Google Earth to save Indian villages

Sufia Tippu
Thursday, 19 October 2006 17:10

IT Industry - Market

Using Google Earth’s pictures, the NGO has started a public awareness program in the villages where the farmers have pitched in to prevent the government from taking away their land and setting up a SEZ instead.

But will the authorities admit pictures of Google Earth as a definitive proof of their claims?

According to the government officials, you can get higher resolution images from Google Earth to identify waste land, but the images are for just one season. In order to identify the condition of the land, the images have to be for at least two seasons.

“Our satellites have mapped land data across the country and it has to be analysed over multiple seasons,” said the government spokesperson.

So how did Arun Shivkar, who runs an NGO involved in working with adivasis (a sect of tribals), stumble upon Google Earth?

“Sometime back, my nephew, who works in Mumbai, suggested that I take a look at Google Earth. Frankly, I had no clue about Google Earth and what it could do for the tribals. Since there was no Internet connection at home, I went to a cyber café to check this out. And, what I saw was amazing. Google Earth's imagery convinced me about its use as a tool to educate farmers and help them fight for their rights.”

The NGO has decided to make use of Google Earth for a larger cause. Google Earth pictures showing the condition of canals, rivers and coastline in different villages will be displayed as big banners in respective villages so that people would know more about the surrounding environment as well keep a tab on the environmental changes taking place in the villages.