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Scientists and entrepreneurs in Japan are using satellite technologies to help foster a more sustainable and resilient world.
FREMONT, CA: Organizations throughout the world are working to make the world more sustainable, but this entails much more than just combating climate change. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include projects like sustainable forest management and disaster-resilient communities. Satellite observation is a critical technology in this international effort. Satellites play an important role in determining how the planet is changing. Satellite technologies are being used by scientists and businesses in Japan to help build a more sustainable and resilient environment.
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Japan's national R&D center, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), supports the Japanese government's aerospace ambitions. Since its inception in 2003, JAXA has made significant contributions to space exploration and development, including supplying the International Space Station with a scientific study platform known as the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo." Kibo is being used to launch small satellites in Kenya, Guatemala, and Mauritius, among other underdeveloped countries.
Japan amended its Basic Plan on Space Policy in 2020, keeping the SDGs and sustainable, steady use of space in mind. This adjustment is expected to improve JAXA's scientific research and technical development in support of climate change and sustainability studies.
For example, JAXA administers JJ-FAST (JICA-JAXA Forest Early Warning System in the Tropics), a monitoring system for deforestation in tropical regions, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS-2) of JAXA, which is part of JJ-FAST, employs synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to track changes on the Earth's surface, such as illegal logging and climate change. The equipment scans tropical forests in 77 nations at a resolution of 50 metres, and data is refreshed every 45 days.
ALOS-2 can penetrate cloud cover and make observations at night since it uses microwaves. This is a significant improvement over optical satellite data, where only around seven out of 1,000 photographs were clear due to weather, an issue that is particularly acute in Asia due to its extended rainy seasons. The JJ-FAST data is published on a website where anybody can view forest-monitoring maps for free. JJ-FAST has detected nearly 308,000 hectares of forest cover changes throughout the world since its inception in 2016, assisting in forest management, biodiversity conservation, and the fight against global warming.
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