‘Space technology to be used for economic growth’

LAHORE: Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) Pakistan and the Punjab government will collaborate in the use of space technology applications to accelerate the economic growth process along with exploration of minerals and preparation of forests inventory in the province.

This was disclosed in a meeting held at Civil Secretariat, Lahore under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary Punjab Shamail Ahmad Khawaja here Sunday. Deputy Chairperson SUPARCO Dr Arifa Lodhi informed the meeting that SUPARCO would launch its own Remote Sensing Satellite through which a local search engine “Akas-e-Pakistan” would also be operated. “Akas-e-Pakistan” will replace Goggle Earth and our own institutions will be enabled to utilise the most accurate geological information through enhanced high-resolution satellite imagery free-of-cost. SUPARCO is using PAKSAT-ONE IRA through SPOT Space Station of France which costs millions of dollars per annum, she added.

Additional Chief Secretary Punjab, Shamail Ahmad Khawaja emphasised the need of preparing forests inventory in Punjab on urgent basis besides establishing GIS Laboratories in the provincial departments for Crops Reporting System soil crop condition assessment, mapping of crop land characteristics, forest mapping, flood mapping, resource mapping, crime mapping, infrastructure development and health management, identification of contaminant levels in the industrial areas, identification of encroachment in beds of the rivers and exploration of mines and minerals etc. Shamail Ahmad Khawaja assured the delegation of SUPARCO that the Punjab government, with the collaboration of SUPARCO and Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), will arrange training sessions of the relevant provincial officers of those departments which can benefit from the space technology.