Rural development applications continuously focus on water and land conservation through systematic planning, implementation of development plans in rural sector. Applications of geospatial solutions and their implementation in rural development sector provide customized near real time natural resources databases, tools for the analytics and drawing the water and land resources plans.
There are several initiatives / projects, which have been taken up by Indian State and Central departments at micro and macro level to enrich the assets required in rural sector for the sustainable development through growth of agriculture like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) (collected information on 3.5 crore assets),Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Integrated Watershed Management, Programme (IWMP) (collected information on 1.5 Lakh points), and On Farm Water Management (OFWM), National Health Resource Repository (NHRR) Project, Rural connectivity, which uses the latest remote sensing and GIS technologies in operational modes.
GeoMGNREGA
Geo MGNREGA is a largest rural developmental initiative in the country. The activities involves execution of various developmental works in villages with help of local manpower to ensure guaranteed employment.
Monitoring Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP)
Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) creates wide network of farm ponds, check dams and other soil conservation measures apart from supporting many other natural resource management actions.
Monitoring of NABARD Watersheds
Web based monitoring and evaluation of 108 watershed projects is implemented in Gujarat (28), Rajasthan(31), Madhya Pradesh (13) and Telangana(36). Resourcesat IV and Cartosat series of satellite data is being used for monitoring the watershed related activities on annual basis
SIS-DP
SIS-DP is a national initiative of preparing basic spatial layers useful in planning process at grassroot levels as per 73rd, 74th constitutional amendment of local self-governance. NRSC is the lead centre to execute the project in collaboration with various State Remote Sensing Centres.
Geotagging of Assets through EPRIS
A geo-spatial inventory of the community assets in all Gram Panchayats of the selected Districts are being geotagged under a project named Empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions Spatially (EPRIS) in 57 districts in the country. This will depict Gram Panchayat level spatial depiction of planned activities in selected Districts.
Pilot studies - Estimation of Fish Production Estimation
Generation of Maximum Water spread (Post monsoon), Minimum Water spread (Summer) at National level will provide the information to assess the potential for Fisheries development. Automated algorithms developed for extraction of water bodies layer from satellite data are useful for upscaling the pilot study at district / state level.
