Another eye up there

While we applaud the textbook launch, the time has come to scrutinise how various developmental agencies on the ground have been able to use the data from the country8217;s various eyes in the sky to benefit ordinary people on earth. The METSAT has a very high resolution radiometer VHRR, that will capture and beam back crucial data on, say, groundwater levels or forest tracts. The satellite will also man crucial meteorological platforms that were, hitherto, left unattended.

With such a wealth of information flowing in from the sky, the big question is can planners rein in the rogue elements in nature by ensuring that there are fail-proof plans drawn up in advance to mitigate the effects of natural disasters? After all, putting up a satellite is only half the story. Using the data with care and auditing the performance of user agencies will complete this process. India has a string of some of the best remote sensing satellites in the world. For years, these mappers have been beaming a wealth of data. But development agencies been not quite risen to the challenge of using this data to improve lives 8212; both in rural areas and urban centres. There is no denying that there have been some occasional success stories, as for instance, using remote sensing data to zero in on the right place to build a check dam. But unless India, as a whole, can benefit from the data, it will have failed in exploiting this great scientific resource that is now at its command. It8217;s easy to be complacent. To pat our backs for a perfect launch. The much harder part is to use the data appropriately to change things on the ground. That would be the ideal way to congratulate ourselves for having putting METSAT into space.