INDIAN EXPERIENCE - TREND SETTER FOR 
DEVELOPING NATIONS: 
The various need based projects undertaken 
using satellite based data are common to all 
the developing nations. The experience gained 
in India for effectively promoting remote 
sensing virtually in all resources sectors can 
be a trend setter for other developing nations. 
The Indian experience amply demonstrates to 
adopt the ways and means in which India has 
benefitted utilising the remote sensing 
technology for its national development while 
updating the information base more accurately in 
the desired scale of operation. The solution 
specific problems and associated system packages 
are available within Department of Space and can 
be accessed on a mutually agreed bilateral 
basis. 
INDIAN EXPERTISE - OFFERINGS 
With the successful launch of IRS 1A and IRS 1B 
which are presently in orbit operationally 
provide extremely good pictures of the land mass 
with a combined repetitivity of 11 days 
interval. The NRSA Data Centre (NDC) can 
distribute the IRS data in two spatial 
resolutions (73 and 36 metres) for all the needy 
nations with in the visibility circle with 
Hyderabad as centre point. 
The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing which is 
a professional training centre in remote sensing 
offers training programmes for application 
scientists belonging to various developing 
nations. The course curricula comprises of 
three months duration to one year diploma 
courses. 
National Remote Sensing Agency undertakes 
consultancy projects on various application 
areas using aerial and satellite data with the 
available expertise. The consultancy projects 
will be executed jointly by the users of 
concerned nation and Department of Space, 
Government of India. 
With the experience gained so far for the last 
decade several of the application areas have 
been made operational through satellite/aerial 
remote sensing. The Department of Space, is now 
in a position to share with all the developing 
nations the operational packages on a mutually 
agreed basis. The operationally demonstrated 
packages would certanly pave way for wide spread 
applicability of remote sensing in all the 
developing nations. 
The system management aspect on the lines of 
establishment of a national natural resources 
management system for any developing nation may 
suitably be suggested with the experience gained 
in India in effective promotion of remote 
sensing in an organised way in various resources 
sectors. The functionalities and the modus 
operandi on the reviewing mechanisms right from 
bureaucratic levels to working level scientists 
can suitably be designed with sound 
understanding of the issues pertinent to the 
nation. 
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THRUST AREAS - GIS 
The large data base generated in various 
resources areas temporally is being fed into 
Geographical Information System in a time series 
mode in order to derive logical conclusions on 
the development and dynamics of resource areas. 
The information generated at various levels 
sectorally by various organisations need a 
integrated approach on consolidation and 
formating on to a single information base in 
order to develop National Resources Information 
System (NRIS) in conjunction with other 
collateral data preferably at the district 
level. The concept of Geographical Information 
System which in turn leading to National Natural 
Resources Information System (NRIS) with a 
provision of accessability, updating, retrieval 
etc., is the ultimate goal of NNRMS to fructify 
the timely information generated through remote 
sensing and to put in use for planning purposes 
at various levels. 
The future remote sensing programmes of India 
mainly concentrate on the utilization of 
satellite based data in the region of middle 
infrared bands and microwave data through use of 
ERS-1 and air borne SAR data which is 
indigenously developed. Over and above the 
application of Digital Photogrammetry and 
Cartography and its wide spread use for urban 
and regional planning is intended to widen its 
Scope through generation of ortho photos and to 
gain experience with the future space programmes 
on. the utilization of stereo scopic satellite 
data for obtaining terrain information. India 
is making a serious effort to generate Digital 
Elevation Models (DEM) through use of Satellite 
stereo data in obtaining reliable terrain 
information. 
India through its various international 
collaborative projects pertaining to remote 
sensing has made significant progress. The INDO- 
FRG Collaborative Programmes have widened the 
Scope of utilization of remote sensing data in 
the areas of forestry, geology, oceanography, 
hydrology and information systems. 
INDIAN EXPERIENCE - STILL NEEDS IMPETUS 
Several of the application areas have been made 
operational through use of remote sensing data. 
There is also a greater variety of indigenously 
developed visual interpretation aids, PC based 
Image | Processing Systems with a powerful 
indigenously developed image analysis packages, 
which have widescope for utilisation in the 
international market. It no doubt, calls for a 
aggressive marketing strategy. India having 
maximally benefitted through use of remote 
sensing data and developed various application 
packages can help in transfer of technology with 
appropriate modifications, where necessary to 
all the developing nations. 
CONCLUSIONS 
The operational utilization of remote sensing 
technology amply demonstrated and accepted by 
all the user departments in India has lead to