GSI launches 22 GPS-Geodetic observatories across India

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) activated 22 GPS-Geodetic observatories across the country for geological and geophysical mapping on Monday.

GSI Director General Dinesh Gupta activated the observatories through remote control at the GSI office in Kolkata on the occasion of the 169th foundation day of GSI.

“Nowadays globally various federal and private agencies are building GPS infrastructure capabilities. Similar to infrastructures such as roads, electricity and water supply which has vital importance in the nation-building process, GPS infrastructure is said to be essential to the growth and development of the surveying community,” Gupta said.

The GSI Director-General also said that 13 more such observatories will be made operational from March 2020.

The observatories are located in places such as Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Jaipur, Patna and Bhopal.

“By building such a national level advanced infrastructure, GSI has taken a stride of establishing and maintaining a network of 35 permanent GPS-Geodetic Observatories across the country in a phased manner,” he said.

He also said that such infrastructure “would undoubtedly help the nation to delineate high seismic hazard zones as well to produce thematic maps with high positional accuracy.”

The director announced that GSI has urged the HRD ministry to introduce geology as a separate subject and not as a part of geography.