ADVANCED
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Computers in Orbit: Utilizing Space as a Key Vantage Point
for Data-Driven Resiliency
Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr. (Program Leader) | Engr. Ariston N. Gonzalez (Senior R&D Engineer )
Space Technology and Applications Mastery, Innovation and Advancement (STAMINA4Space)
Program
E-mail: [email protected]
The Philippines bears the burden of being one of the country’s most vulnerable
to tropical cyclones and extreme weather events. There has never been a more
crucial time to boost the country’s capacity for gathering data to aid existing
disaster mitigation efforts. Data, if sustainably positioned as the main driver for
resilient cities, has the potential to save lives by providing a factual basis for action
during times of natural calamities and disasters. Doing this will complement the
country’s resiliency measures, in line with the United Nations Office for Disaster
Risk Reductions’ goal of attaining risk-informed sustainable development for the
coming decades.
We turn to space as a uniquely vast vantage point for gathering data. By putting
computers–in the form of satellites–in orbit, we can build a sustainable path
towards data generation, using microsatellite trends in lean satellite development
for Earth observation missions. These missions can be used by local government
units closely working with first responders during the different stages of disasters.
In the pre-disaster phase, data that can be gathered include imaging, ground
sensor networks, and data science for conducting risk assessment and mitigation
measures. During disasters, satellites can be used as a complementary or
alternative medium to facilitate communications for disaster areas in the event
that terrestrial-based communication channels are affected by calamities. In the
post-disaster phase, satellite images can be used to quickly assess damage by using
simple pre-and-post image analysis that can hasten rehabilitation efforts and
inform re-building strategies.
36 | UP Diliman SALIKSIKHAY