HÀ NỘI — The satellite data sharing system, Việt Nam Data Cube, has been introduced in the country, promising a satellite image database for Vietnamese earth observation satellite data users.

“It aims to find valuable data architecture solutions for global users and enhance the role of earth observation satellite data,” Phạm Anh Tuấn, director general of Việt Nam National Space Centre-Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology told a workshop on Tuesday.

At the workshop, experts introduced Data Cube and its specific applications in many countries in the world, such as Việt Nam Data Cube for forest, rice and water monitoring; demand on using satellite remote sensing data for the Mekong river basin as well as use at the Forest Inventory and Planning Institute.

Việt Nam Data Cube aims to improve the capacity of users to use earth observation satellite data in Việt Nam, thereby contributing to global priority programmes, such as programmes in SDGs of the United Nations and Paris and Sendai agreements.

“Through a free satellite database and open exploiting tool, Việt Nam Data Cube system will contribute to create deeper and broader applications for socio-economic sustainable development goals (SDGs), not only for Việt Nam but also for other countries within the region,” Tuấn said.

Currently, earth observation satellite data have been used not only in research but also in practice for SDGs, which shows great potential in resolving important issues such as environmental, economic and social problems on local, regional and global scales.

In fact, new generations of earth observation satellites are providing increasingly large amounts of data on the global scale. So, for many applications, the challenge is not the lack of data but how to connect the data, applications and users.

The challenges of data management and analysis due to the huge open and free satellite data volumes can be overcome by having in place new computing devices, technologies and data structures such as “Data Cube”, Tuấn said at the workshop.

International experts from space agencies in Australia, the United States, France, Japan and European Union attended the workshop alongside representatives of the ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development and Science and Technology, as well as of the Mekong River Commission, Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology and universities. — VNS