Recently, ISRO chief S Somanath announced a significant milestone for India’s national space agency: the successful development and launch of Geoportal-Bhuvan.
“India’s Geoportal-Bhuvan delivers information that is ten times more comprehensive than what Google offers,” Somanath beamed. Bhuvan, renowned for its extensive geospatial data, offers valuable insights across agriculture, urban planning, and disaster management sectors.
The introduction of Bhuvan-Panchayat and the National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) marks a major stride in enhancing data access and utility.
This integration of local government bodies on a GIS platform is unparalleled globally. “Panchayat is one of the sectors integrated in GIS. This is a GIS system that integrates all the government departments, which really does not exist in any other country,” said Radha Krishna Kavuluru, principal engineer at Dhruva Space & ex-project manager at ISRO.
Bhuvan-Panchayat empowers village councils with enriched datasets and analytical tools for informed decision-making. “This localised approach ensures data caters to specific needs and challenges faced at the ground level,” Somanath explained.
According to a recent study, Bhuvan-Panchayat provides high-resolution data to over 250,000 village panchayats across India, enabling precise governance interventions.
NDEM integrates vital datasets to bolster ISRO’s disaster response capabilities. “It plays a vital role in risk assessment and mitigation during emergencies, reflecting ISRO’s commitment to leveraging space technology for societal benefit,” Somanath added.
Since its launch, NDEM has been instrumental in managing over 500 disaster events, providing critical data for efficient responses.
Similarly, ISRO’s Bhoonidhi Data Hub, which provides open access to Earth observation satellite data, serves as a comprehensive source of satellite images and essential geospatial data is also at par with that of NASA or ESA.
Bhuvan’s Unique Features and Capabilities
Bhuvan distinguishes itself from other geospatial platforms with several unique features tailored to India’s needs. It excels in data access and geoprocessing, allowing users to download and consume data as OGC web services for analysis.
Bhuvan offers India-specific datasets, including potential fishing zones and periodic agricultural assessments, serving as a comprehensive source for India’s earth observation data needs.
The platform’s open web portal maximises access and utility for the public good in India. This democratises access to India’s earth observation data, making it freely available to all.
In contrast, other platforms like Google Earth, ArcGIS, and Bing Maps have their own unique strengths, such as global coverage, advanced GIS capabilities, and location intelligence.
However, Bhuvan’s unique value lies in providing high-resolution data and capabilities specifically designed for India’s needs and priorities. As Somanath summarised, “Bhuvan democratises access to India’s Earth observation data through a public portal.”
Emphasising the importance of Bhuvan, Radha Krishna also said, “Almost everything that can be done with satellite imagery like land use, land cover, flood information system… everything is already integrated on Bhuvan.”
He advised, “If you just open Bhuvan 2D and see the applications, scroll down, you will see a lot of them.”
The Bhuvan platform hosts an extensive collection of vector datasets including the locations of post offices, Aadhaar centres, and disaster response agencies. It also powers sector-specific applications such as School GIS, Tourism GIS, Water Body Information System, and real-time forest fire alerts.
What sets Bhuvan apart is its unique integration of government departments on a single GIS platform that is openly accessible to citizens.
“There is no such GIS system which is open for the public available in the real world,” noted Krishna. The platform democratises access to valuable geospatial data and satellite imagery that can be utilised for a variety of purposes including navigation.
Bhuvan’s Advantages for Environmental Monitoring in India
Bhuvan offers several advantages over Google Maps, particularly for environmental monitoring in India. One key advantage is its higher resolution satellite imagery, with up to 1 metre per pixel for much of India.
Somanath pointed out that “this allows for more detailed monitoring of land cover, vegetation health, water bodies, etc, compared to what is available in Google Maps”.
Bhuvan offers a wide variety of specialised environmental data layers, such as land use/land cover maps, wasteland maps, soil maps, and geological maps, which Google Maps does not provide.
It also includes several tools and applications designed specifically for environmental monitoring and natural resource management. These tools enable in-depth analysis in areas like watershed monitoring, groundwater prospect mapping, and forestry applications.
Furthermore, Bhuvan can integrate data from ground-based environmental sensors, such as weather stations and water quality monitors, providing a comprehensive monitoring picture. This sensor integration is not a standard feature of Google Maps.
Another important feature of Bhuvan is its access to multi-temporal satellite data, allowing users to analyse environmental changes over time. The Bhuvan-Timelapse application facilitates this type of monitoring, offering capabilities beyond those of Google Earth’s historical imagery.
As an ISRO product, Bhuvan is tailored to the specific needs and priorities of environmental monitoring in India. Somanath emphasised that “the imagery, data layers, and tools are focused on India’s geography and environmental challenges”, unlike the more general-purpose Google Maps.
However, Somanath acknowledged that Google is developing new environmental monitoring capabilities that may help bridge this gap for other parts of the world.
Usage in Public & Private Sector
Several private companies and government entities in India utilise ISRO’s Bhuvan platform for a wide range of applications. In the private sector, MapmyIndia has partnered with ISRO to enhance Bhuvan’s capabilities by integrating their mapping database with ISRO’s satellite imagery and Earth observation data.
This has led to many vehicle manufacturers using MapmyIndia’s Bhuvan-connected services for built-in navigation systems.
Meanwhile, GAIL has launched BHUVAN-GAIL for pipeline monitoring and safety, while Hyderabad City Police have used a Bhuvan-based application for vehicle tracking. Start-ups and private firms are also increasingly adopting the platform.
Government departments and institutions extensively use Bhuvan for various purposes. State governments leverage the software for monitoring and governance. The Department of Land Resources developed ‘Srishti’ on Bhuvan for overseeing the Integrated Watershed Management Programme.
The Ministry of Rural Development geo-tags MGNREGA assets using Bhuvan. In Telangana, the irrigation department is setting up a Water Resources Information System on the platform.
Bhuvan also supports disaster management, e-Governance applications, and more across numerous government agencies, academic institutions, and industries. Overall, Bhuvan has emerged as a key geospatial tool for diverse stakeholders in India.
Bhuvan’s Evolution Over 15 Years
Launched by ISRO in August 2009, Bhuvan made a humble beginning with simple display of medium resolution satellite images and thematic maps. But those initial six years provided ample opportunity for Bhuvan to grow in all directions.
Over its initial years from 2009-2015, Bhuvan grew significantly, both horizontally in diverse application areas and vertically in terms of image resolution and map services.
By 2015, it was providing data up to 1m spatial resolution. The platform will celebrate its 15th anniversary in August 2024, marking a significant milestone in its journey of empowering India with detailed geospatial data and tools.
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