International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B7. Istanbul 2004
resolution satellite especially stereo is being used to
suggest indicative management measures. Sections in
the Kashmir and Garhwal Himalayas are susceptible to
landslide risk. EO based efforts for landslide hazard
zonation and mapping of affected areas is attemptrd and
operationalized in GIS environment with the help of EO
inputs.
For earthquakes, seismic hazard zonation is an important
step during the warning phase. Space data provide critical
spatial input like geological structure, lithology,
geomorphology etc for integrating with other database for
hazard zonation. In identifying the precursor activity
before earthquake, geophysical satellite will be used in
future for understanding the ionospheric disturbances
before the event. The availability of high resolution data
like IKONOS and CARTOSAT in future will provide the
necessary input for Micro-seismic hazard zonation. Dinsar
in combination with geodetic GPS has been used for
detecting the microscale movements in the active fault
zones.
Besides, EO is also providing significant information
inputs towards managing hazards like forest (wild) fires,
volcanism, oil spills etc.
Information gaps
Although data available from various EO systems have
been routinely used in many agro ecological applications,
there have been certain data gaps. Some of these are: i)
identification and area estimation of short duration and
marginal crops grown in fragmented holdings, ii) more
accurate yield models, iii) detection of crop stress due to
nutrient and diseases, and quantification of its effect on
crop yield, iv) information on sub-soil horizons, v)
quantification of soil loss, identification of lands
undergoing sheet and rill erosion, vi) better than 1m
contours for watershed development at micro level etc
(Navalgund, 2002). For coastal ecosystems vital
information about point-source and non-point source
pollution, which flows into the coastal waters and through
to sea; and its integration with spatio-temporal information
is lacking. Still there is a need for comprehensive baseline
studies of natural resources and habitats, and monitoring
of the impacts of development on the coastal and marine
environment. In some of the major areas like coastal
fisheries, exploration of minerals and energy sources
important data gaps exist. In case of forest ecosystem,
information on key areas like forest hydrology, pest /
disease outbreaks in tropical forests, community level
biodiversity information, use of tree resources outside
forests etc. are yet to be operationalised from EO
platforms. Towards disaster related information needs,
complementarity between space agencies could become
a reality today courtesy International Charter on Space
and Major Disasters. For flood, increase in time and
frequency of coverage, improvement of coverage access
and delivery, better DEM etc. are some of the gap areas.
In case of earthquakes, the EO systems are yet to offer
possible information on precursors.
Earth Observation Systems — Emerging
Trends
Brief scenario of space technology development and
applications mentioned above gives an idea of the
tremendous role of EO satellite data for sustainable
development. While contributing to the cause of
sustainable development, the EO systems are
continuously undergoing change resonating to bridge the
information gaps. These are being made possible
through developments in the areas of sensor technology
and platforms. Yet, several improvements are further
required to retrieve parameters in a refined manner using
space technology.
Some of the imperative data needs felt acutely by the user
community are: i) improved spatial resolution (« 1m) of RS
data to provide terrain details on cadastral level (1:2,500),
ii) stereo capability (« 1m height resolution) to help
planning/execution of development plans, iii) high
resolution (< 5m) multi-spectral data to facilitate
identification of crops grown in small fields (~1acre), iv)
high repetivity data (< 2days) to monitor dynamic
phenomena such as flood, forest fires, changes in snow
line, crop growth etc., v) data pertaining to physical and
biological parameters of the ocean, and vi) constellation of
satellites for monitoring disasters. Considering these, in
the next 6-7 years, a host of spacecraft systems carrying
different sensors have been planned across the globe
including India.
New Millennium Program (NMP) is a cross-enterprise
technology program jointly funded and managed by the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Office of Space Science and Office of Earth Science. It
was established in 1995 as an ambitious, exciting vision
to speed up space exploration through the development of
highly advanced technologies. Earth Observing-1 (EO-1)
is the first satellite in NASA's New Millennium Program
Earth Observing series. The EO-1 mission has developed
and validated instruments and technologies for space-
based Earth observations with unique spatial, spectral
and temporal characteristics not previously available.
Earth Observing 3 (EO-3) mission, called GIFTS
(Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform
Spectrometer), is the first step in improving operational
weather observing systems by NASA under NMP. This is
expected to improve our ability to observe, analyze, and
predict weather, enabling weather forecast to a higher
level of accuracy in future.
Earth Observation Programme of India is also gearing
up to meet the increasing EO needs. Its space
programme is chalked out till 2007/8 with emphasis on a)
provision of moderate spatial resolution multispectral
sensor data continuity through LISS-II onboard
Resourcesat-1&2, b) provision of high-spatial resolution
stereo data for large-scale mapping needs (Cartosat-1 &
2) c) Global capability for climate and weather
applications in Tropical regions, (Megha Tropiques), d) an
exclusive satellite for ocean applications containing ‘C’
band scatterometer and ocean color monitor, and e)
microwave satellite (RISAT) mainly for crops, terrain and
flood inundation and damage assessment applications —
specially during cloud season.
Living Planet Programme The European Space Agency
(ESA) is making use of smaller satellites on shorter,
cheaper, and focused missions. Within Living Planet
Programme two types of Earth Observation mission have
been adopted: Earth Explorers, which focus on research
and Earth Watches, which are prototype operational
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