Until recently, space technology engineer James Slifierz processed by hand images of the surface of the Earth, taken from satellites 400 kilometres away.
. First used by governments and a handful of corporate giants in the 1960s, provided by companies such as MDA Ltd., satellite technology is now ubiquitous through apps such as Google Maps. Yet experts say there are risks with this level of observation. They raise concerns about surveillance, disinformation and unethical business practices that could stem from near-unfettered access to knowledge of the Earth on an inch-by-inch basis.
GeoSapiens Inc., based in Quebec City, creates predictive flood maps and models to assess risk and damage, taking into consideration buildings and infrastructure and the road network. The company’s main customers are insurance companies and municipalities, but it is also used by real estate companies, land surveyors and disaster specialists, said Hachem Agili CEO, the company’s co-founder.
Already, the Canadian farming industry is starting to take notice, said Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Specialized satellite photography could help farmers locate fungus within a field or select the best-fitting varieties of seeds or crops, he said. According to the federal government, space data could save farmers $1.3-billion over the next decade.
And despite the promising opportunities, the commercial use of Earth-observation data makes some experts uneasy.
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