UPSC Prelims PYQ 2010: What is ISRO’s Bhuvan?

In the context of space technology, what is “Bhuvan”, recently in the news?

1. A mini satellite launched by ISRO for promoting distance education in India
2. The name given to the next Moon Impact Probe for Chandrayaan-II
3. A geoportal of ISRO with 3-D imaging capabilities of India
4. A space telescope developed by India

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

Bhuvan is a web-based geoportal developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation. It provides satellite imagery, 3-D visualization, terrain data and thematic layers related to India. It is comparable to global platforms like Google Earth but focuses specifically on Indian data. ISRO officially launched Bhuvan as part of its geospatial information dissemination initiative.

Answer: (c) A geoportal of ISRO with 3-D imaging capabilities of India