Project Brainwave and Sagar Vani System
Science & Technology › IT, Telecommunications and Computers · Topic 14.30
Project Brainwave and Sagar Vani are two unrelated technology systems that are often listed together. Project Brainwave is a Microsoft hardware and software architecture, revealed in August 2017, that uses field programmable gate arrays, FPGAs, to run artificial intelligence models in real time with very low delay. Sagar Vani is an integrated ocean information dissemination system of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, launched on 27 July 2017 by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, INCOIS, Hyderabad. It sends potential fishing zone advisories, ocean state forecasts, high wave alerts and tsunami warnings to fishermen and coastal communities through SMS, voice calls, a mobile app, radio, television, digital boards and social media in local languages.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Science & Technology · IT, Telecommunications and Computers
At a Glance
- Brainwave maker Microsoft, 2017
- Core hardware FPGA
- Sagar Vani agency INCOIS under MoES
- Sagar Vani launch 27 July 2017
- Key service Fishing zone and wave alerts
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Science & Technology: IT, Telecommunications and Computers
Where Does It Fit?
This topic follows the account of broadband policy. It covers one international artificial intelligence platform and one Indian system that uses satellites and ocean data to serve fishermen, showing how technology serves both industry and people. Previous topic: Broadband Policy in India. Next topic: Ransomware Threats (Locky, Petya, WannaCry).
What Is Project Brainwave?
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft, announced at the Hot Chips conference in August 2017 as a real-time artificial intelligence serving platform |
| Hardware | Field programmable gate arrays, which are chips whose circuits can be reconfigured after manufacture to suit a task |
| Aim | Run deep neural network models with very low delay for each request, rather than waiting to collect a batch |
| Software | A compiler and runtime that map models from frameworks to the chips |
| Where used | In Microsoft’s cloud services for search and Azure machine learning |
| FPGA versus GPU | GPUs are fixed parallel processors with high throughput, while FPGAs can be tuned for a specific model and give low delay and good energy efficiency |
| Relevance | Shows the trend of special hardware for artificial intelligence, linked to Cloud Computing and Big Data |
What Is Sagar Vani and What Does It Offer?
- Meaning: Sagar Vani means voice of the ocean
- Launch: launched on 27 July 2017 by the Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on the Foundation Day of the Ministry of Earth Sciences
- Developer: INCOIS, Hyderabad, an autonomous body of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, with a private partner
- Services: Potential Fishing Zone advisories, Ocean State Forecasts, High Wave Alerts, swell surge and tsunami early warnings
- Channels: SMS, voice calls, mobile app, email, social media, digital display boards, radio and television, from one central server
- Languages: Advisories are given in regional languages for coastal states
- Users: Fishermen, coastal communities, ports, shipping and the Navy and Coast Guard
- Data sources: Satellite data on sea surface temperature and chlorophyll, buoys, Argo floats and tide gauges
What Else Should You Remember?
- Potential Fishing Zones: areas where fish are likely to be found, found using satellite ocean colour and temperature data, which saves fuel and time
- Tsunami Early Warning Centre: INCOIS runs India’s centre set up after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which began operations in 2007
- Ocean State Forecast: predictions of wave height, wind, currents and swell
- High wave alert and swell surge: Kallakkadal warnings for sudden sea flooding along the coast
- Tsunami warning role: INCOIS is also a regional tsunami service provider for the Indian Ocean
- Sagar Vani app: mobile application version released for users
- Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services: set up in 1999 and located at Hyderabad
- Ministry of Earth Sciences: formed in 2006 and responsible for weather, climate, ocean and earth science
- Fisheries link: the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana supports fisheries, and alerts support safety of fishermen
- Cyclone warnings: the India Meteorological Department provides cyclone alerts, which complement the ocean advisories
- Safety at sea: transponders on boats allow fishermen to be tracked and warned, as with the NavIC based messaging devices
- Blue economy: ocean services are part of the Deep Ocean Mission launched in 2021
- Digital India link: the system uses mobile and cloud tools, as in Digital India Initiative and E-Governance Programmes
- Language challenge: fishing communities speak many languages, and accurate local language messages are difficult
- Impact: timely alerts have reduced loss of life and boats during storms
- Argo floats: robotic drifters measuring temperature and salinity of the ocean
- Caution: Brainwave is an international private technology while Sagar Vani is an Indian public service, and they should not be confused
Why Does It Matter for the Exam?
- Brainwave: Microsoft, FPGA, real-time AI
- Sagar Vani: INCOIS, MoES, 2017
- Services: PFZ, wave alerts, tsunami
- Current affairs link: Deep Ocean Mission and tsunami drills
- Common errors: saying Sagar Vani is run by ISRO or that Brainwave is a Google project
As an analytical point, special hardware like FPGAs make AI faster and cheaper to run, while ocean information services like Sagar Vani show how science can protect livelihoods. Reaching the last fisherman in the local language is the real test.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Brainwave AI on FPGA
- Sagar Vani Ocean alerts
- Agency INCOIS
What Came Next?
The next topic covers ransomware threats such as Locky, Petya and WannaCry. Next topic: Ransomware Threats (Locky, Petya, WannaCry).
Key People and Terms
- FPGA Field programmable gate array
- INCOIS Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
- PFZ Potential Fishing Zone
- OSF Ocean State Forecast
- Argo Ocean drifting float network
- Tsunami Ocean wave from sudden displacement
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Brainwave: Microsoft, 2017, FPGA.
- Sagar Vani: 27 July 2017.
- INCOIS is at Hyderabad, set up 1999.
- MoES formed 2006.
- Tsunami Early Warning Centre: 2007.
Do Not Confuse With
- Brainwave and Sagar Vani Private AI platform versus public ocean service
- INCOIS and IMD Ocean services versus weather and cyclones
- FPGA and GPU Reconfigurable versus fixed parallel chip
Memory Hook
Brainwave thinks on FPGA; Sagar Vani speaks from INCOIS to fishermen.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for the agency, launch and services. These points help.
- Technology AI hardware
- Public good Ocean alerts
- Reach Local languages
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“How does technology help in protecting the livelihoods of fishermen? Explain with reference to Sagar Vani.”
How to Answer
- Need Safety and fishing.
- System Sagar Vani.
- Data Satellites and buoys.
- Gaps Last mile.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Project Brainwave?
Project Brainwave is a real-time artificial intelligence platform of Microsoft, announced in 2017, which uses field programmable gate arrays to run deep neural network models with very low delay. It is used in Microsoft's cloud services to serve AI predictions quickly and efficiently.
What is an FPGA?
A field programmable gate array is an integrated circuit whose internal connections can be changed after it is made, so it can be set up to do a particular job in hardware. FPGAs are used in networking, signal processing and AI acceleration, as they combine speed with flexibility.
What is Sagar Vani?
Sagar Vani, meaning voice of the ocean, is an integrated information dissemination system launched on 27 July 2017 by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. INCOIS in Hyderabad runs it to send fishing zone advisories, ocean state forecasts, high wave alerts and tsunami warnings to coastal communities in local languages.
Which agency issues tsunami warnings in India?
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, INCOIS, in Hyderabad runs the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre, set up after the 2004 tsunami. It detects earthquakes and sea level changes and issues warnings, and it also serves as a tsunami service provider for the wider Indian Ocean region.
What is a potential fishing zone advisory?
A potential fishing zone advisory is information on where fish are likely to be found in the sea, worked out from satellite data on sea surface temperature and the amount of chlorophyll. It helps fishermen to save time and fuel and increase their catch, and it is issued by INCOIS in regional languages.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 INCOIS is located at Hyderabad.
It runs Sagar Vani.
2 Sagar Vani was launched by ISRO.
It is a Ministry of Earth Sciences system.
3 Project Brainwave uses FPGAs.
For real-time AI.
4 Potential fishing zone advisories use data on sea surface temperature.
And chlorophyll concentration.
Past Mains Questions on This Topic
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