The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working with Mysuru-based Vidya Vardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE) on asset mapping of rural areas in the district for better planning.
This is part of the ISRO’s larger project on ‘Space Based Information Support for Decentralised Planning’ across India to empower people at the grassroots. Under the project, VVCE will adopt 100 villages for asset mapping.
VVCE principal B. Sadashive Gowda told The Hindu that ISRO has identified 281 assets for mapping in each village as part of the national project, which will pave way for effective and decentralised planning of rural development. Students of VVCE will fan out to the identified villages and map assets listed by ISRO, which include schools, toilets in schools, road, power supply, water supply, public toilets, presence of police station, number of women constables in each village, connectivity, area of land under cultivation, crops cultivated, presence of primary health centres, number of doctors, nurses, size of landholding, waterbodies, and forest areas.
“The statistics will be uploaded by students though WhatsApp or similar applications to the ISRO, which will analyse the results to produce a snapshot of information for each village besides embedding them with satellite imageries and map,” Dr. Gowda explained. The project is expected to have a positive bearing on planning as it will provide first-hand and reliable data. “The data will help the government identify thrust or focus areas for each village,” he added
In the second phase, VVCE will map assets of another 100 villages in Mysuru district. Around 200 students will take part in the exercise, which will be completed within a week. While the larger objective of ISRO is to provide a reliable snapshot of resources available, the project is reckoned to foster social entrepreneurship.
Dr. Gowda said that participating students would learn of the issues plaguing rural areas. The ISRO has entered into similar agreements with other institutions, but VVCE is the only one in Mysuru region, he added.
