Overview
ISRO launched the beta version of its web-based 3D satellite imagery tool, Bhuvan, on August 12, 2009. Bhuvan is supposed to offer more detailed imagery of Indian locations compared to other Virtual Globe software, with spatial resolutions ranging from 5 to 100 metres. Locations will be viewable from different perspectives, and the software will also provide functionality for the measurement of distances. The Bhuvan portal is designed to run on slow Internet connections. The images available do not include any military installations in India, due to security concerns.
Bhuvan has a number of other features, which include weather information and administrative boundaries of all states and districts in India. Bhuvan provides images of the entire globe, but resolution is currently best in India. On the Indian subcontinent, Bhuvan will be able to display pictures from a perceived altitude of 10 metres, at which height a commuter moving on a road can easily be spotted.
The National Remote Sensing Agency played an important role in the development of this product. ISRO has used data provided by satellites including Resourcesat-1, Cartosat-1 and Cartosat-2 to get the best possible imagery of India. ISRO claims that the application can provide imagery from a perceived altitude of as little as 10 metres for major Indian cities, compared to the 200 metres provided by Google Earth.
Bhuvan-3D is based on TerraExplorer software, a product of Skyline Software Systems, thru the local Indian distributor RSI SOFTECH INDIA PVT LTD. Bhuvan-2D is developed using open-source software Geospatial solutions (UMN Mapserver, Geoserver, 52 North, OpenLayers). 2D images are available on all mobile browsers, including Apple's iOS.
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