SURVEY OF INDIA
- Survey of India, the national survey and mapping organisation under the Ministry of Science & Technology, was set up in 1767.
- In its assigned role as the National Principal Mapping Agency, Survey of India bears a special responsibility to ensure that the country’s domain is explored and mapped suitably to provide base maps for expeditious and integrated development.
- The primary responsibility of SOI is to maintain topographical map coverage on 1:250K 1250K and 1:25K scales.
- Besides being grouped under “Scientific Surveys” in Government of India Business Rule 1971, it has also been called upon extensively to deploy its expertise in the field of geodetic and geophysical surveys, study of seismicity and seismotectonics, glaciology, participation in Indian Scientific Expedition to Antartica and projects related to digital cartography and digital photogrammetry, etc., to provide basic data to keep pace with Science and Technology Department.
- It also undertakes large scale surveys for various developmental projects including hydroelectric, irrigation, command area, canal area, cantt. area schemes, etc.
- The Department is responsible to fix the external boundary of India, their depiction on maps published in the country and also advise on the demarcation of inter-state boundaries.
- The Survey of India also provides support to other countriesg., Nigeria, Afghanistan, Kenya, Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Bhutan, Mauritius, etc., in the field of mapping, survey education.
- Survey of India also provides support to countries in Asia-Pacific Region for capacity building in Spatial Data Infrastructures.
- Survey Training Institute, Hyderabad established under UNDP assistance is a premier institution for training in various disciplines of surveying and mapping.
- Keeping in View a new National Map Policy announced in May 2005, Open Series Maps based on UTM projection and WGS-84 datum, are being published for users community.
- Defence Series Maps based on Lambert Conformal Conic Projection and WGS-84 datum are being published for Defence Forces which are declared as classified.
NATIONAL ATLAS AND THEMATIC MAPPING ORGANISATION
- While Survey of India meets the national needs in cartography, some specialised thematic maps required to meet the needs of the specific users are taken care of by the National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO).
- It also concentrates its attention in a number of areas to integrate resource maps with other relevant socio-economic data and represent them in spatial forms, useful for developmental planning.
AUTONOMOUS SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS
Department of Science and Technology provides grants-in-aid to the following 19 autonomous Scientific Research Institutions engaged in frontier areas of research in basic and applied sciences:
- Bose Institute, Kolkata is devoted to fundamental and applied research in physical and life sciences;
- Agharkar Research Institute, Pune—research in basic and applied aspects in the fields of biological sciences;
- Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram — developing biomedical engineering and technology, providing and demonstrating high standards of patient care in advanced medical specialities and developing postgraduate training programme of the highest quality in these fields;
- Indian Association for the Cultivation of Sciences, Kolkata – studies on solid state physics, material sciences, theoretical physics, spectroscopy, energy research, chemistry including biological chemistry, polymer science, etc;
- Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru — research in emerging as well as interdisciplinary areas of astrophysics and heavenly bodies, and development of instruments used in astrophysical studies;
- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru— research in frontier areas of chemistry, physics of materials, computational fluid dynamics, geodynamics, condensed matter theory, animal behaviour, genetics, etc :
- Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru – research in basic sciences such as astronomy, astrophysics, liquid crystals;
- N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata— promoting advanced studies in selected branches of basic sciences;
- Birbal Shahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow – research in the area of palaeobotany, its relevance in modem context;
- Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai — observing and understanding some of the physical processes taking place in the innermost crusts of the earth as well as phenomena occurring on the sun and in near earth and interplanetary space;
- Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehardun — basic research in areas of biostratigraphy, petrology and geochemistry, sedimentology, tectonics and enviionmental geology to understand the geodynamics of the Himalayan region;
- International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials, Hyderabad — the development of high performance materials, and processes;
- Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council, New Delhi;
- Vigyan Prasar, Noida, UP
- National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, New Delhi;
- Centre for Liquid Crystal Research, Bengaluru;
- Aryabhatta Research Institute of Advanced Studies (ARIES), Nainital;
- Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati;
- National Innovation Foundation, Ahmedabad.
DST also extends financial and administrative support to the following academies and professional bodies which are engaged in the promotion of S&T in the country through the involvement of scientists and engineers:
- Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru;
- Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi,
- Indian National Academy of Engineering, New Delhi;
- National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad.
- Indian Science Congress Association, Kolkata.
