Satellites for Sustainable Development

 

When it comes to protecting the environment and tracking changes in our climate, satellites and drones have become indispensable. If only there wasn’t the issue of all that space debris… In RESET’s latest special feature, we’ve been taking a look at the potentials – and pitfalls – of satellites and drones for a sustainable future on this planet.

Building, but Sustainably: Can a Digitally-Enabled Reforestation Project Restructure the Construction Sector?

Concrete, aluminium and steel are not the most sustainable building materials - especially in warm, humid climates. A reforestation project now aims to combine the ecological, economic and social components of sustainability in the construction sector.

UrbanSky: Can Cheap Balloon-Based Images Help Disaster Relief and Civil Society?

A US startup hopes its 'mircoballoon' platform can provide aerial photography to a new host of users, including charities, farmers and rescuers.

Rainforest Alert: Combining Technology With Indigenous Rights to Help Protect the Amazon

Satellites have long been used to monitor deforestation, but how can that data be used to actively create results on the ground?

Cloud Seeding: The UAE Experiments with Laser-Equipped Drones to Create Artificial Rain

Water security is increasingly becoming one of the fundamental issues of the 21st century, especially for states in the dryer and more arid regions of the world. With water forming the basis of all life, some nations are adopting increasingly radical solutions to ensure a fresh supply of water. For example, states such as the

Satellite Photography May Hold the Key to Learning How Scotland’s Precious Peatland ‘Breathes’

Poorly understood peatlands have long been carelessly exploited, releasing their stored up carbon. With the help of satellites and advanced software, researchers now hope to accurately measure their vital signs.

Interview: OpenSpaceData Wants to Democratise Access to Satellite Data

The satellite images made during large ESA and NASA space missions are freely accessible to the general public - in theory at least. But in reality, not everyone can use them. Niklas Jordan wants to change that, with his project OpenSpaceData.

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RESET Live Talk @re:publica 2021: “Satellites for Sustainability”

Satellites are powerful weapons in the fight against deforestation, overfishing and plastic waste. But there are downsides too, to the recent huge increase in the number of satellites orbiting the Earth. In RESET's upcoming event at the re:publica conference 2021, we'll be taking a closer look at projects using satellites for the good of the planet, and discussing a whole range of different solutions for sustainable space travel.

Using Satellite Data to Map Air Pollution and Improve Health

NASA scientists will be teaming up with epidemiologists in the agency’s first health-focused mission. With satellite data, they’ll find out how air pollution affects health in cities around the world.

Global Fishing Watch: Monitoring Fishing From Above

A decade ago, it would have been impossible to create an accurate picture of the world's fisheries. But advances in satellite technology, cloud computing and machine learning have made it possible.