Kerala has been going through a devastating period. And during this time technology comes in rescue to help Kerala find their way out of their situation. Indian Space Research Organization with its five satellites comes forth to play a key role in saving lives in rain-battered Kerala.
The Five ISRO satellites playing the major role are; Oceansat-2, RESOURCESAT-2, CARTOSAT-2 and 2A and INSAT 3DR that will help in monitoring the Kerala flood situation and aiding relief in work. These satellites will be helping in gathering data and capturing real-time images to the ground station in order to have a better monitoring of the situation.
As according to the officials of the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad “We are using the data from these satellites to provide alerts on flooding.”
Satellites like CARTOSAT and RESOURCESAT help in capturing images by onboard cameras and send out early flooding warning. Cartosat 2 and 2A can be used along and across the track to 45 degrees allowing frequent imaging of precise areas.
As soon as the data is received from the satellites, maps are prepared with flooded and non-flooded markings, done in different colors which are then provided to the state and the central agencies for further planning relief and operations.
In a disaster like this, planning is of the utmost priority, in order for the relief operations to be effective. Along with the satellites, the use of other instruments like buoys and barometers is contributing to the Kerala rescue operations. Barometer helps in measuring the pressure and forecast any short-term changes in the weather whereas buoys help in gathering information about wind speed, wave direction, and height of the sea level.
In such a level of disaster where thousands of people have been stranded due to the Kerala flood hit, it’s not just people who come in rescue but also technology that takes a big stand in such situation.