We Know Where

Raising awareness of and providing training for the Copernicus Australasia Regional Data Hub

The Challenge

The Copernicus Australasia Regional Data Hub (the Hub) is an innovative, cross jurisdictional collaborative project that was born out of the need to better manage Earth Observation (EO) data, specifically focused on the European Copernicus program. The objective of the Hub is to increase the use and impact of Copernicus satellite data in the Australasian region by providing simple, quick, open and freely accessible means to access data from Copernicus satellites, Sentinel 1, 2, 3 and 5. However, with the wealth of new data initiatives, particularly within the EO community in Australia, the availability and benefits of the Hub were not widely known, limiting the overall potential impact of the Hub. This project aimed not only to raise awareness of the Hub itself, but also to provide users practical, hands on methods to engage with the data. This aimed to reach not just the traditional EO or spatial user base but increase the broader awareness and use of the Hub across key end user markets.

Partners

The project partner was Geoscience Australia. The Hub is a partnership between Geoscience Australia, Queensland Department of Environment and Science, New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, Western Australian Land Information Authority, the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and New Zealand’s Centre for Space Science Technology.

The Solution

The project involved a landscape assessment which generated a consolidated overview of the drivers, value, existing materials and expectations from across the Hub stakeholders. This unstructured information was then consolidated into insights which were used to create draft training documentation. A set of technology tools were then developed which allowed users to view, access and analyse Sentinel data as part of the training. The training documentation was finalised and released incorporating stakeholder feedback and the material was delivered to users with some existing knowledge of EO via:

1. A single day workshop in Queensland
2. A single day workshop in Perth
3. An additional single day workshop in Adelaide
4. An EO Australia live webinar

The material was also made available online. It was primarily focussed on data access i.e., how to download data from the Hub, with a secondary focus on tools available to use the data and applications as case studies. The training material was broken into four sections. The first three provided theory and the final section hands on training:

1. Section A introduced the Hub covering mission, vision, position in the market and landscape, what it is and why it exists.
2. Section B focussed on the Copernicus Programme covering the missions and data available from each Sentinel.
3. Section C covered the applications and benefits of the data from each Sentinel, as well as providing examples and case studies.
4. Section D contained the technical hands-on sessions guiding users through how to work with the Hub including how to download data and then view, process and analyse it.

Impact

This project supported key objectives of the Hub, which included collaboration and efficiency across Government departments (the Hub partners), building the capacity of users to apply EO satellite data and contributing back to the global space community. As Australia is one of only nine countries across the world with a formal Copernicus partnership agreement, this places Australia at the cutting edge of global EO innovation and aims to enable better business and government services across the region. The workshop and webinar attendance were strong with positive feedback leading to a third workshop in Adelaide. Attendees were from diverse background including universities, private industry, and a range of government departments. Raising awareness and providing training for the Hub through this project contributed directly towards the Hub vision to be the first port of call by 2021 for bulk government and scientific research users to access a targeted set of Sentinel products at various processing levels, covering Australasia, South-East Asia, the South Pacific and the Australian Territory of Antarctica and expand its user base.

The Hub website can be accessed at http://www.copernicus.gov.au/home.

Contact

To learn more, please contact us at contact@frontiersi.com.au or Project Manager Jessica Keysers at jkeysers@frontiersi.com.au.