BENGALURU:The development of indigenous navigation system NavIC has opened avenues for several applications. Considering the potential of the same, several state governments are in talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to monitor mining deviations in mineral-rich regions of the country.
According to ISRO sources, four to five states are in talks with the space agency to use NavIC to assess whether a miner is extracting minerals beyond the area sanctioned for mining. Natural resource-rich states like Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh are among those who have approached the agency for aerial monitoring on the same. Talks are going on between the parties and an MoU will be signed shortly, sources added.
Apart from monitoring mining irregularities, ISRO was also working on a project with the Goa government to study ridge currents along its popular beaches. After a scientific model is developed based on observations of the currents, an alert system will be put in place to prevent tourists from venturing into the sea during rough currents to prevent drowning, sources added.
DEFAULT NAVIGATION
India is only the sixth country with an indigenous navigation system. While countries like Russia insist on using GLONASS — its own navigation system — along with GPS, it is not yet clear whether NavIC will have the same privilege in India.
FOUR MORE SATS FOR IRNSS
At the Bengaluru Space Expo, Nilesh Desai, Deputy Director at Space Applications Centre, ISRO, said four more satellites will be added to the IRNSS constellation in the coming days, taking the total number of IRNSS satellites for NavIC from the present seven to 11.
