NAVIC, India’s own regional satellite navigation system developed by ISRO, is set to be deployed to help fishermen from Kerala and ensure their safety at sea. The government on Wednesday entered into an agreement with ISRO to use the satellite- based system to warn fishermen about extreme weather events. A high-level official meeting convened by Chief Secretary K.M. Abraham here decided to set up a communication system that would warn fishers against putting out to sea during adverse weather conditions and recall those who had already ventured out. P.G. Diwakar, Scientific Secretary, ISRO, and M.C. Dathan, Scientific Adviser to the Chief Minister, were among those who attended the meeting. Master control room An official press note quoting Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma said a master control room at Thiruvananthapuram would be at the heart of the early warning system. The facility would be equipped to gather information from orbiting satellites of ISRO as well as data generated by INCOIS and the IMD. A data network would link the master control room with six regional control rooms located in the coastal areas which would disseminate information to fishermen through NAVIC handsets capable of communicating with fishermen up to 1,500 km from the coast. It would also incorporate a potential fishing zone advisory to help fishermen locate shoals. Mr. Dathan told The Hindu that the ISRO would supply the 500 NAVIC positioning sets to be fitted on fishing boats for the trial run. The NAVIC handsets to be developed by ISRO would be acquired by the government and supplied to fishermen. Based on ISRO’s constellation of seven IRNSS satellites, NAVIC is India’s own version of the GPS navigation system that became operational last year. NAVIC is designed to offer navigational, disaster relief and early warning services for various States in India and neighbouring countries also.
2017, The Hindu