United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific’s (ESCAP) report ‘Geospatial Practices for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific 2020: A Compendium’ has cited the role of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s ‘BHUVAN’ Geo-Portal in combating COVID-19 in India.
i.It has also cited the efforts of ISRO for supporting sustainable development projects in the country.
ii.The report was released by the UN on November 18, 2020.
BHUVAN-Geoportal:
BHUVAN is a national geo-portal developed and hosted by ISRO, it contains geo spatial data, services and tools for analysis for combating COVID-19.
Six Aspects of Geospatial information:
BHUVAN provided services in six aspects – Tracking, identifying hotspots, vegetable markets, food needed, home isolation and pollution.
BHUVAN-COVID-19:
ISRO developed the ‘Bhuvan-COVID-19’ portal to track the pandemic at the national level and update the public on the current situation.
Other Efforts:
i.The report also cited India’s efforts to include robust space technologies and GIS (Geographic Information System) in Urban Planning, Transport Management and Traffic Navigation techniques.
ii.It stated the Development of Road Asset Management System for National Highways (NHs) by National Highways Authority of India in association with ISRO and World Bank.
iii.ESCAP with the support of India helps young professional officials from developing countries in Asia-Pacific Region to join a 9-month course on remote sensing and Global Navigation Satellite Systems at the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia Pacific, Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Recent Related News:
i.April 9, 2020 United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) report titled, “Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) 2020: Towards sustainable economies” projected India’s GDP growth for FY 20-21 to decline to 4.8% due to COVID-19.
About UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific’s (ESCAP):
Executive Secretary – Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
Headquarters – Bangkok, Thailand
