ISRO develops second-generation distress alert transmitter for fishermen

ISRO has developed a second-generation ‘Distress Alert Transmitter’ (DAT), incorporating advanced satellite communication and navigation capabilities that allow fishermen at sea to send emergency messages from fishing boats and get acknowledgement in real time.

The DAT has been operational since 2010 and more than 20,000 of them are currently in use, the space agency said. The messages are sent through a communication satellite and received at a central control station (INMCC: Indian Mission Control Centre) where the alert signals are decoded for the identity and location of the fishing boat, according to an ISRO statement.