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Überlasst den Weltraum nicht den Milliardären - der Satellitendaten Workshop auf der re:publica

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. To help young people tackle it, the German Informatics Society in Berlin and the universities of Paderborn and Bochum launched the Climate Data Entrepreneurial Club (CDEC) pilot project on 1 June 2023. Students can acquire expertise in computer science, earth observation and entrepreneurship in order to initiate and prototype their own sustainability projects. At re:publica - Europe's largest conference on the digital society - around 30 participants were able to learn the basics of working with satellite data as part of a workshop on 27 May 2024 and then explore a freely selected region with regard to various climatic parameters following a number of demos.

Around 10,000 active satellites orbit our planet every day and fulfil a variety of tasks. They transmit data that is essential for the functioning of the internet, play a key role in navigation and provide high-precision images of the earth. Modern satellites achieve a geometric resolution of up to 0.25 metres - so detailed that you could even recognise a basketball from space. It is therefore hardly surprising that interest in unmanned space travel is constantly growing. Remote sensing data harbours enormous potential for various areas of society, such as agriculture, fisheries and forestry, urban and regional planning as well as nature and environmental protection. Nevertheless, this data hardly reaches the general population, even though it is usually freely accessible. It is crucial for innovation to get this data out of the silos of experts and billionaires and to empower people to utilise these data sets. The aim of the workshop at re:publica was therefore to sensitise people to the benefits of remote sensing data and its importance for combating climate change and to provide easy access to these data sources.

After a brief thematic introduction by Nicolai Moos from the Institute of Geography, the participants were able to familiarise themselves with and try out the various possible applications of satellite data using a variety of examples such as the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and the melting of the Aletsch glacier. The subsequent exploration of the participants' own home town was particularly exciting, and each participant was able to complete the tour with a souvenir.

The positive feedback and high level of interest clearly showed that satellite data offers an exciting and low-threshold introduction to data and digital literacy. 

The materials and a brief description of how to install the necessary software packages can be found here: https://ruhr-uni-bochum.sciebo.de/s/ObcMC5LO6QJ04hs#editor



09. Juni 2024
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Autor:in:
Dr.Nicolai Moos

Schlagworte:
Interdisciplinary geographic information sciences, GI-News