Answer:

Introduction:

In the GPS era, Standard Positioning Systems (SPS) offer an accuracy of about 20-30 meters and are primarily used for civilian applications. Precision Positioning Systems (PPS), on the other hand, offer accuracy around 10 meters and are primarily used by the U.S. military and its allies. In this context, India has undertaken an ambitious project known as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), or NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), which employs a constellation of just seven satellites to provide comprehensive positioning data to users in India and its vicinity.

Body:

Advantages from India’s IRNSS Programme:

The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), known as NAVIC, is India’s ambitious initiative to have an independent regional navigation satellite system. Listed below are the advantages India perceives from its IRNSS programme:

• Autonomy in Navigation: NAVIC reduces India’s dependency on foreign GPS systems, thereby improving the country’s autonomy in navigation and ensuring uninterrupted service regardless of international relations.
• Increased Accuracy: NAVIC provides positional accuracy of less than 20 meters within the Indian region and an area extending 1500 km around it, which is quite favorable compared to the SPS.
• Strategic Security: NAVIC strengthens national security by providing precise locational intelligence to the military, aiding in surveillance, reconnaissance, and missile guidance.
• Aid to Civilian Activities: NAVIC can significantly benefit various civilian sectors.
  • For example, it can enhance the efficiency of logistics and transport through accurate navigation.
  • In agriculture, precise locational data can help with land management and precision farming.
  • Furthermore, it can assist disaster management operations by providing accurate and real-time positional data.
• Economic Growth: The development of NAVIC opens opportunities for the growth of industries related to space technology, creating jobs, fostering innovation, and thereby contributing to economic growth.

Conclusion:

The IRNSS or NAVIC is a strategic step for India not only in the field of space technology but also in enhancing its national security and socio-economic development.