Australia: Geoscience Australia and FrontierSI have engaged with more than 500 stakeholders on the development of their industry strategy for the Digital Earth Australia (DEA) program.
Geoscience Australia’s Director of Program Delivery Trent Kershaw said understanding the needs of different industry sectors was key to unlocking the full economic and social potential of satellite data and imagery in Australia.
“We want industry to understand and use the DEA products and services and to help drive the future of DEA investment.
“Our new strategy will focus on data and technology, education and training, and awareness.
“As part of the new strategy, a small-scale, targetted incubator program, called ‘DEA Labs’ has been developed to help Australian businesses use satellite data and DEA technologies to solve real-world problems,” Kershaw said.
DEA Labs is proposed to accelerate adoption of Earth Observation (EO) and DEA technologies by providing support and funding to develop services and solutions faced by Australian businesses collaboratively.
The DEA Industry Strategy can be accessed through the FrontierSI website.
The DEA program is an Australian government investment implemented by Geoscience Australia focussed on increasing the utilisation of EO data across Australia. In May 2018, the Australian Government announced ongoing funding of approximately AU$13 million a year for the DEA program.
In funding the DEA program, the Hon Senator Matt Canavan stated in a previous media release that: “Our investment in [DEA] will ensure a range of Australian industries have access to data that can help them tailor their investments, create jobs in target regions and increase their competitiveness.”
