Bhuvan

Bhuvan, (lit: Earth), is a web mapping service which allows users to explore a 2D/3D representation of the surface of the Earth. The browser is specifically tailored to view India, offering the highest resolution in this region and providing content in four local languages. A beta version was launched on 12 August 2009. Apart from visualization, Bhuvan provides timely disaster support services (domestic and international), free satellite data and a products download facility, and rich thematic datasets. Bhuvan is using a crowdsourcing approach to enrich its maps and collect point of interest data. It also acts as a platform for hosting government data (example - Karnataka Forest Department datasets). A diverse series of Bhuvan Application Services, relevant for many ministries of the Government of India, was released on August 12, 2015. This includes satellite images for more than 300 cities in the country, at a 1-metre resolution. Examples of the types of applications include the following: - Forest and Environment sector of MOEFCC – Depiction of ENVIS centre database “CRIS” to highlight various environmental parameters. - Toll information system for NHAI – A national database of national highways and Toll plazas - Geotagging and controlled crowdsourcing application for AP Housing Corporation Ltd., which has enabled geotagging of 3.8 million houses in Andhra Pradesh with field photos and important attributes. - Islands information system for developmental decision making for Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs. - Live link of the GIS databases of North East Region (NER) that showcases tools for better planning and development of the Northeastern States, - A new search tool on Bhuvan enables data discovery and metadata display for the ease of navigation by the user community. - Cultural heritage sites of the country and its management on geospatial platform – National database for Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India. - A viewing application that contains 3D city models, complete with extrusions of buildings and virtual city models. This is useful for visualizations of proposed Smart City infrastructure elements. - Agricultural area mapping area assessment for Mango, Banana and Citrus fruits. – A National Mission of DAC, MOA, Bhujal database and visualization. – Country-wide groundwater maps, with state-wise access to the online services for drinking water and artificial-recharge infrastructure. - Geospatial tools for schools – GIS for class 9 and class 10, including neighbourhood mapping tools for school children as part of School Bhuvan. - GAIL pipeline surveillance and monitoring system, pilot scale implementation for 640 km stretch in Gujarat. - E-governance model for image and geospatial based techniques. - Mobile smart phone applications for varieties of crowd sourcing applications – A particular focus is on the “Clean Ganga” Mission of Ministry of Water Resources. The tool “Bhuvan Ganga” now available in the public domain for people wishing to participate in contribute data to the Clean Ganga project.