OU to collaborate with ISRO’s-NRSC to virtually fence its campus
With a blend of cutting-edge technology and traditional maps, the university administration will shortly geofence its vast campus. The initiative is aimed not just for ascertaining and tackling the unauthorised land use but also safeguarding its lands and properties
Hyderabad: Amidst growing challenges of land encroachment, the Osmania University (OU) is planning to embark on a project to protect its land from the land sharks.
With a blend of cutting-edge technology and traditional maps, the university administration will shortly geofence its vast campus. The initiative is aimed not just for ascertaining and tackling the unauthorised land use but also safeguarding its lands and properties from the land mafia.
The geofencing refers to a virtual fence or perimeter around a physical location, which could spread across several hundreds of acres, with a satellite view and GPS coordinates.
To take forward the initiative, the university will soon collaborate with the ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for virtual fencing. The NRSC using one of the satellites like the Cartosat-3 will be capturing comprehensive high-resolution images of the campus.
The satellite images will then be layered over the university’s original map. With combined maps, the university can ascertain the unauthorised structures that have come up on the varsity land. Furthermore, as virtual boundaries set around the campus and satellite images are captured periodically, the university administration can easily detect any breaches into its land.
Developed by the ISRO, the Cartosat-3 captures high-resolution images from above 500 km, sources said, adding that even a pencil, pen or a stick on the ground could be easily differentiated via the satellite images.
“Since the OU is century old, the Survey of India help may be sought for original survey maps of varsity lands for the virtual fencing besides to ascertain encroachments,” sources said.
To begin with, the university administration will be geofencing its campus and later extend the initiative to its constituent and PG centres. For this, a memorandum of understanding will shortly be signed with the NRSC, a senior university official told ‘Telangana Today’.
As per reports, 3,300 square yards of the university land was encroached by land sharks during Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown. The reports also suggest that over 50 acres of the OU land have also been encroached upon and cases with regards to them were pending in the court.
