CONVERGING CONVENTIONAL APPRAISALS WITH EARTH OBSERVATIONS FOR DECENTRALIZED PARTICIPATORY PLANNING IN RURAL INDIA USING GEO-ICT FRAMEWORK-AN OVERVIEW

摘要

Paradigmatic shifts have been witnessed in governance of development initiatives in various sectors across India due to infusion of Earth Observation (EO), GIS and Information Communication Technology (ICT). Number of programmes such as Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Generation Act (MGNREGA), Integrated Watershed Monitoring Program (IWMP) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) etc. buoyed on a large scale by Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) in India has monitoring mechanism through use of Geo-ICT based framework for developing futuristic plans. Programmes as such Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna (PMKSY) and Soil Health Management (SHM) by allied ministries also make use of Geo-ICT tools for effective management of the assets created and information collected for the welfare of rural communities. Bhuvan is a Geo-ICT solution for panchayat and village level planning. Earth observation datasets available at high spatial-temporal scales is an integral component of these programmes and is used for precise mapping and regular monitoring of various activities under them. The recent availability of high resolution indigenous satellite data on board Cartosat 2 series missions (sub meter PAN and less than 2 meter MX) has higher potential for mapping and monitoring related to micro level governance. A substantial amount of ground inventoried geo-tagged assets has been also generated by involving the trained functionaries at grassroots level for monitoring these development schemes. The scale at which Geo-tagging has been accomplished under these projects indicates the degree of acceptance of Geo-ICT approach. The overall response of the state machineries in these projects has been overwhelming. The success of such approaches cannot be easily categorized within simple narratives of crowd sourcing as in many cases the realities are more complex. The potential uses of such data are open and multiple as it can play a very important role in developing comprehensive information services by applying big data analysis.