Space technology is no longer limited to rockets and satellites orbiting the Earth. It is now being used to solve real problems on the ground. Yesterday, five Indian space technology companies presented how space-based solutions can support Bhutan’s development priorities, including disaster risk reduction, hydropower management, forestry, agriculture, and climate resilience. The presentations were part of the first visit to Bhutan by an industry delegation from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, known as IN-SPACe.
Bhutan’s rugged mountains are a national treasure, but they also bring risks from glacial floods to unpredictable weather.
To help address this, one of the companies presented a system that uses satellite images and artificial intelligence to monitor glacial lake outburst floods and provide early warning of potential risks.
“We developed a product called HimSuraksha, which can help the Bhutanese government further strengthen its already strong early warning system using GeoAI solutions. A GLOF event develops over time, and if we can detect small changes on the ground or identify unstable areas early, we can provide warnings much sooner,” said Rohit Malhotra, Founder of Spatial Logix.
Another company presented a more futuristic concept. It suggested processing data and artificial intelligence directly using satellite-based computing systems.
Likewise, one of the companies proposed a conversational GeoAI platform that allows users to generate maps and reports from satellite data simply by asking questions.
“With Unnati, you do not need to worry about anything. The entire satellite data analytics pipeline you get in minutes just by speaking. Every country is now in the race of getting their own infrastructure. And AI in SpaceTech is something that will give every country an edge with the digital infrastructure,” said Dr Jagriti Dabas, Founder of ARMS 4 AI.
The other two companies presented solutions focusing on hydropower management, river forecasting, agriculture, infrastructure monitoring and climate risk assessment.
Officials from the GovTech Agency said these technologies are promising but will need careful review and any local adaptation.
“These are ideas that we can potentially leverage. They may not be readily implementable today, but we need to assess whether these are the solutions we need or whether they can be adapted to better suit Bhutan’s requirements,” said Kiran Pradhan, Chief Programme Officer at the GovTech Agency.
Officials added that the engagement opens a conversation about how space technology, once the domain of large nations, can be shaped to serve a small country like Bhutan.
Kinley Bidha
Edited by Sonam Pem
