UPSC Articles
CoAST India launched to monitor the movements of migrants
Part of: GS-Prelims and GS-II – E-Governance
In News:
- India Observatory has come up with a Geographic Information System (GIS)-enabled dashboard called Collaboration/Covid Action Support Group (CoAST India) to monitor the movements of migrants.
Key takeaways
- The CoAST India dashboard includes an India map, which will show the movement of migrants in real time, often on foot.
- Facilities and relief organisations on their routes will also be shown.
- Such data can be used by governments and small local civil society groups for planning and providing assistance to migrants.
- The dashboard has been made in collaboration with Foundation for Ecological Security (FES).
Important value additions
India Observatory
- It was set up in December 2019, with FES.
- It focuses mainly on ecological issues about forests, water bodies, conservation, etc.
- It is freely available for civil society organizations, students, government departments and citizens.
Geographic Information System (GIS)
- A GIS is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface.
- GIS can help individuals and organizations better understand spatial patterns and relationships.
- GIS can use any information that includes location.
- GIS can include data about people, information about the sites of factories, farms, and schools, or storm drains, roads, and electric power lines etc.
Foundation for Ecological Security
- The Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) is a registered non-profit organisation based in Anand, Gujarat.
- It works towards the ecological restoration and conservation of land and water resources in ecologically fragile, degraded and marginalised regions of the country.
