Geo-intelligence for Sustainable Development

Globally, concerns for the environment and human well-being have increased as results of threats imposed by climate change and disasters, environmental degradation, pollution of natural resources, water scarcity and proliferation of slums. Finding appropriate solutions to these threats and challenges is not simple, as these are generally complex and require state-of-the-art technology to collect, measure, handle and analyse large volumes of varying data sets. However, the recent advances in sensor technology, coupled with the rapid development of computational power, have greatly enhanced our abilities to capture, store and analyse the surrounding physical environment. This book explores diverse dimensions of geo-intelligence (GI) technology in developing a computing framework for location-based, data-integrating earth observation and predictive modelling to address these issues at all levels and scales. The book provides insight into the applications of GI technology in several fields of spatial and social sciences and attempts to bridge the gap between them.

Dr T.P. Singh is a professor and director at the Symbiosis Institute of Geoinformatics, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune (India). Prof. Singh obtained his master’s degree in remote sensing from Pierre and Marie Curie University (France) and his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (India). He has teaching and research experience of over 20 years in the field of geospatial technology. He has completed several research projects funded by the research organisations of national and international repute such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He has visited several countries as a geospatial expert and published more than 50 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Prof. Singh is a chairman of Indian Society of Geomatics (ISG) Pune Chapter and also member of the several boards of societies/research agencies and university committees.

Dr Dharmaveer Singh is an assistant professor at the Symbiosis Institute of Geoinformatics, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune (India). He was a research scientist-C at the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee (India) from 2016 to 2018. Dr Singh, a Ph.D. in geoinformatics (2015) from the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, has received several academic awards: a University Grants Commission (UGC) Early Career Research Grant in 2019; a post-doctoral fellowship from the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2016; and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Junior Research Fellowship (National Eligibility Test) in 2009 and 2010. His main research interests include water resources management, water security and economics, and climate change and modelling. He has published 30 research papers in peer-reviewed journals (SCI & Scopus Indexed) and conference proceedings. He is currently heading couple of research projects sponsored by UGC and is a reviewer for the several scientific journals of the International reputes.

Dr R.B. Singh (former professor and head of the Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University) is the secretary-general and treasurer of the International Geographical Union (IGU); a chair of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)–Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore; a member of CSIR–Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Lucknow; and a member of the International Science Council’s scientific committee for Health and Wellbeing in the Changing Urban Environment: a Systems Analysis Approach. He was awarded the prestigious Japan Society for the Promotion of Scientific Research Fellowship and has presented papers and chaired sessions in more than 40 countries. He has published 14 books, 35 edited research volumes, and more than 215 research papers. He has supervised 34 Ph.D. and 79 M.Phil. students. In 1988 the UNESCO/the International Social Science Council awarded him research and study grants in social and human sciences.