Context:
World Economic Forum released Global Value of Earth Observation report
Earth Observation (EO):
- Refers to collecting information about activities and characteristics on Earth, both natural and artificial, including physical, chemical, biological and human systems.
- Includes – Remotely-sensed data which is collected from satellites, piloted aircraft, etc.
- Data gathering from – GPS-enabled devices, Internet-of- things sensors, etc.
- Economic opportunities of EO – Contribute $3.8 trillion to global gross domestic product between 2023-2030.
- Industries that would gain most from EO –
- Agriculture – To reduce consumption through precision agriculture.
- Electricity and utilities – To forecast the energy potential and operations management for new solar, wind and hydropower sites.
- Mining – To search for rare Earth minerals in old mines and enhance lithium exploration.
Global Initiatives:
- MethaneSAT – To pinpoint entities responsible for methane emission.
- Allen coral atlas monitoring tool – World’s 1st satellite-based global coral reef monitoring system.
- NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) – For understanding changes in Earth’s ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, etc
Source: World Economic Forum
Previous Year Question
‘Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres)’, often in the news, is
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]
(a) a division of World Health Organization
(b) a non-governmental international organization
(c) an inter-governmental agency sponsored by European Union
(d) a specialized agency of the United Nations
Answer: (b)
