Prelims Factoids
Heli-borne geophysical mapping technique

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Heli-borne geophysical mapping technique + NGRI +JJM )
What's the NEWS

• Latest state-of-the-art technology is being employed by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) for mapping ground water sources in arid regions and thus help utilise ground water for drinking to supplement Har Ghar Nal Se Jal scheme.
• CSIR, along with National Geophysical Research Institute NGRI, have undertaken High Resolution Aquifer Mapping & Management in Arid Regions of North Western India to augment the groundwater resources.
• Heli-borne geophysical mapping technique of CSIR-NGRI provides a high resolution 3D image of the sub-surface up to a depth of 500 meters below the ground.

National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI)

• The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), a constituent research laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was established in 1961 with the mission to carry out research in multidisciplinary areas of the highly complex structure and processes of the Earth system and its extensively interlinked subsystems.
• NGRI has the mandate to conduct research for public-good science to enable government agencies, public and private sector stakeholders to make informed decisions about use of geo-resources sustainably and improve preparedness and resilience to natural hazards.
• Research areas covered by this institute include hydrocarbon and coal exploration, mineral exploration, deep seismic sounding studies, exploration and management of groundwater resources, earthquake hazard assessment, structure of earth's interior and its evolution (theoretical studies), geophysical instrument development and geothermal exploration.

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

• Prime Minister launched Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) on 73rd Independence Day i.e. 15 August, 2019
• The mission is under implementation in partnership with States.
• The goal is to have ‘Har Ghar Jal'- every house in the village is to be provided with tap connection.
• JJM aims to provide functional household tap connections (FHTCs) to every rural household of the country by the year 2024 and thereby ensuring potable water supply in adequate quantity i.e. @ 55 lpcd (Litres per capita per day) of prescribed quality on long-term and regular basis.
• The programme will benefit all the rural people.

Prelims Factoids
Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR) Technology

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about LiDAR technology)
What's the NEWS

• Drone based 'Light Detection and Ranging Survey' (LiDAR) Technology and 'Photogrammetry Technology' will be used for mapping the area under the 'Statue of Unity Area Development Authority' (SOUADA) by the Gujrat government.

LiDAR technology

• This technology enables precise top-notch mapping of buildings and natural structures with Laser precision.
• In this remote sensing type of technology, Laser rays are transmitted to a fixed target for the measurement of a specific area or distance and the reflected laser light is analyzed.
• By this technique, accurate three-dimensional(3D) information about an area of the earth and its ‘geographical & relief features' (area, land texture, surface height, forest cover, etc.) can be collected.
• This technique is helpful in road construction, survey etc. in difficult geographical areas.
• It consists of a laser sender, a scanner and a special GPS receiver.
• Laser lights are transmitted from a LiDAR source to a target located on the Earth's surface and the time taken for the reflected light to return to the LiDAR source is calculated.
• Aircraft, Drones and Helicopters are used to obtain LiDAR data over wide areas.
• Due to the faster speed than the speed of light, the process of measuring is more accurate and fast in this technique.

Difference between LiDAR and RADAR Technology

• LiDAR Technology uses infrared laser or LED light while RADAR system uses radio waves.
• RADAR has a wavelength between 30 cm and 3 mm, while LiDAR uses a wavelength of the one micrometer range, thus providing greater clarity and accuracy.
• LiDAR is used for laser altimetry and contour mapping. On the other hand, RADAR is used for aircraft anti-collision systems, air traffic control or RADAR astronomy.

Prelims Factoids
Animal Discoveries, 2020 report
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Animal Discoveries, 2020 + about Zoological Survey of India)
What's the NEWS

• India has added 557 new species to its fauna, which includes 407 new species and 150 new records, reveals Animal Discoveries 2020, a document published recently by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
• The number of faunal species in India has climbed to 1,02,718 species with the discovery of the news species.

Know! the report highlights ( new discoveries)

• Trimeresurus salazar, a new species of green pit viper discovered from Arunachal Pradesh
• Lycodon deccanensis, the Deccan wolf snake discovered from Karnataka
• Sphaerotheca Bengaluru, a new species of burrowing frog
• Xyrius anjalai, a new deep-water species of snake eel from Kerala
• Glyptothorax giudikyensis, a new species of catfish from Manipur
• Clyster galateansis, a new species of scarab beetles from the Great Nicobar Biosphere.
• Myotis cf. frater, a bat species earlier known from China, Taiwan and Russia, has been reported for the first time from Uttarakhand in India
• Zoothera citrina gibsonhilli, an orange-headed thrush earlier known from southern Myanmar to south Thailand (central Malay peninsula) was reported for the first time from India based on a collection made from the Narcondam island in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)

• ZSI promotes survey, exploration and research so as to advance our knowledge of various aspects of India's extraordinarily rich animal life.
• ZSI originated in 1875 as the Zoological Department of the Indian Museum in Calcutta.
• ZSI was founded in 1916 by British zoologist Thomas Nelson Annadel.
• It is the premier taxonomic research organization in India.
  
  

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