Here comes BHUVAN

A significant project was unveiled on Aug 12, 2009 ahead of the Independence day. BHUVAN, the ISRO (NRSC) project provides Google-Earth like satellite views, terrain maps and a lot more. BHUVAN is India-centric and is expected to provide information like mineral/soil detail in future.

This has the potential to spawn off a range of other innovations specific to Indian markets and users. If maintained well and transferred to capable entities in private domain, this could be a watershed event for Indian software industry. Whether GoI has the vision to make it happen is a question we all dread. But for now, savor the sub-continent through ISRO's eyes.

How to get it?

Only the Beta version is currently available. Below are the necessary steps to start using it

1. Register on the portal http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/
2. Make sure DirectX is installed (to download Bhuvan Plug-in) Microsoft Link
3. Login in Bhuvan portal using the ID and password
4. Will prompt you to download a Bhuvan Plug-in, Install the plug-in and relogin.

Anticipate stability issues and slowness.

Here is a snapshot of BHUVAN application

From ISRO's FAQ :

What do I require to run Bhuvan on my Machine?

You require the Bhuvan Plug-in which can be downloaded from the Bhuvan website after registration and you will also need DirectX8 or higher version (www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/) for installing the plug-in. Please note that the Bhuvan Plug-in can be installed with administrative privileges only.

How do I use Bhuvan?

When you first open Bhuvan website, You will land on the index page which gives you information on Bhuvan and this page also allows you to register for using the Bhuvan. Once you successfully register, you will land on the Bhuvan 3D client page. Here, there are three primary areas of the program that you'll be using. The main window shows a globe, and you can navigate around with your mouse or use the Heads-Up Display (HUD) option available on the right top corner. Double right click to zoom in, and double left click to zoom out (or use your mousewheel). Right click, hold, and drag to pan. The second area is at the upper right of the main window. When you move your mouse over the navigation compass, it give you more movement options such as rotate and tilt (which you can also do with your mouse). The third area is to the left of the main window. This frame includes a fly to location and fly to important places option. On the top of the globe are the menu options for layers, 2D and 3D drawing, measurement tools, snapshot tools etc. When you select any of these options, you see the context options on the left plane where you can make appropriate choices that you can turn on to make visible in the main windows such as roads, 3D terrain, and more.