A new satellite data acquisition and processing facility (Oceansat3 and X/L band ground station) and release of a postal stamp marked the 25 years of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) at Pragatinagar here on Saturday.
Chief Post Master General for TS circle P.V.S. Reddy handed over ‘INCOIS My Stamp’, unveiled by NITI Aayog member Vijay Kumar Saraswat, to institute director T. Srinivasa Kumar in the presence of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) Secretary M. Ravichandran, former directors and secretaries.
INCOIS has grown into a global modelling centre for ocean services, including operational oceanography, and is pursuing a focussed mandate on ocean observations, information and advisory services, said Mr. Ravichandran who traced the evolution of the institute “from a few chairs in a rented building”.
Services provided such as the tsunami and storm surge early warnings, ocean state forecasts, potential fishing zone advisories and ocean data services have been of immense socio-economic benefits for a wide range of stakeholders besides enhancing the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities, said Mr. Srinivasa Kumar.
The director called for increasing the user base, expanding scientific operational services and adapting new technologies even while continuously monitoring the health of the oceans. Mr. Saraswath spoke of the Centre’s focus on ‘blue economy’ and hailed INCOIS for its various initiatives over the years. A national ocean digital ocean data system should be goal, he added.
Scientists at the gathering — B.L. Deekshatulu, A.E. Muthunayagam, Harsh K. Gupta, P.S. Goel, Shailesh Nayak, S.S.C. Shenoi and others — provided ideas for the institute’s role in disaster management, climate studies and marine resource conservation.
Hindi and English versions of the book INCOIS 25-Year Journey was also released on the occasion.
