For any local level planning for development, a proper natural resource mapping and accounting system is a prerequisite. One can select any ideal village in the country and a project can be made to map the geographical area of the village with details on the distribution of all natural resources available in the area along with human resource. Use this information for developing a digital support system for the people to understand about the available resources on real time basis such as ground water level (past and present), surface water availability, soil type, and suggestions on the farming potentials.

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Sequestering carbon from air is a requirement to mitigate the imminent global climate change. Drive for carbon sequestration in terms of mass planting of appropriate fruit trees and other beneficial trees in villages, decentralized anaerobic production of charcoal from weed trees and plants such as Prosopis and Lantana can be taken up by the villagers. A digital mechanism can be planned to motivate this process as a mass movement across the country.  A proper quantified documentation and recording of these activities into a national data base will also create a proof for the country to present our case in the international climate change negotiations.

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In our working environments such as home, office, or an industry, we are surrounded by various kinds of electronic equipments which emit various types of radiation. Exposure to these radiations is known to create health problems. There is no policy, protocol or management system available in the country to handle this issue. It will be good to visualize a monitoring system to of measure the level of harmful radiation in any working environment and provide warning and suggestion on safeguard mechanism. A model project in this line will be a good initiative.

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Some intelligent prediction/expectation of the local weather is essential for all agricultural activities. Mostly the farmers do it based on their understanding and observation on nature. An intelligent support system can be attempted with modern analytical tools and using database on the local weather information available. Predictive models can be made in support of the farmers for each localities and make it available on line whenever they are in need.

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India is country with a treasure trove of traditional ecological knowledge associated with its biodiversity and natural resources. Thousands of sacred groves are available in every region which supports a high diversity of flora and fauna in the name of faith and belief.  Similarly, different rites associated with various aspects of life, different local resource management traditions associated with various belief systems, still undocumented local health traditions associated with locally available herbs and so on also need to be documented. Very little information is available Sacred Grooves in India. There is no mechanism for integrating such knowledge into a usable, functional and linked data base. A plan to device such a data base cum safeguarded retrieval information system can be taken as a project.

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Tourism is a fast growing industry in India and elsewhere in the world. There is no mechanism available to evaluate the effect of tourism on local biodiversity in the Protected Areas (Sanctuaries, National Parks, Tiger Reserves, Biosphere Reserves etc.) in India.  Information on this effect should be quantified in real time and the management strategies should be adaptively modified. To begin with, a digital model plan for a Protected Area in India with high tourist flow to assess the effect of tourism on local biodiversity is a good project idea.

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This is an age old problem for the life of people living in and around forest areas. In the last two decades there is an increase in human-wildlife conflicts. This is due to increase in human population, decrease in forest cover and in some cases increase in wild animal population as well. Till date there is no mechanism available to evaluate the human-wildlife conflict issues in the state and national levels. Also to mitigate the issue, no technological solutions are available. Development of sensor based technology to mitigate human-elephant conflict issue could be one of the suggested problems.

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As our utilization of electronic goods are increasing and at the same time the new technologies in the field of electronics and instrumentation making the existing equipments out dated, electronic wastes are indeed a menace to manage by the human society, considering the unprecedented high ecological threat with regard to their disposal. A digital solution system in this regard on management of electronic wastes and evaluation of health hazard to humans shall be prepared.

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Planning of `Smart Transport’ as a combination of well planned public transport and provisions of essential private transport is important for our society. Most of our cities are showing an increase level in air pollution and one of the ways to minimize air pollution in cities is through planning of `Smart Transport’. Considering all the existing practical limitations, planning a workable design of restructuring the city transport with a view to reduce air pollution is a challenge worth taking.

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Everyone will agree that the noise pollution level in urban areas is in the increasing trend. Many studies have revealed the ill effects of excessive sound on human body. We do not have any clue about its destructive effect on the health and well being of wildlife and other animals. Hence there is an urgent need to measure, record the noise level; develop a warning-management system in our living and working environments. A model plan on this line will be a good project to undertake.

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Solid waste management is a major problem of all urban areas in India.  Based on available information regarding solid waste management in major cities in the country, the most potential extent of waste generation and its removal policies shall be made through digital technology and an intelligent and efficient plan of action can be visualized and developed as a model.

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Our water bodies, especially those of the urban areas are under increasing threat due to pollution and anthropogenic pressure. As we have many colleges in cities and town, they can be motivated to do the pollution monitoring in a real time basis and the data can be integrated in to an assessment-warning-management suggestion system.

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Air pollution is one of the major threats to all life system in the world and India is no exemption to this issue. Most of our cities are chocked with poisonous gases and heavy loads of suspended particulate matter. This is a cause of concern for human life. Hence a digital surveillance system for air pollution monitoring shall be prepared. This localized information system of the changes in air pollution and the pollution level can alert the local people and authorities concerned in advance so that necessary remedial measures shall be taken for our wellbeing.

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One way of handling our water problem is its prudent and responsible use. A very great amount of water is being wasted in the country just by not being vigilant in its usage.  A proper system of water usage audit for house/ agriculture/ or an industry will help to promote better management plan for water usage in the country. Designing water auditing cum management plan can be taken as a good problem to work on.

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The utilization of conventional fuel and energy resources such as petroleum and coal by the human society are in the increasing trend and the same time the availability of these resources are deceasing due to over exploitation. It is high time to tap the alternative energy resources or non-conventional energy resources (for example wind, wave, biomass, river flow and so on) at the earliest and if possible in a decentralized way of production and usage. A plan, design and networking proposal is required in this regard.

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A very significant extent of our energy generated is getting wasted through lack of knowledge, carelessness and outdated technology use. Awareness of this by every user is the only solution. A systematic mechanism of energy auditing in place can do wonder in this regard. But doing the energy audit for everybody and by everybody is a mammoth task, and hence there is a need for well thought plan for national, regional and local level.

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Majority of rural India still depends on local biomass resources for their day to day living. While the urban India depends more on electricity and such modern sources for energy requirements, the rural India still is a vegetation biomass dependent community. Availability of biomass in close quarters is an advantage for local people and local/rural technology on converting the vegetation biomass in to various kinds of energy needs are available. Digital India can do the planning of local energy needs of villages using locally available biomass resources and make a model project out of it.

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Availability of safe drinking water and water for the agricultural purposes are increasingly becoming the most challenging issue of our country. Completely centralized water distribution system cannot handle the issue of our country. We need decentralized planning of locally adapted, locally possible water harvesting, water conservation and utilization plans and integrated understanding of all these issues. Hence digital technology for decentralized water harvesting solutions for villages and urban areas of our country is the need of hour.

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Since the pressure on our forests is in the increasing trend due to anthropogenic pressure, it is high time for us to reclaim the degraded forest land, which in turn will increase the forest cover in the country and also will increase the forest connectivity between wildlife corridors for species such as tigers and elephants. A digital model for restoration of degraded forest can help restoration of such areas across the country.

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Ecological state of affairs of most of our minor and major rivers in the country is in bad state due to its overuse, pollution and encroachment. When we dream the development of nation we cannot forget the health of our rivers which give water for our drinking, cleaning and agricultural purposes. Reviving and restoration of our rivers is a Himalayan task , and it can be done only through participation of everyone, including planners, decision makers, managers, workers and most importantly all the people who live by the side of these rivers. It need a great national vision and design and large number of regional and local sub designs, all these need to be integrated in both digital and physical planes.

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Changes in the flowering and fruiting of trees are considered as one of the best indicators of changes in climate. Monitoring of these elements in a national networking mode will create a dynamic database to support the decision makers, managers and farmers for taking informed decisions.

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Any change in local weather conditions are likely to affect the movement and population of each migratory bird species that come to India from various parts of the world. Hence they are considered as one of the best global climate change. Early or late migrations of birds and extra-limit observation of their distribution are established as the best indicators of climate change documentation. As we have thousands of bird watchers across the country in search of the birds every day for amusements and learning, we can very well record the arrival, departure and population of each migratory bird species systematically.  For which we need to develop a networking solution that can connect all the information they collect, do basic analysis and also integrate all that in the climate change study platform.

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A very widespread discussion goes on everywhere regarding the local extinction of even house sparrows from many parts of our country. In the context of increasing urban development the population of common bird species such as hose sparrows, mynas, doves and pigeons are getting affected due to lack of breeding space.  Most of the common birds associated with human habitations and nearby natural habitats also forced to change their distribution due to such changes. They are the best available bio-indicators of environmental and landscape changes around us. Monitoring their population and distribution through a participatory networked format is a challenge is the need of hour. A digital plan to do it, collect and manage the data is worth undertaking.

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In the world of widely available mobile phones, tablets and small personal computers, the electronic field guides for field identification of different biodiversity components are emerging as a reality. As an example butterflies are suggested here. Butterflies being an exciting charismatic group of insect easy to access and strikingly colorful with distinct and unique pattern to identity, it is easy to do such a thing taking an advantage of the potentials of present IT skills.

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