With the Space Park transforming Kerala into a space technology hub, revolutionary changes will occur in areas including satellite data consumption. Padma Shri M.C. Dathan, Scientific Advisor to Chief Minister, Govt. of Kerala, explains contributions that space park can bring into various sectors ranging from agriculture to transportation.
According to Dathan, we are not fully exploiting the satellite data(application). There are lakhs of imageries. They have to be processed and should be linked to each state government. later, land use boards can see how the data can be used. It can be used to detect road conditions, locations of hospitals and schools, forest depletion, water level in river, erosion and even to calculate the depth of slit in dams, added Dathan.
In the field of agriculture, images are available from pests to land-related issues. An application centre is required to utilise the data. Its special software can enable processing and image enhancement. As of now, only NSRE in Hyderabad that comes under ISRO does this. NSRE too has limitations. But if private parties take up the task, the technology will develop in such a way that it will help one get information such as the house number in all villages in Kerala. M.C Dathan said that the upcoming Space Park should house adequate facilities for the purpose.
Space Park, which is a collaborative effort of Govt of Kerala and ISRO, sets a stage for space technology students, innovators and startups to achieve new goals in the scenario. The possibilities put forward by Space Park were explained by industry experts at the Space Technology Conclave held in Thiruvananthapuram. A manufacturing hub catering to research in space technology will also be set up as part of the space park. The Department of Electronics & IT is responsible for the country’s first space park project.
