Assam Agricultural University (AAU), in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), organised a two-day training program titled ‘Introduction to Remote Sensing and GIS’ at the Directorate of Research (Agriculture) in Borbheta. The program, held on July 5 to 6, was conducted under the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) with the aim of enhancing the capacity of in-house scientists, faculty members, officers, project staff, and students in the use of remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems ( GIS) for mapping and field data collection utilising GPS technology.
A total of 24 participants, including faculty members, researchers, project staff, and postgraduate students from selected departments of the College of Agriculture at AAU, Jorhat, attended the training sessions.
Dr Debananda Das, principal scientist and alternate nodal officer of APART, delivered the welcome address and provided an overview of the major issues pertaining to the training program. The inaugural session of the program was graced by Dr Mrinal Saikia, director of Research (Agriculture) at AAU, who highlighted the significance of geospatial technology in precision agriculture, such as the use of drones for spraying and monitoring agricultural fields, GPS-guided machines, and value rate technology.
During the training, Suranjana Bhaswati Borah, senior specialist GIS (IRRI), presented the fundamentals of remote sensing and GIS, providing an overview of their applications under APART. Additionally, Amit Srivastava, scientist – RS & GIS from the International Rice Research Institute South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) in Varanasi, conducted a session on remote sensing data and GIS products and applications.
It is worth mentioning that remote sensing involves acquiring information about the earth’s surface without direct contact, while GIS (Geographical Information System) is a scientific process that involves gathering, visualising, interpreting, exploring, and storing geographic data to facilitate better decision-making.
Jorhat, PIN - 785013 Assam