How we use satellite data to improve lives and protect the environment

It’s UN World Space Week, during which we celebrate the ways that space science and technology benefit humanity. This year’s theme is “Satellites improve lives”, a statement that resonates with us at GRID-Arendal because we work on a number of projects that are made possible by satellite data.

Thousands of human-made satellites are currently orbiting the Earth. Many of them provide critical services such as mobile phone communication and GPS navigation, while more than 650 of them are Earth observation (EO) satellites that gather information about the planet. EO satellites are well-known for collecting data that help predict weather patterns and monitor climate change, but they also provide information that can be used to track things like pollution, the spread of diseases, and refugee movements.

Collecting information via satellites can have advantages over collecting information on the ground. It can be less costly when you’re monitoring large areas. It can be less risky because it doesn’t require workers to go into areas with natural hazards or social unrest. And during the current pandemic, it can be done without exposing anyone to COVID-19.

“People might be surprised at all of the different ways that satellite images can be used to advance environmental and development work. Earth observation data are helping us to protect forests, monitor endangered species, and even work towards peace.”

– Siri Olsson, GRID-Arendal’s Environmental Crime Programme

The quality, quantity, availability, and affordability of satellite data have improved significantly over the last decade, making it more useful and more accessible than ever before.

Still, high-resolution satellite imagery remains very costly and is out of reach for many who work to protect the rainforests of the world. This is why the Norwegian government recently purchased images of the world’s rainforests in the highest resolution possible, through a 400 million NOK ($43 million) deal with Kongsberg Satellite Services. The images will be made freely available by the end of this year. This is an important contribution to the fight against illegal logging.

The director of Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) recently published an op-ed explaining why this purchase of satellite images is so important for international development and environmental protection, including efforts to fight forest crime.

“It can seem like David’s fight against Goliath, but that is just an even a bigger reason to be ‘armed’. Sharp, detailed, and freely available satellite imagery that provides information in an instant is such a weapon.”

– Bård Vegar Solhjell, Director of Norad

GRID-Arendal also collaborates with the UN Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), which develops solutions to address the limited access developing countries have to specialized technologies that can be essential in the management of disasters and the reduction of disaster risks.

Recently we were a partner in the ECOPOTENTIAL project, which used EO from remote sensing as well as field measurements and modelling to understand and monitor changes to ecosystems and support the effective management of protected areas in Europe.

This year, we have joined the new WorldWater project, which aims to demonstrate how global EO data can be used to systematically and accurately measure inland surface water resources. The project will take advantage of current satellite systems and new algorithms to develop tools that can support water managers all over the world, starting with five pilot countries.