Muscat – The India-Oman Space Platform was inaugurated on Thursday, heralding a new era for Oman in harnessing satellite data across multiple sectors, especially for natural disaster management.

Developed by Indian Space Research Organisation, the web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) platform offers invaluable images and data sourced from Indian earth observation satellites. Its integration with terrestrial space applications is poised to transform various developmental sectors, including but not limited to agriculture, water, fisheries, transportation, urban development, renewable energy, and notably, natural disaster management.

The inauguration ceremony took place at Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru during a visit by H E Said Hamood al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology.

The minister engaged in discussions with S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO, alongside other distinguished officials and experts from the space research body.

Apart from gaining insights into India’s vast space endeavours, both parties deliberated on expanding bilateral cooperation in space research and related industries.

On the sidelines of the visit, the delegation took a tour of the Indian satellite control and monitoring centre. The Omani delegation received a detailed briefing on the critical phase when India’s Chandrayaan-3 vehicle decoupled from its propulsion module, embarking on its mission to touch down on the lunar surface.

Further enriching the visit, H E Maawali and his delegation engaged with Indian space companies getting a glimpse of their capabilities and innovations while showcasing investment prospects in Oman.