Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has announced the launch of a scientific interactive platform that will provide scientific analysis of environmental phenomena and their impact on the UAE’s natural resources.
The platform is the first of its kind in the region focussed on in-depth environmental studies based on remote sensing systems, image processing, GIS and artificial intelligence with analytical reports added on a regular basis. This platform allows its users, especially the scientific community to utilise the data collected from scientific research and studies done by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre.
The scientific platform includes scientific analysis and research reports that will be provided periodically to government entities. The platform covers a plethora of topics such as monitoring the UAE’s natural environment and their impact on natural resources such as water (hydrosphere), air and vegetation, monitoring changes on the coasts and studying phenomena that have implications for marine life such as the effect of red tide and others. In this regard, 20 analytical reports have already been completed and are included in the scientific platform.
The scientific platform is characterised by the interactive feature available for all its scientific reports. The feature allows the users of the platform to identify environmental changes in a particular area over a specific period of time through interactive maps, identify the changes, compare them with another time period, and ultimately come up with a specific scientific interpretation. This interactive trait also enables you to track the characteristics of a particular environmental phenomenon, so that users can obtain accurate statistics on the proportions of changes and identify their positive or negative impact.
Commenting on the platform, HH Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Director General, MBRSC said: “The new platform does not only benefit the scientific community, but also contributes to the UAE’s vision of building a competitive, sustainable by encouraging innovation, research and development, and promoting strategic decisions made by key UAE entities.
“The urgent need for scientific research and development has become more than a necessity dictated by the current situation under the influence of globalisation. It is also necessary for us to keep pace with the progressive approach undertaken by some of the most scientifically developed nations, where technology and scientific research take centre stage.”
Government entities aim to benefit from the scientific platform from different perspectives, because of the availability of diverse scientific topics. The MBRSC has adopted a scientific methodology to certify these reports.
The first step is identifying the environmental phenomenon through the Centre’s advanced tools and technologies, followed by developing the hypothesis of the phenomenon based on the expertise of the specialised team.
The next step is validating the hypothesis by subjecting it to tests based on international standards, and placing it under long trial periods under various variables. The results of the data obtained are then displayed through graphs to facilitate analysis, leading to the conclusion, which is done by linking the data and converting them into information of scientific value.
The last stage involves drawing up an integrated analytical study which is necessary to enable decision makers to make informed decisions. In addition to the reliability of these studies, they are highly specialised, as they cover numerous scientific subjects and the quality provided is difficult to obtain from other sources.
Saeed AlMansoori, Head of Application Development & Analysis Section, MBRSC, added: ”In the first phase, 20 analytical reports on different environmental phenomena will be made available on the platform. Through this scientific platform, we will be able to meet the scientific needs of all stakeholders at any time and from anywhere, especially for key decision makers. We will strengthen the local and international scientific community by working towards a future that ensures the growth of environmental studies in the UAE. In the coming years, we will have an advanced sector specialising in all kinds of environmental scientific research and analysis that will have a profound impact on the development of the UAE’s infrastructure.”
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