About the session
Dr Lawrence discusses how satellite information is assisting around the globe to provide greater insights into global sustainability. She demonstrates how the information is being used to understand the short term and long-term needs of regions and countries, how it is assisting in the measuring and monitoring of the challenges facing them and in the communication of the outcomes to decision-makers.
We will have to adapt in the future to the effects of climate change. The world’s population is predicted to grow to 9 billion by 2050 and these people will need feeding. Climate disasters will continue to bring devastation to areas around the world. Sea levels are rising and ice caps are melting.
Global issues such as climate change, agriculture, disaster monitoring, earth observation and many other challenges will need ubiquitous, global solutions if they are to be managed. Space systems will be needed for monitoring the health of our planet and its resources.
Satellite systems offer unmatched capabilities for widespread and regular monitoring of the Earth. Satellite systems are starting to yield widespread, near-real-time information on climate variables and environmental factors: land usage; crop health; flood monitoring; levels of deforestation; water management; meteorology, and many other vital data sets.
So what sort of engineering demands are these applications making on future remote sensing systems? Where are improvements needed, and how can they be achieved? How can satellite systems assist the measuring and monitoring of sustainable life on Earth?
