Table-1 showing position of in-house training in
Photogrammetry at Survey Training Institute,
Survey of India:
Course Number LEVEL Total
and Name Execu- Super- Operator
tive visor
710 Advanced 80 40 - 120
Photogrammetry
560 Photogramme- - 12 65 77
try Technologist
450 Photogramme- - 2 169 171
try Control
Supervisor
445 Photogramme- - 6 565 571
try Operator
TOTAL: 80 60 799 939
In Survey of India, there is a strength of about
3000 technical manpower inclusive of all levels
but exc lud ing about 1500 emp loyed on
non-photogrammetric jobs like drafting and others.
A fair number of personnel trained In
photogrammetry have retired. About 20% of the
technical manpower trained in photogrammetry is
available for productive work.
The break-up of theoretical and practical content
of the four photogrammetric courses is shown in
Table-2.
Tab le-2 showing content break-up of 4
Photogrammetric Courses at Survey Training
Institute, Survey of India.
Course Duration Photogrammetry Other Total
No. Theory Prac- sub j-
tical ects
710 1 year 28% 49% 23% 100%
560 8 months 29% 52% 19% 100%
450 3 months 35% 65% - 100%
445 3 months 14% 867 - 1002
REQUIREMENT OF TRAINED MANPOWER
Based on the reports published by the Planning
Commission, Government of India, the requirement
of trained manpower in the utilisation of Remote
Sensing technology in different fields like
Agriculture, Geology, Forestry, Water Resources,
Urban & Rural Studies, Oceanography, Soil & Land
Uses works out to two thousand per year in
236
India (Planning | Commission, 1988). This
requirement is mainly for thematic mapping of
medium and small scales which depend to a great
extent on photogrammetr ically produced
topographical maps. Large scale surveys are
carried out for Urban Development, Irrigation
Projects, Town Planning, Cadastral records and
others based on aerial photography. For cadastral
and urban surveys, the normal scales of
surveys/maps range from 1:4,000 to 1:8,000. The
magnitude of cadastral surveys can be guaged from
the fact that large scale surveys are required for
about 5,76,000 villages in India covering an area
of about 160 million hectares. Urban area
requiring large scale maps is around 53,200 sq.km.
If these large scale surveys required for various
planning and development purposes are to be
completed in a period of 10 years using
photogrammetric methods, the requirement of
trained manpower works out to approximately 3,000
per year.
The programme of completing topographical surveys
on 1:25,000 scale covering about 19,700 sheets was
taken up in late 1970s. By 1990, only 40% of the
sheets could be completed. This task also needs
substantial strengthening of photogrammetric
potential including the training component.
The capacity of STI for training in Photogrammetry
at different levels per year is about 120. A few
universities are also offering Postgraduate
programmes in Photogrammetry. This number is not
only small but the knowledge gained in university
atmosphere lacks practical orientation. Thus, it
can be seen that there is a very wide gap between
requirement of trained manpower and the manpower
being trained at present.
According to a Departmental Report, the potential
of Survey of India was found to be one-third the
survey demands (Government of India Report, 1984).
With the establishment of two Digital Mapping
Centres and one Modern Cartographic Centre, with
emphasis on restructuring training, there is hope
that this mismatch would improve.
MODERNISATION
STI had always been alive to the technological and
other changes taking place in the field of
Surveying and Mapping. In view of the emerging
digital environment, restructuring of STI courses
has been attempted as a part of ITC-STI
Modernisation Project in 1990. The rationale
behind the idea of restructuring the courses was
to ‘ntroduce appropriate modifications in the
curriculam to meet the rising demands in the
country for correct, uptodate and appropriate
information needed for resource management.
Restructuring was also intended to strengthen STI
to fulfill its aim of educating Survey of India
personnel in coping with the changing scenario.
The course curriculam Board summarised the
objectives of restructuring as follows:
- to prepare the trainees to make judgement and
choices as to equipment, production processes
and staff development in all disciplines
contributing to the production of maps and other
geo- information products.