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ITU seminar on science services opens in Manta, Ecuador
Space technologies and applications for
protection of life on earth
Geneva, 20 September 2012 – ITU is conducting a two-day
seminar on science services and their regulatory, technical and practical
implications. The seminar, which opened today in Manta, Ecuador, brings together
managerial and technical staff of State radiocommunication authorities involved
in spectrum management matters in the Americas region. It also has implications
for space, aviation, maritime and meteorological organizations as well as
national emergency, security and law enforcement agencies.
As a follow-up of the recent UN Conference on Sustainable Development
(Rio+20), the ITU Seminar on science services is responding to calls for
initiatives that address climate monitoring and Earth observation, sharing of
climate and weather information and forecasting and early warning systems.
The World Radiocommunication Conference 2012, which concluded this February
in Geneva, recognized that “the collection and exchange of Earth observation
data are essential for maintaining and improving the accuracy of weather
forecasts that contribute to the protection of life and preservation of property
throughout the world”.
Outer space remains one of the most promising and exciting areas of human
discovery. At the same time, space science and technologies provide critical
down to earth information and knowledge that are critical for preserving and
improving the health of our planet.
The development of science services has historically remained the preserve of
a narrow circle of specialists. This stems primarily from the fact that the main
users have been various security agencies or scientific institutions dealing
with the fundamentals of space and planet Earth. At the same time, more and more
applications, such as remote sensing imagery products and Global Navigation
Satellite Systems, are emerging in response to commercial demands.
The ITU seminar in Manta, Ecuador, will discuss the most recent studies
conducted in the development of science services by ITU’s Radiocommunication
Sector, ITU-R Study Group 7, and will focus on:
- International spectrum management frameworks for science
services
- Development of radio services related to Earth observation
systems, including basic definitions, technical principles
underlying the operation of systems and their main applications
- Space research service, including the technical and spectrum
requirements to support the many different space research
programmes, missions and activities
- Radio astronomy relevant to radio spectrum use
- Frequency and time standards, sources and their
characteristics, time scales and dissemination systems with
particular attention to the development of a continuous time
standard and possible suppression of the “leap
second” that will be referred to at the next World
Radiocommunication Conference in 2015.
See video.
For more information, please contact
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Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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Grace Petrin
Communications Officer
ITU Radiocommunication Bureau
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