Bhuvan, a satellite mapping tool from Indian space centre ISRO, is expected to provide a much better mapping experience than Google Earth or Wikimapia.

While Google Earth can zoom up to 200m, Bhuvan, which means "earth" will offer zoom levels up to 10m. And while Google Earth provides single-layer information, Buvan will provide multilayer information. It will also upgrade every year, compared with Google Earth's every four years.  Bhuvan uses Indian satellites and offers the option of viewing on different dates.

ISRO chairman Dr G Madhavan Nair said that the prototype of Bhuvan will be ready by the end of November, and that ISRO plans to officially launch the service by next March. He said that Bhuvan’s focus will be on the Indian subcontinent.

Nair said that the information will help address regional problems such as floods, famines, infrastructure development and education. Bhuvan will provide the option of viewing filtered information, and will also include information from local players such as farmers and fishermen who have knowledge about the local area. Nair said that this would make it more useful to the general public. X

Check Out
Times of India
IT Examiner - Chandrayaan-1 enters lunar transfer trajectory
IT Examiner - Google takes jets from NASA
IT Examiner - Google Earth works out why cows face north