Luigi is a Partner in PwC Advisory France. Within PwC he leads the Space Practice worldwide, and core space strategy consulting team based in Paris and Toulouse, focused on serving institutional and commercial stakeholders in the space sector, as well as non-space companies with specific commercial interest in space products and applications. He has 22 years of experience in the space sector and he has extensively supported the Space Industry, Space Agencies, intergovernmental organizations, and governments in Europe and Worldwide. He is a member of the International Astronautical Federation Technical Committee (chair of the IAF Space Economy Committee), and a regular keynote and panel speaker at space-related events worldwide.

Kandasri is the Deputy Executive Director at GISTDA, where she supervises and provides advice and counsel to the management in the strategic planning and the development and innovation of GISTDA’s Geo-Informatics products & services.

Nicolaus Hanowski holds a Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences. He started as a researcher in the US and then transferred to Mission Operations at the German Space Operations Centre. In 2009 he joined ESA and became responsible for the development of Science Ground Segments for missions, such Rosetta, Gaia, JWST, Solar Orbiter and Euclid in the Science Directorate. Since 2014 he is responsible for the Operations and Ground Segments of the ESA Earth Observation Missions and the Copernicus Sentinel satellites and the corresponding data management aspects at ESA. He is coordinating the Copernicus Long Term Scenario of Copernicus and the Destination Earth activities within ESA.

Donna Lyndsay is the Strategic Market Lead for Environment & Sustainability at Ordnance Survey. She supports Ordnance Survey's mission to be a world leader in geospatial services; delivering location insight for positive impact with colleagues, partners and customers. Donna is also Vice Chair of the Space4Climate group who aim to put the UK at the forefront of global efforts to create and use trusted satellite data for climate action for all.

Abstract

Using geospatial information to unlock value from Earth observation data

Ordnance Survey, as a National Mapping Agency, has a track record of utilising aerial imagery and ground based survey methods to maintain our national geographic database. We are now seeing advantages from combining these traditional survey techniques with more frequent time series EO data from satellites providing high fidelity data. This combination of Earth observation data with accurate, up to date geospatial data provides the context and provenance that is key to unlocking the actionable information needed by organisations to monitor asset level change over time that enable net zero targets to be met. NMAs now need to consider how they can create new products and serves that are relevant to our changing environment to meet both the SDG's and customer demands.

Mr. Azlikamil Napiah started his professional career in the private sector as a Senior Geologist in 1993. He joined Malaysian government sector as Research Officer in 1994. He gained formal knowledge through certified training in Remote Sensing in Australia, United Kingdom and The Netherlands. With the vast experience in R&D and technical management, he was then appointed to lead corporate and strategic section in Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (MRSA) and later promoted as Deputy Director General (Technical Service) in 2011. Now, he is the Director General of Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA).

Alex is an experienced technical sales professional specialising in enabling geospatial applications using satellite imagery. With previous experience at Maxar supporting international clients, he joined Satellite Vu in 2021 heading the sales team as the company progresses towards launching the first commercial constellation of high-resolution thermal imaging satellites.

Awais Ahmed is the founder and CEO of Pixxel - a space technology company building the world's highest resolution hyperspectral satellite constellation. He was previously a founding member and engineering lead at Hyperloop India - the team that built India's first hyperloop pod and presented at the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition finals.

Abstract

Hyperspectral Satellite Imaging - The Next Frontier in Space Based EO

Hyperspectral imaging has been talked about for decades as the next step in earth observation technologies. But we finally now have companies such as Pixxel making it a reality. The talk will explore what additional opportunities hyperspectral imaging will open up and why they are important.

Laura Lorenzo is the CEO and Founder of Green City Makers, the way to go for cities funding their net-zero path while reducing eco-anxiety in citizens with space data, AI & watering campaigns. She holds an MBA in Service Innovation & Design and two master degrees, one in Sustainable Agriculture Engineering, and another in Land Planning and Urbanism in top universities, including Stanford University. Her work as a climate tech entrepreneur has been covered several times by the media, and her work as a designer, coined as disruptive and transformative, has been commended by the European Commission.

Emmanuel Pajot is the Secretary General of the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC). Geologist, he is a remote sensing specialist with over 19 years of experience in projects and research studies. He joined EARSC in 2017 as a Senior project manager to lead the eoMALL initiative to help companies promote solutions delivered online. He is conducting activities to support SMEs in developing new services and engaging with institutions or communities of users. From 2003 to 2010, he worked as a consultant for the energy company TOTAL, where he implemented numerous projects to map geological features, identify risks for field operations and monitor assets. From 2011 to 2017, he created an Earth Observation team at SPIE Oil & Gas. He performed Business Development for international companies in Europe and US, developing innovative solutions to monitor offshore activities.

Dr. Christian Beilschmidt is co-founder and core developer of Geo Engine. He received his doctoral degree in computer science at the University of Marburg, Germany. His research interests are spatio-temporal data processing, database systems development, and machine learning. Before his work as a research assistant, he studied computer science at the University of Bonn, Germany.Dr. Christian Beilschmidt is co-founder and core developer of Geo Engine. He received his doctoral degree in computer science at the University of Marburg, Germany. His research interests are spatio-temporal data processing, database systems development, and machine learning. Before his work as a research assistant, he studied computer science at the University of Bonn, Germany.

Abstract

Geo Engine: Harmonized data access for data analysis pipelines

Geo Engine is a cloud-ready geospatial data analysis platform that provides low-threshold access to geospatial data and workflow processing. Users can access data and workflows via programming interfaces, e.g. from Python, as well as via a browser using a web GIS. This forms the foundation for creating spatio-temporal data pipelines for processing data and feeding it into frameworks for machine learning. Geo Engine GmbH is a start-up of computer scientists and geographers from the University of Marburg. The core of Geo Engine is developed as an open-source project, which is well suited for research projects. In addition, Geo Engine as a service is offered under a commercial license. Geo Engine is used in various research and infrastructure projects such as NFDI4BioDiversity, FAIR Data Spaces, and GEO BON as well as in commercial applications. Geo Engine provides cloud-based processing of spatio-temporal datasets and supports both raster and vector data. Processing is described by workflows that define virtual layers. When multiple data sources are combined within a workflow, automated data harmonization occurs on-the-fly. A USP is that each dataset is treated as a time series. This makes it easy to apply existing workflows to new areas or points in time.

Mahsa Taheran is leading the development of mission operations and operational infrastructure at Constellr, for the first-generation of constellation to be launched in 2024 and 2025. Constellr aims to deliver daily LST imagery optimized for high-precision agriculture. She is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Space Systems in University of Stuttgart, and recipient of Amelia Earhart fellowship in 2022.

Federico has a background in environmental science and a master's degree in GIS from the University of Wageningen. During his academic career, he deeply explored machine learning-based methods to detect deforestation using radar satellite images. In 2020 he joined Space4Good, a dutch social enterprise, as GIS and Remote Sensing expert. Within the company, his passion for graphics lends to his inspiring UI and UX design, focusing his attention on mock-ups and prototypes of geospatial-related projects, and to lead project-based solutions. 'Always ready to embark on innovative journeys, working with space data for impact on the earth.'

Abstract

Forest beyond borders - Protecting Europe's primary and old-growth forests in the Western Balkans

We have been mapping Primary and old-growth forests in the Western Balkans (for 7 countries, namely Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia), using satellite-based data, GIS techniques, and in-situ validation processes. Furthermore, we conducted studies on deforestation rates for the same areas. Mayor project's goals: 1) analyzing their conservation status and strengthening their legal protection; 2 creating a network of conservationists and NGOs for the protection of these super valuable and fragile ecosystems. Main partners of the project: EuroNatur (german organization) and 7 local entities from the Western Balkans.

Aravind is the founder of TerraWatch Space, a strategic advisory and communications firm, specialising in Earth observation, satellite data and its applications. Based in France, Aravind works on strategic assignments with space agencies, NewSpace startups and private investors, while also working with organisations across sectors in supporting their adoption of Earth observation data. Aravind is also the author of the TerraWatch Space newsletter and the host of TerraWatch Space podcast, both aimed at demystifying Earth observation for all.

Abstract

Overview of the EO value chain with trends, landscape and outlook for the adoption of data covering both the imaging and weather segments

Overview of the EO value chain with trends, landscape and outlook for the adoption of data covering both the imaging and weather segments

Based in Toulouse, France, Alexis is a Senior Consultant at Euroconsult. His expertise focuses on a wide range of satellite and aerial EO applications (drones, HAPs) considering optical, hyperspectral, SAR, and third-party data. He aims at providing an independent EO market view by analyzing industry challenges and technology trends with the goal of identifying and initiating investigations into potential new areas of growth. Alexis is the editor of the Satellite-Based Earth Observation Market Prospects report and contributes to other Euroconsult reports such as the Space Economy report and the Ground Segment Market report. Alexis also works on various consulting missions including market analysis, business plans, commercial pricing and distribution strategy, due diligence, and development of research methodology. Typical customers include government agencies, leading commercial satellite operators, start-ups, and investors. Prior to joining Euroconsult, he worked for the French Agricultural Ministry. He oversaw feasibility studies for programming imagery by remote sensing both by satellite and aerial operations in relation to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). By coordinating a provision contract of imagery, he was in charge of benchmarking, quality control, and deliveries of photogrammetry products in order to fit the recommendations of the European Common Agricultural Policy. Alexis holds a Master's Degree in Applied Geography by GIS from La Sorbonne University and conducted missions in Nepal to build DEM for flood assessment. He also spent time in New Caledonia in a research institute to prevent wildfires by remote sensing analysis.

Abstract

Satellite Earth Observation: Global Ecosystem on the move

A boom in Earth observation satellites creates demand for new markets. With more than $4.5 billion in revenues in 2021 growing at a 5-year CAGR of 5%, the earth observation market is still evolving from data-centric products to next-gen value-added services. In 2022, defense & security proved it remains the most significant market in Earth Observation with almost $2 billion (around 45% of the total market), led by the adoption of new commercial sources. Indeed, adaptations in regulation and in procurement frameworks, particularly in the U.S., contributed to industry growth, driven by the procurement of diverse types of data (optical, SAR, GNSS-RO, etc.) and solutions for both defense and civil government applications. Moreover, the service market is also expected to undergo accelerated growth driven by constellation supply. Since January 2022, more than 150 satellites have been already launched by more than 25 commercial operators. Earth observation promises of constellations are now taking shape, delivering monitoring services, near-real-time observations, and global mapping. These new business models completely transformed the way customers are using satellite imagery. Therefore, it brings a digital transformation all along the value chain, from ground segment and online platforms to building richer services with more automation. The take-up of several vertical segments should build the around $6 billion revenue that we anticipate by 2025.

Solange Uwera is a Senior Geospatial Analyst at Satellogic with extensive experience in Earth Observation and GIS. She is working to bring high-quality satellite data to the public and private organizations and helping clients to access satellite products that are valuable for strategic decision making. Before joining Satellogic, Solange worked at the United Nations Satellite Centre, supporting operations and activities of UN agencies and NGOs using satellite imagery analysis for democratic and policy decision making, disaster risks reduction, humanitarian, peace and human rights operations. She holds a Master's degree in Geographical Information Science from the University of Manchester in the UK and in Human Settlement and Urban Design from the University of Leuven in Belgium. Solange also holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Conservation.

Abstract

It Takes a Global Village: Building True Digital Twins to Drive Geospatial Adoption

What is a true digital twin? From Satellogic's perspective, a digital twin has the potential to be a true representation of all data layers in a given location-not just the built and natural environments as seen from space. Converging exterior geospatial data with interior spatial data for complete and consistent sources can support a diverse volume of end-users. Now, there are several impediments to procuring and leveraging geospatial information. Traditionally, EO data is an incredibly expensive resource. For many who don't understand the value of the data, it is an expense they simply won't entertain. Satellogic will share its new pricing model and how it will help more markets to explore, experiment with, and ultimately adopt the data. Lack of market education is also a huge hindrance. There are many great conferences and workshops, albeit segmented efforts. The industry as a whole needs to collaborate in making the abstract more approachable and the scientific more scalable. Satellogic will share its initiatives to inspire discussion. The future of the geospatial information ecosystem relies on adoption across diverse industries and will benefit immensely from true digital twins. Improving the access to and the adoption of EO data is limited by budgets just as much as by uneducated markets and untrained models. Satellogic strongly believes collaboration across the EO sector will grow the entire geospatial information ecosystem while removing barriers to access.

Born in 1988 in Germany, Max received MSc. in Forestry at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. He then worked in the Institute for Geomatics, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and finally came to Sentinel Hub GmbH as one of the first members of the team in 2020. With his colleagues they are building the Sentinel Hub product, a Copernicus Masters award winning service for processing and distribution of satellite data, which is providing seamless access to more than 50 petabytes of data data to over 400.000 users every month, who jointly process more than half a billion of requests monthly. In 2022 Sentinel Hub became one of the core building blocks of the new Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.

Chad Meley is the CMO at Kinetica. With over 20 years of experience as a leader in SaaS, big data, advanced analytics, and data driven marketing, Chad is known for innovative thinking, delivering high impact results, and building inclusive, global, forward-thinking teams. Prior to joining Kinetica, Chad was VP of Marketing at Teradata, and held a variety of leadership roles centered around data and analytics while at Electronic Arts, Dell and FedEx. Professional awards include Best Practice Award for Driving Business Results in Data Warehousing from The Data Warehouse Institute and Marketing Excellence Award from the Direct Marketing Association. Chad is a regular speaker at conferences, including The O'Reilly AI Conference, Strata, Constellation Connected Enterprise, and Analytics Universe. He is often quoted by major media publications such as CIO Magazine, Forbes, InformationWeek, and others.

Abstract

Modern Air Domain Analysis

Drawing upon real-world case studies at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), we'll discuss how hundreds of terrestrial and space-based radar feeds are fused into composite tracks in near-real time for greater classification accuracy.

Oscar Rojas is currently a Natural Resources Officer of CBC Division. He has more than 30 years of experience working on the field of crop monitoring and yield forecasting for food security projects. He worked with Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), FAO, World Bank and the Joint Research Centre of European Commission (JRC). The areas of experience are: Crop risk management to develop weather indexed crop insurance with the objective to transfer the local-level risk to international insurance and capital markets. Crop monitoring and early warning for food security, crop modeling, remote sensing, drought monitoring, risk management and development of tools to assess the impact of climate variability in agriculture. He developed the Agricultural Stress Index System (ASIS) that is an expert system to monitor agricultural drought at global level based on geospatial information. ASIS has received a 'Geospatial World Excellence Award - 2016'. He holds a Ph.D. in Agrometeorology from the 'Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon': a MBA in Bank and Finance from National University, San Diego - California and BA in Agricultural Economics from the University of Costa Rica.

Abstract

Next Generation Agricultural Stress Index System (ASIS) for Agricultural Drought Monitoring. Remote Sensing

Over the past 40 years, drought has affected more people in the world than any other natural hazard, affecting large segments of the population and destroying the natural resource base, livestock and livelihoods. Recent projections show that drought events are expected to increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change. According to studies conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 83% of all damages and losses caused globally by drought between 2006 and 2016 have been absorbed by agriculture, putting a large part of the world's population at risk of food insecurity. This study shows the advantage of scaling-up FAO's agricultural drought monitoring and early warning system (ASIS) and building the bridge with the anticipatory action, drought financial mechanisms, social protection and other initiatives for preventing the deterioration of food security and strengthening resilience. The results of the methodology that is based on and supported by the digital innovation, machine learning, matured knowledge and experiences accumulated over the past 10 years are illustrated with practical examples from different countries, ecological environments and crops. A fused time series of Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data from Meteorological Operational satellite (METOP) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was used to produce a consistent time series of a vegetation health index (VHI) at 1 km spatial resolution from 1984 to present. VHI is multiplied by the crop coefficient (kc) to provide more responsiveness to the VHI anomaly that occurs during sensitive phenological phases to water stress such as a flowering and grain filling. The weighted VHI (wVHI) is integrated from the start of the season (SOS) up to the end of season (EOS). Once the temporal analysis of wVHI is completed, the spatial average is calculated using the values of pixels within a specific crop mask and administrative unit. The system proposed different vegetation indices to assess the impact of drought in agriculture; including an agricultural drought forecast that provide more time to the decision makers for implementing anticipatory actions to mitigate the drought in agriculture. Next generation agricultural stress index system (ASIS) offers full capabilities to support: parametric crop insurance, social protection schemes, early action, national drought management plans and to guide public investments.

For over two years, Sami has managed the research, design, and expansion of projects at the Innovation Cell. While her role is to apply emerging technologies to peace and security use-cases generally, her main expertise is in geospatial analysis for the advancement of environmental security. Sami is passionate about diversity and inclusion within the geospatial field, particularly for women, girls, and indigenous communities. Central to her role is storytelling and bridging the technical and political worlds.

Abstract

Mapping Dynamic Transhumance Routes using Geospatial Data and Indigenous Knowledge

The Innovation Cell aims to monitor seasonal pastoral migration, known as "transhumance", throughout Central Africa using open-source earth observation data and indigenous knowledge. We will build a novel data architecture that fuses the most advanced satellite technology and sophisticated analytics of our time with knowledge that has existed for centuries to more holistically understand human responses to climate insecurity. The team is working closely with indigenous mapping and transhumance experts to identify biocultural indicators that factor into the migration calculuses of different regional pastoral groups. This data will be useful for understanding complex relationships between climate change, conflict, and transhumance, while building a necessary foundation for ultimately mapping these dynamic routes. A methodology of this nature has never before been done, but elevating human knowledge within geospatial infrastructures is essential to accurately modeling this nexus in a systematic and scalable manner.

Alina has worked at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for two years, focussing on using GIS and satellite data in employment impact assessments of infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa. She has previously worked in other areas of sustainable development, in sectors such as health and education, applying geospatial data solutions for decision making in low and middle income countries. She has an academic background and GIS and remote sensing.

Abstract

Harnessing satellite data to assess the economic impacts of infrastructure investments

The use of geospatial and satellite data for assessing changes in economic development and employment is relatively new. This presentation will cover some of the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) work on using satellite imagery, including night time lights data to analyse the economic impacts of infrastructure interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. It will explore how GIS can be used to identify how the construction of roads, can increase mobility and economic activity for surrounding areas, taking advantage of temporal dimensions of satellite data. Understanding the economic and employment impacts of such infrastructure construction projects in Africa is important, for targeting future decision making and policy setting.