NEWS – Recently, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), has developed a newer version of the Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT).

ABOUT SEARCH AND RESCUE AID TOOL (SARAT)

• SARAT was initially launched in 2016 to assist in search and rescue operations at sea, helping locate individuals or vessels in distress quickly and efficiently.
• Developed under the Make in India initiative by INCOIS, the tool aims to enhance the country’s search and rescue capabilities.

Working Mechanism of SARAT

• Model Ensembling:
  • SARAT uses model ensembling to handle uncertainties in the initial location and the last known time of the missing object, enabling it to determine the location with high probability.
• Influence of Environmental Factors:
  • The movements of missing objects are influenced by ocean currents and winds, which are taken into account for accurate tracking.
• High-Resolution Regional Ocean Modelling System:
  • The tool is based on model currents derived from the Regional Ocean Modelling System, which is run operationally on High-Performance Computers at INCOIS.
• Types of Objects:
  • Users can select from up to 60 types of missing objects, categorized by shape and buoyancy.

User Interface and Features

• Interactive Map:
  • Users can either select the last known location of the missing object on the map or provide details such as coastal location, distance traveled, and bearing angle to estimate the position.
• Search Area Visualization:
  • The tool generates results that are displayed on an interactive map, highlighting the probable area to be searched.
• Alerts and Notifications:
  • The results are sent as text messages to emails or mobile phones to ensure timely action.
• Local Language Support:
  • The tool supports multiple coastal state languages to ensure local fishermen can use the tool effectively to assist fellow fishermen in distress.

Enhancements in SARAT Version 2

• Improved Search Area Expansion:
  • In SARAT Version 2, the position from which the search area expands is corrected to reflect the last known position of the object.
• Enhanced Visualizations:
  • The updated version provides improved visualizations, offering better judgment of the probable search area, with color coding of search regions and markers to highlight the last known position of the object for easier identification.