The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing has awarded a capacity-building project to the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies focusing on Geospatial insights for landslide mapping and mitigation.

Under this initiative, the Department of Climate Variability and Aquatic Ecosystems at Kufos will organize a ten-day national-level training programme in March, delivering advanced lectures and cutting-edge technologies in GIS, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) for landslide mitigation.

The selected researchers and scientists from across the country will participate in the training programme led by Girish Gopinath, Head of the Department of Climate Variability and Aquatic Ecosystems.

The programme will specifically address landslide mitigation challenges both within the state and nationally. Eminent speakers from various national and state institutes, such as the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad, ISRO-Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Mohali, CUSAT, MG University, and the University of Kerala, will deliver lectures on landslides.

The training will also include one-day field visits to the nearest landslide locations, allowing participants to conduct field studies and observations on Kerala landslides.

T. Pradeepkumar, Vice-Chancellor, Kufos emphasized the program’s special relevance to Kerala, considering the recent challenges posed by a series of landslides in the state. The incessant heavy rainfall, typical during the monsoon season, has triggered soil erosion, leading to numerous landslides across the state. The steep terrain and densely populated areas exacerbate the impact, causing widespread damage to homes, infrastructure, and disrupting transportation networks. As local authorities actively engage in relief efforts, there is a growing focus on long-term strategies for sustainable land management to safeguard against future incidents in this vulnerable region. ‘

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