GIS and Remote Sensing

Biography

Biography: Jagbir Singh

Abstract

India has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disasters on account of its unique geo-climatic conditions. Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes and landslides have been recurrent phenomena. About 60% of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of various intensities; over 40 million hectares is prone to floods; about 8% of the total area is prone to cyclones and 68% of the area is susceptible to drought. There is an increasing trend in disasters both in frequency as well as damage caused in terms of human casualties, economic and environmental. Growth in the use of spatial technologies has secured acceptance for geospatial technology as an effective decision-making tool even by the government agencies. They have realized that this technology can provide them the much-needed tool to address the ever increasing demand for data availability. The technology today is used in integrated land information systems, land reform offices, education sector, urban planning, etc. In many states of our country, basic information for disaster reduction (technical studies, geographical data, etc) usually exists, but is not readily available to local authorities and other stakeholders. The information is hardly available in a form that facilitates sound decision-making. With the use of GIS and remote sensing the possible effects of natural phenomena like floods, drought, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions and fires on buildings, population, infrastructure etc. can be modelled and made visible in a spatial and interactive manner. If this is done in a proper way, GIS and remote sensing can be used as a powerful tool for analysis of hazard, vulnerability and risk, resulting in the development of different scenarios and concrete measures for disaster prevention. The low-cost GIS systems allow local authorities to properly plan the areas under their jurisdiction, and to incorporate the local knowledge and ensure community participation, combined with modeling results from experts. The GIS combines layers of information on various themes to enable the disaster managers to take the most appropriate decisions under the given circumstances. The GIS technology is new thing in India, and new things often arrive with added baggage. Questions arise about rates of adoption and participation across India. Is there equity of access? GIS and remote sensing application software require high end computers with high end graphics cards etc, which at the moment are comparatively expensive in India. GIS awareness and education levels are still low in India. The emergency preparedness and response application challenge is mainly concerned with the interaction between humans and their environment under conditions thought to be hazardous either to life or habitat. This application challenge is not only multifaceted as its title implies but also covers a wide range of disasters, many with fundamentally different underlying processes (such as earthquakes, cyclones, and fires). Therefore, the geo information data and tools like Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS have increasingly been used world over in pre, during and post disaster phases for generating updated maps, integrating information, visualizing scenarios and identifying and planning effective solutions. Lack of adequate data, lack of high accuracy & understanding of layman is big challenge in India.