Although applications of space technology have taken deep roots in society and practiced for well over four decades, many countries in the developing world are yet to fully experience the excitement and take full advantage of space systems. In this context, the experience of India could be relevant for a developing country wanting to realize a cost effective and socially relevant program.
Turning to the development needs and priorities in South Asia, it is not difficult to realize that an appropriate application of space technology and creation of services based on space technology are highly relevant. South Asia comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have a combined population of 1.45 billion, which is about 22 per cent of the global population. Because of the agrarian focus of a predominant proportion of their populations, efficient use of natural resources such as land and water assumes great importance. The high population density places tremendous pressure on environment, requiring sound strategies for sustainable management (Rao 1995). There is also the issue of a divide between urban and rural areas in terms of access to health and education facilities. Common to all these countries, there is the major issue of response to natural disasters that are adversely impacting their economic growth. For ensuring equity-oriented development in such situations, there is a need to adopt high technologies such as space.
Some of the Space technology inputs that relate to the needs of South Asia in terms of providing solutions are highlighted below (Kasturirangan et al. 2004).
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Needs |
Areas where Space Technology can help |
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Improving Food Security |
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Infrastructure development |
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Health and Education – bridging gaps and improving quality |
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Disaster Management and Response |
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Environment management |
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It is pertinent to note that information inputs from space technology lead to better decision-making and interventions. Both long term and short term goals are to be set in order to realize practical solutions in the shortest possible time and to build capacity for sustaining the programs. An appropriate organizational nucleus has to be created to plan and implement space activities.
A conceptual framework for use of space for development is shown in Fig. 3.
Use of space technology, with an accent on capacity building, is sine qua non for its progress. The conceptual framework given above is based on the experience of India, and the relevant strategies described in the earlier sections are quite relevant for wider application in the region as well as other developing parts of the world.
Fig. 3
A CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR USE OF SPACE FOR DEVELOPMENT
