Chandigarh, September 30
Chandigarh is set to have its first satellite earth receiving station. The Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is establishing a centre here to download high-resolution imagery of the earth.
“The centre will become functional in about six months time,” SASE Director, Dr R.N. Sarwade said. This will be the first satellite earth receiving station in this region. At present, SASE is procuring images from the National Remote Sensing Agency’s (NRSA) Dehradun centre for avalanche forecasting and research and development programmes.
“With the centre becoming functional, we will be able to get images of the terrain and snow cover in our areas of interest on a daily basis,” Dr Sarwade said while speaking to The Tribune on the eve of SASE’s Raising Day. At present, SASE gets images on a periodic basis.
Besides, SASE has to pay for images it procures for its research and development programmes, which will be done away. The
cost of setting up the centre, including dish receivers and antennae, electronic equipment and other paraphernalia is estimated
to be Rs 1.5 crore.
SASE had earlier planned to set up an earth receiving station in Chandigarh about two years ago, but had shelved the plan due to interference of frequencies emitted by other agencies like the Air Force, Doordarshan etc. Some time ago it got a radio frequency survey done by the NRSA and the correct frequencies to be used were worked out.
SASE, which came into existence in1969 is involved in avalanche forecast and mitigation, study of snow cover, mountain meteorology and training troops to operate in snow-bound areas. It is using images downloaded from IRS-1C, IRS-1D and the P-6 Resource satellites. The P-6 has advanced high resolution sensors, developed in collaboration with the Space Application Centre, which overcome the technical shortcomings of sensors in earlier satellites..
The setting up of the earth receiving centre here comes in the backdrop of increasing use of remote sensing techniques for avalanche forecast and meteorology as vast stretches of snow-bound areas remain inaccessible for human monitoring. Further, remote sensing can cover vast stretches and provide repetitive, multi-spectral, synoptic and uniform observations.
Dr Sarwade said that SASE would also begin trials for the use of unmanned aerial vehicle for mapping snow cover at high altitude this winter. SASE has three indigenously developed UAVs and so far trials have been conducted only at lower altitude.
