16-17 November (Manila, Philippine)
The 23rd Session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) was held from 15 to 18 November in Manila, Philippine. It was co-organized by the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development - Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines (DOST-PCIEERD), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The APRSAF was established in 1993 to enhance space activities in the Asia-Pacific region. Attended by space agencies, governments, and international organizations such as the United Nations as well as companies, universities and research institutes, this Forum is the largest space-related conference in the Asia-Pacific region. Now APRSAF has 4 Working Groups; Space Applications Working Group (SAWG), Space Technology Working Group (STWG), Space Environment Utilization Working Group (SEUWG) and Space Education Working Group (SEWG). The participants of APRSAF share information about their activities and the future plans for their countries and regions in each working group APRSAF also supports international projects designed to find solutions to common issues such as disaster management and environmental protection.
ADRC joined Space Applications Working Group (SAWG) and reported activity of Sentinel Asia. The Sentinel Asia initiative is one such activity, and involves the use of space-based information in the form of satellite images for disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region. ADRC has been tasked with the responsibility of receiving emergency observation requests from ADRC member countries and Joint Project Team (JPT) members
Sentinel Asia marks 10 years anniversary in 2016. ADRC reported a trend of Emergency Observation Request in the past decade. It was highlighted that the number of EOR is increasing in the recent year. Also ADRC introduced two good practices in Vietnam and in Myanmar. Provided satellite images and product were utilized for DRR activity in both country. However it remains some points to be discussed such as data sharing in each country.
(2016/11/18 18:30)