Rapidly changing Earth observation data could provide new answers to the growing challenge of building and planning infrastructure in a small country more frequently facing extreme weather events.
That’s the argument of EY Oceania space tech leader Anthony Jones, who said high-resolution satellite imagery data with artificial Intelligence and machine learning could reduce the time it takes to respond to infrastructure breakdowns and potentially even stop them happening in the first place.
MBIE’s Catalyst Fund pays for activities that initiate, develop and foster collaborations taking advantage of international science and innovation for New Zealand’s benefit.
Up to $6 million is earmarked to support New Zealand researchers to participate in collaborative research projects through Australia’s SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre, with work focusing on Earth observation, space situational awareness and optical communications.
Last week, this included bringing Jones to New Zealand to extol the benefits of satellite data to the private and public sector, as technology costs come down and the amount of data increases.
Average cost of successful Earth observation satellite builds and launches
Although the man-made satellite is no new phenomena – Sputnik 1 launched into orbit nearly 70 years ago – Jones said the past few years had seen enormous growth in the sector, not least due to AI technology allowing for the analysis of oceans of data.
“We’re at an inflection point where the awareness of the data sets is coming to market,” Jones said. “There’s been a real surge in last two years – in technology, innovation, understanding and investment.”
Jones said the space industry had historically been very defence-dominated and is now looking at other applications.
It’s an attitude that surely fits the mood in New Zealand, where Judith Collins became the first Minister of Space in November.
Collins is speaking at a globally attended Space Symposium in Colorado this week, where she would try to sell New Zealand as a prime destination for private sector aerospace.
“As one of the largest global space events, attended by more than 10,000 business and government representatives from a host of countries, the Space Symposium presents an excellent opportunity to support and promote New Zealand trade interests and companies,” Collins said
“New Zealand is an attractive place for space-related business. I will use this visit to promote our advantages, including geography, clear skies, infrastructure, skills, a nimble regulatory regime and the ease of doing business here.”
But are there benefits for New Zealand outside these muscular companies setting up base and theoretically providing jobs, or at the least the occasional spectacle of a rocket launch?
Jones said keeping an eye on space tech could help New Zealand deal with its own particular brand of infrastructure issues – be it the volatility of water-soaked cliffs above roads and rails of coastal New Zealand, or rail services disrupted by weekly cancellations and delays.
“In New Zealand there’s been a recognition and an appetite to think about the problems that the country has experienced in the last little while, in the way that they can do things better,” he said.
“This is one of those things that you know will be here disrupting, transforming the way people do things in the next five to 10 years, the question is is it five years, 10 years, or one year, or now? Given the climatic experiences you’ve had, you are presented with a series of challenges where the data sets could actually make a big difference in the way you measure infrastructure resilience.”
The idea is that by using satellite data from space we can monitor infrastructure remotely, zooming in to spot small problems before they become big ones.
This isn’t just about the visual, either. Satellites are increasingly able to use other forms of detection like radar, which can be used to pick up the presence of water down to the millimetre, and newly-fledged hyperspectral sensors which can detect specific species of plant.
This data can be used to measure things like patterns of water pooling, embankment stability, erosion risk and culvert performance, as well as near real-time monitoring for disasters like floods and fires.
EY Oceania transport leader Neal Johnston said this meant rail operators wouldn’t need to send out helicopters or drones to assess damage.
“We can see every square metre of the Earth down to a resolution of 30 centimetres. That’s the power of satellite data.”
Jones said the technology also had applications for issues that have plagued New Zealand’s environment like forestry slash. With prices for data coming down as supply increases, it was becoming more economically feasible by the year to use.
“In 2013, around 50 Earth observation satellites were in orbit. A decade later there are more than 1,000,” he said. “The cost of launching a satellite is just 8 percent of what it was in the year 2000.”
Other applications of satellite data have been explored by food and fibre sector think tank Te Puna Whakaaronui.
Research from the group found earth observation data can be used to automate environmental assurance checks, measure emissions and verify things like riparian zone management on farms.
Shifts in the satellite industry have not just been about scale and pace – the private sector has not only entered the sector, it has essentially taken it over.
Between 2000 and 2009, 26 percent of new satellites were commercial. Between 2020 and 2022, that figure had risen to 88 percent.
And while the number of satellites in orbit rose almost six times, more than eight times the volume of data is being streamed back down to terra firma.
Questions are also being raised about the implications of such satellite data for privacy.
EY Oceania’s Chief Sustainability Officer Mathew Nelson said the private sector moving into a sector that had largely been the realm of governments should prompt discussion.
“The ethics and governance of Earth observation have not been discussed much, despite the growing capabilities and volumes of data collected by private entities,” he said. “Managing these risks will be hugely important because misuse of observation data — intended or not — could cause operators to lose their social license to operate.”
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