Making satellite technologies work for sustainable development

By Flavie Halais

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Recent catastrophes — including hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, heavy monsoon rains in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, and a landslide in Sierra Leone — are poignant reminders that natural disasters and other extreme weather events are on the rise. Reaching the objectives outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction will be essential to mitigate the impact of those events. This, in turn, will require the global development and humanitarian aid communities to form efficient partnerships with space agencies and satellite operators, as well as advocating for more equitable data sharing practices between countries.

The potential impact of using satellite communications for development and aid purposes — and the role of development professionals in bringing the technology to those who need it the most — is great.

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Satellite technologies are spurring new types of collaborations between stakeholders who may not be familiar with each other, including space agencies, satellite operators, government ministries, research institutions, and development organizations.

“They’re very distinct communities,” GEO’s Ryan explained. “The scientific and technology communities … don’t generally know about the SDG process, and many people involved in the SDG process don’t really know about Earth observation and geospatial data, so we have a key role to play in bridging those gaps.”

Some countries have historically focused on producing data for themselves, without seeing the value of collaborating on a global level, Ryan said. But that is changing.

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