Geospatial technology has made human life easier, says expert

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 26

PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr BS Dhillon has said geospatial technologies had been widely used to observe Earth from various perspectives and had made human lives easier.

Addressing the inaugural session of a national conference on Big Geospatial Data Analytics, Modelling and Application (BiGMAP) at Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) here today, he stated that the advanced techniques of remote sensing could prove to be vital for managing air, water and soil. He also dedicated the conference to the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev.

In his welcome address, Dr B Pateriya, Director, PRSC, remarked that the national conference was being organised to create a platform for scientists, government officials and students of different organisations to chalk out strategies for appropriate use of geospatial techniques and big data in developmental planning.

He emphasised that agricultural issues of depleting groundwater resources, land degradation and climate change in the state of Punjab could better be tackled through remote sensing techniques.

Dr Prakash Chauhan, Director, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun, said India, having the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites, needed to utilise these much more efficiently for managing natural resources, rural and urban development planning. He highlighted the role of remote sensing and resulting big data for resource planning and development.

Dr Sameer Saran, Secretary, Indian Society of Remote Sensing, explained the role of society for popularisation of the geospatial technology among planners, users and students by organising conferences and talks.

During the conference, four genius kids students — Aryaman, Amandeep, Adit Singla, Bhavya Bansal — were invited to encourage, showcase and develop their interest in space technology and robotics. It was well received and appreciated by the audience and scientists.

Organising secretary of the conference SK Sahoo said over 300 delegates from different parts of the country and with different disciplines were participating in the conference.