The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Friday announced a programme for Indian researchers and scientists to access, analyse and interpret data obtained from its NISAR (NASA Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite mission.
Through the NISAR Utilisation Programme (NISAR UP), the national space agency has sought project proposals from researchers, academicians and scientists affiliated with government organisations and government-recognised institutions, universities and departments.
NISAR, a low earth orbit observatory being jointly developed by NASA and Isro, is designed to map the entire globe in 12 days and deliver data critical in understanding the earth’s ecosystems, the rise of sea levels, ice mass and natural hazards. It carries L and S dual band SAR which operates with the Sweep SAR technique to achieve large swathes with high-resolution data.
NISAR UP, offered by Isro’s Space Applications Centre, will support three-year projects in diverse areas including agriculture, forestry, hydrology, snow/glaciers, and disaster management, using the L and S band data.
Isro said selected projects would receive funding support while non-funded projects would have access to Isro’s technical assistance and ground validation data.
The project proposals have to be submitted by October 31, 2023 and results will be communicated by March 1, 2024.