We are creating some awesome events for you. Kindly bear with us.

MoU for Drone-Based Mineral Exploration in India

The National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (NMDC), the country’s biggest iron ore public sector enterprise, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur (IIT-Kharagpur) for drone-based mineral excavation. The two organisations will develop software, products, methods, and algorithms for mineral exploration using drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) as well as for capacity-building training programmes on mining technology.

According to an official, the collaboration makes NMDC the first central public sector enterprise (CPSE) in India to carry out drone-based geophysical observations and hyperspectral studies in mineral research. The NMDC and IIT-Kharagpur MoU marks a new beginning and has set a benchmark in the field of mineral exploration for the nation, the official added. For the last 60 years, NMDC has been mining minerals like copper, rock phosphate, limestone, magnesite, diamond, and tungsten, among others from the reconnaissance G4 level to the detailed G1 level of the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources.

As per reports, NMDC is also the first CPSE to use space geophysics in the central Indian diamond province and the first to use the online monitoring of exploration of data on the BHUVAN platform. NMDC is increasingly relying on technological innovation and the digitalisation of its database on mineral exploration and mining. The government has launched a few initiatives to regulate and monitor drone usage and activities in the country. Last year, it released a policy on drones as the technology is being used in several sectors including agriculture, urban planning, forestry, mining, disaster management, surveillance, and transport, among others. In September 2021, the government unveiled a IN₹120 crore (US$15.7 million) production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to bolster drone production in the country. In February this year, the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, announced Drone Shakti, a cross-industry plan under which the government will bring together and strengthen manufacturers, application providers, pilots, and the entire drone industry ecosystem.

Data from a recent survey shows that the drone industry, over the next five to seven years, could potentially generate about 100,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.  However, presently, the sector is facing a critical dearth of drone pilots. Several public educational institutes have released programmes and courses to bride the gap. For instance, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Andhra Pradesh announced it would offer a minor degree in drone studies . The minor course will be an additional certificate, provided alongside the main course, which includes Bachelor of Technology degrees in any field.

Earlier this month, the NIT had organised two-day skill development workshops on drone technology. The seminars aimed to enhance awareness of current and upcoming drone tech for various applications, improve skills and identify opportunities in the area, and design, integrate, calibrate, and test drone prototype models. Participants also learned troubleshooting in drone technology and drone architecture modelling through 3D printing. Further, another organisation, the Indian Institute of Technology in Mandi (IIT-Mandi), is looking to introduce a standalone engineering course on robotics, under which students would learn about drone technologies and related topics – instead of specialising in drones alongside their primary, traditional engineering degree.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

Send this to a friend