Context: In a first of its kind project, IIT- Ropar is setting up Sectoral Application Hub to bring solutions for stubble management, water quality improvement, mapping of hazardous substances in water/soil and their treatment, deployment of IoT based Cyber-Physical System (CPS) technologies in farming fields

• The hub is being set up under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NMICPS) and is granted by Union Government’s Science and Engineering Research Board.
• The application hub will bring solutions for stubble management, water quality improvement and mapping of hazardous substances in water.
• The hub aims at carrying out translational research and work with concerned departments to develop prototypes, products and implementations.

About Cyber Physical System

• It is an integrated system involving sensors, communication, actuators, control, interconnected computing networks and data analytics, which will help in developing solutions and technical support for scientific breakthroughs and innovations related to issues of agriculture and water in the country. 
• Advances in cyber-physical systems will enable capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security and usability that will far exceed the simple embedded systems of today.
• Examples of cyber physical systems are Smart Grid Networks, Smart Transportation System, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Utility Service Infrastructure for Smart Cities, etc.

About National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NMICPS)

• It is a comprehensive mission which would address technology development, application development, human resource development, skill enhancement, entrepreneurship and start-up development in CPS and associated technologies.
• It aims at establishment of 15 numbers of Technology Innovation Hubs, six numbers of Application Innovation Hubs and four numbers of Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRP). These Hubs & TTRPs will connect to Academics, Industry, Central Ministries and State Government in developing solutions at reputed academic, R&D and other organizations across the country in a hub and spoke model.