The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC/UNESCO) was established by resolution 2.31 adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It first met in Paris at UNESCO Headquarters from 19 to 27 October 1961. Initially,40 States became members of the commission. The IOC assists governments to address their individual and collective ocean and coastal management needs,through the sharing of knowledge,information and technology as well as through the co-ordination of programs and building capacity in ocean and coastal research,observations and services.
A tsunami warning system (TWS) is used to detect tsunamis in advance and issue the warnings to prevent loss of life and damage to property. It is made up of two equally important components:a network of sensors to detect tsunamis and a communications infrastructure to issue timely alarms to permit evacuation of the coastal areas. There are two distinct types of tsunami warning systems:international and regional. When operating,seismic alerts are used to instigate the watches and warnings;then,data from observed sea level height are used to verify the existence of a tsunami. Other systems have been proposed to augment the warning procedures;for example,it has been suggested that the duration and frequency content of t-wave energy is indicative of an earthquake's tsunami potential.
India's remote sensing program was developed with the idea of applying space technologies for the benefit of humankind and the development of the country. The program involved the development of three principal capabilities. The first was to design,build and launch satellites to a Sun-synchronous orbit. The second was to establish and operate ground stations for spacecraft control,data transfer along with data processing and archival. The third was to use the data obtained for various applications on the ground.
The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) was established in November 1993 as an autonomous society under the Ministry of Earth Sciences in India. NIOT is managed by a Governing Council and is headed by a director. The institute is based in Chennai. The major aim of starting NIOT was to develop reliable indigenous technologies to solve various engineering problems associated with harvesting of non-living and living resources in India's exclusive economic zone,which is about two-thirds of the land area of India.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences was formed on 29 January 2006 from a merger of the India Meteorological Department (IMD),the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF),the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,Pune (IITM),the Earth Risk Evaluation Centre (EREC) and the Ministry of Ocean Development.
Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is an autonomous organization of the Government of India,under the Ministry of Earth Sciences,located in Pragathi Nagar,Hyderabad. ESSO-INCOIS was established as an autonomous body in 1998 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO). ESSO- INCOIS is mandated to provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society,industry,government agencies and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvements through systematic and focussed research.
Oceansat-2 is the second Indian satellite built primarily for ocean applications. It was a part of the Indian Remote Sensing Programme satellite series. Oceansat-2 is an Indian satellite designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) instrument on Oceansat-1. It will also enhance the potential of applications in other areas. The OceanSat-2 mission was approved by the government of India on 16 July 2005.
K. Radhakrishnan a.k.a. Koppillil Radhakrishnan is an Indian space scientist who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as Chairman of Space Commission,Secretary of the Department of Space,Government of India. Under his leadership,India became the first country to reach Mars in its first attempt.
Prem Chand Pandey is an Indian space scientist,planetary scientist,and academic in the fields of satellite oceanography,remote sensing,atmospheric science,the Antarctic and climate change,and also he is the founding director of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).
George Joseph is an Indian space scientist,best known for his contributions to the development of remote sensing technology in India,especially Earth observation sensors. He is a former chairman of the Lunar Mission Study Task Force of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences,India,Indian Academy of Sciences and Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan,the third highest civilian award,in 1999.
Oceansat-1 or IRS-P4 was the first Indian satellite built primarily for ocean applications. It was a part of the Indian Remote Sensing Programme satellite series. The satellite carried an Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) and a Multi-frequency Scanning Microwave Radiometer (MSMR) for oceanographic studies. Oceansat-1 thus vastly augment the IRS satellite system of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) comprising four satellites,IRS-1B,IRS-1C,IRS-P3 and IRS-1D and extend remote sensing applications to several newer areas.
Aluru Seelin Kiran Kumar is an Indian space scientist and former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation,having assumed office on 14 January 2015. He is credited with the development of key scientific instruments aboard the Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan space crafts. In 2014,he was awarded the Padma Shri,India's fourth highest civilian award,for his contributions to the fields of science and technology. Kiran Kumar previously served as Director of Ahmedabad Space Applications Centre.
Bulusu Lakshmana Deekshatulu is an Indian academic who has made important contributions to Digital Image Processing and Control Theory. He is a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences,Fellow of Indian National Science Academy,The National Academy of Sciences,India,Indian Academy of Sciences,Indian National Academy of Engineering,National Academy of Agricultural Sciences,and IEEE.
The International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) was a large-scale multinational hydrographic survey of the Indian Ocean which took place from September 1,1959,to December 31,1965,Jawaharlal Nehru then PM of India inaugurated International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) in 1959 with collaboration with foreign universities. It worked to describe and understand the basic features of the Indian Ocean.
Prem Shanker Goel is an Indian space scientist,former secretary at the Department of Ocean Development,Ministry of Earth Sciences,Government of India and a former director of Indian Space Research Organization. He was honored by the Government of India,in 2001,with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
RESPOND is a sponsored research program of Indian Space Research Organization. ISRO started the RESPOND programme in the 1970s whose main objective is to establish strong links with Universities/Institutions in the country to carry out quality research and developmental projects which are of relevance to space and derive useful outputs of such R&D to support ISRO programmes. The programme provides opportunity to the non-ISRO scientists and engineers,who are working with the recognized institute,to contribute to the Indian space programme. The contribution is mostly in areas of design and development of orbiting satellites for scientific research and space applications,sounding rockets and satellite launch vehicles. Non-academic R &D institutions can also participate in this programme.
Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh is an Indian meteorologist and a professor at the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He holds the chair of the Divecha Centre for Climate Change,a centre under the umbrella of the IISc for researches on climate variability,climate change and their impact on the environment. He is known for his studies on atmospheric aerosols and is an elected fellow of all the three major Indian science academies viz. Indian Academy of Sciences Indian National Science Academy and the National Academy of Sciences,India as well as The World Academy of Sciences. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research,awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology,one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Earth,Atmosphere,Ocean and Planetary Sciences in 2009. He received the TWAS Prize of The World Academy of Sciences in 2011. In 2018,he received the Infosys Prize,one of the highest monetary awards in India that recognize excellence in science and research,for his work in the field of climate change.
Oceansat is a series of Earth observation satellites built,launched,and operated by Indian Space Research Organisation,and dedicated to oceanography and atmospheric studies. Oceansat satellites facilitate a range of applications including documenting chlorophyll concentration,phytoplankton blooms,atmospheric aerosols and particulate matter as well as marine weather forecast to predict cyclones.
M.V. Ramana Murthy is an Indian coastal scientist and ocean engineer. He is the Mission Director for the Deep Ocean mission and Director at the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) of the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
