India 7,500-kilometre coastline is home to millions of fishermen and coastal communities whose livelihoods and lives depend on the sea. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Hyderabad, stands between their lives and ocean hazards. From issuing tsunami alerts within minutes to guiding fishermen toward productive fishing zones via a smartphone app, INCOIS has become one of India’s most successful scientific institutions. A parliamentary statement was given by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences, in the Lok Sabha on April 1, 2026.
From Hyderabad to the High Seas
Established in 1999 as a unit of the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO), INCOIS began with a focused mandate of delivering Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories to Indian fishermen using satellite-derived ocean data. Its founding director, Dr A. Narendra Nat, had earlier led a similar effort under the National Remote Sensing Centre before the project grew into its own institution. Over the decades, INCOIS expanded its remit substantially. Today, it is a permanent member of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), a designated Regional Tsunami Service Provider for the Indian Ocean Rim and the National Oceanographic Data Centre of India.
The institution’s most important infrastructure addition came in October 2007, when the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) was established at INCOIS, in the aftermath of the catastrophic 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami. Backed by a network of seismic stations, tide gauges and ocean sensors, the ITEWC now provides tsunami alerts within 10 minutes. Helping not just India but 28 countries across the Indian Ocean Rim. This round-the-clock vigilance has earned INCOIS recognition from UNESCO as a top Tsunami Service Provider.
Reaching India’s Coastline, District by District
The parliamentary disclosure revealed the operational granularity with which INCOIS functions. Ocean information services are currently extended across all 12 coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, including Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Krishna, Prakasam and Srikakulam. Among others are across 6 coastal districts of Odisha: Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Ganjam.
The reach extends all the way down to Fish Landing Centres (FLC), the physical nodes where fishing boats dock, and fishermen gather. In Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh, services are extended through 5 FLCs. In Jagatsinghpur, 11 FLCs are covered, and in Puri, as many as 20 FLCs facilitate direct access to ocean information for local communities.
Approximately 8 lakh fishermen and coastal stakeholders receive PFZ advisories and other INCOIS services. Within Andhra Pradesh alone, around 1,03,915 users are reached directly, while Odisha accounts for approximately 1,58,711 users, which reflects years of sustained outreach rather than passive registration.
Multi-Channel Dissemination: No Fisherman Left Behind
The challenge of ocean safety communication is not just technology-based, but it is logistical. INCOIS addresses this problem through a multi-channel dissemination architecture that spans SMS, email, WhatsApp, Telegram, community radio, social media, satellite-based communication systems, including the GEMINI platform and VOIP phones. Advisories are issued in local languages, making them accessible to fishermen who may not be able to understand other languages.
An important pillar of this architecture is its integration with the Common Alert Protocol (CAP) based SACHET platform, which enables seamless transmission of ocean warnings to State and District authorities for onward dissemination. This bridges the last mile between scientific prediction and administrative action.
Beyond direct communication, INCOIS also works through partner organisations like NGOs, Reliance Foundation, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and State Fisheries Departments, to amplify its reach to communities that may not be reachable through digital channels alone.
SAMUDRA: A One-Stop Ocean App
In August 2023, INCOIS launched the SAMUDRA (Smart Access to Marine Users for Ocean Data Resources and Advisories) mobile application, described by INCOIS Director Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala as a tool that would catalyse sustainable ocean activities, enabling a way forward for the Blue Economy. The app is now available in eight coastal languages and serves as a one-stop interface for all INCOIS services.
SAMUDRA delivers real-time alerts for tsunamis, storm surges, high waves and swell surges. It provides PFZ advisory that guides fishermen towards probable fish aggregation areas, reducing both fuel consumption and search time at sea. It is a meaningful economic benefit for small-scale fishing households. Five-day Ocean State Forecasts enable advance planning for mariners and coastal communities. All these channels are actively deployed in the Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh, Jagatsinghpur and Puri districts of Odisha.
In early 2026, INCOIS announced SAMUDRA 2.0, an upgraded version that added TUNA advisories and small vessel alerts to improve map-based features reflecting the institution’s commitment towards improvement as user needs evolve.
Tsunami Ready: Building Resilient Communities
Beyond early warning systems, INCOIS supports community preparedness through the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready programme. Under this initiative, coastal villages undergo structured readiness assessments and receive official status as Tsunami Ready communities. In Odisha, five coastal villages, each in Jagatsinghpur and Puri districts, have already been recognised under the programme.
UNESCO has noted that INCOIS played a key role in implementing the Tsunami Ready programme across 26 communities in Odisha State, with plans to expand to over 400 villages across Odisha and Kerala by 2030. The institution also conducts regular tsunami mock drills, beach cleanliness drives, capacity-building workshops and user interaction sessions across coastal districts. These activities have been particularly active in Konaseema, Jagatsinghpur, and Puri.
National and International Recognition
INCOIS work has attracted significant external recognition. In January 2025, it was selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar-2025 in the Institutional Category, chosen from 297 nominations for its tsunami and ocean hazard early warning contributions. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 51 lakh. In 2024, it also received the Geospatial World Excellence in Maritime Services Award. INCOIS has deployed the Search and Rescue Aided Tool (SARAT) to assist the Indian Coast Guard and Navy in locating persons lost at sea, and its SynOPS visualisation platform integrates real-time data for disaster response coordination. A capability that has proved its value during cyclones Phailin (2013) and Hudhud (2014), when INCOIS advisories enabled timely evacuations of citizens.
What makes INCOIS distinctive is that it sits at the intersection of cutting-edge ocean science and grassroots public service. Numerical ocean models, data assimilation systems and high-performance computing infrastructure power forecasts, which are ultimately translated into WhatsApp messages and local-language SMS sent to fishermen before dawn.
India’s Blue Economy ambitions across fishing, shipping, offshore energy and coastal tourism depend on a reliable ocean information infrastructure. INCOIS, through its expanding services, multilingual platforms and community outreach, is building an alert society. It is evident how far scientific institutions can reach when purpose-built to serve people, not just knowledge.
