In July, the Space Enabled research group and SWF co-hosted two webinars as part of a larger series . looking at data derived from space technologies such as navigation, communication and remote sensing capabilities play a unique role in addressing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These discussions aims to engage a multi-sector audience in discussions on how space technologies and geospatial applications contribute to better outcomes in critical fields around the world, such as energy, food security, poverty, and governance.

On July 9, Director of Space Applications Programs, Krystal Azelton, moderated an event on SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. This webinar highlighted projects that have incorporated Earth observation data to better understand and to take action to end violent conflict and human rights abuses around the globe and featured speakers from United Nations Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT), Conflict Ecology lab at Oregon State University, and the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham. They shared examples of real-world applications of space data to address injustice around the world and examined pathways of collaboration and coordination between agencies and organizations working on this topic.

On July 22, Dr. Minoo Rathnasabapathy from the Space Enabled Research Group at the MIT Media Lab, moderated an event on SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. This webinar highlighted projects that have incorporated Earth observation data to assist the transition toward clean and sustainable sources of energy. This event featured speakers from International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, World Bank, and Battelle Memorial Institute who offered insight current and future projects that demonstrated the role of space technology as an effective observation-based renewable energy policy planning tool for monitoring global energy needs.