The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has recently made news by opting to utilize Global Positioning System (GPS) data for demarcating high-risk zones within the city. By mapping the number of positive COVID-19 instances, this endeavor aims to equip citizens with vital information on areas to avoid. This is a significant step forward as, until now, BMC had withheld details about COVID-19 patients to offset fear and stigmatization.
BMC’s Response to Rising COVID-19 Cases
Due to the uptick in case figures and violations of lockdown and quarantine restrictions, BMC felt compelled to define high-risk areas. By doing so, they aim to warn residents to steer clear of these zones and adhere to lockdown directives. In these high-risk zones, ward officers will be responsible for overseeing the home delivery of essentials like medications and groceries, thus limiting the need for citizen movement.
Additional Initiatives from BMC
In a bid to augment healthcare facilities, BMC is incorporating final-year medical and nursing students into its workforce. These students will be assigned duties at Outpatient Departments (OPDs), along with administrative roles at various civic-run hospitals. BMC also plans to use isolation beds more effectively and alleviate congestion in major hospitals by categorizing patients into three groups: asymptomatic patients under 55 years with no co-morbidity, mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic patients above 55 years, and symptomatic patients.
The Role of Global Positioning System
GPS is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) employed to ascertain the ground position of an object. As a US-owned utility, GPS provides users with positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services. Its use extends to civilian purposes, offering free availability to worldwide users continually, and military purposes, available only to US and allied armed forces and approved government agencies. Other notable GNSS include the European Union’s Galileo, Russia’s GLONASS, China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, and India’s Navigation in Indian Constellation (NavIC).
Navigation in Indian Constellation (NavIC)
Developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), NavIC aims to furnish reliable position, navigation, and timing services across India and its neighboring regions. Named after Indian fisherman and navigators, NavIC extends two types of services. The Standard Positioning Service (SPS) cater to the general public, while the Restricted Service (RS) is an encrypted service for authorized users and agencies.
Unlike the widely-used GPS, which includes 24 satellites, NavIC consists of 7 satellites with their range limited to India and bordering areas extending to 1,500 km from the country’s boundary. Even though a larger number of satellites usually implicates more accurate positioning information, NavIC surpasses GPS in terms of precision. While GPS has a positioning accuracy of 20-30 meters, NavIC can pinpoint locations with an estimated accuracy of less than 20 meters.