Satellite data in focus as the Swedish National Space Agency visits IBF
This week, the Institute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF) hosted a meeting with the Swedish National Space Agency (Rymdstyrelsen), bringing together 25 participants from Uppsala University, Uppsala Municipality, Region Uppsala, and the County Administrative Board. The purpose was to explore how satellite data can be used in research and public administration – and how collaboration between academia and government agencies can be strengthened.
“We need to promote collaboration. There is a lack of knowledge and expertise about what can be done with space data and how to use it,” emphasised Ernesto Gutiérrez from the Swedish National Space Agency’s Department of Research and Development.
Iris Lee Thompson, who works with geographic analysis at the Agency, opened the meeting with concrete examples of how satellite data are currently used – for instance in forest mapping, flood risk assessment, and air pollution analysis.
A central part of the Agency’s mission is to fund projects that encourage the use of space-based data. One recent example is IBF’s Visiting Professor of Human Geography, John Östh, who has been awarded funding to establish a national competence centre for the use of satellite data in the social sciences – with IBF as one of several academic partners.
During the meeting, John Östh demonstrated how researchers and public sector actors can use the EU’s Copernicus service, which visualises land data based on selectable parameters.
“It takes a bit of know-how, but after five minutes you can work with data at a resolution of 10 by 10 metres. In urban areas, for example, you can analyse variations in greenery between residential neighbourhoods,” he explained, giving further examples:
“By measuring the density of tree canopies, one can predict the risk of storm damage to infrastructure and buildings.”
The meeting concluded with a call for participants to jointly apply for national and international research funding through the Swedish National Space Agency, and to engage in upcoming programmes aimed at increasing the use of satellite data. IBF offered to serve as a platform for continued collaboration.