Virtual feather in Isro's cap

Comparisons of Bhuvan with Google Earth miss the point

When the National Remote Sensing Agency, a part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), launched Bhuvan 10 days ago, it put India on the global internet map, and gave the country something new to cheer about on Independence Day. Bhuvan, meaning Earth in Sanskrit, showcases India’s geo-capabilities. It is a virtual globe (a 3D software model which represents a planet — in this case, Earth), or a geo-portal which allows users to explore a virtual world for free in a 3D environment. The emphasis just now is on India, allowing users to view satellite imagery and value-added information on subjects like wastelands, soil, water resources, administrative boundaries, transport layers and the census. Touted by some as India’s answer to Google Earth and Microsoft’s Virtual Earth, Bhuvan has been averaging over 20,000 downloads daily since its launch. These numbers, however, pale in comparison with the estimated 400 million downloads of Google Earth since its launch in June 2005.

Bhuvan has its share of irritants. It is mandatory, for instance, to register. Then, you have to download a plug-in. The application opens only in Internet Explorer 6.0 and above, and you must have a Windows operating system (OS). Google Earth, on the other hand, works on a downloadable client, and is OS-agnostic. Isro insists it will get its virtual Earth to work on Linux and open source browsers soon. Bhuvan also claims that it can throw up images up to 10-metre resolution (compared to Google Earth’s 200 metres and Wikimapia’s 50 metres). Even if true, it is of little use because the high-resolution pictures cannot be uploaded on the website on account of security concerns. In the current version, you also cannot add your own data, as you can do on Google Earth. Moreover, the search does not always yield the desired result, and the globe can be slow to load.

But comparing Bhuvan with Google Earth would be to miss the point. Isro, on its part, insists that comparisons are a media creation. After all, Bhuvan is still in its beta stage. And it would be negativism to dismiss the fact that this is an initiative to showcase the distinctiveness of Indian imaging capabilities, including the thematic information derived from such imagery which could be of interest to anyone with a focus on India. Over time, Isro says, it will add more unique functionalities aimed at addressing everyday issues, especially in the rural areas.

Isro has the credibility which encourages belief that it will deliver on its promises. The organisation is now exactly 40 years old, having been set up (under the department of atomic energy!) on August 15, 1969. From the launch of the first satellite — Aryabhata — in 1975, Isro has moved ahead with the launch of the first operational remote sensing satellite in 1988, and last year the first mission beyond planet Earth, Chandrayaan-1. Isro is already planning manned missions, and unmanned missions to Mars. Bhuvan is simply the latest feather in its cap.