iGEON: Networking the Indian geosciences community through GEON

Abstract

We must be ever prepared to accept and experiment with new materials from all sources and determine what can be useful to us and take the fullest possible advantage of such materials. Sir C. V. Raman (1958) Geoinformatics: An Indian perspective We provide an overview of geoinformatics activities that are being coordinated by the University of Hyderabad, India via two research institutes at the University, viz. the University Center for Earth and Space Sciences (UCESS) and the Center for Modeling, Simulation, and Design (CMSD) (Agarwal, 2006). We also describe cyberinfrastructure-related activities undertaken as part of the iGEON-India project, which has been a collaboration with the GEON project in the USA, supported by a grant from the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum, IUSSTF (Agarwal et al., 2009). During the past 5 years or so, India has made great strides in mineral and other natural resource surveys using both direct and indirect (satellite-based remotely sensed data) techniques, leading to exploration and exploitation of both mineral and forest wealth, and improved data bases for weather prediction and disaster management. We recognize that wise utilization of our natural resources including, minerals, water, and forests, will be possible only through free and unfettered dissemination of accurate data and timely sharing of such information. Data relating to earth sciences are accumulating at an astonishing rate all over the world. Indeed, it has become impossible to keep pace with the growing tempo of new information from research publications.