Remote Sensing and GIS Information Resource Centre
B.K. Kakade
Presented at the Space Technology for Rural Development: NGO Perspective on
April 18,2000, RRSSC, Nagpur.
1. Genesis and Scope
The multidisciplinary approach in rural development has become inevitable
due to resource degradation, drastic depletion and the increased pressure of
population. In an era of science and technology, India has proved its competence in
this sector. The Indian Space Technology is one of the best in the world and is being
used internationally. Indian Space Capabilities are available to International
customers through ‘Antrix Corporation’ of Department of Space. Indian Remote
Sensing Satellites (IRS) System, commissioned in 1988 has the world’s largest
constellation of five Remote Sensing (RS) satellites – IRS -1B, IRS - 1C, IRS - 1D,
IRS - P3, and IRS - P4, offering space-based data in a range of spectral bands, spatial
resolutions and swaths. The data is used for several applications covering agriculture,
water resources, urban development, mineral prospecting, environment, forestry,
draught and flood forecasting and ocean resources.
Yet, the application Space Technology has remained a domain of the scientist
and researchers and has been utilized in a very limited way in the rural development.
The natural resource development on the basis of watershed at micro level has been
adopted by most of the development agencies for sustainable development and
management of the resources with people’s participation. However, the advanced
technologies like Space Technology, and Geographic Information System (GIS),
although proved to be very effective in the development of natural resources, are used
in a very limited way. So there is a need to bridge the gap between the available
technology, expertise and the potential users, including voluntary agencies.
BAIF Development Research Foundation, with the help of Space Applications
Center (SAC) Ahmedabad, started the use of Space technology in 1992. The remote
sensing data and Global Positioning System (GPS) with GIS environment has been
used in various programmes of BAIF. It is particularly being used in project
planning, project monitoring, field-based research and impact assessment. While
using the remotely sensed data in its different programmes in 6 states of India, BAIF
has experienced many constraints during the initial stages of applications.
BAIF Development Research Foundation, based at Pune is Non Government
Voluntary Organization involved in implementation of various rural development
programmes in seven states in India for the last 30 years. The emphasis of BAIF
programmes is to create gainful self-employment opportunities in rural areas through
sustainable natural resource development with active participation of people.
After fully convinced about the high utility value of the RS data, BAIF wish to
promote its use over through the other NGOs and the local government departments.
If the other development NGOs plan to apply the technology may have to go through
the same cycle of constraints and problems which BAIF had faced. To make the
NGOs aware of the importance of the RS technology along with the GIS and to
facilitate them at the time of actual use, the concept is put forth through this proposal.
2. The Concept
The concept is basically to create a new culture of using space technology in
the working of development NGOs and providing the initial support in the form of the
facilities required for the use of RS data and the expertise for analysis and field work.
The Culture of use of Space Technologies can be brought in with the following
strategies.
2.1 Awareness Generation
The initial stage would be the identification and generation of awareness
among the potential users of Space Technology. This will have to be done through
the Orientation and Awareness Generation Workshops at the regional level. The
Potential Users of the Space Technology would be the NGOs and Government
Organizations working in the field of natural resource development at grass root level.
The documentation of the existing work done by the leading NGOs using Space
Technology will help to show the utility and value addition in the work. This
documentation will be presented in various workshops at regional and national level.
2.2 Universalized Availability of RS Data
It is often experienced by the beginner that although convinced about the
utility of technology, its access in the ready-to-use form is not always easy. Hence
the intermediary role for understanding requirement of the client and processing the
raw data needs to be played. This will help reduce the time lag and resources of the
beginner NGO involved in procuring the data.
2.3 Capacity Building
Capacity building for universalizing the use of Space Technology includes
both the proposed Service Provider (BAIF) and the Potential Users.
Capacity building of the potential users needs to be taken up through specific
short-term training programmes and interaction workshops. Interaction workshops
would help the beginners to discuss the problems and potentials involved in the use of
technology and would also develop the skills required. Training areas will be as
given below:
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Accessing RS data
Processing RS data
Interpretation of RS data
Use of GIS
The training programmes for the potential users / beginners can be organised by
the service provider in association with Space Application Centers and National
Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad.
For service providers (BAIF), the support from SAC will be required in case of
all the above aspects for fine tuning the skills and value addition in the processed
products. It may be started with initial short-term training to the staff at BAIF in the
above areas. Participation of the service provider in the national level and
international level workshops related to Space Technology will help to remain at the
cutting edge of the state of art technology and its application. The expert support of
the SAC and the external expertise in the specific areas like Space Technology,
Geology and Information Technology will be required continuously.
2.4 Field Applications
The other important role of the service provider will be to provide facilities
and expertise for the usage of processed images and associative database in
implementation of a complete cycle of application of Space Technology at field level.
This involves creating a complete database required for the use of Space
Technology for planning, monitoring, impact assessment and field based research
and provide the expert support in interpretation of the images and Ground
Truthing. In addition, the external support in the field of geo-hydrology will also be
brought in.
3. Summation
In brief, efforts are required to create a culture of the use of Space Technology
in Rural Development. Which is possible with the efforts at grass root level by
leading NGOs with the support from ISRO- Space Application Centres.