History of Geoscience Information in India

Summary

Ancient literature of India contains many references to fundamental concepts and facts of Geology, Mineralogy and Metallurgy. The scientific achievements and mining activities of the medieval period were described by Alberoni and Marco Polo. Modern geology and allied subjects were introduced in the Indian Universities in the last quarter of the 19th Century while the Geological Survey of India, founded in 1851 brought out the first publication, a Memoir, in 1856. Growth of geological publications progressed and almost synchronised with the establishment of more and more institutions and societies. The INSDOC is the main documentation centre in the Country and publishes a Directory of Indian Scientific Periodicals annually. Among the principal national agencies which are involved in collection, storage and retrieval of geological information are the GSI, IBM, NGRI, ONGC, CMP&DI, and NIO. A National Information System for Science & Technology (NISSAT) was established under the Department of Science & Technology (DST) in 1977 to integrate and coordinate the existing and future scientific and technical information sources, systems and services into an organised and effective network. It publishes a Quarterly news letter. Many of the State Language Akademis are also publishing books on Geology, written originally or translations from English.