Jet Set Go: India's Spacebound Odyssey

India's space ecosystem is growing at a stunning pace, as liberalized policies, bootstrapped incubation, technology transfer, broad collaboration, and ISRO mentorship bears fruit. Though there are still some stumbling blocks ahead that need to be crossed before the apogee is hit.

Prof. Arup Dasgupta arup@geospatialworld.net Managing Editor

Towards a New Dawn

As we come to the year’s end, there’s some very exciting news for Indian space buffs. The opening up of space to entrepre neurs, which started in 2021, has picked up a significant pace. IN-SPACe, the arm of DoS ( Department of Space) which was set up to enable the access of ISRO facilities to private players and whose headquarters was inaugurated this year, has already got down to work. The results are beginning to show.

The launch of Vikram-S by Skyroot from the SDSC sounding rocket range, and the launch of ANAND from Pixxel and Thybolt 1 and 2 from Dhruva Space on PSLV C54, marks the success of the government‘s efforts to broad base space activities through the entry of private companies.

The public sector arm of DOS, NSIL ( New Space India Limited) too has farmed out the production of five PSLVs to a consortium. Its recent success in launching 36 OneWeb satellites on GSLV MkIII is notable.

A greater interest in the use of geospatial by government and business is also gaining ground. The setting up of the CORS network by Survey of India is a major step in this direction. The use of geospa tial technologies by sectors such as banks and other financial institu tions to assist in decision-making is a new opportunity area.

Traditional areas continue to flourish as well. However, certain decisions like the deforestation of Great Nicobar and ‘compensa tory’ afforestation in Madhya Pradesh could use EO to establish its viability, if not validity.

In order to keep up the momentum, the government needs to pass the Space Policy and the corresponding Act which will give IN-SPACe the necessary powers to manage this burgeoning sector. Many other proactive decisions are needed on funding – both foreign and Indian.

The government needs to rethink its role and set up suitable mechanisms to move funding to the levels needed to boost the Indian space economy – from the current two percent to ten percent of the global space economy by 2025, as envisaged by the Chairman ISRO.

Not to be forgotten are the National Geospatial Data Policy, which is a natural follow-up to the Geospatial Data guidelines announced in February 2021. An Act should follow the policy as well.

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SKYROOT LAUNCHES INDIA’S FIRST PRIVATE ROCKET

Telangana-based Skyroot Aerospace launched India’s first privately developed rocket Vikram-S from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. The mission was titled Prarambh.

The Vikram-S is 545 kilograms heavy, 6 meter long, and has a diameter of 0.375 meters. It is one of the most affordable rockets in its category globally and reaches a peak altitude of 89.5 kilometre. The rocket was developed by a team of 200 engineers in just 2 years, setting a new record time.

Skyroot had signed an MoU with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and became the first startup in India to do so.

With this, the startup got access to ISRO’s facilities and expertise in the space sector.

Launched in 2018, Skyroot Aerospace has successfully built and tested India’s first privately developed cryogenic, hypergo lic-liquid, and solid fuel-based rocket engines; the R&D and production activities extensively use advanced composite and 3D-printing technologies.

A few months ago, the company raised USD 51 million (INR 403 crore) from Singapore-based GIC Ventures. This investment is the largest in the Indian space-tech industry, which recently opened for private players.

GROWING INDO-AUSSIE SPACE START-UP COLLABORATION

A total of six MoUs were signed between Australia and India at the Bengaluru Space Expo (BSX) 2022.

Bengaluru-based Ananth Technologies signed an MoU with Space Machines Company, an Australian Aerospace company, for collaborating in product integration, testing, tech deployment, and joint space programmes.

Meanwhile, SatSure signed an MoU with QL Space to collaborate on building satellites and AI solu tions. Additionally, both companies also look to work together to support mining, defence and agriculture industries, as well as explore applications in space.

Furthermore, MoUs were signed between Chennai-based GalaxEye with QL Space; Hydera bad-based Skyroot Aerospace and HEX20 as well as QL Space; and DCube with SABRN health and Altdata. These partnerships are on an array of space segments, for monitoring astronaut health to exploring space minerals.

ONEWEB JOINS HANDS WITH NSIL FOR LEO LAUNCHES

70% deployment of the planned 648 satellites.

The satellites for the launch will be carried by a GSLV-MkIII rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Another such launch has been planned for later this year, while three more launches are planned for next year which will complete the constellation.

Earlier, OneWeb signed a pact with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space research Organisation (ISRO). Apart from this, OneWeb also has an agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch its LEO satellites.

Bharti Airtel-backed OneWeb will launch 36 satellites into the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation from Sriharikota, India. This move will help India to achieve

INDIA’S FIRST HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT TO LAUNCH IN 2024

India’s maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, is expected to be launched in 2024. With a total cost of INR9023 Crore, it was previously slated for launch in 2022 but Covid-19 derailed the plan. However, before the actual flight, two test flights will be launched by 2023. The first one will be unmanned, while the second one will have a female humanoid robot called VyomMitra.

After assessing the outcomes of the two test flights, the Indian Space Research Ogranization (ISRO) will then send two astro nauts into low earth orbit in 2024. The Indian Air Force has selected four fighter pilots for the said mission who have undergone space training in Russia.

The Gaganyaan space program aims to establish indigenous prowess to take human space flight in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO), laying the foundation for sustained human space flight missions for India in the long run.

INDIAN IT MINISTER LAUNCHES MULTI-ACESS IOT DEVICE

Indian Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched a multi-ac cess Internet of Things (IoT) device called SenseIT Energy MAID by Sensorise. The device is made to bridge the gaps in infrastructure, technology, and services to drive machine-to-ma chine adoption in India.

With its eSIM and MAID device, Sensorise is expected to syner gise with the M2M ecosystem without any hassle. IoT/ M2M will enable use-case in multiple industry verticals, according to Vijaya Kamath, CTO, Sensorise, the group company of Rosmerta Group in the M2M/IoT communi

cations vertical.

Launched under the Aatanir bhar Bharat drive by the govern ment of India, the technology boasts a Make-In-India tag, being wholly indigenous. The Minister also unveiled the VoICE Pavilion which comprised over 22 member companies in the IoT sector.

INDIAN SPACE CONGRESS TO HELP START-UPS TAP INTO $1.5 TRILLION GLOBAL MARKET

A number of initiatives were announced at the Indian Space Congress 2022 which was held in New Delhi. The event was supported by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ministry of Defence, Niti Aayog, In-Space, NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) and the Department of Telecommunication

According to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Informa tion Technology, Space and Satellite communication is essential for India to achieve its ambitious target of a $1 trillion digital economy. He further emphasised a cohesive approach between stakeholders to accomplish the best results.

Dr. Somnath, the ISRO Chairman, said that the government of India will soon announce a National Space Policy that will allow private sector companies to enter the satellite vehicle manufacturing segment.

ANTARIS, GALAXEYE SIGN AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP EO SATELLITE

Antaris, California-based Space Software Company, and Banga lore-based GalaxEye, signed an agreement to develop an Earth Observation (EO) satellite that will have both SAR and optical sensors. The satellite is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2023.

According to the agreement, Antaris will provide GalaxEye with a SaaS platform which will help to design, simulate, build and manage the EO satellite.

The developed satellites will improve the ability to correlate data and its analytical utility by capturing both synthetic aper ture radar (SAR) and optical data together. The data sets acquired

BELLATRIX TO SETUP SPACE PROPULSION SYSTEM R&D CENTRE IN BENGALURU

Bellatrix Aerospace is set to establish a research & develop ment (R&D) centre as well as a manufacturing plant for space-re lated objects near the Kempe gowda International Airport (KIA). The plant is expected to begin operations by late 2023.

The facility will begin in phases, with first phase opera tions covering five acres of the aerospace park in Bengaluru. The plant will manufacture space taxis (orbital transfer vehicles or OTVs) as well as propulsion systems for rockets and satellites. Once fully operational, the facility will be worth around INR 630 crore (USD76 million).

Bellatrix is a private aerospace company that specialises in manufacturing in-orbit propulsion

would be used for environmental, insurance, and defense sector applications.

The design of the Spacecraft bus and supply chain integra tion services will be handled by XDLINX Labs, whereas, Ananth technologies, an Indian Aerospace Company, will provide Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) services to Antaris and GalaxEye.

AGNIKUL COSMOS SUCCESSFULLY TESTS WORLD'S FIRST 3D PRINTED ROCKET ENGINE

Chennai-based space-tech startup Agnikul has successfully tested the world’s first 3D-printed engine called Agnilet. The test-fire run was carried out at Vertical Test Facility, Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), Thiruvanan thapuram.

Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) backed the test which becomes the first of its kind in the world.

systems and OTVs/space taxis. The firm has said that it plans to set up its 2.1 lakh square feet space factory to meet the global demand for satellites, space taxis, and OTVs. The company is planning to manufacture several thousand propulsion systems every year.

The firm will also produce four thrusters at the soon-tobe-launched facility; the Hall thruster, microwave plasma thruster, nano thruster, and green propulsion systems.

Fully designed and manufactured in India, this new TERLS test certi fied the method ology followed by Agnikul. The startup also has patented the designing and manufac turing process of single-piece 3D-printed rockets.

Agnikul also unveiled India’s first-ever rocket manufac turing factory for printing rocket engines. Called Rocket-Factory-1, the facility is situated at IIT Madras and will be used for largescale rocket engine printing.

GeoSmart India Focuses on Future Action Plan

GeoSmart India, a three-day annual event on spatial tech nologies, was held in Hyderabad from 15 to 17 November, 2022. The theme for this year was #geospatial bydefault: Empowering Billions. The conference was co-hosted by the Indian Society of Remote Sensing and the Indian Society of Geomatics.

The event aimed to address some of the most chal lenging socio-economic issues hindering growth; facilitate networking among the geospa tial community consisting of government, mapping agencies, researchers, academics, private

industries, and users of geospa tial information.

Over 2000 attendees from different sectors including dele gates from government and private industries, academic students, and people from the geospatial fraternity attended GeoSmart I dis this year.

The inaugural session featured a keynote address by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shek hawat, where he talked about the country and the youth, especially in the startup sector. He further emphasised the need to strengthen the geospatial capability of India by integrating

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

different technology under one umbrella.

“India is a young nation with a spirit of innovation and a strong startup base. The number of startups has almost doubled since 2021. The collection, production, and dissemination of geospatial data have been democratized.  The government is committed to ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and now it is our respon sibility to put in efforts to make that possible,” said Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

The event was also graced by the virtual presence of ISRO Chairman S. Somanath, who discussed the emerging space sector in India and highlighted the role of geospatial technology in the process.

“We are working on the launch of future satellites like the OceanSat, to be launched this year. We are also working in continuation with the previous missions of serving the oceans for various critical information, PSLV with the OceanSat. The launch of LVM3 with One Web satellite has created a huge fanfare in terms of India’s ability to take on

the commercial launch possi bility of emerging small satellite constellation building,” said Dr. S. Somanath, Chairman, ISRO

Speaking on the occa sion Sanjay Kumar, CEO, Geospa tial World said, “Government of India is working on a strategic approach of building India for tomorrow. It is trying to provide an equitable and sustainable living for 20% of the world’s population.”

AS Kiran Kumar, Member of Space Commission and Former Chairman, ISRO said, “At the outset, I should say this is a very significant event. Today the world is changing very fast, and technology is evolving so rapidly that those who don’t adopt it, will be left behind. In this context, science and technology devel opment is fostered by certain entities. If there’s any country that has a value system that the world should remain sustainable, it is India.”

Held annually, the GeoSmart India conference looks to bridge the gap between theory and praxis by bringing together stake holders and providing a platform to put forward the benefits of geospatial technology.

Dr. S. Somanath

Sanjay Kumar

AS Kiran Kumar

The Long Reckoning Challenges Facing India’s Emerging Space Sector

In hindsight, India’s New Space economy has made significant progress over the past few years, but to harness its true potential there’s a need for a calibrated approach for removing regulatory bottlenecks, enhancing transparency, and enabling access to funds and new markets. By Arup Dasgupta

“As we can see most of the NewSpace India participants are testing the waters. They have been learning by doing. Now the time has come for a more structured approach that enables better incubation. Fortunately, Antrix is open to such ideas. Various policies and acts need to change from being restrictive to being enabling.”

~ Geospatial World, March-April 2018 ~

n 2018, a survey of the emerging entrepreneurs in the nascent private space industry, NewSpace India showed that there was huge enthusiasm for space opportu nities, both upstream and down stream. While heavy industries such as Godrej, L&T, Walchand, HAL were already supplying a majority of the requirements of

launchers and satellites to ISRO, many other MSMEs were also working on the downstream technology and applications. Almost all of them are interested in carving out a fresh identity as space industries in their own right. Four years back it seemed rather ambitious in this regard.

That time there was no Space Policy except a draft document which was much discussed, and not seen as an enabler of such independent efforts like NewSpace India. Space Commu nications Policy, Space Remote Sensing Policy and a whole raft of 14 other policies and acts that governed geospatial activities in India were not seen as enter prise-friendly.

New Beginnings Things began to change 2021

onwards. A new Geospa tial Guidelines was issued in February which superseded all other policies related to geospatial data acquisition and mapping. A National Geospatial Data Policy – and hopefully an Act – is under approval by the Cabinet.

In February 2022, a draft Space Policy was circulated for comments and awaits Cabinet approval. This will supersede all other Space-related poli cies and will be followed by a Space Act to be passed by the Parliament. The result of these efforts is expected to make for a better-enabled playing field for private entrepreneurs.

In September, the govern ment notified the creation of the Indian National Space Promo

tion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) as an autonomous agency in the Department of Space (DOS) for enabling space activities, as well as, the usage of Department of Space-owned facilities by Non-Governmental Private Entities.

Current Scenario

From barely four industries in 2018, the number of enter prises in the startup space has exceeded 250 this year. Though the ecosystem started late, it is growing fast. The participants are bullish but the ecosystem continues to appear as an extended arm of the govern ment’s space programme and has a low impact. There is a need for a nurturing ecosystem and evange lisation to enable it to mature. It is estimated that with this approach, it may take another five years to independently evolve.

As of now, many Indian space companies are in the news. Skyroot has launched its Prar ambh Mission, an experimental launcher Vikram-S from SHAR utilising the ISRO launch facil ities through IN-SPACe at a

‘nominal cost’. Agnikul is not far behind. It proposes to conduct its first launch in late 2022. It is the recipient of the ISRO-built Flight Termination System which provides for Mission safety in the event of a malfunction. Bella trix has opened a new factory near Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore. Their US$ 76 million factory will be ready by 2023. Their products are a range of thrusters and they are aiming for manufacturing Orbital Transfer Vehicles popularly known as Space Taxi.

Satsure, a company working on the use of space imagery in a variety of applications has acquired KaleidEO, a company developing high resolution optical payloads with edge computing based on Satsure’s

AI/ML package. Other compa nies acquired by Satsure are GeoSpoc and CropTrails for agriculture-related applications. Another company Pixxel Space is on track to launch a constellation of satellites with 5m resolution hyperspectral sensors. The first, Shakuntala was launched on SpaceX Transporter 4 mission in April 2022, and the next one, Anand was launched on PSLV C-54 on November 26.

These are exciting develop ments. Start-ups in the Space sector are beginning to realize their dreams, and with that comes sobering thoughts about continuity and sustainability. There are several issues that need attention - capital, human resources, policy, support from ISRO and the market.

There is a need for a nurturing ecosystem and evangelisation to enable it to mature. It is estimated that with this approach, it may take another five years to independently evolve

In a report on “Why do Indian Founders in the Space Industry start their start-ups abroad?” produced by Space port Sarabhai, a think tank addressing space-related matters, some of the problems that are faced by entrepreneurs

have been studied in depth and the summary of their results are reproduced in Table 1.

Access to Capital

While the nascent Indian space industry has not exactly set the financial world on fire, a modestly

steady beginning has been made. A quick look at the five companies in the news shows a total valuation of about US$ 360 million in 2021. Major funding is for the industries related to the upstream activities while the downstream companies pull in lower amounts. The number of companies involved in upstream activities is slightly more than the ones involved in downstream activities. This is a matter of concern as will be discussed later.

In comparison, the total space economy in India is about US$ 9.6 billion. Even at this level India’s share of the world space economy is barely 2.6 percent and contrib utes 0.5 percent of the GDP. The Indian Space Association, ISpA avers that “with the rapidly growing space ecosystem, India is prepared to grow to $13-billion by 2025 at a compound annual growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6%”. The keyword is ‘prepared’.

It remains to be seen whether the capital flows both to ISRO-DOS and to the industry will match these projections. Can there be a major up-funding from the Government to ISRO-DOS? More importantly, are Indian investors with deep pockets willing to take the risk of investing in Space activities? As of now, Indian angel investors have contributed in units of millions where foreign investments are in the tens of millions.

Boosting Investor Confidence

Today most Indian investors are in the game for fear of missing out on Space, but at the same time they restrict themselves to the pre-seed and seed funding stage. One reason for not going on to larger funding is because

Start-ups in the Space sector are beginning to realize their dreams, and with that comes the sobering thoughts about continuity and sustainability. There are several issues that need attentioncapital, human resources, policy, support from ISRO and market

Skyroot Aerospace launched India's first privately made rocket, Vikram-S

ISRO working on fourth stage rockets that stay 'alive' for experiments months after launch

many startups lack a good busi ness plan.

As it stands, Indian investors are risk averse and prefer safe investments like 5G rather than long-term, high-risk investments in space technology. In this situa tion, the bubble of space industry euphoria may burst anytime.

The Indian investor market lacks independent think tanks that can study the upstream and downstream in Space markets and give investors an independent assessment of the prospects of a company entering the Space industry.

Without independent assess ments, Indian investors have to depend on studying business plans of prospective industries.

If they come across a good business plan, they are willing to invest and wait for five to seven years before getting any returns.

In the case of foreign invest ments, an additional issue is FDI on which the Ministry of Home Affairs is moving fast but ISRO is dragging its feet. If this is sorted out then foreign fund inflows will pick up beyond the tens of millions level.

Downstream industries do not need very high levels of capital and are therefore preferred by Indian investors. The returns come in faster which is an attrac tion. Further, ISRO has been pushing downstream industries in preference to upstream ones. The success of Skyroot may provide the nudge needed to

make upstream industries more attractive to investors.

Greater attention to these issues is needed to be able to realise the 2025 goal.

Human Resource Constraints

As of 2021, these companies employed about 400 people. An industry head working in down stream activities is very appre ciative of Indian engineering graduates. They are willing to take risks but at the same time they come from a poor educa tional culture which does not teach them to question. They lack communication skills and business thinking which is a big drawback when it comes to making presentations to poten tial investors and clients.

Another industry head working in the upstream area concurs. The need is for marketing persons with a tech nical background but such MBA graduates tend to be risk averse and prefer to work with known business houses at market salary levels. A few may get disil lusioned with routine projects and prefer challenging jobs and may gravitate to Startups working on cutting-edge tech nologies and products.

Freshers from select top institutions are preferred as they pick up quickly but freshers from Tier 2 and 3 institutions need to be trained before they

get into the mainstream. Skilled people are hard to get. While retired ISRO personnel are a huge support there is a need for scouting out other skilled persons, typically mid-level engineers in big enterprises who are seeking a change from corporate culture.

Another issue is pay disparity. Computer and Communica tions engineers seek market salaries which tend to be high. As a result, nearly 60 to 70 percent of the budget has to be reserved for salaries which impact the creation of facilities and purchase of raw materials needed for upstream activities.

Startups also face poaching by bigger companies. It takes two to three years to get a fresh engineer up to speed. At this point, they are offered higher salaries - maybe upto two to three times - which result in an unnecessary turnover which leads to delays.

Educational institutions need to address some of these fundamental problems. The existing pedagogy has to be changed. According to an industry expert young engineers with a stint of education abroad are much better equipped to handle technical and business challenges because they have learnt to question and study with an open mind as opposed to the Indian method of rote learning. Hopefully, the NEP might have answered some of these issues.

Policy Issues

The delay in the passing of the Space Policy is becoming a big drag. While the geospa tial guidelines are a very good step but issues remain. How does one meter map resolution translate to sensor resolution, particularly where the sensors are not optical but microwave? The draft Space Policy has the answers but unless they see the light of day industry will have to go by the existing individual policies which are nearly 18 in number and are at least a decade old.

FDI of 70 percent will be needed, particularly by compa nies working on upstream activ ities. ISRO is a global brand and any company with support from ISRO can hope to rise funds but a more lasting arrangement is through trade policies. Most countries prefer to see the

ISRO's LVM3-M2 on its way to carry 36 OneWeb satellites in the LEO

ISRO's heaviest rocket, GSLV Mk III

funding go to local industries but when there is a trade policy between countries this limita tion can be overcome. Australia and Canada have such poli cies which give their industries access to global investments and markets.

The incubation of nascent industries is lacking in India. The Atal Incubation Centres are a step in the right direction and the raising of grants to Rs 80 lac will encourage many potential entre preneurs to take the plunge.

ISRO Support

The current administration of ISRO and the creation of IN-SPACe has resulted in a change in ISRO’s approach to startups. ISRO is opening up and trying to do something different. But there are hiccups.

For example, the launch of Vikram-S by Skyroot was from an ISRO facility and used ISRO staff support on payment which was nominal as per Skyroot. One of the roles of NSIL is to provide commercial access to ISRO facilities, but this route was not used. It appears that NSIL faces a conflict of interest as it is also the owner of the SSLV being developed by ISRO. Launchers like Skyroot’s Vikram and Agni kul’s Agnibaan are competitors to SSLV.

Engaging Clients

Access to clients is different for upstream and downstream industries. Downstream clients are many in India and abroad. As per an industry expert, India presents a very good market because clients are open to adopting new processes.

The Indian policy stresses the use of satellite EO data for many

application areas in agricul ture like claims settlement and loan assessment. Banks and RBI have begun to use satellite EO-based systems to speed up their processes. The expert felt that it was easier to work with Indian clients rather than foreign clients. In his opinion countries in Europe do face a degree of decision paralysis when it comes to satellite-based EO.

Upstream industries find India to be a limited market therefore the need is to be able to access foreign markets. This is an uphill task. The solutions are manifold.

The industry has to open subsidiaries in countries of interest. Starting Joint Ventures with foreign companies is another option. As mentioned earlier, Free Trade Agreements with different countries are a third possibility.

Conclusions

From 2018 to 2022, the number of startups jumped by a factor of 60, indicating that entre preneurs do find space as an important sunshine area where they are willing to take the risks.

As of 2021, there were twelve startups in space manufacturing (launchers and satellites), ten in space applications and five in other activities, which gives the ratio of 12:5:10.

It is a matter of concern that the measure of the Indian space

economy is in the ratio of 9:21:70 for space manufacturing, space operations and space applica tions (India's Space Economy, 2011-12 to 2020-21: Its Size and Structure by Sunil Mani, V.K. Dadhwal, C.S. Shaijumon, Space Policy, Elsevier, in press).

Further, the bulk of the appli cations is related to communica tions, internet, and broadcasting which tends to distort the overall numbers of the space economy both in India and globally.

Both IN-SPACe and entrepre neurs need to understand this and prepare their business plans accordingly. Perhaps the fact that ISRO is encouraging down stream activities may reflect this situation. Many small satellite launchers are failing globally and it is necessary to consider the economy of small satellite launchers in the light of reusable heavy launchers which can carry multiple small satellites.

NewSpace India has been growing since 2007. 2022 repre sents a milestone year in terms of policy and structural changes. The future is bright but there is a need to proceed with caution because, to quote Prof U R Rao, the third Chairman of ISRO, “Space is not for the chicken hearted”.

arup@geospatialworld.net

Prof. Arup Dasgupta Managing Editor

While the nascent Indian space industry has not exactly set the financial world on fire, a modestly steady beginning has been made. A quick look at the five companies in the news shows a total valuation of about US$ 360 million in 2021

Blueprint for Five-Fold Growth of India’s Space Sector

While deregulation and incentivization have spurred the growth of the country’s space sector and fostered innovation, there’s still a lot to be done to ensure commercial viability for developing a global space hub.

By Dr. Narayan Prasad, COO, SatSearch

Off late, there has been a lot of buzz in India’s space sector with the formation of the Indian National Space Promo tion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe). The move is emblematic of the government’s intent and motivation to open up the space sector to private participation.

In a recent interview, Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe mentioned that over 100 Indian space startups have emerged in the past two years.

The industry has also seen some significant activity supporting such intent with the handover of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) production to the HAL and L&T-led consortium recently by New Space India Limited (NSIL) to build five rockets over a four-year term with an estimated cost of 860 Crore INR.

Within the startup landscape, companies such as Pixxel,

Dhruva Space, Space Kidz India, etc., have their satellites launched onboard. The most recent success is that of Skyroot Aerospace launching its maiden suborbital rocket successfully.

However, India currently occu pies just over 2% share of the global space market. While the government envisions capturing a larger share of the pie, some crucial aspects need to be tackled if India has to become a major space exporter. This has to be done by capitalizing on the talent, infrastructure, and experi ence built up over the decades.

Exposure to local demand

One of the key features of any successful space industry ecosystem around the world has been the hallmark of govern ments acting as first customers to risky products/services. This is done to enable their maturity to then leverage the fruits of success to scale to markets abroad.

The Government of India should come up with mechanisms to act as an anchor customer for new types of products/services to be developed by the industry. This will allow risk sharing for investment by the private sector in such areas. If the product/service works, it can then scale to customers around the world at a rapid pace.

For example, acting as an anchor customer to procure 50% of imagery produced at 1m resolution can plug the growing demand for satellite imagery in the country. This will allow the industry to compete and take risks to establish such capabili ties locally. Once successful, the Indian industry can easily use such a product to then export both satellites and imagery/ imagery-based services abroad.

Currently, the Government of India has made strong efforts to bring in regulatory frameworks with the creation of IN-SPACe. However, to go the full distance in reforms, there's a need to open up demand for space-based services in various ministries/departments to the private sector.

Exposing the private sector to local demand for space-based services (not just outsourcing of rockets or satellite manufac turing) will lead to rapid digital transformation of several sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, fisheries, water management, etc., which can help the citizens at a fundamental level in improving their quality of life.

This could be done by inte grating by various government ministries/departments. The Indian Space Research Organi zation (ISRO) can act as a project management platform to then run specific programs with the private sector competing with each other to cater to the demand.

True regulatory reform IN-SPACe, the body that the government created to promote and regulate the space sector in India, does not have a legislative backbone to act independently in the space industry. It still oper ates within the Department of Space (DoS).

To be able to turn IN-SPACe into a true regulator, the govern ment should provide it with a legislative mandate independent of DoS. This would enable it to function as a real regulator with an arm's length to ISRO/DoS.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) style legis lative reform with an IN-SPACe bill can empower reforms to work at

a breakneck pace, enhancing the trust and whetting the appetite of foreign investors to work with the Indian space sector. True singlewindow regulatory reform would come when IN-SPACe does not need to wait for clearances from the Space Commission, DoS or the Cabinet, and has the authorization to take decisions for the regulatory management of space activities in its ambit.

Overhauling Procurement

Governments of advanced space-faring nations have been supporting their space agencies by continuously reforming their procurement processes. This is done by coming up with mecha nisms for risk-sharing and fostering the maturity of critical technolo gies for cutting-edge products/ services.

For example, the US govern ment has supported NASA by creating special procurement reforms in the form of the NASA Space Act Agreement.

This has enabled the agency to enter into and perform such contracts, leases, cooperative agreements, or other transac tions as may be necessary for the conduct of its work and on such terms as it may deem appropriate.

This has enabled NASA to develop special procurement programs such as the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) and Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) which have had immense consequences for companies such as SpaceX.

Another interesting example is the use of Indefinite Delivery Indef inite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts by the defense establishments in the US such as the Space Force to provide contracts for immature

technology products to come to fruition by procurement support based on their utility.

The Indian government needs to put in place procurement reforms that will allow inno vative risk taking to support R&D / IP development by the private sector (both by SMEs and startups) in areas that have commercial scope. This will allow domestic companies to innovate new technologies of commercial interest at a higher pace, leading to a growth in exports.

Monitoring for Informed Policymaking

There is no comprehensive study that maps any real indices such as the number of people employed in the Indian space sector, our share of exports in space-based services, or the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into space.

There’s a need for a special division, within the Promotion Directorate of IN-SPACe, to monitor the overall activity from a micro and macroeconomic standpoint. It can be put together with a mix of technologists, economists, social scientists, etc., who can work together to have a continuous measurement frame work to monitor the rising space activities in the country.

This will also serve as a framework to measure activity on a year-on-year basis as well as use these metrics as primary information to perform policy changes that are based on concrete evidence-based meas urements. Metrics such as FDI,

jobs created, the dollar value of exports, and several others can be selected as some of the key drivers for industry growth.

These can be tracked along with specific studies on other metrics such as an increase in air/ water/crop yield quality, reduc tion in carbon emissions, etc.

For decades, we’ve been relegated to using opinion-based information to build policies. It's high time now that real frame works that use economic and social metrics be used to drive policies to build a thriving space sector in the coming years.

Export Support

India is witnessing the emergence of some of the best downstream application companies backed by the country's software talent pool.

Companies such as Vassar Labs, SatSure, Aquaconnect, CropIn, etc., are great examples of how Indian entrepreneurs have been able to leverage a combi nation of space and software to build products that cater not just to businesses, but also communities. They have the potential for deliv ering tremendous societal impact in other developing countries as well. But can have a tremendous societal impact for other devel oping countries.

The problems, culture, and price points to access/afford solutions in several geographies around the world such as South Asia, Africa, Latin America, etc., are way closer to solutions that are emerging from India as

opposed to those from traditional space powers in the west.

However, there is a need to build bridges between solutions made in India with friendly devel oping geographies for promoting localized adaptation. IN-SPACe can help mature these solutions by working in sync with India's missions abroad. This can be done by identi fying partners who can collaborate with the Indian industry to pass on the benefits to their communities. Over the course of time, this would boost the export of Indian space products and services.

Running thematic trade delegations by hand-holding the Indian industry to directly network with partners abroad could be a starting point.

Realizing the fruits of the latent capacity within the country can happen only when all the afore mentioned dimensions are tackled head-on, with an independent focus on every aspect to accel erate the sector’s growth.

Let us hope that the policy makers are listening, and do step in to unleash the enormous potential that the country holds.

Dr. Narayan Prasad is Chief Operations Officer at satsearch, the world’s largest marketplace for the space industry that stream lines procurement for teambuilding space missions and suppliers. He is also an elected member of the International Institute of Space Law and host of the NewSpace India podcast.

Indian government needs to put in place procurement reforms that will allow innovative risk taking to support R&D/IP development by the private sector in areas that have commercial scope

Charting the Trajectory of India’s Promising Geospatial Sector

The increasing ubiquity of spatial applications and solutions, and their intertwined nature with EO and space, offers enormous prospects for sustainable growth, however, there are certain challenges that need to be resolved. By

Anil Prakash, Director General, Satcom Association of India (SIA)

The Ministry of Science and Technology, in February 2021 dereg ulated the geospatial sector to grant open access to the geospatial data and services, including maps,

for all Indian entities, with the exception of sensitive defence or security-related data.

Due to this watershed move, the private sector and innovators no longer require prior approvals

before generating or updating digital geospatial data and maps within the territory of India. There is also no requirement for security clearance, license, or any other restrictions.

Geospatial technologies mainly consist of Remote Sensing GIS (Geographic Infor mation System), GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and Survey 3D modelling. The biggest consumer of geospa tial data in India is the Survey of India (SoI), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Remote Sensing Application Centres (RSACs), the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and all ministries and departments.

Geo-Intelligence is another massive use category of spatial data collection. Increasing use of horizontal technologies like IoT, big data analytics, AI, mobility, and cyber not only enables full potential utilization of geo-intelligence assets but also opens up new use cases in military intelligence

The Geospatial market as of 2021 was Rs 38972 Cr. As per the Geospatial "Artha" Report 2021, India’s geospatial economy has been projected to cross Rs 63,000 crore by 2025, growing at a rate of 12.8%, providing employment to more than 10 lakh people mainly through geospatial start-ups. There are also reports that put the projected net worth growth at Rs 1 lakh crore by the year 2029 CAGR. As mentioned by Union minister of state for Science and Technology Shri Jitendra Singh, India’s robust ecosystem is led by technology start-ups. There are around 250 geospatial start-ups in India and most would be moving towards high-tech ground-level surveillance.

With more investments and government budgetary support, there will be a spurt in geospa tial innovations leading to more accuracy of data which would eventually bring down the cost of innovation, a huge win-win for tech start-ups. The private sector is set to take precedence over international tech giants sooner than we know. The country will extend this infrastructure access to benefit South Asian neigh bouring states as well.

To provide a much-needed impetus, the Indian government has provisioned for a Geospa tial Incubator and the Bhunidhi portal, both developed by Hyderabad’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), and a solar calculator developed by ISRO’s Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad and National Toponymy Database.

Recently, several bodies such as Survey of India, Geological Survey of India, National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organi

zation (NATMO), ISRO, and the National Informatics Centre implemented several GIS-based pilot projects across a range of domains such as waste resource management, agriculture, tele communications, disaster and climate management, environ mental studies, architecture, forestry, urban planning, etc. to demonstrate the applications of geospatial.

There are plans by the government to leverage spatial data in projects such as SVAM ITVA, Gati-Shakti, Smart Cities and Disaster Management. Let’s look at some of these ambitious projects of the government where geospatial technology would disrupt the market.

SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas)

Establishment of Continuous Operating Reference System (CORS) network with large-scale mapping using Drones of Rural inhabited (Abadi) locations by Survey of India using drone Survey. The objective of the program is the creation of accurate land records for rural planning, and to bring financial stability to the citizens in rural India by enabling them to use their property as a financial asset.

In the creation of survey infrastructure, GIS maps would be leveraged to support the preparation of a better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP).

The survey will be done across the country in a phased manner over the period 2020 -2025.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is the Nodal Ministry

for the implementation of the SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Scheme. Survey of India shall work as the technology partner for implementation.

Massive role of Spatial Data in the Gati Shakti Project

The most ambitious Gati Shakti project entails the geospatial mapping of everything where different layers of maps would be integrated, leading to unified and coherent planning with better time-and-cost optimization.

The introduction of GIS in governance would ease of doing business and reduce compliance burden. Moreover, advances in mapping technology will become the base for innovation in other projects like Smart Cities and Disaster Management Policy.

Disaster Management

During any emergency, the role of a reliable Decision Support System is very crucial for effec tive response and recovery. With better connectivity networks, damage costs from natural disasters can be poten tially reduced by 39% therefore Information and Communication Technologies in form of Internet, GIS, Remote Sensing, Satellite communication, etc. are indis pensable in achieving that.

The country is already proving satellite-based near real-time information support to Central Ministries / Departments and State Ministries / Depart ments, before and after major natural disasters.

‘Digital North East 2022’ was announced to leverage GIS, RS and space technolo gies in fulfilling the ICT (Infor

mation and Communication Technology) needs to act as a Decision Support System [DSS] in the North Eastern Region [NER] which has been a digitally deprived region in India.

ISRO is actively involved with various other countries in this, through international frameworks, such as Inter national Charter ‘Space & Major Disasters’, Sentinel Asia, UNESCAP, and so on. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has joined hands with India in implementing the GoI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management (DRM) programme in 169 most vulnerable Districts of 17 States in India

Relevant information is disseminated in the interactive geospatial domain through various geoportals like Bhuvan,

National Database for Emer gency Management and the Meteorological & Oceano graphic Satellite Data Archival Centre [MOSDAC] for the admin istrators to better understand the impact and for improved decision support.

Way Forward

There is a massive potential for India’s geospatial sector, however, a few hurdles remain viz., lack of awareness among potential users including the government, and inadequately skilled manpower. The unavail ability of high-resolution data is also a huge constraint. Addition ally, there is a lack of clarity on data sharing and collaboration which prevents co-creation and asset maximization.

The scope of deospatial tools is humongous, however,

due to these challenges the use cases aren’t foolproof. India lacks skilled manpower and core professionals who understand geospatial end-to-end.

Despite being the most rational technology for managing disasters, spatial tech is hindered by the high cost of adoption. In next-gen mapping and GNSS in India, global tech giants are still dominating the space although homegrown companies are trying to make inroads.

India needs to raise aware ness, increase access to government data, provide training for professionals, and plunge investment into the sector.

We need to develop our own resources for mapping

and GNSS to realise the goal of Atmanirbhar Bharat and the vision of a $5 trillion economy. In the case of indigenous GNSS service in India, the Government needs to invest in developing and mandating the adoption of standards. There's a need for uniform standards, protocols and norms across the country.

The role of Artificial Intelli gence [AI] is vital to all disaster management phases, leading to a faster, more concise, and equipped response. Technol ogists are rapidly pushing AI’s ability to have highly accurate forecasts, optimizing aid deploy ment and real-time monitoring and staying prepared for a more resilient tomorrow and India needs to catch up with the required pace in this arena.

SECTORAL OVERVIEW

Data accuracy is a critical challenge and to achieve this a network of ground control points (GCP) is needed to accurately map the imagery with ground coordinates and its relative position on Earth. There is also a need to create a centralized database to capture and store all data results. standardization of the data entry process, and smooth availability of high-res olution data remains essential. Therefore, the issue of avail ability of suitable equipment to capture data must also be addressed.

Awareness needs to be created among potential users in government and private across various sectors. Inter-ministerial collaboration needs to be formed.

Localisation of Data can address national security issues. There is a need to develop a geospatial data cloud locally and facilitate a solution-as-a-service. National organizations like the SOI should be entrusted with the responsibility of regulation and projects related to the nation’s security and scientific significance.

Academic backing is also critical. India should start a bachelor’s programme in geospatial also in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the National Institutes of Technology (NITs). Besides these, there should be a dedi cated geospatial university.

We need to promote research and development efforts for technology indigenization.

EO and Spatial Analytics for Sustainable Agriculture

As a fallout of first the pandemic supply chain disruptions and then the Russia-Ukraine conflict, millions of people globally are at a risk of starvation as per the UN. How can we best leverage EO, analytics and AI to avoid or better manage similar scenarios?

deliver a platform which combined diverse datasets like emergency call locations, current and esti mated flooding intensity, digital elevation models for slope anal ysis and rainfall data to create risk zones. The Government of Kerala was able to evacuate more than 12,000 people using a portal.

What do you think is the role of EO and satellite imagery data in agriculture today?

Globally, the adoption of EO satellite imagery has increased. This is not just in specific sectors but across the agricultural value chain like credit lending, insur ance, input and machinery, agri culture co-operatives, commodity markets, production companies and market linkage players.

In the context of India, initia tives like Digital India, AI in agri culture and, industrial revolution 4.0 are driving the adoption of satellite imagery based analytics.

Geospatial plays a crucial role in global supply chain disruption scenarios, providing transpar ency and insights into what is happening in a particular loca tion without the need of any physical visits.

Infact, we saw an increased awareness and interest regarding remote assessment using satel lite imagery during COVID-19, especially in the financial sector. We have two unique scenarios which prove the importance of geospatial analytics during crisis.

Scenario 1: During the 2018 Kerala Floods, the Government of Kerala used geospatial tech nology for evacuation planning and mitigating strategy for limiting the loss of life and property. SatSure worked along with IBM to

Scenario 2: The advent of COVID-19, around March 2022 saw a massive supply chain disruption in agriculture. Due to restrictions on movements and lockdowns farmers and traders had a hard time buying and selling the commodities. We built a public portal with details of warehouses, cold storage facilities and logistic providers and invited buyers and traders to engage on the plat form which helped farmers and traders from different parts of India engage and trade.

Thus, it is very clear, if used with the right intent, EO data analytics can play a constructive role in helping people, communi ties and organizations, public or private, tackle situations of crisis

"The access to archival satellite data, combined with current agricultural season data can help cultivators gain insights into the crop condition in different areas, and stages of crop growth, allowing them to plan resources accordingly", says Prateep Basu, CEO, SatSure, in an exclusive interview with Geospatial World.

How to make agro-business more resilient to vagaries of

extreme weather and other uncertainties, and what role can Earth Observation, data analytics and new technologies play in it?

Companies engaged in the agricultural value chain need to understand the threat of climate change and act to build resilient models for themselves and the ecosystem if they want to miti gate the risks associated with it.

This starts with the basics of understanding the role EO data and educating the teams and ecosystem about it. This has to be a collaborative approach. The technology is still new in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries which are have a poor digital infrastructure. The demand for food is going to increase, 9.7 billion people by 2050 will need to be fed.

Thus, to tackle this growth in demand, organizations involved in agriculture have to be future ready, and the first step towards this is digital transformation, of data and processes. Govern ments need to play an active role in digitization of processes and datasets like land record data, farm boundaries etc. and open it up with good data governance models, for acceler ated adoption and technological innovation driven by the growing startup ecosystem .

Geospatial data will play a critical role in enabling access to data and information and create

a decision making model which shall be backed by scientifically derived information, instead of the current, physical survey based model which is not scal able, highly prone to errors and lacks transparency.

How can satellite data and earth observation data empower cultivators and what can governments do to promote its use?

Government is the most impor tant enabler for digital transfor mation in agriculture, because globally, the agriculture and land data is managed by it. Addition ally, the data infrastructure and decisions on production, distri bution and pricing is taken care of by the government bodies in most developing countries.

Thus, without an active partic ipation of governments, any large scale implementation and adop tion is not possible in the area of agriculture. Like highlighted previ ously, satellite imagery based analytics can help cultivators gain transparency throughout the crop growth stages.

Additionally, the access to archival satellite data, combined with current agricultural season data can help cultivators insights into the crop condition in different areas, stages of crop growth and plan the resources accordingly, In a pre-harvest scenario, this means providing the right resources at the right time for a good produc tion and controlling damage

due to a natural event and in a post harvest scenario, it boils down to better decision making on harvesting intervals, storage planning, market arrivals and a seamless distribution supply chain.

What is your view on food security?

To meet the global food demands, which will increase by 70% by 2050 to feed more than 9 billion people, food security is and will be one of the major objec tives of countries globally.

The green revolution post-inde pendence in India helped pull India out of food production crisis and made the country not just self-suf ficient, but also one of the largest producers of major commodities in the world. This happened due to adoption of technology.

With the growing population, today, food production may not be a major concern for many countries. However, its efficient distribution is what will define that every person gets access to quality food. This is where technology now has to play a pivotal role. Another aspect is the threat of climate change which will reduce the production capacities globally. It is hence, very important to adopt sustain able agricultural practices for optimum use of resources using advanced technology to create a climate resilient mode for tackling food security.

By Aditya Chaturvedi

Governments need to play an active role in digitization of processes and datasets like land record data, farm boundaries etc. and open it up with good data governance models, for accelerated adoption and technological innovation driven by the growing startup ecosystem

Interviewed

Up to the Brim: Has India’s SpaceX Moment Finally Arrived?

A Hyderabad startup, founded in 2018, has signaled the dawn of a new innovative era in the high-stakes world of space.

Spacing triumphs usually take decades of grit, tenacity, and relentless exposure to new learn ings and state-of-the-art technology. The tireless resolve, vigorous alertness, and zealously unwavering mission-critical mode is veritably harder to clock than a rocket’s escape velocity. So when a start-up founded just four years ago achieves a significant feat in the most competitive turf, then it certainly signifies a paradigm shift.

Skyroot Aerospace, a Hyderabad-based space tech start-up founded in 2018, has become the first Indian company to launch a private rocket.

Vikram-S, named after Vikram

Sarabhai, who is widely hailed as the Father of the Indian Space Program, blasted into outer space from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, ISRO's launch facility, around November 18. It is a six-metre-long rocket that weighs around 550 kgs, and carries three payloads. The launchers were designed using carbon compos ites, and the thrusters were 3D printed. Skyroot is also working on India’s first privately-built cryo genic rocket engine which will be called Dhawan.

The demonstrative mission, called Prarambh (The Beginning) turned out true to its name, liter ally as well as metaphorically, as it unrolled a new page in the saga of Indian space.

Proper Regulatory Support

The quest for an indigenous Space X and the creation of a scalable domestic hub are quite old, but with the advent of liberalized policies and condu cive support, things seem to be heading in the right direction.

“Over the last two years, we have seen policy development occur at a very rapid pace. This has been a major motivator for a startup like us. In 2018, we were confident about the launch services market and our capabili ties to build launch vehicles”, says Pawan Kumar Chandana, CEO & Co-founder, Skyroot Aerospace.

He underscores the driving factor as strong market demand

By Aditya Chaturvedi

which emerged from the launch of thousands of commercial small satellites in the past few years.

“We plan to cater to the burgeoning demand from the international small satellite market. Our next launch will take place within the next year, and it will carry client payloads and deploy them to orbit. By the end of 2025, we want to consistently make two launches every month”, he adds.

Mentorship Mechanism

To keep the abiding company vision in symphony with market demand and customer expecta tions, strong support from estab lished players is crucial. Mentor ship and initial hand-holding have a significant role in the grueling start-up journey of self-iden tification, re-assessment, and impactful transformation.

Skyroot was the first Indian startup to sign an MoU with Indian Space Research Organi zation (ISRO) for sharing facilities and technical expertise. Subse quently, it also became the first to get authorized by InSPACE, which oversees policy and regu latory aspects of commercial space business.

"As the mentor and regulator of the Indian space sector, the support and encouragement we have received from ISRO and IN-SPACe all through the conception, preparation and execution of the Vikram-S has been outstanding." IN-SPACe helped Skyroot in authorizing the launch and ISRO provided it with the infrastructure for undertaking several tests and integration activities, along with the launch facilities", says Chandana.

"The transfer of technology clause in India’s upcoming space

policy will be crucial since this would allow firms like us to use decades of expertise and research that ISRO. It will also allow us to continue using infrastructure and facilities built by ISRO", adds Naga Bharat Daka, COO & Co-Founder, Skyroot Aerospace.

“Public funded space programs world over set prec edence for and enabled the private sector to take the baton forward. We believe both will continue to play key roles in space technologies over the coming years”, adds Chandana.

Stirring Influence

From the heydays of the Cold War, when space was the fraught arena of superpower rivalry for prestige and influence, to its eventual opening up to the private sector, there has been a landmark transformation. This is nothing short of a revolution in communication, monitoring, tracking, and analysis.

Spectacular performance of the heavyweight mavericks and trailblazers, despite numerous odds stacked against them, has been an inspiration to spacing enthusiasts, observers, and budding entrepreneurs.

"SpaceX has been a big inspiration not only to us, but the entire space industry. For the past 20 years, they have repeat edly demonstrated their abilities by finding solutions to the most pressing issues facing the space industry", says Daka.

Electrified by the prodigious inspiration and keeping firm faith in their own mission and capa bilities, Daka remains optimistic about the immense potential and the role of Skyroot to address pertinent Indian issues.

“We believe in playing a mean ingful role in the global space market, and to solve challenging problems in our own unique way. We made a humble beginning with Vikram- S and this will be our launch pad to make our mark globally, a path which SpaceX took when they started off years ago”, he adds.

Underlying Philosophy

A company which is adapting for the long-haul needs a spir ited guiding philosophy, which rouses it into action, serves as its ethical compass, as well as auto adjusting mechanism to prevent drifting and getting unmoored. Skyroot has a clarity of vision, which is expressed simply but is quite ambitious in scope.

“Our vision to start Skyroot was to build one of the most cost-effective space launch vehicles in the world with a goal of Opening Space for All”, says Chandana.

"Spaceflight will offer new horizons in space-based services and exploration once it is as reli able and economical as air travel, which will enhance our quality of life. In the ensuing decades, our quest is to help achieve it our own way", adds Daka.

While democratization and ease-of-access for all may mean different things to different people, but in the realm of space, there’s a near unanimity on what these terms connote – creating a level playing field for space launches by removing barriers and other institutional deadlocks.

Aditya Chaturvedi

Associate Editor

Geospatial World Aditya@geospatialworld.net

Nationwide Forest Cover Assessment

Forest Survey of India started in 1965 as Pre-investment Survey of Forest Resources. Sixteen years later, in 1981, it got its current name.

The organization has a nation-wide mandate for forest cover mapping, forest inventory, and forest fire alerts, which started in 2012 and are being

sent regularly now.

With a workforce strength of 350-400, the Forest Survey is headquartered in Dehradun. It has four regional centers in Nagpur, Shimla, Bengaluru, and Kolkata.

“The long-term sustainability roadmap of Forest Survey includes adding 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through afforestation drives and large-scale plantation endeavors”, says Anoop Singh, Director General, Forest Survey of India, in an exclusive interview with Geospatial World.

How relevant is geospatial technology and locationbased tracking for forest mapping, and for identifying areas where deforestation is going on, along with timber smuggling, or any other illicit activities?

Knowingly or unknowingly, whether we admit or not, all of us have been users of geospatial technology since our childhood.

When we used to go to buy something from our house, we looked for the shortcuts and the nearest routes. For Forest Survey of India, the relevance is very,

very high, because everything depends on mapping.

When we talk about forest resource assessment, we have to carry out stratification. For that, we have to create different strata based on common quali ties. Everything is mapping and geo-statistics, hence location is extremely relevant.

Forest cover is essential for maintaining biodiversity, and for ensuring that natural resources are conserved. Towards this,

what are the steps that Forest Survey has taken?

Ministry of Environment Forests & Climate Change, under the Central Government, and the various State government are implementing many plantation schemes. However, plantations take five to seven years to grow into forest cover, which is discern ible on the satellite imagery.

Besides that, agroforestry is an important area of focus. Plants such as poplar, eucalyptus, subabul are being planted all over the country. They are used by paper mill and other woodbased industries.

Do you use latest technologies such as Machine Learning, data analytics, big data platforms also for gaining accurate insights?

As of now, we have not used Machine Learning, but at some stage, we will have to cross over to it.

Our target basically is, first of all, to understand as to how these technologies, optical and radar, can complement each other for assessing deforestation. Later on, we will try to train these models.

We are already in touch with many organizations across the country. We are trying to rely on some of them, such as the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, along with other tech nical departments and statelevel forest surveys. We intend

to bring everyone together on the same platform, and then discuss the issues and prepare a roadmap.

What is happening in India, from my experience, is that different people have done different bits and pieces. I am trying to get all of this on a single platform for better understanding of what has been done, so that we can then take it forward in a distributed model.

Do you collaborate with other government departments and with the private sector in India?

Yeah, very much. We have had collaborations with NRSC, Space Applications Centre Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, and the State forest departments of Odisha and Telangana.

Other than that, private organizations also do pitch in and assist us whenever we need any help. Many a times, it's pro bono, so it's not exactly a busi ness venture. There are a lot of organizations who are pitching in and helping Forest Survey of India.

In a lot of forested areas, there are traditional forest dwellers, and other communities whose livelihood is dependent on forest produce. Does the Forest Survey reach out to them so they become stakeholders in preservation of forests in India?

Actually, a law was enacted in 2008 Forest Rights Act looks into all aspects related to the rights of scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and Ministry of Environment and Forests, are working together for the betterment of the status of all the tribals who are working in these areas, and looking at ways to improve their income.

We see wildfires blazing all over the world, be it California or Australia. What is the mechanism that Forest survey has for issuing wildfire warnings?

For forest fires, we are working in collaboration with National Remote Sensing Center. NRSC is capturing the data from the MODIS and SNPP-VIIRS sensors, using which they dispatch infor mation to us about the hotspots in the entire country. The data is sent to us at frequent intervals, which maybe four to six times a day.

To augment these alerts and warning system, we segregate alerts based on the adminis trative unit on the ground, and then send SMS to all the forest officers, range officers, foresters, forest guards, Panchayats and all those individuals who have registered on our SMS Alert system for that specific area. Registration for SMS is free and open to the public.

All the administrative staff working in forest department

We need to play an important role in making people realize the importance of forests in a more quantifiable way, ,as well as work on a model comparing scenarios of ‘good forest’ vs ‘no forest’, projecting the stark realities

all over the country receive our alerts. We have got over 1.5 lakh subscribers who receive alerts several times a day. Alerts are routinely sent to first responders. In states like Himachal Pradesh (HP), they are also sent to village chiefs/ sarpanches and the eco-development committees, as they are the ones who get affected the most at the grass roots level. In HP, this has led to sensitization and reduction in number of fires.

Achieving net zero emissions is a very ambitious target. Though India is also in line to achieve it by 2030. What would be the role and contribution of Forest Survey towards this ambitious target?

Net zero basically means carbon sequesterd is equal to carbon emitted.

We are planning to start working on climate change, because Forest Survey of India is in possession of legacy data of about 50 years. We have these records in paper form, which we will get digitized. We are also planning to tie up with ZSI and BSI to identify certain climate change indicators, such as the impact on herb growth in particular regions.

We are working on the forest cover as well as the tree cover, and modeling the change, so that we can create awareness about it, and also know how much further sequestration we are going to carry out.

For sequestration, which mainly arises from growing forests, Forest Survey of India is the nodal agency for the entire country. We do the calculation for it, as well create reports for agencies as varied as NATCOM and FAO.

What is the technological vision of Forest Survey, if in a nutshell, you want to express it?

For one, we need to increase automation. A lot of the manual processes that we are doing, may get automated in due course of time. At the same time, basic thing like data gathering and collection at the field level would continue, because, as of now, there’s no ready-made substitute to it, even if you use LiDAR, or radar, or whatever for capturing the biomass.

As far as the data is concerned, we would like to go for higher resolution imagery. Remote sensing scientists we work with are aware that shadows create issues, as well as other seasonal factors, pheno logical changes that led to some obstructions. We are trying to sort them out.

We also want to work on ecosystem services being holis tically rendered by forests, and have robust area based calcu lations over the country level. In line with the vision of our Prime Minister, we would like to work on in-situ water conservation models.

We need to play an important role in making people realize the importance of forests in a more quantifiable way, as well as work on a model comparing scenarios of ‘good forest’ vs ‘no forest’, projecting the stark realities.

There's a need to increase automation. A lot of the manual processes that we are doing, may get automated in due course of time. At the same time, basic thing like data gathering and collection at the field level would continue

Interviewed By Aditya Chaturvedi

A sample satellite map used for mapping river area.

Image: SatimagingCorp

Brief Timeline of Indian Satellite Launch Vehicles

With new innovations, strategic planning, and the entry of private players in the fray, India’s spacing journey just seems to have entered a new transitory phase, as ISRO’s role evolves with time. By Sachin Awana

In a span of more than five decades, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) has achieved many milestones – from building India's first satellite Aryabhata in 1975, to placing India's first satellite, Rohini, in orbit. It has also secured distinguished landmarks such as launching 104 satellites in a single rocket (PSLVC37) in 2017, which still stands as a world record.

From nondescript beginnings, to scaling aston ishing heights, India’s spacing tryst started in 1963, when sounding rockets were transported to a small fishing village on a bicycle. Over the years, India went on to develop indigenous cryogenic engines and state-of-art launch vehicles.

IN-PICTURES

Vikram Sarabhai

A Physicist, an astronomer, and a major inspiration for the Indian Space Sector, Vikram Sarabhai initiated the space research program in India. Fittingly, he is recognized as the Father of the Indian Space Program. He founded the Physcial Research Laboratory (PRL) in 1947, which is regarded as the cradle of space research in India.

ASLV

Upgrading the SLV-3, the ASLV or Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle came into existence. Designed to carry 150 kg, almost 4 times more than SLV-3, the ASLV stood 24m long. It was configured as a five-stage, all solid propelling vehicle with a lift off mass of 40 tonnes. The technology used in ASLV demonstrated to be influential for future launch vehicles as it validated critical components such as strap-on technology, inertial navigation, bulbous heat shield, vertical integration and closed loop guidance.

SLV-3

India’s first satellite launch vehicle, the SLV-3 or Satellite Launch Vehicle 3 was an experimental launcher. It was a four-stage, all solid vehicle weighing 17 tonnes. With a height of 22m, it was capable of placing 40 kg payload in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

It was launched successfully on July 18, 1980 with the Rohini Satellite-1 (RS-1) from Sriharikota Range (SHAR). However, another test flight was launched earlier in 1979 that stood to be partially successful.

PSLV

The longest running launch vehicle in India, the PSLV or Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle took its first successful flight in October 1994. It was the first satellite developed by ISRO that had liquid stages in a 4-stage design. The PSLV-XL weighs 320 tonnes and stands 44.4 metre in height. It emerged as a versatile launch vehicle for the Indian space sector, as it was then tasked with carrying out some of the most important space project in the country’s history. The launcher successfully launched Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft in 2008, and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013.

GSLV Mk II

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle or GSLV Mk II became the fourth fourth generation launch vehicle in the ISRO launchers lineup. Its first flight came on April 18, 2001 when it carried GSAT-1 into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The GSLV MK II is a three stage rocket with a height of 51.73 metre and lift off mass of 4420 tonnes. Its primary payloads are INSAT class of communication satellites that operate from geostationary orbits.

GSLV Mk III

The latest launcher in ISRO, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III or GSLV Mk III is a three stage rocket with two solid stage and one liquid stage. It was first launched on December 18, 2014, and since then has been a part of some of the crucial space projects ISRO has undertaken. The GSLV Mk III is 43.5 metre in height and has a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes. It is capable of placing 4 tonnes class GSAT series into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits. Moreover, it can place 8 tonne class payloads in LEO.

Sachin Awana Sub Editor, Geospatial World Sachin@geospatialworld.net

Now or Never: Need to Prioritize Orbital Sustainability

new avenues open up for the space sector, leading to exponential increase in the demand for satellite data, mounting orbital debris poses a dire threat that needs to be timely addressed. By Shreyas Mirji

The space sector is at the precipice of change comparable to the dot-com boom in the late 90s. At this juncture, the path to progress that it takes will have unprecedented impact on the future of humankind.

With the democratisation of space and increased satel lite applications, the sector has transformed from being the least contested domain to the most. It is now seen as a great enabler and a tool for global influence, and diplomacy. As a result, most spacefaring nations regard space as their fourth operational domain.

The near-Earth environment is undergoing massive transfor mation, from being exploited by a selected few to becoming a fundamental part of the global critical infrastructure. Once considered exotic, space-based technology is now the backbone of the global economy, from banking to communications to navigation. The list goes on.

State of the Near-Earth Environment

The start of the space race marked the beginning of unsus tainable exploitation of outer space and has since led to the generation of approximately

10,400 tonnes of objects in Earth’s orbit. Adding to the problem, with the miniaturisation of electronics and lower cost of access to space, the population of active satellites has grown 2.5 times since 2019. It is expected to reach close to 57,000 by the end of 2030.

Furthermore, with an increase in demand for microgravity environments from research and development to healthcare to name a few applications, a sustained human presence in orbit is expected. Keeping the demand in mind, at least four human-rated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) outposts are expected within the next decade.

There are currently close to 1.36 million objects in orbit, of which only 32,170 objects are tracked. The risk associated with objects in space lies with their very high kinetic energy. Objects in LEO are travelling at an average speed of 7.8 km/s. At such velocity, debris of size one cm can pass through a satellite, incapacitating it. Such collisions release energy equivalent to that of a hand grenade.

One of the first satellites launched by the United States, Vanguard-1, along with its upper core stage, still circles the Earth’s orbit. It is the oldest space debris and is expected to stay there for another 260 years. Without external influence and the absence of atmospheric drag, objects at higher altitudes tend to stay there for eternity.

The hazard posed by orbital debris is not limited to outer space; it also affects life on Earth. Debris routinely falls back to Earth. On an average, 100 metric tonnes of debris fall

As

back to Earth each year, and depending on the solar activity, it averages one object a day.

There have been few recorded instances where falling space debris has directly impacted human life. With increased launches, large debris, such as upper stages of rockets falling on habitable areas is on the rise. Aside from injuries to humans on the ground, small debris has stuck to planes, causing cracks in the cockpit windshield and damage to the radar dome.

Despite the vastness of space, only certain regions of orbits around Earth are condu cive to space-based appli cations that make life easier for humans, and these orbits are becoming increasingly contested. As a result, there

is an imperative for a better understanding of the orbital environment.

The first step towards solving the problem of space debris and working towards a sustainable space is to have the ability to accurately detect, track, and predict the positions of these objects in orbit.

Need for evolution

The 18th Space Defense Squadron (SDS) of the United States Space Force has been spearheading efforts in building a comprehensive understanding of the near-Earth environment. The role of the 18th SDS is to monitor the global debris popu lation and orbital health.

The United States recognizes that space debris presents a significant threat not only to them

but to the entire world. There fore, as an act of service, the 18th SDS provides Space Situ ational Awareness (SSA) data and associated services in kind to satellite operators. In addition, independent efforts to build SSA capability is underway in coun tries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, and India.

The 18th SDS currently tracks objects larger than 10 cm around Earth’s orbit. However, the objects tracked by the 18th SDS are only the tip of the iceberg — the current resolution capability of the space surveil lance systems leaves 96 percent of the approximately 1 million lethal space objects untracked. Even for the tracked 4 percent, we do not have a complete understanding.

In addition to addressing

the accuracy of the datasets, there is also the need to track the untracked objects that vary from 1-10 cm in size. These tiny but lethal objects can incapac itate the satellites that come in their way. Thus, the derived SSA is woefully inadequate, putting the $386 billion space economy at risk and costing spacecraft operators.

Surveillance and tracking of space objects emerged as a secondary use-case from ground-based systems used to monitor Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) warning systems during the Cold War era. As the need arose, certain dedicated systems came into place for SSA. However, most of the systems that currently operate are used for more than one use case. Often the priority is set based on what objects need to be tracked. This has resulted in SSA data being as old as 72 hours.

Thus, it has become neces sary to have dedicated systems for SSA as we move towards putting more assets in space. Recognizing this problem, both sovereign governments and private entities are now working towards establishing dedicated SSA systems to monitor and protect assets in space.

India’s Role

Until recently, across the world, the space industry was primarily driven by the state and its agencies, with private enter prises largely playing the role of subcontractors/vendors. In the west, although the sector had been privatised a long time ago, the private industry was constrained by its ability to bear the cost of such enterprises.

Now, with a lower cost of

access to space and realising the product, space-based appli cations are becoming economi cally viable.

The Indian space ecosystem, which until recently was led by the state and accounted for 2.6% of the global space economy, is now seeking to capture 8% of the global space market.

With the recent opening up of the space sector in India to private enterprises, there are now over 350 space technology companies including at least 100 space start-ups. These compa nies are working on everything from satellite manufacturing to launch vehicles to satel lite-based applications.

As a space-faring nation in the 21st century, India is taking a proactive stance when it comes to space situational awareness and has established Project Netra, a ground-based early warning system for protecting Indian satellites from debris.

In July 2022, India took a step further on SSA by announcing the establishment of the ISRO System for Safe and Sustainable Operation (IS4OM), keeping long-term sustainability in mind. This facility will support the complete spectrum, right from station keeping of Indian assets, to carrying out colli sion avoidance manoeuvres, to other intensified activities.

On the private side, Digan tara is building a one-stop platform to address the chal lenges of space operations and space traffic management. This platform will serve as an infra structure layer on which future missions can be designed, built, and operated.

We have already witnessed the first fuel station in space and the first commercial tourists to LEO. By 2030, we will see at least four crewed space stations and over 57,000 satellites in LEO. With recent privatisation, the Indian space ecosystem is growing at an unprecedented speed.

By 2025, the upstream market—satellite manufacturing and launch services is expected to reach $4.25B. The path to progress that the industry takes will set precedence for the future of orbital. India has the golden opportunity to strategically position itself as a sustainable state by fostering sustainability across the space value chain.

Shreyas Mirji heads Business and Strategy for Digantara, a Space Situational Awareness company that is building an end to end infrastructure to address the problem of Space Operations and Space Traffic Management. He has been involved with space safety and sustainability, from product development to policy making to engineering.

The first step towards solving the problem of space debris and working towards a sustainable space is to have the ability to accurately detect, track, and predict the positions of these objects in orbit

GIS Energy Map for Resource and Infra Planning

The Geospatial Energy Map of India by the NITI Aayog, in collaboration with ISRO, identifies and locates all primary and secondary sources of energy along with their transportation and transmission networks.

The idea is to develop a web-GIS-based information system for the visualisation of spatial and non-spatial data associated with conventional energy sources in India including power plants, coal mines, oil & gas wells, oil refineries, pipelines, the renewable energy source potential, and other key energy infrastructure.

Energy Map of India

While there are several maps and detailed data silos available discretely, the lack of a consoli dated energy map of the country, besides the highly static nature of existing maps, used to be a constant roadblock to integration

with associated features of topog raphy and other physical assets.

Stakeholders Involved

NITI Aayog, Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Petro leum and Natural Gas, and Depart ment of Atomic Energy, Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Science and Technology.

Solution

Geospatial planning of esources and infrastructure, including upcoming solar parks, coal blocks, crude oil and natural gas pipelines.

Investment

Disaster Management of possible energy disruption

Emergency Response, and safety of energy assets under inclement weather conditions

The concerned ministries related to the energy sector, appointed nodal officers, who were responsible for ascertaining key requirements and collecting relevant information and data from key Ministries.

The data was then collated, validated, verified, corrected, and organised in a systematic database to develop the web-based Geospa tial Energy Map of India.

Key Outputs

The energy map currently provides visualisation of static data of 27 thematic layers. All thematic layers are sharable using OGC-compliant secure Web Map Service (WMS) for interoperability.

Disclaimer: These case studies have been extracted from the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework report.

Government needs to play an active role to collate, validate, verify, correct, organize the systematic database and digitize the processes UTILLITY IN SECTORS

Guidance for financial institutions

CASE STUDY

Using Satellite Data to Monitor Irrigation Benefit Program

To provide Central Assistance to States for major/medium irrigation projects, the Government of India launched the Accel erated Irrigation Benefits Program (AIBP) in 1996-97. The project was developed to accelerate the implementation of advance-stage irrigation plan by providing financial benefits.

Since 1996, a total of 297 major and medium irrigation projects have been undertaken by the central government under AIBP. This includes 99 priority projects that were undertaken by the government in 2016-17 under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana - Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Program (PMKSY-AIBP).

Challenges

1. To create inventory of irrigation infrastruc ture consisting of the canal network and other related irrigation structures

2. To assess the physical progress of irrigation infrastructure and identify gaps in the irrigation network

3. To use satellite data for the assessment of irrigation potential

Solution

1. To create inventory of the constructed irrigation area and infrastructure, the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO took about 53 AIBP projects with a potential of 5.45 million hectares for research under Phase 1. Under Phase 2, another 50 projects were undertaken by the NRSC. High-resolution satellite data from Cartosat-1/2 was used.

2. Moreover, the NRSC developed the BhuvanAIBP portal with customized tools for online monitoring of irrigation project creation progress, thus simplifying the satellite data access & usage.

3. Currently, satellite data from Cartosat 1 and 2 are being successfully used for inventory of canal networks and other irrigation infrastructure.

4. The data collected from Cartosat can also identify gaps in infrastructure, determine the overall progress, and give out detailed informa tion project-wise.

The responsibility of monitoring of these projects were given to the Central Water Commis sion (CWC), Ministry of Jal Shakti. For a long time, the monitoring process was done manually – by visiting the field, talking to authorities and other stakeholders, and developing a report physically. This often held up the factual status of the project and provided insufficient data. However, with the introduction of Geospatial Technology, a new dimension of monitoring opened.

High-resolution satellite data depicting irrigation infrastructure creation progress Irrigation canal network inventoried from highresolution satellite data

Satellite-based online monitoring of AIBP projects

Disclaimer: These case studies have been extracted from the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework report.

Decentralized Planning With Space-based Information

To escalate the momentum and practices of inclusivity, comprehensive develop ment, and sustainability in rural India, the government decided to prioritise planned spatial development.

The idea of a Space-based Information Support for Decentralized Planning (SISDP) was conceived and implemented by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with the support of partner institutions on these lines, to assist spatial development planning processes at the grass roots level.

They key stakeholders are ISRO, Central and State Governments, their Ministries and Line Departments, Panchayati Raj Institutions, State Remote Sensing Centres, NGOs, and Academic Insti tutions involved in local governance or partnerships.

Solution

The SISDP database is a comprehensive and updated database on basic natural resources and other collateral data primarily derived from high-resolution satellite imagery with a simple and

Challenges

1. The project has benefited the country by providing large-scale thematic datasets at a 1:10k scale, which are vital for all development and planning activities.

2. The products are envisaged to directly benefit the Ministry of Panchayati Raj of the Govern ment of India and State PRIs.

3. Many other ministries and departments of the central and State government are also using these datasets in different programmes requiring spatial inputs prepared under this project.

Data on the SISDP

easy-to-understand index. In addition, geotagged community assets and cadastral information are also available for selected areas in the database.

Such comprehensive data provides abundant opportunity to:-

Generate innovative geospatial products and services for the formulation of Rural Develop ment Plans at the GP level, particularly towards preparing land and water resources develop mental plans, watershed management, planning social infrastructure, etc.

The entire SISDP database for responsible plan ning at the grassroots level, able governance, and accountability rest on the availability of high-res olution and high-quality satellite data. This data is being leveraged to build innovative Geospatial systems and products that facilitate rural spatial development planning. The Geo-portal Bhuvan is a key enabler, integrating rich Geospatial datasets and making them accessible, understandable, and workable for further innovation.

Disclaimer: These case studies have been extracted from the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework report.

Bhuvan Panchayat Portal

CASE STUDY

Using Geospatial to Identify Potential Fishing Zones

Ocean data is one of the most sought infor mation in the current geopolitical as well as economic sense. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences is responsible for ocean data collection in India.

It implements Ocean Observing System in the Indian Ocean region as per the operational oceanographic services. It also provides advisory to concerned stakeholders through the anal ysis of collected ocean data. One of the biggest aspects of the ocean is fishing, and with the data collected by INCOIS, identifying potential fishing zones, related advisory, and coastal forecasts can accelerate fishermen to make efficient choices in their ventures.

The ocean is vast, and subsequently, gigantic volumes of data are collected regularly both in real-time and offline by the INCOIS. This data is then processed and distributed to operational oceano graphic services and aid oceanographic research. Through streamlining, the entire process can be made more efficient and accessible.

Objectives

1. To provide potential fishing zone advisories to enhance the lives and livelihoods of the fish ermen community.

1. To provide ocean state forecasts to the stake holders for safety at sea.

1. To provide ocean data services to a wide range of stakeholders, research organizations, academia, and coastal communities

Solutions

1. Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisory service: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is extensively used in the operations of developing PFZs, however, the mechanisms and analytical reports are too complex for a normal fisherman to understand. To make it comprehensible, the GIS analysis and vector coverages are overlaid on base maps. Moreover, these PFZ maps are converted into PFZ text by creating a GIS model through near-point analysis.

1. Ocean state forecast: INCOIS generates ocean state forecasts using a suite of ocean numerical models, which are evaluated extensively using observations, especially indigenously developed real-time observational systems, customized to simulate, and predict the Indian Ocean features accurately. Forecasts of ocean parameters such as waves, swells, currents, Sea Surface Temperature, Mixed Layer Depth, Tides, etc. are generated.

1. Digital Ocean Platform: The ‘Digital Ocean’ platform of INCOIS is a one-stop solution for all their ocean data-related needs and has brought a sea-change in improving our under standing of oceans. It also plays a central role in the sustainable management of oceans and expanding the country’s ‘Blue Economy’ initia tives.

1. Web-Based Service: INCOIS also provides web-based services that are augmented with GIS technologies and frameworks to serve ocean data, information, and advisory services such as potential fishing zone, ocean state fore cast, Indian Argo, Indian Ocean Global Ocean Observing System, etc. to all stakeholders and the global community.

Outcomes achieved

INCOIS services enabled the users to take appro priately informed decisions based on the forecast of sea state conditions, saving life and property. The service is useful for enhancing the livelihood of fishermen’s communities and adding a value chain to the sea-based food supply to the nation. The service has a huge impact on marine operationsa long the shipping routes to various seafarers. Disclaimer:

Fig. 3: Digital Ocean Platform

Emergency Response System to Ensure Public Safety

Objectives

1. To transform public safety and police response with the help of a reliable, transparent, and coor dinated emergency response system for the entire state

2. To set UP 112, a compre hensive response system to ensure timely response in the entire state.

3. To partner with indus try-leading system inte grators to meet the police force’s needs.

Uttar Pradesh Police is the largest police force in India, with 250,000 officers in 75 districts.

The organization serves mostly rural population of more than 220 million people.

Previously, police response activities were organized at the district level. Districts had separate public safety answering points (PSAPs) and different control rooms for urban and rural areas.

Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems only served four cities, forcing citizens to visit their local police stations to report incidents. Each district had different levels of service because they were managed by different people, software, and processes.

Every incident has a location and location plays a key role in ensuring the help reaches the right place at the right time. When a distress calls lands at UP 112, the Hexagon system fires off a query to get the location of the call. TRAI mandates that telecom providers share this data for PSAPs across India.

This enables Hexagon to capture the location up to an accuracy of 10M in urban areas and 50-100m in rural areas. While this goes on Hexagon tracks all 5000+ police vehicles using GPS on the map. Instan taneously, the closest police response vehicle is chosen to respond to an emergency based on caller’s location.

Solutions

1. A centralized communica tions centre was established in the capital, Lucknow, to receive all calls for service and dispatch responders directly from across the state.

2. Hexagon has deployed its powerful mobile applica tion, which provides district supervisors and field officers with mobile dispatching functions on smartphones and tablets.

3. Hexagon has developed other solutions, such as patrol management and citizen mobile applications.

4. The communication officer could see all the registered points of interest by the citizen and pick their current location to alert responders. Key Outputs

5. Citizens now can upload pictures, text messages, and videos.

Master

Avaya

Hexagon

Telephony Systems Provider

Core Computer Aided Dispatch System provider

6. Those with special needs can connect through video calls where sign language interpreters transcribe their concerns.

Public Safety Response

Stakeholder Name Role

UP Police End Customer, Outlining the requirement

Ernst & Young

Project Management Consultant

Mahindra Defense Systems Ltd (MDSL)

System Integrator

Disclaimer: These case studies have been extracted from the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework report.

Glimpses of an Extraordinary Life N

ovember 2022 has been the month of NewSpace India startups. Beginning with the successful test flight of Vikram-S by Skyroot and the launch of Anand from Pixel, and Thybolt-1 and 2 from Dhruva, Indian startups are proving their mettle. Perhaps, this is the best time to look back at the life and legacy of the man who is hailed as the founding father of ISRO, and among the pioneers of space science and tech nology in the country.

Though published in 2007, ‘Vikram Sarabhai – A Life’ strikes an enduringly fresh resonance in the year of his 103rd birth anniversary, which will also go down as the year of remarkable feats by Indian space companies.

The book gives 360 degree view of the Man and his Times. Born in a well-to-do Gujarati Jain family, he had a unique childhood, which laid the foundations of his interest in science as well as in the arts and social issues. In fact, he was a polymath. The Sarabhai family was also closely associated with the freedom struggle. The first three chapters cover his early years: up to his marriage with Mrinalini Swaminathan, and the award of Cambridge PhD.

With Independence came new ideas. The next two chapters focus on his entry into the world of business and the setting up of ATIRA (Ahmedabad Textile Industry Research Association) and the PRL ( Physical Research Laboratory). His interest in industrial relations set the ground for his meeting with Kamala Chowdhry, who later became the first faculty member at IIM-A (Indian Institute of Management), Ahmedabad. This aspect of his life has been covered in a very sensitive manner.

The fifth chapter to eighth, and last chapter delves into his space-related activities. The sudden passing away of his friend Homi J. Bhabha led him to shoulder the responsibilities of Chairman of AEC (Atomic Energy Commission) as well. This additional load, and rumblings within the commission, compelled him to take space out of AEC’s ambit. In the end, the strain of his impossibly busy life led to his untimely demise.

For all those who follow Indian space activities, this book is a must-read. It leads the reader to understand India’s spectacular progress over the past five decades – from importing sounding rockets, to indigenously developing behemoths like GSLV MkIII, and gaining a foothold in the global arena as a formidable space power. Dr Sarabhai’s life is a surely beacon for today’s startups and space entrepreneurs.

Author: Amrita Shah

By: Arup Dasgupta BOOK REVIEW

Book: Vikram Sarabhai – A Life

SURVEY OF INDIA

NETWORK:

Pan India CORS Network is being established by Survey of India, to achieve centimetre level accuracy position in real time.

Total 1008 Continuously operating stations will be established in entire country, which will be capable of providing better than 3 cm accuracy in Real Time.

CORS Network in state of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka and Maharashtra is operational and services are available on SoI service Portal.

Real-time

by SoI’s CORS Network, are being

Office of the Surveyor General of India, Hathibarkala Estate, Dehradun, PIN - 248 001 +91-135-2747051-58, Ext 4360, +91-135-2744064, 2743331 Email: sgo.soi@gov.in