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Vegetation indices and the changing landscape: a spatio-temporal study of vegetation composition and health
No full textVegetation indices (VIs), derived from satellite remote sensing (RS) data, are crucial in assessing vegetation dynamics and health. This study applies various VIs to determine forest composition and health across contrasting landscapes: natural vegetation (mangroves and shola), managed ecosystems (rubber and tea), and crops (sugar cane and wheat). We track monthly vegetation fraction from 2019 to 2023, using both optical and microwave frequencies. Multisource and multitemporal satellite RS data from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 are processed via the cloud computing platform Google Earth Engine and R-statistical software. By evaluating these indices across six diverse landscapes, we gain insights into spatio-temporal changes in vegetation health. Understanding the limitations and capabilities of multiple VIs is essential for effective remote sensing in vegetation research
Crafting Fishy News: Framing and Attitudinal Positioning in English Newspaper Articles on Mahseer from Their Endemic Range
No full textSimplified neurochaos learning architectures for data classification
No full textDeveloping Machine Learning algorithms that can classify datasets with higher accuracy and efficiency is crucial in
practical applications. Neurochaos Learning (NL) is a recently proposed algorithm that is inspired by the chaotic firing
of neurons in the brain. NL has shown promise in recent times both in terms of classification accuracy and in the number of samples needed for training. In this study, we propose a novel simplification of Neurochaos Learning algorithm
by reducing the number of features needed for classification and also reducing the number of hyperparameters needed
to be tuned. By using a single feature of the chaotic neural traces (orbit generated by chaotic map) of NL and by using
only one hyperparameter, we demonstrate a significant boost in run time of the algorithm while retaining comparable classification accuracy. This single feature could either be the mean of the chaotic neural traces (Tracemean) or the
Fluctuation Index (FI) of the chaotic neural traces. The classifier itself could either be a simple cosine similarity (Tracemean ChaosNet, FI ChaosNet) or any of the classical machine learning (ML) classifiers (Tracemean+ML, FI+ML). We
compare the performance of these newly proposed simplified NL algorithms on ten publicly available datasets. The
proposed simplified NL architectures in this study are able to efficiently classify datasets while taking much less run
times. The fact that only a single hyperparmeter needs to be tuned in both architectures (Tracemean ChaosNet and FI
ChaosNet) makes them very attractive for practical applications with ease of interpretabilit
Regulation Boundaries for Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites
No full textPreserving cultural heritage sites in India requires defining regulatory boundaries that reflect their historical integrity. While field surveys are effective for assessing a site’s authenticity, they often overlook unprotected or obscured features essential to understanding a site’s historical extent. This policy brief highlights the role of geospatial technologies—remote sensing, GIS, and sat nav—in identifying and delineating heritage landscapes beyond current protected areas. Case studies of Nalanda, Halebidu, Srirangapatna, and Bodhgaya reveal extensive archaeological features outside designated areas, demonstrating the need for boundary reassessment. The Brief recommends: integrating historical records with geospatial data to identify areas requiring protection, creating a national geospatial heritage database, and training heritage professionals in these methods. It also stresses engaging local communities. Leveraging these approaches can ensure more comprehensive conservation, enabling heritage sites to serve as sustainable cultural and economic resources
What drives anthropogenic fine particulate chloride emissions in India? – A quantitative assessment of hotspots
No full textPolicy Recommendations for Sustainable Development, Volume 1: Year 2019_2020
No full textThe book contains policy-related publications based on research conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies. These publications address and support sustainable development goals, such as energy and the environment, education, inequality, human development, and peace research, among others. This volume fosters comprehensive research focused on these global targets and endeavors to address some of society's greatest grand challenges. The book will be extremely beneficial for researchers, academicians, practitioners, and policymakers working in the areas of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Farmers Suicides in India
No full textThe tragedy of farmers’ suicides cannot be understood in terms of conditions in agriculture alone. It is also influenced by the route agriculturists take to move out of agriculture. This chapter notes that there is a difference in the routes out of agriculture for agricultural labour and for cultivators. As each route generates its own causes for suicides, the problem calls for multiple interventions
Satellite Remote Sensing Data Policy: Benefits of Free and Open Data
No full textFree and open data enables not only increased usage of earth observation data but also opens the innovation gateway amongst the researchers. Such a policy direction proves to be most beneficial not only to researchers but also at the national and global levels as newer value added information products make their way into the market place, thus improving the ease of business too. The paper explores these aspects as part of a new policy direction taken up by India for making remote sensing data easily available for use both in the open domain as well as commercial data. The policy direction in both these domains proves to most interesting with India providing globally the best spatial resolution free data in the open domain at 5.8 m resolution
Air Quality, National Standards and Human Health in India
No full textThe World Health Organization (WHO) recently tightened Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) of 24 h averaged PM2.5 as 15 μg/m3 as against India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards of 60 μg/m3. This issue is widely debated in Indian media to build a pressure that Indian should revisit its AQI in the light of AQGs of WHO. A recent research based on 4 major Indian cities indicates that even baseline levels exceed the corresponding AQG levels. This led to the conclusion that circumstances do not warrant an immediate review of India’s NAAQS which appears to be adequate. It is stressed that a comprehensive air quality forecasting framework like SAFAR needs to be developed for other cities in India. The work related to impact of ambient air pollution on public health are limited in India and most studies apply exposure-response function applicable to western countries in absence of our own. Therefore, scientific studies must be undertaken to determine the “exposure-response function” and the susceptibility of Indians to different air-pollution related diseases
Quantum Effects in Biology
No full textThis book intends to give a systematic exposition of the validity of quantum principles in biological systems. There are two types of applications of quantum theory in physical systems — the "trivial applications" and "non-trivial applications". Since every object in this universe consists of atoms and molecules, they should be described by the laws of quantum theory — which we call trivial applications. On the other hand, there exist some systems where the observational results cannot be explained by the laws of classical physics and this requires a change of paradigm — these are known as non-trivial applications. Many authors pointed out such non-trivial applications of quantum theory to explain how some biological systems function. In this book, we review such kinds of results in a systematic manner which clearly indicates the need to change the paradigm to understand these biological systems better