Data from environmental observations is a powerful tool that has often been locked behind technical and access barriers. Earth Observation Laboratory Aotearoa launched this month, supported by Ngā Ara Whetū, and Te Pūnaha Ātea – Space Institute, and seeks to build a community that enables citizens, iwi, business, researchers, and government to gather and use earth observation data.
According to University of Auckland Environment lecturer Dr Thomas Dowling (Science), co-lead of the new lab, “Be it collected from a camera on the ground, a drone in the sky or a satellite in space – we want to help everyone achieve their aims. We seek to build an open community with practical solutions and knowledge – no matter their level or profession. If the work, resources, or projects are of value to the community we will help host and champion it.”
The new lab has the potential to help with environmental protection for example, through monitoring of plastic pollution on beaches or patterns of landslides in forests, and to enable scientific discovery and research. This month it published a handbook designed to guide scientists and the public on the best way to survey beaches for plastic pollution. See here.
The lab has launched a website and created an EO Lab GitHub which is an open-sourced code to help enable data sharing and successful research outcomes. It’s also possible now to subscribe for news and publication updates from Earth Observation across Aotearoa and beyond.
Anyone interested in joining the community is encouraged to check out the ‘Community’ tab of the website, where you can sign up and get more information on how to get involved.
Recent Comments