Good Practices for Promoting Regional
Co-operation in Space Applications
FEATURE
for Sustainable Urban Development, Water Resources
Management and Transportation Management
By Pang Soo Mooi
C
apacity building in developing and underdeveloped countries remains one of the
challenges in promoting regional cooperation in space application for sustainable
urban development, water resources management
and transportation management. The Information
and Communications technology (ICT) and Disaster
Risk Reduction Division of the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission in the Asia-Pacific
(UN ESCAP) published a technical paper on the
Good Practices for the above. This summary of the
article focuses on technical matters such as climate,
transportation, water management, disaster risk
reduction and urban planning which are of interest
to engineers in powerful space technology
application.
Science, technology and innovation (STI) is
a key driver of sustainable economic growth.
Expanding research and development (R&D) in STI
is the most efficient way to better understand key
global challenges, make a more forward-looking
analysis, and devise solutions rooted in a scientific
foundation. For example, STI can aid in reducing
carbon emissions, improving energy efficiency,
encouraging climate change resilience, and
addressing disaster impacts. Among innovative
technologies, space technology and Geospatial
Information System (GIS) applications have
emerged as one of the leading technologies that
contribute to sustainable economic growth and
global development challenges in the Asia Pacific
region.
The use of space technology has been
accelerated by developments in ICT. Reduced
infrastructure cost, improved hardware and broader
Internet connections increase the accessibility of
satellite derived information. With more people
getting involved with the study of Space Technology,
applications can now go beyond traditional
topographic and terrain mapping.
Space technology applications and spacederived information have acted both as an enabler
and as a catalyst for global, regional and country
efforts in progressing toward internationally
agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will form
part of the United Nations’ development agenda
beyond 2015. Furthermore, space technology
applications and space-derived information serve
as effective and innovative tools to support the
implementation of MDGs and forthcoming SDGs.
They have contributed to the productivity and
efficiency of sustainable economic growth and
poverty reduction by:
●●
providing essential information and
guidance;
●●
sustainable urban development by creating
an urban inventory, thematic maps, and
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