GSI to use remote sensing tech to locate mineral deposits

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is set to use advanced remote sensing technology developed by NASA to locate mineral deposits in the country, a senior official said Friday.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the organization will employ "Advanced Visible Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG)" to explore mineral ores in 14 different locations, Dinesh Gupta, the institute's director general, told reporters here.

The sensor is an "engineering marvel" and has proved effective for mapping surface mineralogy in different parts of the world, he observed.

"The AVIRIS-NG sensor was recently mounted onboard ISRO aircraft for acquiring the hyper-spectral images for mineral blocks in fourteen locations, including Jhagadia and Ambaji in Gujarat, Tundi in Jharkhand and Wajrakarur of Andhra Pradesh," Gupta said.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed Friday between the GSI and the National Remote Sensing Centre-Indian Space Research Organisation for the use of the hyper-spectral data to trace surface signatures of mineralization over the next three years, the director general said.

The technology is also used to map mineral deposits on Moon and Mars.

"The GSI has been using advance technologies for mineral mapping over the years to ensure resource security for our country. The MoU is an effort towards achieving that objective," Gupta added.