42p.
18. Kushwaha, S.P.S., Padmanaban, P.,
Kumar, D. and Roy, P.S. 2005. Geospatial
modeling of biological richness in Barsey
Rhododendron Sanctuary in Sikkim

25

Himalaya, India. Geocarto International

20(2), 63-68.
19. Lele, N.V., P.K. Joshi and S.P. Agarwal
(2005). Fractional Vegetation Cover
Analysis for understanding Vegetation
Cover Dynamics in Northeast India.
International Journal of Geoinformatics
1(2):63-70.
20. Lele, N.V., P.K. Joshi and S.P. Agarwal
(2005). Fractional Vegetation Cover
Analysis for understanding Vegetation
Cover Dynamics in Northeast India.
International Journal of Geoinformatics
1(2):63-70.
21. Manish Kale, S. Singh and P.S. Roy
(2005). Estimation of Leaf Area Index in
Dry Deciduous Forests from IRS-WiFS in
Central India. International Journal of
Remote Sensing 26(21): 4855-4867.
22. Manish Kale, S. Singh and P.S. Roy
(2005). Estimation of Leaf Area Index in
Dry Deciduous Forests from IRS-WiFS in
Central India. International Journal of
Remote Sensing 26(21): 4855-4867.
23. Nidhi Chauhan, Hitendra Padalia, M.C.
Porwal and P.S. Roy, 2005. Report of
Ophioderma pendula (L.) Persl: A Rare
and interesting fern from Great Nicobar
Island
and
its
littoral
habitat
characterisation. Indian Fern J. 22:146151.
24. Nilanjana Roy and M.C. Porwal, 2005.
Forest fire risk zonation using Geo-Spatial
Modelling In Part Of Rajaji National Park,
Uttaranchal, Asian Journal of Geoinformatics, Vol.5, No 3, pp 40-46
25. P. Mayaux, H. Eva, J. Gallego, A.
Strahler, M. Herold, A. Shefali, S.
Naumov, E. De Miranda, C. Di Bella, C.
Ordoyne and I. Kopin, 2005. Validation of
the Global Land Cover 2000 Map.
Accepted for publication in IEEE
Transactions in Geosciences.
26. P.S. Roy, Hitendra Padalia, Nidhi
Chauhan, M.C. Porwal, S. Gupta , S.
Biswas and R. Jagdale (2005). Validation
of Geospatial model for Biodiversity
Characterization at Landscape Level- a
study in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India
Ecological Modelling, 185, 349-369,
Elsevier Publication, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.

27. Pallavi Behera, K.H.V. Durga Rao and

K.K. Das, 2005. Soil erosion modeling
using MMF model A Remote Sensing
and GIS Perspective, Journal of the Indian
Society of Remote Sensing, 33 (1): 165176.
28. Patel, N. R., Mohammed A. J.
and
Rakesh, D. (2006). Modeling of Regional
wheat yields in western UP Using Multitemporal Terra/MODIS satellite data.
Geocarto International, 21(1):43-50.
29. Patel, N. R., Rakhesh, D. and
Mohammed, A. J. (2006) Mapping of
Regional evepotranspiration in Wheat.
Hydrological Sciences Journal, 51(2):325335.
30. Patel, N. R., Suresh Kumar and L.M.
Pande (2005). Quantification of Water
Limited Yield in Rainfed Crops Using GIS
Based Modeling. Journal of Applied
Hydrology :60-67.
31. Pathak D., Champati ray, P.K., Lakhera,
R.C., and Singh, V., 2005. Application of
remote sensing and GIS in landslide
hazard zonation and delineating debris
flow susceptible zones in Garhwal
Himalaya, India. Presented at 5th Asian
Regional Conference on Eng. Geol. for
Major Infrastructure Development and
Natural
Hazard
Mitigation,
28-30
September, Nepal and published in
Journal of Nepal Geol. Society, 2005, V
32 (Spl.), pp 67.
32. Perspectives for Sustainable Development
(HYPESD-2005) , Eds. M. Perumal, D.C.
Singhal, D.S. Arya, D.K. Srivastava, N.K.
Goel, B.S. Mathur, H. Joshi, Ranvir Singh,
M.D. Nautiyal, Department of Hydrology,
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee,
Roorkee, 23-25 Feb. 2005, Allied
Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Vol. I, p. 420-427.
33. Roy, P.S. and P.K. Joshi (2005). Frontier
of Geoinformatics Education in India.
Geospatial Today 3(4): 16-18.
34. Singh, I.J., Jugran, D.K., Thanruma, S.
and Reddy, S.R. (2005). Forest resource
assessment in Mohand Forest Range,
Uttar Pradesh using remote sensing and
GIS, J. Ind. Soc. Remote Sensing, 33(4):
565-574.
35. Singh, S., T. P. Singh and Gaurav
Srivastava (2005).
Vegetation Cover

26

Type Mapping in Mouling National Park in

Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalayas
An Integrated Geospatial Approach.
Indian Journ. Rem. Sens. 33(4): 547-563.
36. Singh, S.K., S.P.S. Kushwaha and P.K.
Joshi (2006). RS and GIS in Conservation
and Management Planning Mangrove
Mapping
and
Monitoring.
GIM
International 20 (2): 61-63.
37. Talukdar, G., Lele, N. and M.C. Porwal,
2005.
Spatial Modelling of Biological
Richness in Nokrek Biosphere Reserve
(North-eastern India). (Communicated)
Journal of the Indian Society of Remote
Sensing, Vol 33, No. 3, pp 435-440.
38. Van
Genderen,
J.L.,
Song
Qi,
Jeganathan, C. and Gnanasekaran, G.
(2005). The use of a data-fusion
approach to integrate multiple earthquake
precursors into a robust prediction
methodology. 1st DEMETER guest
investigators workshop, CNES, Paris 2-5
May 2005. Paris: CNES, 2005.
14.5 Outreach
1. Samvaad 5th issue of NRSAs House
Journal in Hindi
2. Guruvaar Bulletin - Weekly Hindi magazine
on NRSAs Intranet
3. Contact Newsletter from IIRS

27