Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has been selected by the international scientific community to implement a submarine cable project for long-term observations of the Indian Ocean. Location of project is about 150 km submarine cable west of Wandoor, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Project Features
- Purpose: Study ocean churning, seismic activity, tsunami potential, oceanographic & geophysical parameters for climate research, tsunami & storm surge early warning systems.
- Two science nodes with oceanographic & geophysical sensors at 2,000–2,500 m depth.
- Landing station: Wandoor observatory.
- Control centre: INCOIS headquarters, Hyderabad.
- Real-time data acquisition & monitoring.
Significance
- Helps understand seismic activity, tsunami potential, and climate impacts.
- Supports tsunami & storm surge early warnings.
- Contributes to global ocean observation networks.
Other Key INCOIS Initiatives
- Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme (ODTP)
- Under UNESCO’s IOC, INCOIS leads 3 of 10 key research projects.
- Focus:
- Expand knowledge of tsunami sources,
- Assess impact on infrastructure,
- Improve monitoring & warnings.
- Global partners:
- Flanders Marine Institute (Belgium): Sea-level station monitoring (1,034 real-time stations, 170 data providers).
- University of Hamburg (Germany): Global Tsunami Model (GTM).
- Cardiff University (UK): Global Real-Time Early Alarm for Tsunami (GREAT)
People Centred Tsunami Early Warning for India (PCTWIN)
- Improve disaster risk knowledge, detection, forecasting, communication, preparedness.
- Includes rapid source characterization & probabilistic tsunami forecasting.
Tsunami Ready Odisha (TRO)
- Strengthen coastal community resilience.
- Linked to UNESCO-IOC’s Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme (TRRP).
- Partner: Odisha State Disaster Management Agency (OSDMA).
- Progress: 2 villages declared tsunami ready; ~20 more in progress.
About INCOIS
- Established: 1999, autonomous body under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
- Mandate: Provide ocean information & advisory services.
- Key Activities:
- Tsunami, storm surge, high wave warnings- Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC)- Designated as Regional Tsunami Service Provider (RTSP) by UNESCO-IOC.
- Advisories to fisherfolk (fishing zones, ocean conditions).
- Ocean State Forecasts (3–7 days) for shipping, oil, Navy, Coast Guard.
- Ocean Observing Systems deployment, data archiving, and research.
- National Oceanographic Data Centre under IOC-IODE.
- Global ocean analysis for monsoon prediction.
- Indian Seismic and GNSS Network (ISGN).
- National & Regional Argo Data Centre for IOGOOS.
International Involvement
- Member of Indian delegation to IOC.
- Founding member of IOGOOS & POGO (Partnership for Observing the Oceans).
- Houses IOGOOS Secretariat & SIBER International Programme Office.
- Provides ocean info to member countries through RIMES (Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa & Asia).