GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)
AND
REMOTE SENSING
A river is much more than a flowing water body. A river portrays a regime of activities in its watershed which exhibits a vast variation in terrain, land cover features, rainfall patterns and frequency, and human activities occurring in it. Conserving a river at such a large scale and variations requires continuous monitoring and analysis of spatial and temporal trends of different aspects associated with it. Such tasks demand large amounts of data from different fields such as agriculture, socio-economic, biodiversity, industries, geology etc.
Advancement in technologies has made it possible to analyze the ground conditions without being present on the ground. Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide a common platform and modeling framework to integrate, analyze and visualize these vast varieties of datasets and information required to manage river basin. It provides the advantage of large spatial coverage and captures information of inaccessible areas at different wavelengths and scales in less time as compared to conventional methods of surveying. On the other hand, GIS provides a spatial perspective to the data which can identify key patterns or locations contributing to a specific issue.
OVBI strongly believes in using technology and scientific applications for the conservation of rivers.
The Remote Sensing and GIS will be used for the following applications for rejuvenation of rivers:
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Assessment of Watershed: The drainage network, terrains, elevations and flow paths would be assessed using various models in GIS.
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Water Quality Analysis: Conventional techniques of data collection can only provide point values of water quality parameters of a river. Whereas, remote sensing and GIS based modeling can also assess the concentration and dispersal of the pollutants in spatial (3D) and temporal dimensions.
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Decision Support: Powerful visualization facilities for display and manipulation in GIS and analysis of situations using simulation and modeling. This helps resolve complex geo spatial challenges which support the decision process.
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Analysis of Alternative Scenarios: Creating maps with existing and alternative situations is helpful in deciding the best scenario and action for further implementation of projects. Use of GIS power capabilities from prediction to prescription are helpful in finalizing the best scenario.
OVBI aims to develop a comprehensive GIS facility in collaboration with The Art of Living Foundation with resident GIS experts. This will be superior to conventional water conservation techniques which are time and labour intensive and lack the capability of future prediction, modeling and analysis. Utilizing Remote Sensing data and GIS will optimize deployment time and enable scalability to additional locations.
