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Geospatial Data for the Himalayan Region: Requirements, Availability, and Challenges

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Remote Sensing of Northwest Himalayan Ecosystems

Abstract

Availability of appropriate geospatial data over the Himalayan and adjacent Tibetan Plateau region has emerged as one of the key data requirements to understand the fragile landscape dynamics, changing climate and its implications, and assessment of natural resources of the region. In the Himalayas, there are three principal agents of change: plate tectonics, climate change, and human interaction; all three work in a very intricate manner to modulate all natural processes and features. Data requirements can be as diverse as the processes and features of the Himalayas. Spatial resolution requirements of RS data vary from tens of centimeters to tens of meters and a few minutes to years in terms of temporal resolution. Availability of data was limited to systematic aerial photography by the mapping agencies carried out in the second half of the last century and resultant topographical maps on 1:50,000 scale earlier. Satellite coverages are available from the early 1970s. In spite of enormous progress in satellite imaging, large tracts of Himalaya remain unexplored in terms of data availability at a high spatial resolution. Therefore, in spite of wide spread concern, development needs, and environment and security issues, the Himalayas have emerged as “data-scarce” region of world. In this context, it is very pertinent to evaluate existing datasets, and then a systematic attempt can be made on data acquisition strategy involving near-ground (UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)) platforms to aerial and spacecraft platforms. The spatial data acquisition strategy should be driven by the most immediate concerns of the region, i.e., disaster monitoring and mitigation, natural resource management including cryosphere status vis-à-vis climate change impact assessment, infrastructure development, and crustal deformation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geospatial Technology and Outreach Programme Group (GT&OP Group), Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space, Govt. of India, Dehradun, India

    S. Agrawal

  2. Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing Department, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space, Govt. of India, Dehradun, India

    S. Raghavendra, Shashi Kumar & Hina Pande

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  1. S. Agrawal
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  2. S. Raghavendra
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  3. Shashi Kumar
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  4. Hina Pande
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Correspondence to S. Agrawal .

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  1. Indian Space Research Organisation, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    R. R. Navalgund

  2. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Indian Space Research Organisation, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    A. Senthil Kumar

  3. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Indian Space Research Organisation, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    Subrata Nandy

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Agrawal, S., Raghavendra, S., Kumar, S., Pande, H. (2019). Geospatial Data for the Himalayan Region: Requirements, Availability, and Challenges. In: Navalgund, R., Kumar, A., Nandy, S. (eds) Remote Sensing of Northwest Himalayan Ecosystems. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2128-3_22

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