Small Satellites Contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations (UN) led the countries of the world to define and commit to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which identifies 17 goals toward improving life on Earth. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the high-priority challenges for our generation in areas such as access to clean water, food security, poverty alleviation, health care, environmental sustainability and urban development. Space technology, including small satellites, can play a role in helping countries pursue the SDGs. Each goal includes a set of Targets countries are working to achieve by 2030. Each Target includes a set of indicators that define the quantitative measurement for the Targets. A key element of pursuing the SDGs is for nations to work with the UN to develop methods to measure progress toward the Targets on each indicator. Many of the indicators and targets relate to environmental factors, human infrastructure or investment in research and education. In each of these areas, small satellite missions can play a role as part of national strategies to both monitor progress toward the SDGs and to work toward achieving the Targets. This paper reviews examples showing how space technology, including satellite-based earth observation, communication and positioning services, is already being used to support the SDGs. The discussion illustrates how emerging business and operational models in each sector and exploring new ways to apply small satellites for earth observation, communication and positioning. The paper describes coordination activities by organizations such as the Group on Earth Observations, NASA and the UN that are designed to help national governments around the world increase the use of satellite-based technology in support of the SDGs. The paper also introduces a new academic Research Group at the Media Lab within the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The mission of this research group is to increase the use of space technology in support of the SDGs. Small satellites provide an important opportunity to consider the needs defined by the Sustainable Development Goals and create customized space missions that respond to these needs

Strategies and good practice for sustainable and liveable cities of tomorrow

This contribution deals with the question, what makes cities sustainable and integrative, and suggests an approach for "liveable cities of tomorrow" designed to sustain mobility. The liveable city of tomorrow needs to meet both ecological and social requirements in an integrative approach. To design urban patterns appropriate or “sustainable mobility” based on a concept of mobility defined as the number of accessible destinations (different to that for “fossil mobility” defined as the ability to cover distances) is a key element of such an approach. Considering the limited reserves of fossil fuels and the long lifetime of the built structure, mobility needs to rely on modes independent of fossil fuels (public transport and pedestrians) to make it sustainable and the urban pattern needs to be developed appropriately for these modes. Crucial for the success of public transport is the location of buildings within the catchment area of stops. An attractive urban environment for pedestrians is characterised by short distances in a compact settlement with appropriate/qualified urban density and mixed land use as well as by attractive public space. This, complemented by an integrative urban development on the quarter level including neighbourhood management with a broad spectrum of activity areas (social infrastructure, integration of diverse social and ethnic groups, health promotion, community living, etc.), results in increased liveability. The role of information technology in this context is to support a sustainable use of the built structures by organisational instruments. Sustainable and liveable communities offer many benefits for health, safety and well-being of their inhabitants

Critically stewarding ICTs for sustainable agricultural development

This thesis explores how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can contribute to sustainable agricultural development. ICTs have for a long time been seen as important tools to support agriculture, in particular supporting the resource-constrained agricultural extension services of the Global South. However, previous research has largely failed to consider how ICTs can play a role in sustainable, agroecological farming. Not only that, existing approaches to agricultural ICTs have by and large failed to ensure that the interventions themselves are sustainable. Sustainable farming demands a holistic approach to agriculture, which extends to the way technologies such as ICTs are employed. The question of sustainability is critical for a sector that employs nearly a third of all workers worldwide, and a majority of those who are classified as poor. This has become especially acute considering the effects of the global climate crisis. Deploying technological interventions that cannot be sustainably maintained and do not take into account whether the agriculture they are promoting is sustainable, can only serve to exacerbate the issues at hand. Through action research conducted together with a non-profit organisation, Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC), in West Bengal in India, I have explored how to address ICTs in sustainable agriculture. In our work, we have developed an approach to ICTs that is both sustainable and also contributes to the long-term resilience and sustainability of the agroecosystem within which DRCSC operates. This required recognising the specific nature of the knowledge ecosystem of sustainable agriculture and understanding the way in which technology interventions can operate within the same. Understanding development as an expansion in capabilities, the emphasis of this process has been on DRCSC developing collective capabilities of technology stewardship, i.e. individual and organisational capacities to critically assess and constructively approach technology in ways that they (DRCSC) have reason to value. As a result of the project, we have developed two interventions that are currently sustainably adopted within the organisation, helping them in their work to support resource-poor, smallholder farmers. These interventions have been built incorporating values of self-reliance, autonomy and low resource use that are central to DRCSC in particular and to agroecology in general. The interventions, as well as the way that DRCSC and I developed them, illustrates how ICTs can be approached in the space of sustainable agricultural development. Drawing on a critical understanding of sustainability and technology, this thesis, however, not only informs approaches to ICTs in agriculture but ICT in development in general. Critical technology stewardship is an approach that can help researchers in ICT4D to engage in ways that are sustainable and lead to sustainable outcomes. Stewarding provides a means by which to incorporate situated understandings of the role that ICTs can play in any given context. It frames how ICT designers and researchers can participate ethically in supporting long-term development outcomes. It serves as a practical example of approaching ICT in development in a way that combines concerns for sustainability and resilience with a capabilities perspective on development

The green economy, sustainability transitions and transition regions : a case study of Boston

This paper is focused upon exploring the development of the green economy in particular locations, with the aim of identifying why some cities and regions have been successful in engendering green growth. To date we have little idea where the green economy is developing, nor much insight, beyond anecdotal evidence, into why certain cities and regions appear to be more successful than others in this regard. We position our analysis within the context of research on socio-technical transitions that has theorised the potential shift to a more sustainable economy. We review the literature on sustainability transitions and the development of the multi-level perspective encompassing niches, regimes and landscapes. However, most research into socio-technical transitions has not given adequate consideration to the influence of places and spatial scale in these transition processes, and we therefore critique the socio-technical transitions literature from a geographical perspective. In this paper we are interested in four key questions: what role does the enabling and facilitative state play in these cities and regions? What new institutional forms and governance structures are being developed? How do actors in particular cities and regions construct their green vision, and how do they encourage other actors to buy-in to this vision? How are links across levels and spatial scales developed to connect niches with the regime? We address these through a focus upon the Boston city region in the USA, drawing upon both primary and secondary research material. We utilize this case study example to re-examine and re-theorize work on sustainability transitions from a spatial perspective

Briefing on meetings at & reports by the 65th & 66th United Nations General Assembly

Briefing on meetings at & reports by the 65th & 66th United Nations General AssemblyNo relevant differences are observed or identified after perusal of the space-related resolutions and documents issued by the UN System between 2010 and 2011. The most remarkable statements remain virtually unchanged in this time period. For instance, the UN GA recognizes the common interest of all mankind in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, and reaffirms that these shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries, irrespective of their degree of development. Also, the growing use of outer space increases the need for greater transparency and better information on the part of the international community. Again in 2011, the UN GA stated that it is deeply convinced of the important role that science and technology play in promoting sustained economic growth and sustainable development and that their use and applications in areas such as telemedicine, tele-education, disaster management, environmental protection and other EO applications, contribute to achieve the objectives in various aspects of economic, social and cultural development and welfare, particularly poverty eradication and mitigation of the consequences of disasters. It is necessary to continue to examine how space science and technology and their applications could contribute to achieve the UN MDG, since space tools are indispensable not only in areas linked to disasters, but also in climate change, food security, opportunities for education and global health. In 2011, 12 April was declared as the International Day of Human Space Flight to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes. We congratulate SGAC people working on the project YGNSS as their contribution [8] to the 2011 HLS AMR of the UN ECOSOC was accepted for distribution to all participants of the HLS in Geneva, July 2011. In this a written statement, the YNSS team informed the HLS AMR that SGAC “is focused on cultivating the next generation of space leaders and increasing awareness of the educational and societal benefits of space technology” and that “Within SGAC, the project YGNSS aims to present to youth the benefits of GNSS and how various such systems applications are able to benefit a nation’s economy and society”. Also, it is mentioned that “YGNSS has supported the educational outreach of GNSS applications”, that YGNSS has spread “the word that GNSS can be used for precision timing, agricultural and disaster management, and a wide variety of items that need accurate positioning, navigation, and timing”, that YGNSS has recommended “that the international community continue to foster the education of GNSS and the utilities of space technology”. Finally, the written statement informs that SGAC “is committed to providing a network for university students and young professionals in the international space sector to collaborate and contribute their international knowledge and skills to foster development”. As per the report from the IAF GEOSS Workshop, Space Sensors for Climate Monitoring [9], it is worth noting that satellite data are required to effectively monitor, characterize and predict changes in the Earth system, and particularly in the climate. Earth Observation (EO) satellites are essential as they provide the only realistic means to obtain the necessary global coverage. With well-calibrated measurements, e.g. using in situ data, space-based sensors will become a critical contribution to global observations for climate.Preprin

Beyond technology and finance: pay-as-you-go sustainable energy access and theories of social change

Two-thirds of people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity, a precursor of poverty reduction and development. The international community has ambitious commitments in this regard, e.g. the UN's Sustainable Energy for All by 2030. But scholarship has not kept up with policy ambitions. This paper operationalises a sociotechnical transitions perspective to analyse for the first time the potential of new, mobileenabled, pay-as-you-go approaches to financing sustainable energy access, focussing on a case study of pay-as-you-go approaches to financing solar home systems in Kenya. The analysis calls into question the adequacy of the dominant, two-dimensional treatment of sustainable energy access in the literature as a purely financial/technology, economics/ engineering problem (which ignores sociocultural and political considerations) and demonstrates the value of a new research agenda that explicitly attends to theories of social change – even when, as in this paper, the focus is purely on finance. The paper demonstrates that sociocultural considerations cut across the literature's traditional two-dimensional analytic categories (technology and finance) and are material to the likely success of any technological or financial intervention. It also demonstrates that the alignment of new payas- you-go finance approaches with existing sociocultural practices of paying for energy can explain their early success and likely longevity relative to traditional finance approaches

Managing ubiquitous eco cities: the role of urban telecommunication infrastructure networks and convergence technologies

A successful urban management system for a Ubiquitous Eco City requires an integrated approach. This integration includes bringing together economic, socio-cultural and urban development with a well orchestrated, transparent and open decision making mechanism and necessary infrastructure and technologies. Rapidly developing information and telecommunication technologies and their platforms in the late 20th Century improves urban management and enhances the quality of life and place. Telecommunication technologies provide an important base for monitoring and managing activities over wired, wireless or fibre-optic networks. Particularly technology convergence creates new ways in which the information and telecommunication technologies are used. The 21st Century is an era where information has converged, in which people are able to access a variety of services, including internet and location based services, through multi-functional devices such as mobile phones and provides opportunities in the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities. This paper discusses the recent developments in telecommunication networks and trends in convergence technologies and their implications on the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities and how this technological shift is likely to be beneficial in improving the quality of life and place. The paper also introduces recent approaches on urban management systems, such as intelligent urban management systems, that are suitable for Ubiquitous Eco Cities

Building sustainable learning environments that are ‘fit for the future’ with reference to Egypt

Perhaps there is no building type that has a more significant impact on our lives than the Kindergarten to high School (K-12). We continue to carry the memories of our early learning environments through the residue of our lives. It is the quality of those learning environments that play a crucial role in enhancing or hampering our learning experience. Learning spaces are complex spaces where the collective skills, knowledge, and practices of a culture are taught, shaped, encouraged, and transmitted. Comfortable/safe and creative learning spaces can inspire and motivate users, while ugly/unsafe spaces can oppress. Based on these two attitudes, the aims of this paper are to; firstly, developing Sustainable learning environments (SLE) in the Middle-East countries with reference to Egypt. Secondly, to reviewing and extending the planning and design of the internal, external and landscaping features of a proposed eco-class to collectively pass to the learners for enhancing the quality of learning space and thus education. After the Egyptian Revolution on the 25th of January, 2011 and the hopes and dreams this brings with it, for a major transformation in all life sectors, the Egyptian government needs to recognise the right of children and young people to learn in an environment which is safe, healthy and achieves the highest quality possible. We must all be committed to improving the quality, attractiveness and health of the learning and communal spaces in our schools. Environmental factors have significant effects on pupil and teacher wellbeing. In contrast, poor school and classroom design can affect concentration, creativity and general well-being; in addition, poor quality lighting, ventilation, acoustics and furniture all have a negative effect on student achievement and health. Nowadays, Egypt endure deterioration of education quality as a result of deficient learning spaces, high number of pupils in class, insufficient governmental expenditure and funding, and lack of proper research in education developmental strategies. Therefore, new learning spaces should be able to increase flexibility in order to support hands-on and outside-class learning activities. Furthermore, they intend to encourage extra-curricula activities beyond conventional learning times. Currently, these integral learning-components are crucial for socio-cultural sustainability and positive initiatives towards minimizing recent educational underachievement. Undoubtedly, comfortable, safe and creative learning spaces can inspire and motivate users, while ugly/unsafe spaces can depress. Therefore, well-designed learning spaces are able to support creative, productive and efficient learning processes on one hand. On the other hand, ecological design measures became increasingly major keystone for modern sustainable learning-spaces. Thus, learning-spaces’ design process, form, components, materials, features, and energy-saving technologies can generate well-educated, environmental-literate, energy-conscious, and innovative future-generations. (Continued