BANGALORE: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), in its efforts to help the tsunami relief measures, has provided telecommunications and telemedicine facilities in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Isro has sent a fly-away mini aperture terminal, 10 Inmarsat telephones and four mobile satellite service phones to Portblair for augmentation of telecommunication links in the affected areas. Inasat-3E satellite has been earmarked for supporting large capacity telephone links from Andaman & Nicobar Islands to Kolkata which is connected to Delhi. Telephone links from one place in Andaman & Nicobar Islands to any other place through transportable VSATs are also being arranged.

The administration is using the Vsat facilities at Diglipur, Mayabanda, Rangat, Port Blair, Hut Bay, Car Nicobar, Camorta and Cambel Bay where Video conferencing links, satellite based telephone connectivity as well as ISDN telephone connectivity have been established and enabled between the mainland and the islands for carrying out relief and rehabilitation work.

Also, Isro's telemedicine network has been connected to two hospitals - one at Port Blair (GB Pant Hospital) and the other at Car Nicobar Islands (Indira Gandhi Hospital) to enable communication and consultation with specialists at Apollo Hospital (Chennai) and Amruta Institute of Medical Sciences (Cochin), informs an Isro release.

Data from Indian Remote Sensing satellites (IRS-1C, 1D, OCEANSAT-1 and RESOURCESAT) over affected areas are being used for analysis and damage assessment. Information is also being provided to Crisis Management Group of the Ministry of Home Affairs and State agencies. Satellite data for Car Nicobar, Chennai and Kakinada, Tamil Nadu coast (especially Nagapattinam), Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have been acquired.

For damage assessment, Isro has been using its Aerial Photography Survey system. Chennai-Nagapattinam, Andhra Pradesh coast and Port Blair have already been covered and other islands are also being covered. The satellite imageries clearly indicate large-scale damage to the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island and the Indira Point. The Trinkat Island of the Nancowri Group has been separated into two parts due to the water impoundment in the central part, adds the release.