From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Dec 16: A state-of-the-art web-based marine geoscientific data Centre developed at the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Headland Sada was inaugurated here recently by Dr Shailesh Nayak, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, at a formal function held at the Centre. 

This unique Data Centre represents the cumulative and dedicated work of over 40 scientists from some of the premier geoscientific institutions of the country who have been partners since 2002 in one of the most of challenging and multifaceted tasks ever undertaken by India in the offshore realm, namely defining and determining the outer limits of the country’s continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from its coastal baselines under the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. 
     
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Shailesh Nayak highlighted that the National Marine Geoscientific Data Centre marks but the first step towards creating state-of-the-art archival and retrieval facilities of all marine geoscientific data in a structured database at NCAOR.  He added that the Data Centre should not be restricted to archiving only the data pertaining to the Indian offshore areas, but should also include the geoscientific data of other oceanic realms as well. 

Earlier, Shri Rasik Ravindra, Director, NCAOR, while welcoming the Secretary and other dignitaries to the function, acknowledged the valuable help rendered by the group of NCAOR scientists led by Dr. S. Rajan and by M/s TCS, Hyderabad. Dr. P. K. Biswas, former Adviser, Planning Commission also addressed the audience on the occasion.