Source: NIE
Subject: Miscellaneous
Context: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has made it mandatory for all highway Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) to include analysis using ISRO’s National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM).
About National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM):
- What it is?
- A geo-spatial platform providing real-time, space-based data for disaster preparedness, response, and mitigation across India.
- Developed by: National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO, under the guidance of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
- Aim: To serve as a national repository of GIS-based data for emergency management, helping policymakers, disaster managers, and planners make evidence-based, risk-informed decisions.
- Key Features:
- Multi-hazard coverage: Provides data on floods, earthquakes, landslides, droughts, and cyclones.
- Digital Elevation Models (DEM): Enables terrain mapping for slope and drainage assessment.
- Land-use and hazard zonation layers: Identify vulnerable zones and optimise land planning.
- Decision Support Tools: Integrates multi-scale data for real-time risk analysis and emergency response.
- Multi-institutional access: Used by NDRF, SDRF, and State Disaster Management Authorities for planning and rescue operations.
- Importance of NDEM in Road Infrastructure Development:
- Accurate Route Planning: Helps identify flood-prone or landslide-prone zones before road alignment is finalised.
- Feasibility Enhancement: Reduces field-level uncertainties and cost overruns by enabling data-driven DPRs.
- Risk Mapping: Supports safer and more resilient design of roads, bridges, and tunnels.
- Disaster Mitigation: Ensures road networks remain operational during calamities by factoring in hazard data.
