We generally are used to Google earth as our web portal for viewing the maps however ISRO has launched a notable project analogous to Google Earth named Bhuvan. It was originally used to take images and other information related to the Indian subcontinent. It mainly covered the geospatial domain of the country. The principle behind Bhuvan is the superimposition of the images sent by satellites on an original globe. The degree of resolution varies as per the interests of the people but the average resolution is around 5.8 metres.
Bhuvan provides 2D and 3D visuals of earth above which it also provides in-depth information about soil and its salient features. Another feature is its easy transition from one place to another. Bhuvan helps us to navigate with the help of the 3D view pop-up menu. Bhuvan provides you with a medium to draw 2D and 3D objects and also allows the capturing of 3D images in a file located on the desktop. It also boasts of creating the 3D images along with their shadows and other effects due to the position of the sun.
ISRO launched 'Bhuvan' with a Zoom capacity which is 6 meters from the surface. Moreover this web application focuses more on the Indian subcontinent and hence would be useful for the general public and the agricultural sector. Moreover Bhuvan can also prove to be useful in the travel and tourism sector by encouraging a worldwide view on the geographical layout of India.
The main hurdle faced by Bhuvan maybe its acceptance in the local strata. It may face initial hiccups in competing with Yahoo and Google maps but once it is fully established people will switch to the national mapping system. The need of the hour is to improve the technical setbacks and make a general awareness of Bhuvan. People are still not aware of this web application and when they realise the efforts of ISRO they will be proud to accept the change. Such initiatives by our local organisations bring glory to the nation and boost the image of the nation in the whole world.
Bhuvan is an innovative step towards development by ISRO though it is still in a developmental stage and minor technicalities need to be addressed. However it promises a bright future for the Indian Space Research Programmes. Bhuvan is another feather in the cap of the fast developing space research programme in India and it is worthy of applause by the entire nation.
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