The Hindu : ISRO to develop `thematic satellites'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 23, 2004

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ISRO to develop `thematic satellites'

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, MARCH 22. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will develop a series of `thematic satellites' for communication and for remote sensing applications in education, health, map-making and ocean research, the ISRO Chairman, G. Madhavan Nair, said here today.

In his convocation address at the Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Deemed University at Ettimadai, Dr. Nair said that Edusat, Healthsat, Cartosat, Resourcesat and Oceansat would be part of the satellite series.

"These satellites will enable India to take up many innovative applications so as to ensure that the benefits reach the underprivileged and the marginalised in society." India could leapfrog ahead in development only by using cutting-edge science and technology, he said.

In the coming years, ISRO would also establish integrated village information kiosks to empower the local people and help them to improve the quality of their lives. These kiosks would provide location-specific information services such as telemedicine, tele-education and agricultural advisories, as well as information for local governance and other "people-centric" services.

"This will enable synthesising the efforts of multiple agencies, tapping the knowledge base of all and enhancing the process of development by targeting collective action for higher literacy, better healthcare and improved agricultural practices," he said. All this would ultimately lead to the creation of wealth and prosperity.

Dr. Nair said there were also plans to set up an operational disaster management support services network, by linking up with other knowledge networks to coordinate disaster management issues.

Following the success of a pilot project in western Madhya Pradesh, ISRO had drawn up plans to expand telemedicine facilities by linking the village hospitals to the super-speciality hospitals in the urban centres. This would enable the rural people to gain access to advanced medical facilities, he said.

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