Srinagar, June 7: The Indian Society of Geomatics (ISG)- Kashmir Chapter, in collaboration with the Department of Geography, Amar Singh College, Srinagar, organised a workshop on the theme “Role of Geoinformatics in Environmental Management with Special Reference to the Kashmir Himalaya” on the eve of the World Environment Week on Monday. The Workshop comprised of inaugural/technical session with a keynote and invited lectures and an interactive poster exhibition highlighting the applications of Geoinformatics in earth and environmental sciences. Prof. Qayyum Hussain, Vice Chancellor- Cluster University Srinagar presided over the inaugural function, while Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, Vice Chancellor-IUST and Chairman ISG-Kashmir chapter, was the Guest of Honour. ISG members, as well as students and faculty members from Amar Singh College, attended the Workshop. The objective of the workshop was to raise awareness about environmental issues and to help students develop knowledge and technical skills in the field of Geoinformatics.
Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, the keynote speaker, spoke about the use of Geoinformatics in assessing environmental processes, phenomena and how the knowledge gained can be used to inform policymaking for addressing earth and environmental issues in Kashmir, particularly glaciers, climate change, urbanisation, air and water pollution, disasters, and so on. He also emphasised upon the importance of teaching Geoinformatics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in colleges across the country. Dr. Shashikant Sharma, Scientist-G at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), gave a live demonstration of the ISRO VEDAS geospatial databases portal and demonstrated how we can use the database for applications related to snow/glaciers, solar energy assessment, land degradation, wetland mapping, and meteorological data analysis available on VEDAS. During his presidential address, Prof. Qayyum Hussain, VC, CUK emphasised the importance and use of technical breakthroughs in tackling common social challenges through cutting-edge research in universities and colleges. He requested that resources be pooled in order to have the greatest impact on enhancing environmental health. Prof. Bashir Ahmad Rather, Principal of Amar Singh College, spoke briefly on the college’s efforts to expose students to various environmental initiatives during his inaugural address. He also underlined the importance of working together to protect the environment, and offered the college’s help to ISG, IUST, and other organisations in working together on this vital societal concern. Prof. Mujahid Ahmad, Head of the Dept. of Geography at ASC, welcomed the participants and guests, emphasising the importance of science and technology in achieving sustainable development. Dr. Khalid Omar, a faculty member at KU’s Department of Geoinformatics, gave the vote of thanks.
The Inaugural cum technical session was followed by a poster session, which was opened by the Chief Guest, Prof. Qayyum Hussain, and featured 32 posters from ISG members showcasing their research work in the field of earth and environmental sciences using Geoinformatics. A large number of students from several departments at Amar Singh College attended the poster session and interacted with the authors.
