To boldly go
Geospatial science doesn’t just let us know more about the world around us – it’s taking us up high above it too!
Meet Flavia Tata Nardini. She’s the CEO at Fleet Space Technologies, and she and her company are preparing to launch over 100 nanosatellites into the atmosphere as part of a plan that will help industries around the globe better connect, evolve and track changes in our economies, ecologies and world.
Fleet was recently awarded a $500,000 grant from the South Australian government. Tata Nardini says they’re using it to setup a mission control centre for nanosatellites. This, as it turns out, is a big deal for geospatial science.
The nano and the geo
Fleet CEO Flavia Tata Nardini
While these space technology developers have their eyes set on the stars, their heads are very much here on Earth. The space industry is using technology like these nanosatellites to improve the way we live and interact with each other here on the ground.
How? The answer is in something called ‘the internet of things’.
The internet of things is a shorthand term used to describe the interconnection of computing devices that allows physical things – such as cars, phones and home security systems – to send and receive information. You can learn more about some of these applications on this website.
As such, the internet of things is at the heart of the new world. It’s instrumental in us getting from A to B through ride sharing apps. It enables businesses to dramatically improve their logistics management practices. It even helps up track and compare sea temperatures around the world, allowing experts to measure the impact of extreme weather events and patterns.
We can expect to see more opportunities for innovation as geospatial techniques and technology develop more and more. In fact, people like Flavia Tata Nardini say that the internet of things will power the next industrial revolution. That’s why Fleet – and others like them – are helping us push that technology further and further.
Space, the final frontier
There are nearly 75 billion connectable devices on the planet. Projects like the one Tata Nardini is overseeing will help us harness their potential connectivity. And with his year’s federal budget even earmarked $41 million in funding to go towards an Australia national space agency, investment in this area looks set to continue.
The president of the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI), Gaby van Wyk, only sees this investment as a good thing for the advancement of spatial sciences in Australia – and for spatial professional’s career opportunities. Speaking to Spatial Source, he remarked, “I place on record the full commitment of SSSI, and Australia’s spatial professionals, to working closely with the new space agency, the Federal Government and the business sector.
“I know that together we will ensure outstanding scientific, commercial and community outcomes for the new agency and for Australia’s space program.”
Discover what geospatial science can do for you
If you find this fascinating, you’re sure to be interested in learning a lot more about geospatial science and what it means for our world.
SOURCES
It’s happening: Australian space agency tipped for $41m funding
By Daniel Bishton on 8 May, 2018
Q&A with Flavia Tata-Nardini
By Daniel Bishton on 10 April, 2018
Space technology: civil and commercial
Investment Attraction South Australia
