Tracking turtles through an affordable, ubiquitous global satellite IoT is just the beginning of a revolution in understanding climate change that should herald a new era of provable, positive environmental change, explains Laurent Vieira de Melo, chief operating officer, Astrocast.
Ticking clock
In a world of global innovation and cooperation, practical solutions to the challenges posed by climate change and environmental devastation are being developed and offered every day. But with the ticking of the clock, the world needs a way to quickly track the most promising opportunities – and not just climate change. How can farmers meet the ever-increasing nutritional requirements of a growing population while reducing pesticides and the need to treat cattle? Can plans to deal with the escalating amount of plastic in our oceans be successful and coordinated around the world?
Since COP26, global cooperation has been strengthened, with the coordination of more than 90 organizations within the Alliance for Adaptation Research (ARA) working together to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities at the forefront of climate change. Organizations like the ARA are increasingly driven by data, said Jesse De Maria Keene, head of the Alliance’s Secretariat for Adaptation Research (ARA): “Climate adaptation requires evidence-based solutions that are relevant to the local context.
Achieving vital evidence requires understanding – and that means tracking, monitoring and measuring around the world on an unprecedented scale. There is no doubt that the IoT will play a key role both in understanding the impact of climate change and the environment and in assessing the value of possible solutions.
Excluded planet
The challenge today is that only 15% of the planet is currently covered by an affordable, affordable IoT connection, and the alternative, Satellite IoT (SatIoT), is too expensive for widespread environmental research or speculative recovery experiments. However, 2022 heralds a new generation of affordable SatIoT solutions that transform the business case and unleash a fascinating new activity around the world.
From studying the rate of glaciation in polar ice caps to capturing information from weather stations, groundwater monitoring and seismology, a reliable, low-cost nanosatellite network transforms the timeliness of information captured even from the most remote regions of the world.
In fact, even at-risk animals play a role in the fight against climate change. The use of small sensors attached to a number of marine creatures, including turtles, not only gives scientists a new insight into animal behavior and travel patterns, but also captures vital information about marine health, including salinity. From mapping sea temperatures to the depths at which turtles swim, to capturing seawater quality information, the information provided by these creatures is automatically transmitted via SatIoT as soon as they surface.
Empowering change
However, the challenge is not simply to improve our understanding of climate change and environmental concerns, but to quickly identify the value of any initiatives taken to reduce the impact of this change. In New Zealand, there is a desire for remote tracking of cattle to identify individual animals that are not well, which allows immediate intervention and removal from the herd to reduce the spread of the disease – and in the process to minimize the need for drugs. The ability to quickly capture and analyze this information will not only help to quickly track the adoption of this model, but as a result will provide a quick idea of ​​the success of the approach.
With two-way IoT, information can be transferred back to devices, allowing new levels of innovation and experimentation. This is particularly valuable for new agricultural initiatives designed to minimize the use of chemicals and water. With the ability to send commands back to assets, farmers can operate irrigation systems without the need for costly and often hard-to-reach human interaction. Utility companies can control water management systems in accordance with flood prevention strategies. Governments can respond quickly to catastrophic climate events that prevent danger to life, especially in these most vulnerable communities.
With information seamlessly integrated with existing analysis, AI, or machine learning solutions, organizations have the power not only to use data to improve understanding; but also react quickly and use the new insight to inform timely commands to remote assets.
Conclusion
Evidence-based change is at the heart of global strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change on both current and future populations. By expanding the reach of affordable IoT worldwide, SatIoT unlocks the next generation of key innovations that will be vital as governments, scientists, nonprofits and people adapt to a lifestyle that includes cleaner fuel and more -low dependence on pesticides, while feeding a growing population.
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Fast Tracking Solutions to Climate Change with Satellite IoT
