ISRO "BHUVAN" beat GOOGLE EARTH

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday added another feather to its cap, with the launch of its own version of Google Earth. This would provide a sharper picture of Indian terrain barring sensitive locations such as military and nuclear installations.

Called ‘Bhuvan(meaning Earth in Sansktit) ,’ the new web-based 3D mapping tool uses images taken over a year ago by ISRO’s seven remote sensing satellites, including Cartosat-1 and Cartosat-2. The satellites can capture images of objects as small as a car on a road.

The degree of resolution showcased is based on the level of popularity of a place or an area. Most of the terrain is covered up to a resolution of at least six metres. The least spatial resolution is 55 metres.

Like Google Earth, the geo-portal, http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in, allows users to view cities and other places of interest looking perpendicularly down or at an oblique angle, with different perspectives.

The user can also navigate through 3D viewing environment. One can “fly” to destinations of choice and even draw 3D objects such as placing of expressive 3D models, 3D polygons and boxes.

The site, among other things, offers tools to measure horizontal, vertical and aerial distances. Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Prithviraj Chavan launched the portal at a daylong workshop of the Astronautical Society of India on “21st Century challenges in space – Indian context.”

Later speaking to journalists, ISRO Chairman Madhavan Nair said the space agency had started the preparations for a mission to Mars within the next six years. It was looking at launch opportunities between 2013 and 2015.
Source :-www.hindu.com

JAI HIND
Nitin Chauhan