TerraWatch Space Podcast

Today, I am speaking with Nadine Alameh, the CEO of Open Geospatial Consortium, an international organisation dedicated to making geospatial data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) through consensus-based standards, collaborative innovation projects, and industry partnerships.I wanted to have Nadine on the podcast to speak about the importance of standards and interoperability in Earth observation - an area that I think doesn't get a lot of attention. If you have listened to some past episodes, I have touched on this topic quite a bit. I put this into a category of problems that I call "boring problems" in an ironic way - because they may look boring, but unless they are solved the industry cannot move forward. And I think it is very much the case in EO as more and more satellites with a variety of sensors are launched, but is all that data really useful if they are not accessible, usable or fusable?In this episode, Nadine and I discuss her story, what OGC does, the ongoing gold rush in EO, standards and interoperability, the role of the private sector in developing that and more. Website: https://www.ogc.org/Nadine's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadinealamehNadine's Twitter: https://twitter.com/nadinesa---Thanks to Geoawesomeness for being one of the contributors to this podcast.Geoawesomeness is a community-based platform for all things geospatial and Earth observation. I wanted to mention one of their recent initiatives called Earth Observation Hub. Earth Observation Hub or EO Hub, from Geoawesomeness, is a one-stop-shop for all topics related to geospatial data. It's made for policymakers, business leaders, geospatial experts, and enthusiasts, to showcase how EO is transforming our world. Built in collaboration with UP42, an EO startup, EO Hub has curated articles, podcasts, webinars and much more. I recommend you check out EO Hub at geoawesomeness.com/eo-hub"---02:18: Nadine’s story and learnings from her startup experience11:52: What is OGC?15:49: Examples of OGC’s projects and activities21:12: The rationale for OGC to exist and its importance for EO26:23: The EO gold rush and working on boring problems31:14: The role of the private sector is developing standards35:01: The similarity and difference with what happened with meteorological data38:03: The role of EO data platform companies and how long we wait for standards42:57: What can we change in EO46:03: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Yana Gevorgyan, the Secretariat Director of the Group on Earth Observations (or GEO). GEO is a unique global network connecting government institutions, academic and research institutions, data providers, businesses, engineers, scientists and experts to create innovative solutions based on Earth observation.I wanted to have Yana on the podcast to discuss what GEO does and its role in the global EO sector, especially at a time when the importance of EO is growing around the world. So, it's critical there is a global authoritative voice for EO particularly focused on building impact-driven projects through partnerships both between the global public sector and the private sector.In this episode, Yana and I discuss her story, the significance of an organisation like GEO, examples of GEO-led projects, the importance of partnerships in EO and more.GEO's Website: http://earthobservations.org/Yana's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-gevorgyan-8b9249a/GEO Week 2022: https://www.earthobservations.org/geoweek2022.php---Before we get to the episode, a quick note about one of the contributors for the podcast - Geoawesomeness.Geoawesomeness is a community-based platform for all things geospatial and Earth observation. I wanted to mention one of their recent initiatives called Earth Observation Hub. Earth Observation Hub or EO Hub, from Geoawesomeness, is a one-stop-shop for all topics related to geospatial data. It's made for policymakers, business leaders, geospatial experts, and enthusiasts, to showcase how EO is transforming our world. Built in collaboration with UP42, an EO startup, EO Hub has curated articles, podcasts, webinars and much more. I recommend you check out EO Hub at geoawesomeness.com/eo-hub"---01:47: Yana’s story - From Armenia to the US to Switzerland, NOAA experience and GEO11:45: GEO and its significance in being the authoritative voice in EO23:42: The role of the private EO sector in creating value28:07: Some examples of impact-driven, GEO projects35:06: Building inclusive local solutions - the case of Digital Earth Africa39:14: How do we make the most impact with Earth observation through partnerships?43:40: What worries Yana about the state of EO and what can we improve46:12: Wrap-up + context on GEO Week in Accra, Ghana

Today, I am speaking with Abe Tarapani, CEO of Atlas AI.I wanted to feature Atlas AI as “Startup of the Month” on the podcast as I believe they are doing something very important and impactful with satellite data. I will let you listen to Abe explaining what Atlas AI does, but to give you an idea, they are attempting to fill the gaps in socioeconomic and environmental data across parts of the world that don’t have access to such data, leveraging Earth observation and machine learning, thereby making sure that significant economic and infrastructure-related decisions in those countries can be made efficiently.In this episode, Abe and I discuss the problem Atlas AI is trying to solve and why their approach is different from a typical data company, their product strategy and knowing where to draw the line, why they publish details about their science & methodology, the recent announcement on the project with the Rockefeller Foundation and e-Guide, the need for the advisory service layer in EO and more.Atlas AI's websiteRockefeller Foundation's project with Atlas AI---01:15: Intro & Abe’s Story04:29: The elevator pitch of Atlas AI07:44: The problem Atlas AI is trying to solve and why is different from a typical Earth observation company13:28: Atlas AI’s technology stack, products and target markets21:12: Product strategy - how to draw the line: Atlas AI’s perspective24:42: Do Atlas AI’s customers care where the data comes from28:41: Why publish the scientific methodology behind the product and why it could be important33:05: The project with the Rockefeller Foundation and e-Guide40:30: Thoughts on the state of EO and the need for the advisory service layer in EO49:26: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Jonny Dyer, co-founder and CEO of Muon Space. Muon Space is a recently-founded startup based in California that is developing an Earth observation satellite platform that would bring remote sensing capability to organisations that lack the expertise needed to develop it themselves.Jonny Dyer is well-known in the Earth observation world - he was the Chief Engineer of Skybox, the first venture-funded EO company that was bought by Google and then sold to Planet. He then worked for Google and Lyft, before starting Muon with his co-founders.In this episode, Jonny and I discuss his background, how he decided to not built another "EO dataset company", Muon's differentiated approach, the climate narrative, Muon's plans and more.FYI - Muon Space will be first company I will be writing about as part of monthly "EO Company of the Month" series. So, if you want to learn more about Muon, stay tuned for the piece that should come out late September. Subscribe to my newsletter.- Muon Space's website + they are hiring.- Jonny's LinkedIn---01:27: Intro & Jonny's story08:14: Elevator pitch for Muon11:42: Not deciding to start yet another "EO dataset company"15:16: The differentiated model for EO from Muon Space19:33: The climate narrative and why it fits with Muon's approach26:22: The difference with the space as-a-service model31:28: Muon's roadmap and potential customers 38:00: Muon's market positioning 43:21 Thoughts on the state of EO today46:42: Wrap-up---

Today, I am speaking with Prof. Chris Rapley from University College London. From working on Earth observations missions to study the polar regions with radar altimetry instruments to actually researching there as the director of British Antarctic Survey, Prof Chris Rapley is an accomplished scientist. He was also the Director of the Science Museum in the UK for a few years, and is now currently Professor of Climate Science at University College London.Chris is also the member of the European Space Agency Director General's High Level Advisory Group and the UK Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. His current interests actually lie in the communication of climate science and that's why I wanted to have him on the podcast, given communication is something that we need to improve on in the Earth observation sector.In this episode, we discuss the use of satellite data for climate, whether the decision makers and end users care where the data comes from, how we can bridge the gap in communicating Earth Observation, the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, leveraging climate as a narrative to communicate about the significance of satellites and more.Chris Rapley's BioProf. Chris Rapley's Wikipedia---01:33: Chris’ (fascinating) story13:17: Use of satellite data on ground, while Chris was researching in Antarctica15:05: Satellite data for climate - does anyone care where the data comes from? 22:22: The importance of a multidisciplinary approach in Earth observation27:47: The dichotomy of the need to communicate about EO vs EO being in the background30:20: Bridging the gap in communication in EO38:43: Leveraging on climate as a communication narrative for EO42:28: What can we improve on as an industry in terms of communication about EO and climate?46:03: What are some reasons to be optimistic about climate?

Today, I am speaking with Daniel Wicks, head of geospatial intelligence at Satellite Applications Catapult in the UK. Satellite Applications Catapult is an entity set up by the UK, and is one of nine Catapults, aimed at building innovation and driving economic growth. I was interested to speak with Dan because I believe the organisation is doing important work in being the bridge between the satellite data producers, which is Earth observation industry and the rest of the world, who are the users of the data. I also wanted to dive deep into the challenges in using satellite data today and things that needs to be done to make EO mainstream. In this episode, we discuss the state of adoption of Earth observation, the pilot project problem, importance of standards and interoperability, whether the Catapult-model can scale around the world and more.- Dan's LinkedIn- Satellite Applications Catapult---01:08: Intro01:54: About Satellite Applications Catapult and their work in Earth observation03:13: State of EO and the adoption of satellite data09:48: What's going on in the UK EO ecosystem?14:20: The "pilot project problem" in EO17:16: Data availability, standards, interoperability 24:40: The role of space agencies and Catapult-like entities in pushing the adoption of satellite data31:05: Similarities with weather and the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach34:14: The outlook for EO and key markets39:37: Wrap-up

Housekeeping: This is the first episode after the break, after officially launching my business TerraWatch Space. As I mentioned in the blog post, I am going to be changing the format of the podcast a little.The "Startup of the Month" is where I will have an interesting startup in Earth observation on the podcast to give them a platform for highlighting what they are building. Today's episode with Blue Sky Analytics is the first of that series.If you like your startup to be on the podcast or want to nominate one, stay tuned for an announcement on social media. I would like to give the chance for any EO startup to be on my podcast. Thanks for the support!Now, onto today's episode. -----The startup I want to highlight this month is Blue Sky Analytics, an Indian startup building climate intelligence solution using satellite data, for insurance and banking firms. I am speaking with Abhilasha Purwar and Kshitij Purwar, the co-founders of Blue Sky, who also happen to be siblings. I wanted to have Blue Sky because I think they have an interesting outlook in EO but more importantly, centered on impact. In this episode, we discuss what Blue Sky Analytics is building, their API-first approach, their data agnostic strategy, the business model and whether EO companies are SaaS companies, the benefits of building the company in India and more.https://blueskyhq.io/-----01:35: Intros05:01: About Blue Sky Analytics and their vision to be the Bloomberg for environmental data14:08: An API-first strategy for democratising satellite data for climate19:07: Blue Sky's satellite data strategy and the importance of being customer-obsessed, problem-driven and data-agnostic37:06: Blue Sky's business model and whether EO are SaaS companies49:41 Building an EO company in India - the challenge vs the opportunity55:23: Blue Sky's roadmap and outlook01:06:04: Wrap-up: Descartes Labs and potentially having Mark Johnson on the podcast

Looking back at the journey of TerraWatch Space podcast and its future - some gratitude, some learnings & some thoughts on how I want to see the podcast grow, as I go full-time on TerraWatch Space with the goal of making satellite data mainstream.Usual episodes should start on Wednesday. Thank you!-Aravind

Today, I am speaking with Thomas Ormston, Deputy Spacecraft Operations Manager for the Sentinel-1 mission at the European Space Agency. Thomas has over 15 years of experience in spacecraft operations from being part of the operations team for the Mars Express mission to then becoming the spacecraft operations engineer for EarthCARE and Sentinel-1 missions. In this episode, we discuss the role of a spacecraft operations engineer, his experience flying a spacecraft in Mars orbit, the differences with operating Earth observation missions, the Sentinel-1B incident, the growth of the space sustainability market and more. - ESA Operations on Twitter - Thomas on Twitter ----- 01:06: Thomas's story and intro to ESA Operations 05:20: The role of a Spacecraft Operations Engineer 11:31: Operating a spacecraft in Mars orbit 17:29: Transitioning to operating an Earth observation satellite 19:12: Rosetta mission 21:14: Working on ESA's EarthCARE mission pre-launch 29:30: Operating the Sentinel-1 mission (Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B) 35:10: The Sentinel-1B incident 42:00: The growth of the space sustainability market 47:01: The impact of satellite megaconstellations 51:08: Wrap-up

Today, I am speaking with Julia Wagemann, an independent consultant and project manager in the Earth observation sector. Julia works in the intersection of data providers and users aiming to make large volumes of EO data better accessible and used. She has several years of experience in EO and she has worked with organisations including ESA, EUMETSAT, ECMWF and more. For me, "boring problems" are categories of problems very few are interested in working on, but unless they are solved, the industry cannot grow. I call them "boring" in an ironic way - because there is more attention given to launching more satellites and getting more data down, than figuring out how to work with all that data together. In this episode, Julia and discuss the similarities & differences between imaging data and meteorological data, the role of platforms in EO, the significance of standards and interoperability and diversity in EO, particularly focused on Women+ in Geospatial, an initiative that was co-founded by Julia. Julia's Twitter Julia's LinkedIn Women In Geospatial Speaker Database ----- 01:45: Julia's story 04:55: What encompasses Earth observation data - imaging data vs meteorological data? 10:18: State of adoption of EO data 13:37: What is the role of platforms in EO? 21:01: The significance of standards in improving adoption 28:38: The current state of interoperability in EO 32:22: The role of the private sector in working on interoperability and standards 35:13: The importance of training & workshops in Earth observation 44:41: Making EO more diverse with Women+ in Geospatial 52:04: Wrap-up