plans will suggest preservation, conservation and
developmental strategies.
2. Developing an anticipatory approach to the
mitigation of the impacts of potential sea level rise
on coastal ecosystems: The case of the Mangroves -
Submitted to The Department of Ocean
Development, Govt. of India, New Delhi
The study aims at development of changes in the
mangrove ecosystem, particularly species compo-
sition, as an indicator of changes occurring in the
sea level. A secondary objective is the development
of a method for the use of data products in the
analysis of changes in the coastal biodiversity.
3. A project proposal on Integrated Coastal
Environment stidies have been proposed to be
undertaken subject to funds being available.
The goal of the project is to enhance national
capacity and national action in the conservation and
sustainable management of coastal mangrove
wetlands. Remote sensing and Geographic Infor-
mation System is applied here for creating geogra-
phic data base, mapping wetland and landuse maps
for management. This work will be done for the
states Tamil Nadu, Andra Pradesh and Orissa.
The recently launched IRS 1C (28th Dec 1995) has three
different sensors and offers unique applications
opportunities. The Panchromatic (PAN) camera provides
data with a spatial resolution of 5.8meters and a ground
swath of 70 Km. It will operate in the 0.50 - 0.75 microns
spectral band. This camera can be steered up to + 26
degrees (upto +398 Kms across the track from nadir)
which in turn increases the revisit capability to 5 days.
Linear Imaging and Self scanning sensor (LISS Ill)
provides multispectral data collected in four bands of the
visible and near short wave infrared (SWIR) regions.
While the spectral resolution and swath in the case of
visible (two bands) and Near infrared (one band) regions
is about 24 meters and 141 km respectively, they will be
70.5 m and 148 Km for the data collected in SWIR
region.
The wide Field Sensor (WiFS) collects data in two
spectral bands and have a ground swath of 810 Kms,
with a spatial resolution of 188.3m. The satellite has an
on - board tape recorder also, capable of recording
limited amount of specific sensor data.
Many applications like crop acreage and yield estimation,
draught monitoring and assessment, flood mapping,
wasteland identification and mapping, ocean/marine
resources survey, mineral prospecting, forest resources
survey etc. have become and excellent tool for effective
management of India's Natural Resources. Besides this,
a better understanding of our bio-resources and
biodiversity studies have become possible to visualise
possible sources of degradation and enable taking
possible remedial measures well on time and monitor
changes. It may be mentioned here that the EOSAT of
USA has entered into agreement with space department
of the Government of India, to receive IRS 1C data for
world-wide distribution of this data.
4. CONCLUSION
M.S. Swaminathan Research Founda-tion, is a unique
research Institution, concerned with study of biodiversity
and also rural development to enrich rural population
and generating employment opportunities, particul-arly of
enhancing purchasing power of landless rural labour in
India. Being a non-governmental organisation founded
by Prof.M.S. Swaminathan, an internationally renowned
agri-cultural scientist and past Director General of
International Rice Research Institute and Chairman of
Governing body of FAO sometime ago, was the first
world food price winner, (equivalent to Nobel prize) world
environmental award winner, 1994, and has several
achievement and awards to his credit. He was the author
and implementation of green revolution in India, which
has led India from a country of severe food shortage to
one capable of even exporting food to other countries.
The Foundation is active in the area of research on
sustainable agricultural and rural development,
organising anticipatory research, ^ women's welfare,
coastal systems research, research in Biotechnology
tissue culture and in developing methods to protect the
endangered plant species and biodiversity in general in
accordance with Agenda 21 of Rio-conference held in
1992. In all these activities, use of advanced
technologies like Remote Sensing, Geographical
Information Systems, introduction of useful management
concepts are encouraged with great promise. It is in
this context this paper has been presented here as
Remote Sensing and G.I.S. as a tool have high promise
of integrating various information, both in respect of
natural resources base as well as socio economic
dimensions.
| deeply acknowledge my indebted-ness to Prof.
Swaminathan for his encouragement and support. | also
acknowledge the help and support that | received from
Dr. Selvam and Ms. Gnanappazham of the M.S.S.R.F
and but for their help it would not have been possible to
prepare this paper. | also acknowledge certain
information provided by Dr. Ranjit Daniel of this
Foundation.
References
Area 100, Coastal Management Studies, Annual Report
1994 - 95, M.S.Swaminathan Reserach Foundation,
Madras, India
Annual Report - 1995 Canadian International
Development Agency, Canada & M.S.Swaminathan
Reserch Foundation, India
Annual report 1994 - 95 M.S.Swaminathan Reserch
Foundation, India & NORAD
Indian Remote Sensing Satellite IRS 1C Hand Book,
1996, Hyderabad, India
594
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B4. Vienna 1996
