Using the Rural Design Centre’s design-thinking expertise, the three-month project will determine the demand for, and feasibility of, setting up a regional initiative to develop space capabilities for monitoring, managing and mapping natural assets.
It will involve discussions with natural resource stewards (land managers, advisors, owners), space sector businesses (consultants, analysts, software providers) and researchers with relevant expertise (natural capital accounting, remote sensing, agro-ecological land management, agro-forestry, etc).
Dr Rachel Gaulton, Senior Lecturer in Remote Sensing in Newcastle University’s SNES, said: “Given the desire to boost the space sector nationally and the opportunities that brings to level up the economy, we’re keen to discover what scope there is to expand capabilities in the North East associated with natural assets.
“By engaging with those directly involved in managing and monitoring natural capital assets and ecosystem services, from forests and rivers to coastlines, we will be able to build up a picture of how space sector capabilities could be developed further for social, environmental and economic benefit, whilst contributing to a growing space cluster in this region.”