EARTH OBSERVATION DATA (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)
Context: Earth observation data can generate over USD 3 trillion in economic benefits globally and help eliminate two gigatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually by 2030, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum.
Earth Observation Data
- About: It is a unique source of commensurable information. It can be combined with administrative, social and economic data at multiple scales for in-depth policy analysis.
- High-Resolution Dataset
o High Resolution: The dataset offers a high-resolution of 38 meters.
o Temporal Coverage: It provides multi-temporal data spanning from 1975 to present, updated yearly since 2017.
o Built-Up Area Extent: Measures the extent of built-up areas and the timing of their development.
- Applications of Built-Up Area Data
o Regional Summaries: The data provides summaries of built-up areas by administrative regions.
o Impact Assessment: Useful for assessing the impacts of land use policies.
o Urbanization Patterns: Helps understand local, regional, and global patterns of urbanization.
Key Point of Report
- Environmental monitoring – satellites and aircraft-borne sensors can monitor CO2 and methane emissions, pinpoint emissions sources like oil and gas pipeline leaks;
- Early warning – EO can be used to better characterise wildfire risk and to spot wildfires faster among others;
- Shipping route optimisation;
- Precision agriculture, including monitoring plant health and nutrient uptake from soil;
- Supply chain monitoring to detect illegal deforestation, etc.
Earth Observation
- About: It involves the use of remote sensing technologies to monitor land, marine, and atmosphere.
- Satellite-based Imaging: EO utilizes satellite-mounted payloads to collect imaging data about the Earth's characteristics.
- Data Processing: The collected images are processed and analyzed to extract various types of information for diverse applications.
