The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has developed an indigenous technological solution for fishermen at sea to send emergency messages from fishing boats. The second-generation Distress Alert Transmitter (DAT-SG) is an upgrade on DATs that have been operational since 2010.
The distress messages are sent through a communication satellite and received at a central control station, where the alert signals are decoded for the boat’s identity and location. The extracted information is forwarded to the Indian Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres which coordinate the search and rescue operations. Isro said the improvised solution incorporated technological developments in satellite communication and navigation.
It comes with the facility to acknowledge distress alerts, assuring the fishermen that help is on the way. DAT-SG can receive messages from the control centre; the feature can be used to send alerts to fishermen at sea in the event of weather-related emergencies. It can be connected to mobile phones using Bluetooth interfaces, and messages can be read in native languages using a mobile application. A web-based network management system, Sagarmitra, maintains a database of registered DAT-SGs that helps the Coast Guard undertake search and rescue operations without delay, Isro said. Isro chairman S Somanath inaugurated the upgraded transmitter at the central control station in the Isro Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) on Monday.