Earth observations in Canada will require a next-generation synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and further integration of data products to keep up with the growing needs for monitoring the country, according to a panel of geospatial directors at the virtual GeoIgnite conference.
During a discussion Wednesday (April 21), the directors said they have looked at many jurisdictions to get inspiration for Canada’s Earth observation (EO) strategy, including the European Space Agency’s (ESA) seminal Sentinel program. Canada has a cooperation agreement with ESA and is greatly benefiting from discussions with officials there, the presenters said.
Participants in the panel included Éric Loubier, Director General, Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation, Eric Laliberté, Director General, space utilization for the Canadian Space Agency(CSA) and David Harper, Director General, Environment and Climate Change Canada.
“We’re taking a whole-government or societal approach to make sure we’re listening to our stakeholders to really maximize our investments, and thinking fully across the data chain,” said Harper, who presented on behalf of all three people. “We anticipate that SBEO [space-based Earth observation] data will only increase, and we want to make sure that we’ve got the right tools and infrastructure in place.”
Further, CSA and ESA are working on a massive open online course (MOOC) about SAR, Laliberté said, including consulting with students about how to get perspectives on this topic from gender, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) and other diversity viewpoints.
The joint presentation outlined their vision for Canada’s EO in the coming years. The discussion took place just one day after the Canadian budget was released, including $80.2 million in new funds for space-based Earth observation.
The panelists noted it was too early for them to give much commentary on how the budget plays into their plans, as the information was only released late the day before on Tuesday (April 20). “The investments are directly in line with what we’ve been planning and what we’ve heard from folks … [about] where we need to invest in critical areas and pain points in the value chain,” Harper said of the budget, calling it a “marvellous first step” for bringing EO in Canada into new realms.
Canada has of course been active in using SAR for decades, first from airplane-based platforms and then from MDA’s Radarsat series for the last 25 years. The latest edition of Radarsat, the Radarsat Constellation, was launched in 2019. But with the constellation only slated to last until 2026, planning must commence now for a successor, the panelists said in their joint presentation. (Indeed, MDA is in the early stages of developing a commercial SAR satellite.)
The presentation pointed to the need for SAR to monitor Canada’s large landmass and to the effective use of long-term satellite data more generally for studies of atmospheric sciences, weather and climate processes – particularly given the long-term context of global warming that disproportionately affects Arctic regions.
Moving downstream from space, the presentation also called for improvements in Canada’s space collection capabilities, including leveraging artificial intelligence and data analytics as tools to deal with an ever-growing number of datapoints in Earth observation.
The government’s space strategy released in March 2019 did not include as much funding for aspects of Earth observation, the presentation noted, compared with other regions such as space exploration. The panelists urged to make use of the opportunity now “to drive digital transformation” in EO, especially to keep an eye on the quickly warming Arctic and to assist with Canada’s post-pandemic recovery – as traditionally, governments make investments in infrastructure during times of recession or economic decline.
The vision of the presentation will be further defined in discussions with stakeholders, the presenters said. They pointed to benefits and alignments with national priorities including agriculture and food security, improved sovereignty and defence, protecting key resources such as clean water, and of course climate change.
Some of the next steps the presenters anticipated included further engagement with the community, a finalization of Canada’s federal space-based EO strategic plan, and defining a phased approach to support that plan while preserving Canada’s leadership role in SAR and EO.