New Delhi, Mar 23: Space-based inputs are playing a crucial role in disaster monitoring and damage assessment in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly for floods, landslides and forest fires, the government said on Monday.
Geospatial products such as flood inundation maps, landslide inventories and forest fire alerts are being generated and disseminated through ISRO’s geoportals, including *Bhuvan* and the National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM). A customised mobile application and dashboard have also been developed for the J&K Forest Department to enable real-time forest fire reporting using geospatial technology.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), under the Department of Space, is working in collaboration with the J&K Remote Sensing Application Centre (JKRSAC) to implement key space application programmes in the Union Territory. These include the Natural Resources Census, National Wetland Inventory, Biodiversity Characterisation, and mapping of desertification and land degradation, along with disaster management support.
The Space-Based Information Support for Decentralised Planning–Update (SIS-DP Update) programme has also been executed jointly to support evidence-based planning across sectors such as agriculture, forestry, rural development and watershed management.
To promote research and academic engagement, ISRO has established the Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Science (SDCSS) at the Central University of Jammu, providing faculty and students access to space technology resources.
In addition, the Space Technology Incubation Centre (STIC) at NIT Jalandhar and the Regional Academic Centre for Space (RACS) at NIT Kurukshetra cater to the northern region, including J&K, enabling students and institutions to undertake space technology-related projects in collaboration with ISRO.
Through its RESPOND (Sponsored Research) programme, ISRO also allows academic institutions across the country to submit proposals and participate in space research initiatives.
The government said space-based tools are further supporting early warning systems and disaster response coordination through NDEM, which integrates satellite data with alerts from agencies such as the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Central Water Commission (CWC) and Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE). The platform also includes decision-support tools for emergency response and post-disaster assessment.
The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
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