IAF SPECIAL AWARD ON SPACE FOR CLIMATE PROTECTION TO NASA - ESA - JAXA Earth Observing Dashboard

On the occasion of the IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change the IAF recognizes the contribution of the NASA - ESA - JAXA Earth Observing Dashboard in providing accessible Earth Observation data to benefit society and advance knowledge about our home planet

The space sector can have a huge positive impact on the fight against Climate Change and the NASA - ESA - JAXA Earth Observing Dashboard is a perfect example of how effective these efforts might be.

This unique and innovative platform combines the resources, technical knowledge, and expertise of three agencies, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), making essential Earth Observation data available to everyone across the globe.

The Dashboard provides an easy-to-use resource for all kinds of audiences from scientists to decision-makers, including people not familiar with satellites. Based on remote sensing observations, and drawing on existing datasets, it showcases examples of global environmental changes on 7 themes: Atmosphere, Oceans, Biomass, Cryosphere, Agriculture, Covid-19 and Economy.

On Tuesday 23 May during the GLOC 2023 Opening Ceremony, the IAF President Clay Mowry, the IAF Vice President for Honours and Awards, Anthony Tsougranis, and the IAF Executive Director, Christian Feichtinger, presented the IAF Special Award on Space for Climate Change to Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director General, Simonetta Cheli, Director of Earth Observation Programmes and Head of ESA/ESRIN, Susie Perez Quinn, NASA Chief of Staff Karen St. Germain, NASA Director of the Earth Science Division, and Koji Terada, JAXA Vice President, who accepted the award on behalf of their organizations.

With this Award, IAF recognizes an exceptional project, in the hope of fostering the development of other similar initiatives, of encouraging cooperation within our community and, at the same time, of highlighting the contributions of the space sector to the citizens of all the societies represented in the Federation.