The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur has launched a unique initiative to conserve and restore theThar desert, its Minerals, medicines, and Fauna by carrying out ecosystem phenomics through the transdisciplinary framework of medical, engineering, environmental and life sciences.
The initiative called DESERT ECOSYSTEM Sciences Guided by Nature and Selection (DESIGNS) was launched under the aegis of theJodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Cluster.
This has been one of the largest natural laboratories for evolving innovative ‘designs’ that ensure the adaptation and survival of its constituent species, their interdependencies and the conservation of the entire ecosystem.
Under this initiative, the researchers will use IOT enabled devices and Big Data analytics framework to crowd source observations from the local ecosystem to the regional level keeping the cultural context and traditional medicine knowledge in perspective.