Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
Why in News?
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is in the news primarily for issuing Specialised El Niño Bulletins warning of severe thermal stress, coral reef bleaching, and reduced fish catch in the northern Indian Ocean.
Key Institutional Information
- Nature of Organisation: An autonomous body established in 1999 under the administrative control of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
- Headquarters: Located in Hyderabad, Telangana.
- Core Mandate: To provide the best possible ocean data, information, and advisory services to the public, industries, government agencies, and scientists.
- Global Recognition: Serves as an official Tsunami Service Provider (TSP) for the UNESCO-IOC Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS).
Major Services and Systems
- Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ): Provides daily advisories to fishermen regarding high-probability fishing zones to maximize catch and save fuel.
- Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC): Delivers fast tsunami alerts and storm surge advisories to India and 28 Indian Ocean Rim countries.
- Ocean State Forecast (OSF): Predicts wave heights, sea surface temperatures, wind speeds, and ocean currents 5 to 7 days in advance.
- Search and Rescue Aided Tool (SARAT): Assists the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and maritime police in tracking missing objects or persons at sea.
- Algal Bloom Information Service (ABIS): Tracks and provides real-time maps of harmful phytoplankton blooms harmful to marine ecology.
- SAMUDRA 2.0 Mobile App: A multilingual digital application that broadcasts real-time warnings directly to coastal communities.
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