ISRO’S EXPERIENCES IN ISRO’S EXPERIENCES IN SATELLITE SATELLITE

COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION

SHYAMAL MEHTASHYAMAL MEHTA

SATELLITE INSTRUCTIONAL TELEVISION EXPERIMENT (SITE)

• FIRST MAJOR EXPT. USING SATCOM FOR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION - 1975-76

• RURAL DEVELOPMENT ORIENTED PROGRAMMES :

- 4 HOURS, DAILY

• DIRECT RECEPTION SETS (DRSs) :

- 2400 VILLAGES

- 6 STATES

APPLICATIONS

• BROADCAST OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT ORIENTED PROGRAMMES

• PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ TRAINING – 40,000 TEACHERS TRAINED

SITE IMPACT EVALUATION - MAJOR OBSERVATIONS

* IT IS POSSIBLE TO DEPLOY, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN COMMUNITY TV SETS AND DRS EVEN IN REMOTE AREAS OF A COUNTRY, AND THAT TOO WITH AN AVAILABILITY OF 80-90%.

* COMMUNITY VIEWING IS POSSIBLE, AND THAT AVERAGE AUDIENCE SIZES OF 80-100 CAN BE EXPECTED.

* INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMMES WERE PREFERRED, IN COMPARISON TO PURE ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMMES.

* SUBSTANTIAL GAINS WERE POSSIBLE IN THE AREAS OF HEALTH, HYGIENE AND NUTRITION.

* DESPITE CASE STUDIES OF INNOVATIONS ADOPTED IN AGRICULTURE AS A RESULT OF TV PROGRAMMES, A LARGE SCALE SURVEY DID NOT SHOW STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT GAINS.

* COMMUNITY ACCESS TO TV TENDS TO NARROW THE COMMUNICATIONS - EFFECT GAP.

* MOST OF THE TEACHERS FELT THAT THE TRAINING WAS USEFUL.

* THEY ALSO FOUND THAT TV RATHER THAN RADIO WAS PREFERRED FOR THE TRAINING.

DISADVANTAGES OF BROADCAST FOR EDUCATIONAL & TRAINING

• RECEIVER HAS NO OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT OR

ASK QUESTIONS TO CLARIFY DOUBTS.

• IT IS EPHEMERAL. BROADCAST ONCE MISSED IS LOST.

KHEDA COMMUNICATIONS PROJECT

• OBJECTIVE – DEVELOPMENT & NOT PROGRAMME PRODUCTION - 1975 – 1989

• LIMITED REGIONAL REBROADCAST

• LOW POWER TV TRANSMITTER IN PIJ VILLAGE (KHEDA DISTT./GUJARAT)

• LINKED TO A STUDIO & EARTH STATION COMPLEX

• ALLOWED PROGRAMMES FROM STUDIO OR ANY OTHER PROGRAMMES RECEIVED AT EARTH STATION

• 600 COMMUNITY SETS INSTALLED IN VILLAGES

• CONTENT GENERATION - ISRO’S RESPONSIBILITY – TOPICS :

- AGRICULTURE

- HEALTH

- ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

- UNTOUCHABILITY

- WOMEN’S STATUS

- CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMES

• REGULAR FEEDBACK & IMPROVEMENT

KHEDA PROJECT IMPACT

• SIGNIFICANT DIFFRENCES IN AWARENESS IN TV AND NON-TV VILLAGES PERTAINING TO :

- HEALTH

- DISEASES – SYMPTOMS, PREVENTION

- AGRIICULTURE :- SOIL TESTING - SOIL IMPROVEMENT MEASUREMENT- PRECAUTIONS IN BUYING HYBRID SEEDS- PROPER USE OF FERTILIZERS

- PLANT PROTECTION MEASURES

- SOURCE FOR AGRICULTURAL CREDIT

- MINIMUM WAGE STRUCTURES

- COOPERATIVE FARMING

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION CHANNEL (TDCC)

• EXPERIMENT & DEMONSTRATION OF INTERACTIVE TRAINING & EDUCATION - 1995

• BROADCAST NOT THE OBJECTIVE

• ONE WAY VIDEO & TWO WAY AUDIO

• AUDIO FROM RECEPIENT VIA TELEPHONE LINE

• HUB ON RECEIVING RECEPIENT’S AUDIO :- RETRANSMITS IT ON SATELLITE CHANNEL - ALL IN THE NETWORK CAN LISTEN TO THE

INTERACTION

• 500 DRSs EXPECTED TO GROW TO ABOUT 1500 – 2000

• TEACHING END AT SAC, AHMEDABAD & IGNOU, NEW DELHI, GANDHINAGAR, BHOPAL, MYSORE

• NEW USERS - HP, ORISSA

• INTEREST SHOWN BY NER STATES, SIKKIM, WEST BENGAL AND OTHER STATES

• TEACHING END - CONSISTS OF SMALL STUDIO & EARTH STATION- ORIGINATES PROGRAMMES EITHER :

- LIVE LECTURES OR- PRE RECORDED VIDEO PROGRAMMES OR- MIX OF BOTH

MAJOR AREAS OF APPLICATION

• DISTANCE EDUCATION - IGNOU, AIMA FOR DEGREE & DIPLOMA COURSES

• RURAL DEVELOPMENT-- NGOs FOR CONDUCTIING TRAINING PROGRAMMES IN HEALTHCARE- PANCHAYATI RAJ- WATERSHED MANAGEMENT FOR RURAL AUDIENCES- TRAINING OF RURAL WOMEN UNDER DEVELOPMENT

OF WOMEN & CHILD IN RURAL AREAS (DWACRA)- PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS & INTEGRATED CHILD

DEVELOPMENT SCHEME (ICDS)

• INDUTRIAL TRAINING - MULTI LOCATION ORGANIZATIONS LIKE - SBI, NPC

ADVANTAGES OF TDCC

* TRAINING SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE SHORTEST TIME A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE GEOGRAPHICALLY DISPERSED.

* MULTIPLIER EFFECT BY TRAINING OF TRAINERS.

* UNIFORMITY OF THE TRAINING CONTENT.

* ACCESS TO THE BEST AVAILABLE LEARNING RESOURCES,

* REPEATABILITY OF TRAINING COURSES & EDUCATIONAL PACKAGES, EASY UPDATING AND DISSEMINATION.

* CAPABILITY TO SHARE THE SAME NETWORK BY DIFFERENT USER GROUPS.

* SPECIFIC TOPICS FOR SPECIFIC LOCATIONS FOR SPECIFIC GROUPS ALSO POSSIBLE.

* SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS IN EXPENDITURE DUE TO ECONOMIES IN TRAVEL, LOGISTICS AND REPLICATION OF TEACHING INFRASTRUCTURE.

* IT CAN EFFECTIVELY SUPPLEMENT CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM OF TRAINING & IN SOME CASES CAN

ITSELF BECOME THE MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE TRAINING SYSTEM.

TEACHERS' TRAINING

- 7 PROGRAMMES OF ABOUT 2 DAYS EACH. TOTAL OF MORE THAN 6900 PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED.

- AREAS COVERED INCLUDED SCIENCE TEACHING, DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHING-LEARNING MATERIALS, EDUCATIONAL COORDINATION, GEOGRAPHY TEACHING, ETC.

- ON AN AVERAGE 100 QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED IN EACH PROGRAM.

- TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS, PRE-POST ACHIEVEMENT TESTS CONDUCTED AND OBSERVATION & OPINION SCHEDULES ADMINISTERED.

- 82 % PARTICIPANTS FOUND THIS METHOD BETTER THAN THE TRADITIONAL METHOD OF TRAINING.

- THIS MODE OF TRAINING FOR OTHER AREAS SUGGESTED

- ACHIEVEMENT TESTS INDICATED SIGNIFICANT GAIN IN KNOWLEDGE IN FIVE OUT OF THE NINE THEMES COVERED.

- LISTENING TO QUESTIONS OF FELLOW COLLEAGUES OF OTHER CENTRES AND ANSWERS WAS A THRILLING EXPERIENCE FOR MOST OF THE PARTICIPANTS.

- PARTICIPANTS FOUND THE PROGRAMME MORE INTERACTIVE, INTERESTING & EFFECTIVE COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL MODE. SUGGESTED EXTENDING IT TO OTHER SUBJECTS

- IN THE TRAINING PROGRAMME OF MP :

- OVER 1800 PARTICIPANTS

- AN AVERAGE 100 QUESTIONS RECEIVED DAILY ON TELEPHONE

- A TOTAL 2000 QUESTIONS WERE RECEIVED ON FAX IN 3 DAYS.

- IN GOA, FOR A 10-DAY PROGRAMME :

- ATTENDANCE WAS 45 TO 150 PER RECEIVE CENTRE

- 10 TO 25 QUESTIONS PER SESSION.

JHABUA DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATIONS PROJECT (JDCP)

• COMBINES SATELLITE BROADCASTING & INTERACTIVE TRAINING – 1996 ONWARDS

• TARGET AREA – - JHABUA DISTRICT - ONE OF THE MOST BACKWARD AREAS IN INDIA - 85 % TRIBAL POPULATION- 14% LITERACY

• APPLICATIONS –- EDUCATION- HEALTH- AGRICULTURE- PANCHAYATI RAJ- FORESTRY

• PHASE – I- 150 VILLAGES - DRS- 12 BLOCKS – TALK BACK TERMINALS

• PHASE – II- 200 DRS & 7 TALK BACK TERMINALS EACH IN ADJOINING DHAR & BIDWANI DISTRICTS

• BROADCAST OF DEVELOPMENT ORIENTED PROGRAMMES

• TRAINING PROGRAMMES FOR :- VILLAGE/BLOCK LEVEL FUNCTIONARIES LIKE :

- TEACHERS- ANGANWADI WORKERS- JOINT FOREST MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES- PANCHAYATI KARMIS