The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing is an institute for research, higher education, and training in the fields of remote sensing, eco-informatics, and GPS technology for natural resources, environmental, and disaster management.
It was established with the collaboration of the government of the Netherlands on the pattern of the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) of the University of Twente, formerly known as the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences.
The original idea of setting the institute came from India's first prime minister, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, during his visit to the Netherlands in 1957.
Technology and applications of remote sensing, GIS, and GPS are taught in the form of training and education.
IIRS has collaborated with ITC; IHE (International Institute for Infrastructural, Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering); Wageningen University in the Netherlands; ITTO (International Timber Research Organization); UNESCO; WMO (World Meteorological Organisation); ADPC (Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre); and NGI (Norwegian Geological Institute).