Role of Remote Sensing and

GIS in Disaster Management

Unit 5

1
Remote Sensing
"Remote sensing is the science (and to some extent, art) of acquiring
information about the Earth's surface without actually being in
contact with it.
This is done by sensing and recording reflected or emitted energy and
processing, analyzing, and applying that information."

2
Electro Magnetic Spectrum

3
 Elements or Components of Remote Sensing

1. Energy Source or Illumination (A)

2. Radiation and the Atmosphere (B)
3. Interaction with the Target (C)
4. Recording of Energy by the Sensor
(D)
5. Transmission, Reception, and
Processing (E)
6. Interpretation and Analysis (F)
7. Application (G)

4
 Types of Sensing

1. Passive sensing is a collection of energy

that is reflected or emitted from the
surface of the earth

2. Active sensing system sends the energy

towards the object then measure and detect
the radiation that is reflected or
backscattered from the object
5
 Remote Sensing observables
• Synoptic scale observation is done by sensing and recording reflected,
emitted and scattered energy and processing, analyzing, and applying that
information."

6
Platforms

Platforms are:
• Ground based
• Airborne
• Spaceborne

Sensing from 1 meter to 36,000 km height

7
 Band 6
Spectral Band 5
Band 4
Resolution
Band 3
Band 2

Spatial
8
Resolution
 Temporal Resolution
Radiometric Resolution Year of Acquisition - 2000

Year of Acquisition - 2005

9
Sensor-platform characteristics
• Spatial Resolution - Spatial Resolution of the sensor and refers to the size of the
smallest possible feature that can be detected .

• Spectral Resolution - It refers to the EMR wavelengths to which remote sensing

system is sensitive.

• Radiometric Resolution – Radiometric resolution is the smallest difference in the

radiant energy that can be detected by the sensor. (Quantitation Level)

• Temporal Resolution – Time frequency of data collection.

10
FCC (False Color Composite)

11
 FCC (False Color Composite)

Agricultural area

Settlements

River

Vegetation

12
13
14
Microwave Remote Sensing
• Radar is an active remote sensing system because it provides its own
source of energy. The system “illuminates” the terrain with longer
electromagnetic energy, detects the backscattering energy returning
from the terrain (called radar turn), and then records it as an image.

15
Classified SPOT satellite image is showing
forest degradation over timer

16
Landslide- Remote Sensing based Simulation
• It is expected that in future the Very High
Resolution (VHR) imagery, such as from IKONOS-
2, might be used successfully for landslide
inventory.
• Multispectral imagery – vegetation, lithology and
land use.
• Stereo SPOT imagery is used in geomorphological
mapping, or terrain classification.
• Digital elevation models can be derived from
SPOT or IRS images, or using airborne or
spaceborne InSAR techniques.
• In the phase of disaster preparedness use could
be made of the following techniques for the
monitoring of landslide movements: ground
measurements, photogrammetry, GPS, Radar
interferometry. 17
Flood – Remote Sensing Simulation
• Earth observation satellites are also used
extensively in the phases of
preparedness/warning and
response/monitoring.
• The use of optical sensors for flood mapping
is seriously limited by the extensive cloud
cover.
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) from ERS
and RADARSAT have been proven very
useful for mapping flood inundation areas,
due to their all weather capability.
• In India, ERS -SAR has been used successfully
in flood monitoring since 1993, and Radarsat
since 1998.
• Colour composites are generated using SAR
Recent time RADAR - - Sentinel-1 – considered data during floods and pre-flood SAR
to be effective images.
18
Earthquake - Sumatra-Andaman earthquake
seafloor movement
In earthquake hazard mapping two
different approaches are to be
distinguished, each with a characteristic
order of magnitude of map scale
• small scale (regional) seismic macro
zonation at scales 1:5,000,000 to
1:50,000 (Disaster Prevention- Remote
Sensing).
• large scale (local) seismic micro zonation
at scales of 1:50-25,000 to 1:10,000
(Disaster Management- accelerometers,
geotechnical mapping, groundwater
modelling, and topographic modelling)
19
 Earthquake – Assisting Sensors
• Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and Very Long Base
Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) have been used for the
monitoring of crustal movement near active faults.
• Global Positioning System (GPS) - fault displacements
• An increasingly popular remote sensing application is
the mapping of earthquake deformation fields using
SAR interferometry (InSAR).
• In the phase of disaster relief, satellite remote sensing
can at the moment only play a role in the
identification of large associated features (such as
landslides), which can be mapped by medium
detailed imagery (SPOT, IRS etc.).
• Structural damage - Very High Resolution (VHR)
mission, IKONOS-2, Quickbird.
20
• Interferometry is the
method of using two SAR
images, taken with a time
delay and/or cross-track
parallax, to infer height or
motion information of
the Earth’s surface.
• The time delay and phase
difference of the two
images are processes to
obtain height and motion
information

21
DEM - Interferometry
• Large Area Topographic Modelling
• Earthquake Engineering
• Hydrological Modelling
• Gravity Modelling

22
 VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
• Satellite remote sensing has become
operational in some of the phases of
volcanic disaster management, specifically
in the monitoring of ash clouds.
• The major applications of remote sensing in
volcanic hazard assessment are:
1) monitoring volcanic activity & detecting
volcanic eruptions
2) identification of potentially dangerous
volcanoes, especially in remote areas
3) mapping volcanic landforms and deposits

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors can provide valuable data which
describes the topography. Measurement of ground deformation may
eventually be achieved using SAR inteferometry. 23
What to be done?
• Distinguish between various data collection
methodologies.
• Understand the pros and cons of different data
sources.
• Select the right data set to answer your questions
efficiently.

24
Microwave Remote Sensing Technologies
•Scatterometry – Cyclones
•Polarimetry – Drought, Flood
•Interferometry – Landslide, Volconic
Eruption

25
SCATSAT-1

26
27
28
29
30
31
GIS – Geographical information System
• GEO:- Earth.
• Geography:- Study of earth and where things are.
• Information:- For capturing, managing, analyzing and understanding
information.
• System:- A set of Software , hardware and Data.

GIS is capable to collect, map, analyze and model the

Vector and Raster data
32
Spatial Data?
• Spatial data are data with a
geographic component, such as
maps, aerial photography, satellite
imagery, GPS data, rainfall data,
borehole data etc.
• Many of these data will have a
different projection and co-ordinate
system, and need to be brought to a
common map-basis, in order to
superimpose them.

33
Spatial and Non-spatial Products of GIS

• Vector Data - Spaghetti model –

represented by point, line and
polygon.
• Raster Data – composed of pixels.
• DEM (Digital Elevation Model) is a
raster product (satellite data
product) used to extract the slope
and aspect map of the surface-
useful in forest fire and landslide
applications.
• Attribute data (Non-spatial data)

34
 GIS (Geographical Information System)
• Geographic Information System (GIS) is a
computer based application of technology
involving spatial and attributes information to act
as a decision support tool. It keeps information in
different layers and generates various
combinations pertaining to the requirement of the
decision making.

35
GIS (Geographical Information System)
• The data required for disaster management is coming from different scientific
disciplines, and should be integrated.
• Data integration is one of the strongest points of GIS. In general the following
types of data are required:
 Data on the disastrous phenomena (e.g. landslides, floods, earthquakes),
their location, frequency, magnitude etc.
 Data on the environment in which the disastrous events might take place:
topography, geology, geo-morphology, soils, hydrology, land use, vegetation
etc.
 Data on the elements that might be destroyed if the event takes place:
infrastructure, settlements , population, socio-economic data etc.
 Data on the emergency relief resources, such as hospitals, fire brigades,
police stations, warehouses etc.

36
Application of GIS in Disaster Management
• Identification of cyclone shelters location.
• Use in Automated Weather Stations (AWS)
• Preparation of the district vulnerability maps.
• Strengthening of embankment.
• Repair of roads.
• Identification of weak points in the embankments.
• Preparing the base map indicating location.

37
 Application in Flood
• Remote sensing data for flood management
should always be integrated with other data in
a GIS. Especially on the local scale a large
number of hydrological and hydraulic factors
need to be integrated.
• One of the most important aspects in which
GIS can contribute is the generation of
detailed topographic information using high
precision Digital Elevation Models, derived
from geodetic surveys, aerial photography,
SPOT, LiDAR (Light detection And Ranging) or
SAR.
• These data are used in two and three
dimensional finite element models for the
prediction of floods in river channels and 38
floodplains.
39
Role of GIS in Disaster Management Cycle

40
41
42
43
44
45
46
 GPS in emergency management
Satellite based positioning– 3D positioning (Latitude,
longitude & Altitude or x, y & z)

47
 SATELLITE-BASED RADIO NAVIGATION SYSTEM

- WORLD-WIDE COVERAGE
- ALL WEATHER OPERATION
- CONTINUOUS SIGNAL

• NAVIGATION
• POSITIONING
• PRECISE TIME 48
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
• Satellite based navigation system that provide autonomous geospatial positioning
with Global coverage.
• GNSS is a network of satellites that continuously transmit coded information to
identify the locations on the earth by measuring the distance from the satellites.

 GNSS involves satellites, ground

stations and user equipment.

49
QZSS - Japan

50
 Design Objectives of GPS
 Suitable for different platforms: aircraft, ship, land-based and space (missiles and
satellites),
 Real-time positioning, velocity and time determination capability to an appropriate
accuracy,
 Single global geodetic datum (reference system) (WGS 84) for defining position,
 Differential accuracy standards: highest accuracy to be restricted to a certain class
of authorized users,
 Resistant to jamming (intentional and unintentional),
 Redundancy provisions to ensure the survivability of the system,
 Passive positioning system that does not require the transmission of signals from the
user to the satellite(s),
 Ability to provide the service to an unlimited number of users and world-wide
coverage
 Low cost, low power, therefore highly complex satellite segment,
51
Global Positioning System
• GPS is a type of Global Navigation Satellite Systems.
• A very precise positioning system.
• Developed and maintained by the US Department of Defense(DOD).
• Satellite Based
• 24 satellite in 6 constallations
• 20,200 km high orbit.

52
Functional Segments of GPS

53
 Space Segment
• Higher altitudes are made to have larger area
coverage.
• At least 4 of the satellites are visible above the
horizon to GPS receivers on the ground at any
time.

• Satellites travel at a speed of 3870 m/s, which

allows them to complete one revolution every
12h. The satellites are Geostationary as well as
non-geostationary. There are 12 satellites on
either side of the hemisphere at any time. Very
high accurate Atomic clocks are used in 54
Satellites.
 Space Segment
• Main Functions of a GPS Satellites are
1. It receives and stores data and other corrections from the control segment.
2. It maintains a very precise time.
3. It transmits the coded signals to user receivers through two Frequencies L1 and
L2.

55
 Space Segment
• Each satellite contains at least 3 high precision Atomic clocks which constantly
transmits radio signals using its own identification code.
• These signals travels in the ‘Line of Sight’.
• Each signals contains pseudorandom codes (which contain the information
about the time and orbital path of the satellite) through which the signal-travel
time is calculated.

56
 Control Segment (Ground Segment)
• It controls the GPS Satellites by tracking and providing them with correct
orbital and clock information.

 Monitoring Stations are also called

Operational Control Segment (OCS)
monitor Station.
 10 other National Geospatial Agency
(NGA) stations are also deployed since
2005.

57
Main functions of the Control Segment
• Monitor the satellites.
• Estimate the on-board clock state and define the corresponding
parameters to be broadcast.
• Define the orbit of each satellite to predict the ephemeris with
almanac.
• Determine the location and altitude of the satellite in order to
determine the parameters to be sent for correcting their orbits.
• Uploading the derived clock correction parameters, ephemeris,
almanac, and orbit correction commands to the satellites.

58
User Segment
• Ground-based devices read and interpret the radio signals from several of
the NAVSTAR satellites at once.
• Geographic position is determined using the time it takes signals from the
satellites to reach the GPS receiver.
• Calculations result in varying degrees of accuracy that depend on:
• Quality of the receiver
• User operation of the receiver (e.g., skill of user and receiver settings)
• Atmospheric conditions
• Local conditions (i.e., objects that block or reflect the signals)
• Current status of system

BASED ON FREQUENCIES
*Single frequency Receivers
*Dual Frequency Receivers59
60
61
62
63
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
HYDROLOGY, INDIA
UNIT 5

1
 Introduction

■ NIH - Working in the area of hydrology and water resources.

■ It was founded on 16 December, 1978 as an autonomous body under the
Ministry of Irrigation (now renamed as Ministry of Water Resources, River
Development & Ganga Rejuvenation ), Government of India at Roorkee.
■ The research activities of the Institute are being carried out in six scientific
divisions at the headquarters at Roorkee, two Centres for Flood Management
Studies at Guwahati and Patna and four Regional Centres at Belagavi,
Jammu, Kakinada and Bhopal.
■ The Institute's research and other technical activities are monitored and
guided by the Technical Advisory Committee, Working Group (for headquarter)
and Regional Coordination Committees (for Regional Centres and Centres for
Flood Management Studies).
2
Objectives

■ To undertake, aid, promote and coordinate systematic and scientific

work in all aspects of hydrology.
■ To cooperate and collaborate with other national and international
organizations in the field of hydrology
■ To establish and maintain a research and reference library in
pursuance of the objectives of the Society and equip the same with
books, reviews, magazines and other relevant publications.

3
R & D Activities
■ Climate change on water resources
■ Integrated water resources management
■ Groundwater modelling and management
■ Flood and drought management
■ Regional hydrology
■ Hydrology of extremes
■ Reservoir/lake sedimentation
■ Watershed hydrology
■ Water quality assessment in specific areas.

4
SCIENTIFIC DIVISIONS AT ROORKEE

■ Environmental Hydrology
■ Ground Water Hydrology
■ Hydrological Investigations
■ Surface Water Hydrology
■ Water Resources Systems
■ Research Management and Outreach Division (RMOD)

5
Environmental Hydrology
■ All research is aimed at improving understanding of how the quality and
quantity of water are affected by the natural environment and the
anthropogenic activities.
■ The laboratory is fully capable to identify and quantify physical, chemical
and bacteriological parameters in various water bodies like rivers, lakes,
reservoirs, wells, aquifers, canals etc.
■ The laboratory has facilities and capabilities to determine various water
quality constituents including major and minor ions, trace elements,
pesticides, hydrocarbons and other organic compounds and
bacteriological parameters.

6
 Environmental Hydrology
The thrust areas of research in the division include
■ Environmental monitoring including natural contaminants,
■ Point and non-point source pollution
■ Adsorption kinetics and water sediment systems,
■ Transport and sedimentation of pollutants,
■ Contaminant transport modelling,
■ Metal speciation/fractionation,
■ Groundwater quality and aquifer contamination,
■ Low cost treatment/remediation technologies,
■ Water quality and human health,
■ Environmental modelling, water quality and climate change, geo-microbial pollution,
lake ecosystems and river bank filtration for sustainable water supply.
7
 Ground Water Hydrology
■ Vision - Providing efficient and effective
methodologies and technologies for
sustainable groundwater resources
development and management.
■ The division has two technical services
facilities: “Soil Water Laboratory” and “Centre
of Excellence for Advanced Groundwater
Research” which is comprised of two units –
“Numerical Groundwater Modeling Unit” and
“Indo-German Competence Centre for
Riverbank Filtration”.
■ All these facilities are well equipped with
advanced tools, and instrumentation

8
Thrust areas of Ground Water Hydrology
■ Groundwater storage and resource estimation
■ Groundwater modelling and management
■ Coastal aquifer dynamics
■ Surface water and groundwater interaction
■ Hard-rock and karst hydrology
■ Managed aquifer recharge for groundwater augmentation
■ River-aquifer interactions for bank filtration and baseflow sustainability
■ Re-use of treated effluents for managed aquifer recharge (MAR)
■ Contaminants mobilization in groundwater system
■ Threat of emerging contaminants in groundwater
■ Groundwater protection against contaminants, and impact of environmental changes on
groundwater resources
9
Hydrological Investigations

■ Hydrological Investigations division conducts field and laboratory based hydrological studies
for sustainability of water resources using advanced isotope techniques, geophysical and
hydrological techniques.
■ The division also has two state-of-art laboratories attached to it, namely,
(i) Nuclear Hydrology laboratory and
(ii) Hydrological Instrumentation laboratory.

10
Surface Water Hydrology – Thrust areas
■ water availability analysis
■ flow duration curve analysis and environmental flow requirement
■ flood estimation,
■ flood routing
■ hydrological modelling,
■ structural and non-structural measures of flood management,
■ snow and glacier melt monitoring and modeling,
■ urban hydrology,
■ watershed management studies,
■ socio-economic aspects of flood disasters,
■ drought mitigation and management,
■ impact of climate change on water resources.
11
Surface Water Hydrology
■ Concerns - large spatial and temporal variability in availability of water
and mismatch with demands
■ Concerns - water stress in large parts of our country is rising and
triggered (population, irrigation needs, industrialization, urbanization
and climate change )
■ Concerns - lack of accessible databases on hydrology and related
sectors
Vision - to develop and apply methodologies for analysis of
reservoirs, river basin planning, operation of irrigation systems,
snow glacier studies and watershed problems; and applications of
advanced tools such as remote sensing, GIS, ANN and DSS etc. in
solving water resources problems.
12
 Research Management and Outreach
Division (RMOD)
■ Vision - an effective dissemination of scientific
output of the Institute so as to improve scientific
delivery and outreach of the Institute for the benefit
of various stakeholders.

13
 REGIONAL CENTRES

■ 2 Centers for Flood Management Studies (CFMS) and 4 Regional Centres.

1. Centre for Flood Management Studies, Guwahati 1. Hard Rock Regional Centre, Belagavi

2. Centre for Flood Management Studies, Patna 2. Western Himalayan Regional Centre, Jammu

3. Deltaic Regional Centre, Kakinada

4. Central India Hydrology Regional Centre, Bhopal

14
METEOROLOGICAL
LABORATORY
UNIT 5
Indian Meteorological Department

■ For Weather Information and Forecasts

■ Early Warning System
History of Meteorological Services in India
■ In the year 1875, the Government of India established the India Meteorological Department,
bringing all meteorological work in the country under a central authority.
■ Mr. H. F. Blanford was appointed Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India.
■ The first Director General of Observatories was Sir John Eliot who was appointed in May 1889
at Calcutta headquarters.
■ The headquarters of IMD established in Calcutta, later shifted to Shimla, then to Poona (now
Pune) and finally to New Delhi.
History of Meteorological Services in India
■ From a modest beginning in 1875, IMD has progressively expanded its infrastructure for
meteorological observations, communications, forecasting and weather services and it
has achieved a parallel scientific growth.
■ India was the first developing country in the world to have its own geostationary satellite,
INSAT, for continuous weather monitoring of this part of the globe and particularly for
cyclone warning.
Objectives of IMD
■ To take meteorological observations and to provide current and forecast
meteorological information for optimum operation of weather-sensitive activities
like agriculture, irrigation, shipping, aviation, offshore oil explorations, etc.
■ To warn against severe weather phenomena like tropical cyclones, Nor'westers,
duststorms, heavy rains and snow, cold and heat waves, etc., which cause
destruction of life and property.
■ To provide meteorological statistics required for agriculture, water resource
management, industries, oil exploration and other nation-building activities.
■ To conduct and promote research in meteorology and allied disciplines.
■ To detect and locate earthquakes and to evaluate seismicity in different parts of
the country for development projects.
Services
■ Hydrometeorological Services in IMD - Hydromet Division of IMD caters the
information on various rainfall products through its 'Customised Rainfall
Information System (CRIS)', in form of reports and maps on the CRIS portal.
1. Flood Meteorological Unit - During the flood season, FMOs provide valuable
meteorological support to the Central Water Commission for issuing flood
warnings
2. Flood Meteorological Service - Rainfall forecast products in pictorial and
tabular form which are useful for issuance of Quantitative Precipitation
Forecasts (QPF's).
3. Rainfall Monitoring - The real-time monitoring and statistical analysis of district
wise daily rainfall is one of the important functions of the Hydro meteorological
Division of IMD at New Delhi
4. Hydrology Project - Aims at enhancing the physical infrastructure of
hydrometeorological activities and data processing and management systems
resulting in an enhancement of rainfall data quantity and quality.
Services
■ Meteorological Services for Agriculture in India - set up in 1932 under the
umbrella of India Meteorological Department (IMD) at Pune with the
objective to minimize the impact of adverse weather on crops and to make
use of favorable weather to boost agricultural production.

Dedicated Website for

Agrometeorological Service of
IMD
Services
■ Meteorological Services for Civil Aviation in India
1. These services are provided through 18
Aerodrome Meteorological Offices (AMO) and 54
Aeronautical Meteorological Stations (AMS)
located at various national and international
airports of the country.
2. Meteorological Training Institute (MTI), Pune takes
care of the training requirements of the
Aeronautical Meteorological Personnel.
3. The installation and maintenance of Airport
Meteorological Instruments are done by the
Surface Meteorological Division at Pune.
SATMET Services
■ INSAT is one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in Asia-
Pacific region with nine operational communication satellites placed in Geo-
stationary orbit.
■ It is a joint venture of the Department of Space, Department of
Telecommunications, India Meteorological Department, All India Radio and
Doordarshan.
■ The first successful INSAT-1B satellite data receiving and processing system was
established in 1983 in IMD.
■ INSAT -1, INSAT -2, INSAT 2E. (1 km resolution)
■ A dedicated meteorological satellite, Kalpana-1 was launched on 12th September,
2002 carrying VHRR payload.
■ Multipurpose INSAT-3A satellite was launched on 10th April, 2003 carrying VHRR
and CCD payloads along with communication transponders.
 Current Status
■ INSAT-3D & INSAT-3DR carrying 6 channel imager for imaging the earth in visible
(0.55-0.75um),SWIR (1.55-1.70um) of resolution 1KmX1 Km, MIR (3.80-
4.00um),TIR-1 (10.30-11.30um),TIR-2(11.50-12.50um) of resolution 4KmX4Km and
WV (6.50-7.10um) of resolution 8KmX 8Km.
■ INSAT-3D was launched on 26th July, 2013 and located at 82 degree east and INSAT-
3DR was launched on 08th September 2016.
■ The INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR sounder scans are acquired on every 60 minutes for
sector A (Indian land region) and every 90 minutes for sector B (Indian Ocean region)
respectively, with inter-changing their scan areas between Sector A and B after every
three-hour interval to get temperature and humidity profiles of these regions.
■ In addition to these both satellites are having Data Relay Transponder (DRT) payloads
which are being used to receive and transmit the data from Automatic Weather
Stations (AWS)/ Automatic Rain Gauge (ARG) network of different institutions from all
over India.
Service -IMD DWR Network
S No DWR Station State Type of DWR
1 Agartala Tripura S - Band
2 Bhopal Madhya Pradesh S - Band
3 Bhuj Gujarat S - Band
4 Chennai Tamil Nadu S - Band
5 Cherrapunjee (ISRO) Meghalaya S - Band
6 Delhi (Palam) Delhi S - Band
7 Panaji Goa S - Band
8 Gopalpur Odisha S - Band
9 Hyderabad Telangana S - Band
10 Jaipur Rajasthan C - Band
11 Kolkata West Bengal S - Band
12 Kochi Kerala S - Band
13 Karaikal Tamil Nadu S - Band
14 Lucknow Uttar Pradesh S - Band
15 Machilipatnam Andhra Pradesh S - Band
16 Mohanbari Assam S - Band
17 Mumbai Maharashtra S - Band
18 Nagpur Maharashtra S - Band
19 New Delhi (Mausam Bhawan) Delhi C - Band
20 Paradip Odisha S - Band
21 Patiala Punjab S - Band
22 Patna Bihar S - Band
23 Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir X - Band

24 Thiruvananthapuram (ISRO) Kerala C - Band

25 Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh S - Band
Service- Surface Meteorological
Instrumentation
■ Surface Instrument Division has the mandate :
1. To manufacture, calibrate, supply and maintain surface meteorological
instruments at observatories of IMD.
2. To supply and maintain Airport Meteorlogical Instruments for civil airports.
3. To supply instruments to defence organisations.
4. To maintain the network of Automatic Weather stations (AWS) and Automatic
Raingauge stations (ARG) for near real time weather forecasting services of
IMD.
5. To impart trainings to operational staff of IMD for maintenance and upkeep of
instruments.
Service: Upper Air Meteorological
Instrumentation
Environmental monitoring and service
The main objective of GAW is to provide data and other information on the
chemical composition and related physical characteristics of the atmosphere
and their trends, required to improve understanding of the behavior of the
atmosphere and its interactions with the oceans and the biosphere.

■ Ozone Monitoring Network

■ Precipitation and Particulate Matter Chemistry Monitoring
■ Aerosol Monitoring Network
■ Black Carbon Monitoring Network
■ Multi-wavelength Integrating Nephelometer Network
■ System for Air quality Forecasting And Research (SAFAR)
Service - Positional Astronomy
■ Lunar phenomena for prediction of tides for Survey of India.
■ Solar data for orienting large civil constructions projects, for laying electric
transmission lines and for large public meetings.
■ Position of the Sun for aligning antennas and radars for railways, communication, Air
Force and for the atmospheric observations during expeditions (Antarctica).
■ Pole star data for aligning radio transmitters for AIR. Times for rising, setting of the
Sun & Moon and Moon's phases for defence, judiciary, crime detection agencies and
scientific researchers.
■ Local circumstances of eclipses for a large number of researchers/ amateur
astronomers.
■ Advance intimation on dates of festivals for Govt. holiday declaration, tourist
promotion abroad and for use of Panchang Makers.
Department Websites
 National Centre for Seismology
Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India

Unit 5
 Background
• The first seismological observatory of the country was
established at Alipore (Calcutta) on 1 December,
1898.
• The strong earthquakes, necessitated the need for
national seismological network.
• Early 1960s marked a very important land mark in the
history of seismic monitoring, when the WWSSN
(World Wide Standardized Seismic Network) stations
started functioning globally.
Mission and Vision
• Mission
To work towards creating a seismic resilient society
• Vision
Understanding the earthquake source processes and their effects
through earthquake monitoring and seismological research for the
cause of earthquake-safe society.
Need
• The National Center for Seismology (NCS) has been
set up by bringing together all Seismology related
activities of IMD (including those of EREC) under
one umbrella.
• On creation of the NCS, all the ongoing activities
and projects of IMD related to Seismology shall
continue to be operated / implemented through
the NCS.
• In addition, specific R&D activities will also be
undertaken by NCS, using the data sets generated
by various seismic and GPS networks.
National Centre for Seismology
• National Center for Seismology (NCS) is the nodal agency for
monitoring of earthquake activity in our country.
• NCS maintains National Seismological Network of 115 stations.
• NCS monitors earthquake activity all across the country through its
24x7.
• NCS also monitors earthquake swarm and aftershock through
deploying temporary observatory close to the affected region.
National Centre for Seismology
• Apart from earthquake monitoring, NCS is also actively involved in the
Seismic Hazard Microzonation and seismological research.
• The major activities currently being pursued by the NCS are:
 Earthquake monitoring on 24X7 basis
 Operation and maintenance of national seismological network
comprising of 115 Stations
 Maintenance of Seismological data centre and information services.
 Seismic hazard microzonation related studies
 Aftershock/Earthquake swarm monitoring/survey
 Understanding of Earthquake processes
 Public outreach
Organization Structure
Services & Activities
• Earthquake monitoring on 24x7 basis through National Seismological
Network (NSN) of 115 stations is the prime activity of the center.
Dedicated team maintains NSN to make available the real time data
for real time monitoring of earthquake activity all across the country.
• Central Seismological Observatory (CSO) Shillong established in 1902
as second observatory in India; maintains a 20 station network of
northeast India a part of 115 station national network.
• Center also deploy temporary network as and when required for
monitoring of swarm or aftershock activity nearest to affected region
of the country.
Services & Activities - SHM
• Besides earthquake monitoring NCS is engaged in Seismic Hazard
Microzonation (SHM) studies of populous urban centers.
• Seismic Hazard Microzonation' is a process of classifying a region into
zones of relatively similar exposure to various earthquake-related
effects and has emerged as a major tool towards our efforts for
preparedness and mitigation of losses due to earthquakes.
• NCS has completed microzonation of Delhi region on 1:10,000 scale
and played a key role in various studies relating to the seismic
microzonation of other cities, such as, Jabalpur and Guwahati.
• Currently microzonation studies of Chennai, Coimbatore,
Bhubaneshwar and Mangalore are in progress.
Services & Activities – Geological Activity
• Borehole Geophysics Research Laboratory (BGRL), Karad is engaged in
scientific deep drilling in Koyna-Warna region for directly measuring
the in-situ physical properties of rocks, pore-fluid pressure,
hydrological parameters, temperature and other parameters of an
intra-plate, active fault zone in the near-field of earthquakes – before,
during and after their occurrence.
Services & Activities – Data dissemination
• NCS provides earthquake data and seismicity reports of specific
regions to various user agencies.
• Seismological information is provided to different agencies dealing
with relief and rehabilitation measures.
• Data also prepared from raster scanning and vector digitization of
seismic analog charts.
Services & Activities - Training
• NCS organizes awareness programs in Seismology and allied subjects
at various levels to station operators and scientists.
• Officers of center also deliver lectures on various Seismology related
topics.
• Familiarization training on various operational activities related to
earthquake monitoring is also imparted to trainees from various
organizations.
Services & Activities - INSURANCE CLAIMS
• A “certificate on earthquake occurrence” is issued to the concerned
insurance company only on payment basis for settling damage claims
after seeking approval of competent authority of the department.
Services & Activities - Technical Reports
• Brief technical reports on Seismicity / earthquake data, in respect of
different places / sites for setting up of various projects like
hydroelectric, thermal power, Refineries, high rise buildings, railway
bridges, community centers and other critical structures of
importance, is supplied to the concerned authorities of central / state
governments, public undertakings, multinational & private companies
etc.
• Such reports / data are supplied on payment basis after seeking
approval of competent authority of the department.
Archive Data Earthquake Safety
• Earthquake Catalogue • Do’s and Don’s
• Historical Seismograms • MMI Scale
• Seismological Bulletins • Seismology Glossary
Earthquake Catalogue
Historical Seismograms
Seismological Bulletins
 Do’s and Don’s
Before an Earthquake

During an Earthquake

After an Earthquake
 MMI Scale
• 1 – Instrumental
• 2 - Feeble
• 3 - Slight
• 4 - Moderate
• 5 – Rather Strong
• 6 - Strong
• 7 – Very strong
• 8 - Destructive
• 9 - Ruinous
• 10 - Disastrous
• 11 – Very Disastrous
• 12 - Catastrophic
1. Instrumental 2. Feeble

3. Slight 4. Moderate
5. Rather Strong 6. Strong

7. Very Strong 8. Destructive

9. Ruinous 10. Disastrous

11. Very Disastrous 12. Catastrophic

Seismology Glossary
Other Services
• Mobile App

https://seismo.gov.in/