Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC) :

Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC)  is the nodal agency in Uttarakhand state for space-technology related activities and has the mandate to employ space-technology for the benefit of the state and its people. It was constituted as an autonomous organization in 2005, under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of Uttarakhand. The Government of Uttarakhand is acutely concerned about the states vulnerability to the consequences of the fragility of Himalayas and the inexorable intensification of climate change.

It is very keen not to let these constraints come in the way of ensuring that the last person of the state gets access to a decent quality of life, without compromising on its responsibility as a trustee of our environment for future generations. To overcome the daunting challenges that Uttarakhand faces due to its formidable terrain and the fragility of Himalayas, enhanced use of technology, especially space technology, is of dire necessity. Hence, the prime objective of USAC is to explore and deploy geospatial technology for the development of the state. Consequently, USAC boasts of a close relationship with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) that has benefited the state immensely and constantly strives to further develop and intensify this productive association.

Objectives :

1. To undertake, promote, guide, coordinate and aid research and development in the field of remote sensing and satellite communications.
2. To carry out surveys for monitoring and assessment of the entire gamut of natural resources sectors using space technology.
3. To carry out spatial temporal surveys to monitor changing land use patterns, environmental changes, irrigation systems, forest resource and crop disease surveillance using space technology.
4. To develop efficient data acquisition and retrieval system and to act as repository of various natural resources data of the state.
5. To act as a nodal organization in the state, advising the user agencies and disseminate the remote sensing technology at operational levels.
6. To provide research and development support to the teaching and research organizations of the state in specified areas of remote sensing technology.
7. To carry out field investigations connected with the activities of space technology and to carry out research for translation of field and laboratory based data in to spatial scale.
8. To organize training, lectures, seminars and symposia for advanced study and Research in space technology and its applications.
9. To cooperate and collaborate with other national and overseas institutions for research in space technology and its applications.
10. To periodically publish the results of remote sensing and GIS based investigation carried out by the centre.

Mandate :

Explore the potential of Remote Sensing, GIS and Communication technology for the overall development of the state. USAC is working on the following areas and has been providing services in the field of :

Remote sensing :

For inventory, mapping, developmental planning and monitoring of natural and man made resources.

Geographical Information System :

For conceptualization, creation and organization of multipurpose common digital data base for sectoral/ integrated decision support system.

Global Positioning System :

For location based services, Geo-referencing, engineering applications and research.

Photogrammetry :

For creation of digital elevation model, terrain characteristics, resource planning and large scale mapping.

Software Development :

For wider usage of Geo-spatial application, Decision Support Systems (desk top as well as web based).

Satellite communication :

For the promotion and formulation of the use of broadcast and teleconferencing networks for remote area interactive training, education, extension and tele-medicine.

Capacity building :

For providing training & technical knowledge to line department officers, collaborators, students and research scholars from the Universities.

                   USAC works in crucial areas, such as Natural Resource Management, Water Resource Management, Glacier Studies, Environmental Monitoring, Land use & Urban planning, Disaster Mitigation, Web-based School Information System, Health Information System etc. Notable among the programmes that it has been implementing on an ongoing basis are State Natural Resource Management System (SNRMS), Forecasting Agriculture using Space, Agrometeorlogy & Land based observations (FASAL) programme, Coordinated programme on Horticulture Assessment and MAnagement using geoiNfromatics (CHAMAN), Development of National Forest Fire Danger Rating, among others.