Himalayan News Service
KATHMANDU: A Japanese satellite receiving station, the first of a series being set up in South Asia, was inaugurated at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) headquarters in Lalitpur today.
Shinichi Mizumoto of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; José Achache, executive director, the Group on Earth Observations; and Andreas Schild, director–general, ICIMOD; inaugurated the station which has a high speed communication link.
The station will receive data from satellite systems in Japan, India, Thailand, Taiwan, and Korea, especially to guide response efforts in emergency situations during natural disasters. The inauguration coincided with a workshop on ‘Space-based information for disaster preparedness and risk management’ at ICIMOD being held from October 2 to October 3.
“The commissioning of the Japanese satellite receiving station will augment our ability to access satellite data on a real-time basis and process them for rapid response mapping support in the region, as was done recently during the Pakistan floods.
Other products focused on floods will also be made available to support effective disaster management in the region,” said Basanta Shrestha, head, Mountain Environment and Natural Resources' Information System Division, ICIMOD.
Dr Amarnath Giriraj, who was involved in installation of the receiver, said ICIMOD had played a major role in providing rapid response mapping support with daily updates on the extent of the floods and initial damage assessment of Pakistan floods.
This platform will enable the participants of the different events during the Symposium to interact virtually, stay updated on the ongoing sessions and provide a room for debate and creative exchanges.
