Seminar on ‘OGC standards for Sensor Networks’

11 April 2008
CSRD/SSS/JNU
A seminar on theme ‘OGC standards for Sensor Networks’ was held on 11 April 2008. It was organized by Centre for the study of Regional Development with support of Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi. Over the period, Sensor Web Enablement has become a content development workflow for spatial data infrastructures (SDI’s). Seeing its importance for generating information regarding earth process across various scales, there is need for understanding design prototypes of SWE in Indian scenario.
Sub themes:
A. OGC standards for sensor enabled systems/environment.
B. Current trends in OGC based sensor network
C. Case Studies/Applications for SWE
D. Policy and standards issues

Objective of the seminar was to understand and to explore areas of participation in OGC related test bed standards, activities (OWS3, OWS4, and OWS5) and Sensor Web Enablement. Implementation of conceived/inclusive prototypes.

About 300 participants took part in this seminar. Institutional affiliations were Delhi University, NSIT, NPL, MRPC, NTRO, CSIR-Delhi, Kumaun University-Nainital, IIRS (NRSA)-Dehradun, TEHRI-Delhi, Rajasthan University, Jamia Milia Islamia University, IISc- Banglore, IIT-Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Department of Science and Technology. Participants were of multidisciplinary in nature namely from computers, geography, community health and other disciplines of social sciences. In inaugural session, Dr. R. Shiva Kumar, Head-NRDMS, DST presented inaugural lecture on OGC activities and its requirement for global observation of climate as well as local events. Chair of inaugural session Prof. B.B. Bhattacharya, Vice-Chancellor, JNU, emphasized on how space technology is exploring unknown locations and their economic significance. Prof. R.K. Sharma welcomed the guests and participants of the seminar.

Eight talks were delivered in four technical sessions apart from inaugural lecture by Dr. R. Shiva Kumar. In first session on ‘OGC Standards and Current Trends for Sensor Web Enablement’ lead talk was presented by Prof. B.N. Jain, deputy Director, IIT-D on topic ‘Target tracking using energy constraints for sensor network‘. He talked about sensors, their ability to detect target, tracking a fleet of vehicles based on the presence target in vicinity and route activation in no time. He also stressed upon technologies to track mobile target by using RFID, wired sensor network and GPS technology. Energy constraints/backup for sensor was discussed regarding bandwidth, range, interferences and density of sensors. Prof. Jain also discussed about applications namely sensors for monitoring environment, locate sources of polluters/pollutants, predicting disasters, monitor and predict landslides in rail corridors. Dr. K. R. Murli Mohan, Director, NSDI-DST delivered his lecture on ‘OGC standards for sensor network’. He stressed on adapting OGC standards and architecture for SWE. Dr. Sameer Saren- IIRS(NRSA) talked about ‘Web-GIS services in distributed systems’ where he shared his views on distributed web services given for interoperability, data dissemination and analysis. Mr. Uttam Kumar from IISc-Banglore talked on ‘Sensors and Networks for Geospatial Data’.

In second session, three papers presented, one by Dr. Milap Punia, CSRD,JNU, he talked on ‘Sensor web enablement for traffic and perceptional studies’. He shared his views on use of SWE for traffic monitoring in real time, so one can plan his/her route in wee hours. Generating volunteered information about elderly crime vulnerability for crime perception studies through geographic locations and their shared narrative. Dr. M.P.S. Bhatia-NSIT on ‘Machine learning application in sensor network’.

Prof. Harlan J. Onsrud form Mein University, USA shared his views on ‘Ethics and privacy perspectives of sensor Networks’. Prof. Harlan is also President of the University Consortium for GIscience. He elaborated his views on How can privacy be protected in ubiquitous spatial computing environments? Confidentiality, anonymity. He also talked about use of passive RFID in retail marketing and ethical issues with some other possibilities. Competing privacy protection vision is generally enforced by, big brother (government surveillance), Surveillance by corporate elite, Pervasive methods, are sensor environment are morally defensible? Moreover, raminification of technology to society.

Active participation from all sections of academics insured an inclusive acceptance and urgent requirement of theme of seminar. Since it’s well established and discussed in seminar about relevance of OGC standards for sensor networks and future requirement and for content building in NSDI through network of sensors. The objectives of the seminar were overwhelmingly accepted.

A Walkable JNU

JNU is a magnificent campus in which being outdoors is a real delight. All can enjoy ring roods and …

Small duscussion on Network Analysis and land use.Travel demand models are used to predict future traffic flows based on data on population, employment, travel times and costs etc. These forecasts are used in urban transport policy, planning and engineering. Increasingly such models are used in India’s rapidly developing urban regions, often using GIS data as inputs.

Third EduSat based Outreach Programme In Basics of Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS telecasted by IIRS (NRSC) Dehradun

EduSat based programme on “Basics of Remote Sensing, Geographical Information System and Global Positioning Systems” is being telecasted by IIRS (Indian Institute of Remote Sensing / Department of Space, GOI) Dehra Dun from 25th Aug, 2008 to 07th November 2008 ( Six Weeks).

J.N.U. already has EduSat SIT terminal for receiving signal at Center for Biotechnology Building, CIS, Room No. 2.

Outreach education and Knowledge Development through EduSat Beam

India envisioned to be a developed nation by year 2020, growing with impounding economic growth. Economists are on their toes claiming growth of various sectors, which are out of sight of common man. Cartoonist R.K. Laxman’s common man use to read newspaper, but there is uncertainty; whether India’s common man can do so.

This paper addresses present trends in modes of education, namely outreach EduSat based program, e-learning and WEB2.com for bridging gab between those who have or have not. In process of education, information is to be conveyed, interaction between producer (teacher) and receiver (student), confidence level by degree of interaction, question/hour sessions, synthesis of information by assignments and finally formation of knowledge domain. Now, present technology has all these rational knowledge formation process mediums, but it needs to be conceived and practice. EDUSAT, launched on September 2, 2004, is configured for audio-visual medium employing digital interactive classroom lessons and multimedia content. The ground coverage’s are specially configured to cater to the educational requirements of the country. The EDUSAT programme is primarily for school, college and higher levels of education and to support non-formal education.

Networks for IGNOU, CEC/ University Grants Commission (UGC), CIT/National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) have been set up using the national beam. JNU also has SIT EduSat facility, which is underutilized and possibilities are not fully explored. This paper also gives insight into pattern of information spread through EduSat facility across various universities/institutes for outreach programme on Remote Sensing, Geographical Information System and Global Positioning System, conducted by IIRS (NRSA)-DOS in 2007.

Satellite data show potential of rice straw as bioenergy

Milap Punia from the Center for the Study of Regional Development at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Vinod Prasad Nautiya and Yogesh Kant, both from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, first sketch the scale and seriousness of the current practise: setting fire to millions of tonnes of crop residues releases vast amounts of greenhouse and trace gases (CH4, CO, N2O, NOx), which heavily contribute to global warming and result in perturbations to regional atmospheric chemistry. The resulting air pollution is an important health hazard for Punjab's population. Weather patterns can change because of the aerosols that enter the atmosphere as a result of the burning.
Reference Report

Workshop on Openstreetmap

There is need for spatial data sharing to avoid duplication, both gloabaly and locally. With same outreach openstreetmap has been put on web. On 27th february 2008 a small workshop was organised in JNU, where Mikel Maron demonstrated NavSat GPS for collecting points from the neigbourhood to CSRD students.

GIScience for Spatial Analysis and Regional Development

Workshop conducted (31st January- 7th February 2008) for research scholars and university faculties, so that they can have insight into societal challenges by using GIscience. About 28 scholars participated in the programme. Guest speakers were Prof. Josef Strobl and Dr. Shahnawaz from Salzburg University, Austria and Dr. M.C. Porwal from IIRS (NRSA), Dehradun.