News story: Event to help the public sector embrace space a success

More than 100 people attended the BEIS conference centre [on Thursday 23 November], for sessions on how space data and services can help with the environment, infrastructure and disasters, with speakers from the UK Space Agency, DEFRA, Ordnance Survey, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, ESA and UK industry.

Sara Huntingdon, SSGP Manager, said: “Our SSGP showcase is now in its third year and we have grown bigger and bolder in our ambitions. This year, we had a vast array of knowledge and experience in the room. The mix of inspiring presentations, exhibitors and debates provided a great opportunity for sharing ideas and chance for people to talk to companies, innovation bodies and public sector organisations and find out about the latest policy delivery challenges and the support we can provide.”

SSGP was established in 2014 and is a UK Space Agency led and funded programme, which is delivered in collaboration with the Satellite Applications Catapult. It exists to help the public sector understand how data and satellite enabled applications can be used to make public services more effective or deliver them at less cost. As well as raising awareness through training and education events, the programme works with public sector organisations to show how to best access, use and deploy satellite data and applications. The programme team helps UK Government embrace space and embed it as just another tool into business as usual operations. Presentations from companies on the innovative ways they are using satellite data to work with the public sector included:

• Using Earth Observation for efficient and effective peatland assessment and tree health monitoring
• Assessing air quality hotspots using imagery and ground based sensors
• Satellite enabled decision support tools , which provide answers as a cost effective service for Local Authorities, and
• A National Flood Warning & Mitigation Service

With public sector and intergovernmental organisations setting out the latest developments, progress on space service adoption and policy updates associated with:

• DEFRA’s Earth Observation Centre of Excellence
• Digital Twins of National Infrastructure
• Decommissioning challenges in the energy sector
• Copernicus Services, the latest Sentinel earth observation satellites and the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters

You can contact the SSGP team by emailing SSGP@ukspaceagency.bis.gsi.gov.uk