North Eastern Space Applications Centre

NESAC organized a two-week short course on “Advanced Geospatial Technologies for Smart Agriculture” during 10-21 August 2026.The course was attended by Scientists, officials, faculty members and research scholarsincluding officials from various state agriculture, horticulture and fishery departments, research institutes, colleges and universities.
The course commenced with an inaugural session on 10 August 2026. Smt. Pratibha Thakuria Das, Scientist-SF, Agriculture and Soil Division (ASD) and Course Director, welcomed the participants and provided an overview of the course schedule. Dr. B.K. Handique, Head, ASD and Programme Planning and Evaluation Group (PPEG), highlighted the significance of geospatial technologies in agriculture and allied sectors and reflected on the achievements and outcomes of previous courses. Dr. S.P. Aggarwal, Director, NESAC and Chief Guest, addressed the participants and highlighted the legacy of the Indian Space Programme and its contributions towards ensuring food and nutritional security.
During the course, participants engaged in 16 hours of theory classes, 30 hours of practical sessions, and 14 hours of project work. Participants were given exposure to UAV data handling GeoAI, Machine Learning & Predictive Modelling for smart agricultural applications. As part of the course, field trip to Doppler Weather Radar station, Sohra on 16 August 2026 and facility visits to the ISTRAC Facility, SATCOM Facility, and UAV Laboratory on 19 August 2026were organized. The participants were divided into three groups, with each group assigned a distinct mini-project focusing on critical application areas in agriculture and allied sectors using geospatial technologies.
The course concluded with a valedictory programme on 21 August 2026, presided over by Dr. S.P. Aggarwal, Director, NESAC as the Chief Guest and distributed the course completion certificates to the participants. The programme concluded with a formal vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Pradesh Jena, Course Officer.