Page 9 - Microsoft Word - DIGITAL ATLAS THOOT-1

PREVIEW

Digital Atlas Preparation Using Geomatic Technology

Introduction
Spatial Information Science and Technology of the new millennium has

revolutionized the entire managerial programme. The unprecedentad population

explosion has resulted into massive and competitive exploration and exploitation of the
natural wealth of the Earth. This led not only to faster depletion of natural resources but

also a chain of serious environmental problems. Hence researchers as well as explorers
were obviously driven to invent modern and high technologies to locate newer and hidden

resources of the earth on one hand and to evolve sustainable development strategies on

the other hand.
When resource explorers were in such desperate needs, the Remote Sensing

Technology, has started showing its unique spatial capabilities in mapping of natural
resources and monitoring the environmental systems of the Planet Earth. The technology

was successfully satisfied by the launch of polar orbiting satellites by India, America and
other European countries. This has resulted in the flooding of satellite data, multivariate

thematic spatial information on the natural resources, environmental systems and natural

disaster phenomenon, as well as the non-spatial information on physical and human
resources that poured in due to technological development.

So again researchers were forced to invent more new high technologies for
coding, modeling, archiving, exploring and preferentially retrieving such spatial and non-

spatial data. This is how Geomatic Technology has been born which is the integration of

multiple disciplines viz. Earth Remote Sensing System (ERS), Geographic Information
System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS).

During the last two decades, starting with the application of Geomatics in
Regional Planning, Urban Planning, Wasteland Development, etc. the gamut of

applications has covered practically every facet of natural resources management. A fast

developing country like India has to deploy the latest technologies to meet the challenge
of sustainable development. Geomatic Technology has amply proved its efficacy in

supporting e-governance, which is a hot talk of the day. But unfortunately, GIS industry
suffers from lack of quality man power especially professionals with adequate exposure

to applications.