PROTECTING EARTH FROM SPACE
Data from Earth Observation (EO) satellites are some of the most important assets brought to us by the birth of the space age in the late 1950s. They benefit our daily lives in many ways, helping us to understand our planet and secure our environment.
Invaluable for monitoring natural disasters and how climate change is affecting all of us, researchers at Surrey are using satellite technology to help the United Nations accurately verify and monitor many of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), designed to encourage prosperity while protecting the planet.
All UN member countries have signed up to the 17 SDGs to end poverty and inequality worldwide by 2030 and to do so without damaging our environment. However, many don’t have the resources to adequately track how progress is being made. Research in Surrey’s Centre for Environment and Sustainability (CES), in partnership with the National Physical Laboratory and with the support of Surrey Space Centre, aims to make data collection much easier, more efficient and cheaper to conduct.
Professor Stephen Morse, Chair in Systems Analysis for Sustainability, said: “EO is now much more cost-effective because satellites are cheaper and more powerful in terms of resolution.
“While the use of EO to monitor deforestation and land use change is well established, we are focusing much more on socio-economic indicators. For example, tracking how many hospitals there are in a particular region and their road access can give a clear indication of how far a country is meeting SDG 3 to ensure healthy lives.”
As part of the research, PhD student Ana Andries, who is supported by the Natural Environment Research Council’s SCENARIO Doctoral Training Partnership, has developed a case study on Romania to monitor corruption for one of the indicators of SDG 16 which focuses on upholding the rule of law and access to justice.
All UN member countries have signed up to the 17 SDGs to end poverty and inequality worldwide by 2030 and to do so without damaging our environment.
Using images of the Earth at night has enabled Ana to gain an insight into building activity in Romania and she has been able to equate that activity to published data on levels of corruption. Seven counties were monitored and three of them significantly increased their amount of night-time lights compared to the other four, indicating evidence of potential regional favouritism and possible corruption.
Ana said:
“EO can provide a robust means of obtaining data for indicators – not only for environmental purposes but also the socio-economic indicators such as bribery.”
The ability to to monitor substainable practices from space may transform our ability to protect our planet for ourselves and for future generations.
surrey.ac.uk/centre-environment-sustainability
SURREY.AC.UK
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