Indian Navy Signs MoU with Geological Survey of India | 22 Jan 2020
Why in News
Recently, Indian Navy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) for ‘Sharing of seabed sediments data, products and expertise for Naval Application in Meteorology and Oceanography’.
Key Points
- GSI’s Marine and Coastal Survey Division has mapped most of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone and has a vast repository of offshore data.
- GSI collected this data using state-of-the-art oceanic research vessels Samudra Manthan, Samudra Kaustubh, Samudra Shaudhikama and Samudra Ratnakar.
- This data will be used by the Indian Navy’s rapidly growing blue water fleet for reliable and accurate oceanographic modelling to support maritime operations in the Indian Ocean region.
Geological Survey of India
- It was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways.
- Over the years, it has not only grown into a repository of geo-science information required in various fields in the country but has also attained the status of a geo-scientific organisation of international repute.
- The main functions of the GSI relate to creation and updation of national geo-scientific information and mineral resource assessment.
- It is headquartered in Kolkata and has six regional offices located at Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Shillong and Kolkata. Every state has a state unit.
- Presently, GSI is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines.