Here is the final part of our series of posts about how the space industry can positively affect our world, and how ESA’s projects help each of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs).

13 - Climate Action 

This goal aims to take urgent action in the combat against climate change and its impacts. 

To collaborate with this goal, ESA is involved in research in the Arctic and Antarctic, and in projects that monitor ice sheets, desertification, landslides, ocean, and surface moisture. For example, ESA’s Earth Explorer CryoSat mission is dedicated to monitoring polar sea ice thickness, and Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets change. ESA is also involved in climate change initiatives and motoring the atmospheric composition. 

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), ESA’s water mission, has been in orbit for over a decade, surpassing its planned lifetime and original scientific goals. It was initially designed to provide soil moisture and ocean salinity data, vital components of water cycle. SMOS helps understand the exchange processes between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere, which improves weather forecasts and contributes to climate research. With drought more common, entrepreneurs use soil moisture information to develop commercial products for the insurance market, benefiting farmers.

ESA’s project, Desert Watch, envisioned developing a geo-information system to create a set of maps and indicators to monitor desertification, droughts, and land degradation globally, using Earth Observation (EO) technologies. Supporting national authorities in reporting to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the project initially focused on the Northern Mediterranean countries (Annex IV countries). However, it was adapted to emerging developing countries’ needs where access to field measurements is limited and dispersed. However, desertification affects several countries worldwide, it is particularly distressing in the least developed countries, mainly in Africa, where the available data, technological knowledge, and tools are limited. Combating desertification is essential to ensuring the long-term productivity of inhabited drylands. 

Rockfalls and landslides in areas with unstable geology can have human and economic consequences, not only for coastal and mountainous regions but also for the transport infrastructure across Europe. CGI conducted a study within the framework of ESA’s ARTES 20 program, Live Land. The study aimed to identify integrated data service to reduce disruption and costs related to landslide and the risk of disruptions in Scotland’s rail transport networks. Gamma Remote Sensing Consulting MATIST project, also within the framework of ESA’s ARTES 20 program, aimed to verify the possibility to used individual technologies combined to collect information about ground motion mountainous regions of Switzerland and Austria, very dense rail networks areas. 

Satellite images from Earth Observation data, combined with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), satellite communications systems, in situ observations, and a central management system, are powerful tools for undertaking a vast geological range challenges across large areas with reasonable frequency. It allows the understanding of ground motions of transport infrastructure areas and can provide economic benefits to users. 

After natural disasters such as Earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, take years for communities without immediate access to necessities, like healthcare, to recover from the destruction. Satellites help in the transitions, such as the system designed by the Institute for Space Medicine (MEDES) and Local Insight Global Impact (LIGI), supported by ESA through its integrated Applications program. It has been providing access to healthcare in Haiti since the massive earthquake in 2010, by using satellite telephones and satellite navigation.

The system is intended for locations with scarce medical professionals and limited communications due to the disaster’s damage, as telephone cables can be blown down. The interface is easy to be used, guiding the user through a series of steps to send an SMS via satellite or a ground-based system. Even a non-healthcare professional can be trained to use it, making up for local professionals’ lack. The symptoms reported are accessed via Internet by a health system, and Feedback is giving within a few minutes. The real-time data help early detection of potential epidemics by identifying similar symptoms. It offers more efficient use of resources, information, and knowledge. 

14 - Life below Water 

This goal aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for development. 

ESA is involved in ocean-related projects, such as sustainable fishing, tracking marine animals and vessels with satellites, and maritime security. Also, Copernicus marine projects. 

ESA has programs dedicated to oceans and blue economy for many years, forming a group of initiatives that provide data and services for the maritime world. ESA Member States have the most extensive maritime exclusive economic zone globally. The “blue economy” represented about 5.4 million jobs and a gross added value of almost €500 billion a year in 2019. Global situational awareness of maritime spaces, the ability to monitor, control, defend, connect, and utilize the maritime territory, its resources, and its pathways are vital to our safety and security and economic, environmental, and geopolitical interests. 

Satellite services are vital for seas and oceans, as they are large areas far from ground infrastructure. They are also areas with no population, a delicate ecosystem, and essential for climate and economy. Blue Worlds Task Force aims to use space technology to identify the most efficient shipping routes for lower energy consumption and verify reductions in exhaust-gas pollution. It will allow autonomous ships to reduce energy by using navigation and onboard systems. The project could also improve port management, enable telemedicine and onboard diagnosis, avoiding unnecessary re-route, or rescue helicopters and ships. The project targets haul shipping, ferries, and inland waterway vessels, coastal and urban water transport. Autonomous shipping offers a climate-friendly alternative to trucking and reduces the services necessary to support a crew. 

As mentioned, SMOS mission provides global data for predictive hydrological, oceanographic, and atmospheric models. It also grants data on vegetation, drought index, flood risks, surface ocean winds in storms, freeze/thaw state, sea ice, and its effect on ocean-atmosphere heat fluxes and dynamics affecting large-scale processes of Earth’s climate system. 

The Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) was developed to help environmental, business, and scientific sectors, as marine data is critical for sustainable growth in the European Union. It uses satellite and in situ observations data to provide analyses and forecasts daily, allowing to observe, understand, and predict marine environment events. It is an open and free service for public and private users, giving answers to climate and marine challenges, providing data and tools for multiple fields. CMEMS is used for European and Regional decision-makers to provide service related to pollution combat and monitoring, coastal environment, water quality, maritime safety, renewable energies, and offshore activities. 

The Mediterranean’s migrant crisis reinforced the importance of satellite technology to save lives at sea. Space tech helps with all aspects of maritime security, including search and rescue, anti-terrorism, anti-piracy, anti-drugs operation, and environmental and fisheries protection. 

SAT-AIS resulted from ESA’s project supporting the European Maritime Safety Agency’s (EMSA) Blue Belt pilot program. The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a short-range coastal tracking system used on ships for identification and provide position information.  Ships emit AIS messages received by other vessels and shore stations; however, the coverage is limited to about 74km from the coast. Using satellite detection of AIS signals allows continuous tracking in extended range towards the high seas, with the possibility of worldwide coverage, and without changes in ships’ equipment. Customs authorities of EU Member States received a timely notification report before the arrival of a blue ship to an EU port, knowing the vessel’s journey beyond the coastal region. Blue Belt pilot project goal is to help EU customs authorities with data on ships, their journey, and their cargoes within the EU.

Satellite is also used to monitor wildlife helping environmental research and nature preservation. Under the ARTES 5.1 activity, ESA supported the development of a low-cost wildlife tag. The tag has a transmitter powered by a solar battery, which sends short-duration messages to the Argos satellite monitoring system. Migrating marine animals were the project’s initial target, which envisioned extend to terrestrial wildlife and birds. The project can promote benefits to society and technological development. Monitoring migrating marine helps understand the effects of global changes and human activities on the marine ecosystem.

15 - Life on Land 

This goal aims to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss.  

ESA has projects related to forestry and monitoring forest degradation, deforestation prevention, burned forestal area surveillance, biodiversity tracking, and land use detection. Such as GlobCover’s, whose goal was to deliver a global land cover map using observation data from the MERIS sensor onboard the ENVISAT satellite mission.  

Identification and surveillance of land cover are also vital for burned areas and evaluate fires’ environmental impacts. ESA’s project, Burned Area Land Use Change Detection (BALU), envisioned identifying land-use changes over burned areas and evaluating forest fires’ damages using environmental indicators. It provided end-user with content-sensitive maps, compatible with Geographic Information System (GIS) and the Italian Environment reporting system (SINAnet), with local and regional environmental data from EO. 

Communication satellites and cellular services are used by ESA to deliver vital data to have fewer trees used to produce timber. It is changing how the forest industry harvests trees. Using Satcoms, via a computer, managers can guide operators in cutting the trees to make the best use, as not all trees are created the same; therefore, they serve a different purpose and need different types of cuts. Cutting down sawlog trees for pulp production is a waste and reduces the crop’s worth. Before the project, the data was transferred to employee-manager-employee via email, phone, or face-to-face, which was time-consuming. Using Satcoms, SATMODO’s is a hybrid satellite/terrestrial wireless device installed in the vehicle providing a two-way near-realtime contact with the harvesting machines, allowing the harvest to be determined almost immediately on the spot, instead of after cutting the entire forest. It also provides a safety net for harvesters working in remote locations, keeping them connected in areas where land-based mobile networks don’t work. The project was developed by the Irish company Treemetrics and supported by ESA under the ARTES Program. 

In a follow-up activity, the SATMODO system was extended to be used by forwarder machines. These vehicles collect piles of partially processed timber in the forest and take it to the roadside, from where it is sent to sawmills. The system was improved to display a map to operators, finding and transporting logs partly processed and stacked at specified locations. It supports independent owner-operators by supplying navigation capabilities and security options to safeguard their equipment. For forest owners, it provides data on logging yields. It also supports sawmills by enabling them to adjust incoming supply by dispatching to operators the type of timber in demand.

ESA also supports tracking biodiversity, different types of organisms in Earth’s ecosystems. However, it is challenging to quantify biodiversity because it can’t be estimated in physical units. Some of the factors that affect diversity are temperature, precipitation, altitude, soils, geography, and other species’ presence. To monitor biodiversity globally using satellites, cooperation among the remote-sensing communities is necessary, surpassing limitations of satellite imagery. Satellite remote sensing is vital to observe globally the set of biodiversity variables defined by researchers, such as data on vegetation productivity and leaf cover that can be measured across continents from space. Supported by ESA, Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite mission’s multispectral camera provides data on Earth’s land and vegetation, water cover, inland waterways, and coastal areas. 

16 - Peace and Justice - Strong Institutions 

This resolution aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. Also, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. 

ESA’s help in identifying illegal actions and election processes. ESA’s projects are also related to Maritime surveillance and ship’s movement detection. 

ESA’s project offered eTraining via satellite in support of Congo’s (Africa) electoral cycles. It was the first-ever eLearning on practical electoral assistance and administration. This project aimed to demonstrate how SatElections system and services can implement an effective and sustainable solution for audio, video, and data transmission, supporting African electoral cycles. It uses satellite tech broadcast modules and creates internal electoral management bodies for data transmission. 

As mentioned, ESA supported a Norwegian satellite’s construction, SAT-AIS, to improve ships’ identification and track overseas. AIS was initially used to avoid collisions, but now it is also used to track vessels, prevent pollution, aid in the movement of dangerous goods, and promote routine surveillance.  

Satellites can monitor the whole planet and improve the surveillance system. It helps monitor oceans, trafficking of people, unlicensed fishing, and piracy. With international collaboration, satellite imagery can be used to locate and track vessels, monitor beaches, and ports, and detect unlicensed fishing and illicit oil discharges. In addition to spaceborne receivers pick up identification messages transmitted by large vessels.  

17 - Partnership 

This goal aims to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. 

For that, ESA is partnering with other space agencies, companies, and institutions. 

There are many other projects related to the 17 goals that ESA is involved in; for more, access ESA’s or UN’s websites. 

Here are part one, part two, and part 3, if you missed it.

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This article was written by Juliane Verissímo - Marketing Department of VisionSpace.