HYDERABAD:Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam and the provincial agriculture department will develop a data centre to monitor natural resources, agriculture and irrigation and save information on floods, droughts, rainfall and climate change.
Besides, a geographic information system and remote sensing laboratory have also been established at the Faculty of Agriculture Engineering for monitoring climate change, irrigation systems, soil conditions and Disaster Forecast which was jointly inaugurated on Wednesday by the SAU Vice Chancellor Dr. Fateh Marri and Secretary Agriculture Sindh Qazi Ayaz Mahesar.
According to a university spokesman, Sindh Agriculture University and the Department of Agriculture have also established a modern Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing Center in the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering of the university for the forecasting of agricultural, climatic, irrigation, and soil conditions in the country including Sindh Province.
The inauguration was done by the Vice Chancellor and Provincial Secretary of Agriculture.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Dr Fateh Marri said that geographic data in the country is available only at HEC Islamabad while the sub-database unit is functioning at NED University Karachi, therefore, establishing a data centre at the university level is in dire need.
He said that this GIS laboratory will provide benefits to the agricultural sector of Sindh, agricultural researchers and university students.
A team trained in this technology will be available after which the relevant institutions and meteorologists of the country especially Sindh can be able to predict disasters and droughts situation, he informed and added that a database centre will also be set up in the university.
He said that there was still a lot of scope in the field of research so modern agriculture has to be promoted to increase production per acre. In this context, agricultural institutions including the Sindh government should work together on modern projects, he emphasized.
Sindh Secretary of Agriculture Qazi Ayaz Mahesar said that during recent floods and rains, the development faced difficulties in providing information on agricultural and other losses to national and international organizations because of having no data validated by modern methods.
He hoped that the establishment of a GIS laboratory and database centre will enable modern methods of crop reporting and monitoring of agriculture and climate conditions.
The Dean Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal while giving a briefing, said that after the establishment of this centre with the cooperation of the Sindh Department of Agriculture, agricultural research will be promoted with the use of geographical instruments.
Besides, he informed that monitoring of natural resources, use of GIS and remote sensing for mapping will enhance the capacity of faculty members, students, officials of the agriculture department and technical staff of other government agencies.
He said after the establishment of this GIS laboratory, the university will offer GIS systems and remote sensing courses to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
On this occasion, Director General Agriculture Research Sindh Noor Muhammad Baloch, Dean Dr Aijaz Ali Khooharo, Dean Dr Syed Ghiyasuddin Shah Rashidi, Dean Dr Manzoor Ali Abro, Dr Farman Chandio, Dr Irfan Shaikh and a large number of teachers and students also attended the event.