Continuity of Earth Observation Data for Australia: Research ... - csiro

this survey has enabled respondents to gain greater awareness and familiarity with the diverse range of EO
data sources that are being planned for future use.
1.3 Objectives
This report, CEODA-R&D, seeks to address the following objectives.
1. To report the outcomes of a survey conducted by CSIRO to characterise satellite and airborne EO
data requirements and gaps in Australia’s EO-related R&D sector, including
• the importance of the availability of the EO data in support of the R&D project outcomes,
and the role and magnitude of the R&D in support of operational government or commercial
programs and their related social and economic impact for Australia
• data types of special importance to the R&D sector, based on the criticality of the data
availability to the outcomes and whether certain data types are critical to multiple projects.
2. To determine how EOS data requirements are presumed to be satisfied by existing and planned
satellite systems, to document the nature of the supporting arrangements for access by Australia
and, where possible, to define how these requirements are expected to evolve in the next ten
years, including identifying
• which EOS missions are a priority for guaranteed access by Australia’s R&D community over
the next ten years
• which relationships, with both space agency data providers and with related research partners,
are a priority in terms of data access and activities related to improved data analysis and
exploitation
• opportunities for potential expansion of national and international collaborations and
partnerships, and ways in which the Australian EO R&D sector can contribute and support
foreign programs.
3. To highlight the implications of anticipated future EOS data requirements in terms of future
support, infrastructure needs and capabilities, including
• an assessment as to the likely future EOS access scenarios and continuity risks which face the
R&D sector, and identifying future contingencies.
1.4 Related Reports
This report (CEODA-R&D) provides an important complement to several recent reviews of the extent and
significance of EO data usage in Australia.
Of these, the recent report A National Space Policy: Views from the Earth Observation Community (Geoscience
Australia, 2010) identified 92 Federal and State government programs that use EOS data on an operational
basis. These programs encompass a wide range of applications areas, landscapes and localities. This set of
operational programs was used in The Economic Value of Earth Observation from Space (ACIL Tasman, 2010)
to estimate the direct contribution of EOS to Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at $1.4 billion
per year in 2008-09. This estimate considered the combined value of imagery, technology and skilled labour
within these programs. In light of the growing dependency on EOS for information on climate change,
natural resource management, and environmental reporting and compliance, this figure is expected to
exceed $4 billion per year by 2015. Additionally, the related productivity benefits to the Australian economy,
that is, the impacts of EOS information on productivity in other market sectors 2 , were estimated at
2 Market sectors deemed to derive significant productivity benefits from EOS were Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Mining and
Petroleum, Property and Business Services, Federal and State governments, Natural Resource Management, Environment and Climate
Change, Biosecurity, Defence and National Security, Counterterrorism, Emergency Management, and Maritime and Air Safety (ACIL
Tasman, 2010).
10 Continuity of Earth Observation Data for Australia: R&D • January 2012