●       The Centre would help develop specific skills and technical knowhow around geospatial technologies and latest toolkits like artificial intelligence, machine learning and Big Data Analytics

●       The MoU was inked during the International Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction & Community Resilience held to mark the 16th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Mumbai, January 5, 2021 (GNI): Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, ranked the 4th Best Overall University in India in NIRF 2020, has inked a MoU with Esri India, the market leader in Geospatial Information Systems, to establish a Centre of Geospatial Excellence on Spatial Analysis and Modeling with dedicated facilities for research, development and testing.

The Centre would promote development of specific skills and technical knowhow among academicians, students and the industry around geospatial technologies and latest toolkits like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and geospatial Big Data Analytics. It would conduct certificate and diploma courses, training programs and workshops, particularly around geospatial technology application areas to strengthen multi-hazard risk reduction and community resilience.

Talking about the MoU, Dr. Maneesha Sudheer, Dean of International Programs and UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development and Innovation, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, said: “This partnership aims to enhance research and capacity development in Geoinformatics, Spatial Analytics, and Modelling. The collaborative initiatives will work towards sustainable development to address quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), sustainable communities (SDG 11), and climate action (SDG 13) by engaging faculty, bachelors, masters, and Ph.D. students. They will help enhance the existing curriculum and educational material, as well as develop new educational approaches for effective teaching and learning of sustainability initiatives using spatial geoinformatics.”

Added Agendra Kumar, President, Esri India: “Empowering the academic community with necessary tools and technologies needed for future-ready students and capacity building is one of our key priorities. Geospatial infrastructure is the core foundation of disaster-risk reduction, sustainability and resilience initiatives. Our collaboration with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham will support various research initiatives and flagship programs such as Amrita Live-in-Labs for better sustainability and development.”

The MoU was inked during the International Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction & Community Resilience that was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the Indian

National Centre for Ocean Information Services (ESSO-INCOIS), Govt. of India, Esri India and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The event commemorated the 16th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The participants discussed the challenges faced and lessons learnt since that catastrophic event, and analysed India’s current preparedness in community resilience, governance and technological solutions to mitigate any future impact of tsunamis in India.

Dr. M. Rajeevan, Secretary, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences; Chairman, ESSO-INCOIS; and Chairman, Earth Commission, Government of India, said: “Even though we have advanced tsunami-warning systems today, there are many grey areas where we need to improve. We have to engage scientists and technology experts to improve decision support systems and last- mile connection with people.”

Added Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar, Director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India: “With the state-of-the-art Tsunami Early Warning Centre at MoES-INCOIS, India is today much safer against the threat of tsunamis compared to 2004. However, challenges remain with respect to early warning and community response, especially for tsunamis triggered by non-seismic and near-source events.

Strengthening SOPs of all constituent agencies and end-to-end tsunami early warning chains is also an important task.”

Dr. Maneesha Sudheer, Dean of International Programs and UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development and Innovation, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, said, “The symposium served as a platform to integrate the last 16 years of advancements in science and technology to improve the rehabilitation and resilience of coastal communities. It stressed on scientific social responsibility to reduce risk and vulnerability factors by understanding the impact of tsunamis on coastal communities, using latest advances in monitoring and modeling of tsunamis, and coming up with a strategic framework to further advance India’s disaster preparedness and build sustainable and resilient communities,” stated in the press release.

About Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is a multi-campus, multidisciplinary Institution of Eminence accredited by NAAC and ranked the 4th Best Overall University in India in the 2020 National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF). The university is currently spread across six campuses in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, with headquarters at Coimbatore. Amrita partners with academic, industry and governmental institutions across the world to accomplish human-centred, translational and groundbreaking research. To date, Amrita has more than 500 collaborations from more than 200 signed MoUs. Some of Amrita’s partners include Harvard University, Columbia University, King’s College London, KTH – Royal Institute of Technology, VU Amsterdam, the British Geological Society, University of Oxford, Italian National Research Council, Deakin University and the University of Tokyo. Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) is the founder and Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. A world- renowned humanitarian leader, Amma is the guiding light of Amrita. Amma’s words, thoughts and vision for

education and research have shaped the university’s mission and vision.For more information, visit www.amrita.edu

About Esri India Technologies is an end-to-end Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) solutions provider which enables the customers to think and plan geographically to make timely, well informed and mission critical decisions. Esri ArcGIS platform provides the backbone for the country’s mapping, spatial analysis and all GIS requirements. A market leader in GIS Technologies, the company has successfully delivered cutting-edge GIS solutions to more than 5,000 customers for applications in Land management, Utilities, Infrastructure, Disaster Management, Telecommunications, Urban / Municipal, Transportation, Defence and Natural resources. Headquartered in Noida, Esri India has multiple regional offices across India. Visit https://www.esri.in for more information.