The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has issued an announcement of opportunity (AO) for capacity building in space-based disaster management support.
The agency has invited proposals on capacity-building programmes in different areas of space-based disaster management support from scientists, engineers, and faculty members from centres and units of ISRO, Department of Space, and R&D institutions and recognised academic institutes in India for financial support by ISRO under its Disaster Management Support Programme (DMSP).
“In the Indian sub-continent, nearly a billion people suffer yearly from natural and man-made disasters. Rapid population growth, unprecedented development, extreme climatic events along with complex geo-environmental settings contribute to the increasing effect of disasters. The frequency and impact of natural disasters are increasing day by day. Therefore, there is an urgent need to use both technology and suitable administrative measures along with a societal response to mitigate or reduce the impact of disasters,” stated the AO.
This AO invites proposals for 2023-24. ISRO added that its DMSP has been actively supporting the Central and State governments by providing operational services during pre-disaster, disaster, and post-disaster time-frames, including experimental forecasts, using space systems. “Capacity building in space technology for disaster management has been identified as a key element of sustainable and effective disaster management. However, it is a challenging task considering the diverse backgrounds of stakeholders and the different types of disasters to deal with. Further, it becomes challenging as the issue of disaster management is interwoven with activities related to development, socio-economic conditions, adaptation to climate change scenarios, etc,” ISRO said. The last date for submission is December 20.
