SIVASISH THAKUR
GUWAHATI, Jan 31: In a path-breaking initiative that can revolutionize land survey and settlement, remote sensing technology will be used for the purpose, thanks to a collaborative endeavour between Assam Survey and Settlement Training Centre (ASSTC) and North Eastern Space Application Centre (NESAC), Government of India.
The collaboration will encompass wide-ranging areas and involve transfer of space technology inputs and services to the process of developmental planning, including promotion of research and development activities.
“NESAC is collaborating with many premier institutions in the country and carrying out various research and capacity building activities in the field of remote sensing and geo-informatics, artificial intelligence, atmospheric sciences, satellite communications, disaster management, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related fields. Survey and settlement, especially with regard to land, are being done in a rudimentary manner in Assam for decades and it is time to opt for modern technology. The collaboration is an attempt to bring in the required transformation,” official sources told The Assam Tribune.
The transfer of technology will enable ASSTC to introduce scientific methods to do land survey and natural resource mapping with a degree of accuracy not possible earlier.
“We will be able to use drone technology, hydro-meteorology, water resources and system analysis, gather information for supplying essentials for disaster management, and thermal sensor drones for search and rescue operations, besides geographic mapping of inaccessible terrain and locations, climate variability, weather forecasting and monitoring, etc., jointly with NESAC,” sources added.
The partnership will also provide scope for creation of a large pool of highly qualified manpower in all the above-mentioned fields and related areas.
“By clubbing our efforts with NESAC, we can pool their expertise and resources and form a nucleus for promoting excellent quality manpower in the fields of revenue, survey and settlement through innovative technology with special emphasis on remote sensing,” sources said.
A formal MoU signing ceremony between the ASSTC and NESAC will be held on February 1. The MoU will detail the modalities and general conditions regarding collaboration between ASSTC and NESAC for enhancing, within Assam and the northeastern region, the availability of highly-qualified manpower in the areas of remote sensing, drone technology, water resource management, and many related matters.
NESAC will also provide resource persons and faculty members through virtual platforms or in person to impart training as per curriculum/syllabus fixed jointly in the action plan prepared for the purpose. Both the organisations will try to make provisions to share their respective research and development facilities in order to promote academic and research interaction in the areas of cooperation subject to prior security clearance.
The ASSTC, which is a heritage organisation set up in 1882, is mandated with the responsibility to impart training to the State government’s administrative and technical manpower in the field of survey and settlement as well as to private candidates.
“With rapid growth of development and industrialisation, land management has become paramount priority for effective governance. Many of the land-related contentious issues can be attributed to the absence of a scientific land survey mechanism. With the appropriation of remote sensing technology, these issues can be effectively addressed,” sources said.
