- India’s indigenous satellite navigation system, Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), is intended to be linked into Aadhaar enrolment equipment.
- According to the Department of Space (DoS), this strategic action exemplifies the seamless integration of advanced technologies to improve the functionality and reach of critical services.
What is NAVIC?
- Originally conceived as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the project aimed to provide an autonomous navigation system to meet both civilian and strategic needs.
- Reducing Foreign Dependency: The primary goal behind NAVIC was to reduce reliance on foreign navigation systems such as GPS and to create a self-sufficient platform.
- Comprehensive Constellation: The NAVIC constellation consists of 7** satellites in total.
- Chronology of Deployment: In July 2013, satellites such as IRNSS-1A, IRNSS-1B, IRNSS-1C, IRNSS-1D, IRNSS-1E, IRNSS-1F, and IRNSS-1I were launched, completing the phased deployment.
Key Characteristics and Technical Excellence
- NavIC provides two services: Standard Position Service (SPS) for civilian customers and Restricted Service (RS) for strategic users. These services are available on both the L5 (1176.45 MHz) and the S band (2498.028 MHz) frequencies.
- NavIC spans India and reaches up to 1,500 kilometres beyond its borders. The L1 band, which is compatible with civilian applications, will be included on future satellites.
NavIC and Aadhaar Enrolment Devices
- Field Trials and Technical Expertise: The DoS has successfully conducted field trials and offered technical expertise to finalise the procurement specifications for integrating NavIC into Aadhaar enrolment devices.
- Current Configuration: GPS is currently used in Aadhaar enrolment kits to capture and authenticate personal information during enrolling.
Application in other fields
- Disaster Management: The National Disaster Management Agency’s alarm dissemination system for natural disasters such as landslides, earthquakes, floods, and avalanches relies heavily on NavIC.
- Ocean Information Broadcast: The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information System uses NavIC to send out alerts about cyclones, strong waves, and tsunamis to deep-sea fishermen.
- Efforts at Standardisation: Various organisations, including the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the Telecom Standards Development Society of India (TSDSI), the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), and international bodies such as the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC), are actively working on establishing NavIC interoperability standards.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/indian-gps-navic-to-link-to-aadhaar-enrolment-devices/article67181022.ece#:~:text=The%20Navigation%20with%20Indian%20Constellation,Committee%20of%20Science%20and%20Technology.