Direct delivery of remote sensing data to user computer systems using satellite-based data broadcast techniques

The remote sensing applications are growing very rapidly with the availability of high-resolution data from the state of the art satellites like IRS-1C/1D/P4. The advancement in computer hardware and software in the area of remote sensing also enhance the growth of remote sensing applications. 1RS-1C/1D/P4 provides data with the resolution of 5.6m in panchromatic mode giving more information of the ground area covered. The remote sensing satellites with high-resolution sensors and wide coverage capabilities will provide the data with better resolution, coverage and revisit to meet the growing application needs. Many applications like crop acreage and yield estimation, draught monitoring and assessment, flood mapping, waste land mapping, mineral prospectus, forest resource survey etc. have become an integral part of the resources management system in the developing countries. These resource management systems need the data to be transferred in real time or near real time for processing. The transfer of data in real time or near real time calls for advanced data delivery techniques to deliver the data as quickly as possible. Processing of remote sensing data can be performed even on low cost personal computers, which in turn further increases the remote sensing applications enabling by setting up the processing centers even at grass root level i.e., at district, taluk or village level. Setting up of processing centers at grass root level demands for quick, cost effective and efficient data delivery mechanism to transfer remote sensing data with or without value added services. The digital revolution has reached broadcasting with the introduction of direct broadcasting of digital data. These modify the traditional data transfer techniques by separating the actual service from the transmission system, thus enabling the distribution of any kind of digital data to stationary, portable or mobile terminals. This allows remote sensing data to reach a large number of users simultaneously and independent of their location. This article highlights the concepts, possibilities, and implementation mechanisms to realize the remote sensing data transfer through direct broadcasting technique and enhance remote sensing applications