PHOTOGRAMMETRIC TRAINING IN SURVEY OF INDIA - A REPORT 
G.S. KUMAR, 
Director, 
Research & Development, Survey of India, 
Hyderabad - India. 
Commission VI 
ABSTRACT 
Survey of India introduced organised training in 1950s. It was in 1970, that the Survey Training 
Institute (STI) in its present form under Ministry of Science & Technology came into existencewith the 
assistance of UNDP. The Institute offers about 50 basic, refresher, advanced and user-oriented courses 
in various disciplines of surveying and mapping. There are four courses devoted solely to 
Photogrammetry. In addition, there are four courses with a large component of Photogrammetry and 18 
courses with low component of Photogrammetry. Advanced Course is of one year duration while the rest are 
for 3 to 6 months duration. 
So far, in the field of Photogrammetry, about 80 have been trained at executive level, 60 at supervisory 
level and 800 at operator level. With the help of this manpower and around 160 machines, mapping has 
been completed on 1:50,000 scale in a period of 20 years.  Photogrammetric training continues to be 
organised to meet manpower needs for 1:25,000 mapping and other commitments. To keep pace with 
technological developments, STI had introduced Integrated Digital Mapping Production System (IDMPS) 
Course and initiated restructuring of courses. The main objective of this paper is to present brief 
details of the efforts being made by Survey of India in organising training programme to meet the 
training needs in the field of Photogrammetry. 
KEY WORDS: Training, Photogrammetry, Modernisation. 
INTRODUCTION SURVEY TRAINING INSTITUTE (STI) 
Balanced regional deve lopment through The mission of the Institute is to develop and 
decentralised planning is a part of Directive nurture human talent and skill in the fields of 
Principles of the Indian Constitution. Increasing acquisition, processing and presentation of 
demands for Jland-related information are giving earth's spatial information mostly in graphic 
rise to new challenges for the national Surveying form. 
and Mapping Agency, i.e. Survey of India. In 
U.S.A. between 1950 and 1980 the percentage of In persuance of this mission, STI offers about 50 
workers engaged in information jobs increased from basic, refresher, advanced and other user-oriented 
70% to around 85% (Groot R, 1990). In India, the courses in various disciplines of Surveying and 
work force engaged in information jobs can be Mapping ‘including Management with emphasis on 
estimated to be less than 20%. As per figures of survey management. Eleven courses out of these 
1980, Europe has mapping coverage of more than 90% are run more than once in a year. Most of the 
on 1:25,000 and larger scale as compared to 11% in Courses in STI are mainly meant for meeting the 
Asia (without USSR). It is, therefore, necessary inhouse training needs in Survey of India. 
to develop the mapping information base on a 
larger scale in India to aid the planning and The entire country has been mapped on 1:50,000 
development process. scale in 20 years during the period from 1965 to 
1985 covering about 5,000 sheets. This was 
Human resources development is a major task in any possible because of the adoption of Photogrammetry 
organisation. A human being is a source of ideas, and appropriate use of around 160 photogrammetric 
decisions, actions, innovations and many others. machines and organised systematic training in 
Having recognised this need for human resource Photogrammetr y. 
development to meet Land Information needs, Survey 
of India introduced formal training programmes in STI has five units under it, each entrusted with 
1950s. Survey Training Institute (STI) ‘in the the responsibility of imparting training mainly in 
present form came ‘into existence in Survey of a particular discipline. One such unit is for 
India under the Department of Science  & impart ing training through Photogrammetr ic 
Technology, Government of India, in 1970 with the courses. 
assistance from United Nations. 
The courses offered by STI are shown in the 
This Institute, a major training centre in Asia is Annexure (STI Training Programme, 1992). Four 
located inside a sprawling Tush green campus courses have high component and 18 courses low 
spread over 40 hectares of land. Pilot Map component of Photogrammetry content as indicated 
Production Plant with modern Reproduction Unit, in the same Annexure. 
Research & Development Directorate and Digital 
Mapping Centre located in the same campus have The position of in-house training provided so far 
improved the effectiveness of Survey Training in the four Photogrammetry courses js given in 
Institute. Table- l. 
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