Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas - TNPSC

Why in news?

Recently, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has announced the development of an ‘Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas’ of the Indian EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone).

About Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas:

• It showcases the vastpotential of ocean energy resourcesencompassingmarine meteorological(solar and wind) andhydrological(wave, tide, currents, ocean thermal, and salinity gradients) energy forms.
• It identifies areas with high potential for energy generation and willserve as a reference for policymakers, industry and researchers for harnessing the rich energy resources available in the Indian EEZ.
• INCOIS prepared the annual, monthly, and daily energy estimates of ocean energy components following standard methods that can be visualised through a WebGIS interface at 5 km grid resolution.

About the INCOIS

• It was established as anautonomous bodyin 1999 under theMinistry of Earth Sciences(MoES) and is a unit of theEarth System Science Organization(ESSO).
• Mandate: To provide the best possibleocean information and advisory servicesto society, industry, government agencies, and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvements through systematic and focussed research.
• Activities:
• It providesround-the-clock monitoring and warning servicesfor the coastal population on tsunamis, storm surges, high waves, etc. through the in-house Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC).
• It provides daily advisories to fisher folk to help them easilylocate areasofabundant fishin the ocean.
• Short-term (3-7 days)Ocean State Forecasts(waves, currents, sea surface temperature, etc.) are issued daily to fisher folk, the shipping industry, the oil and natural gas industry, the Navy, the Coast Guard, etc.