en.Wedoany.com Reported - The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) has launched three Earth observation decision support tools targeting air quality, disaster management, and water resource management, aiming to transform satellite data into actionable intelligence to address air pollution, flood risks, and water security challenges. Developed through extensive consultation with government, industry, academia, and environmental practitioners, these tools represent a key initiative by Sansa to leverage space technology in addressing South Africa's daily challenges.

With the increasing frequency of climate-related disasters, flood risk has become a focal point. The disaster management decision support tool integrates real-time risk maps, post-disaster damage assessments, and predictive early warning capabilities, assisting authorities in protecting lives, infrastructure, and economic assets before and after floods. The air quality monitoring tool provides real-time satellite-derived forecasts of major pollutants across South Africa, utilizing the Air Quality Index to depict monthly changes in air quality for towns and cities nationwide for municipalities, regulators, and industries. It clearly identifies major pollutants, potential sources, and trends, supporting public health interventions and compliance monitoring. The water resource management decision support tool uses satellite indicators to monitor water quantity and quality in dams and catchments, track long-term trends, and issue early warnings for threats such as eutrophication, providing critical intelligence for water resource managers and municipalities to safeguard South Africa's water security.

At the launch ceremony on July 3, Dr. Zakariyyaa Oumar, Manager of Research, Applications, and Development in Sansa's Earth Observation division, stated that this demonstrates Sansa's commitment to turning satellite information into practical solutions. He revealed that Sansa is expanding its portfolio of decision support tools, planning to launch tools for agriculture/pasture, the built environment, and forestry in the 2026/27 fiscal year, followed by tools for the ocean and maritime sector and mining in the 2027/28 fiscal year. This phased approach aims to broaden the application of Earth observation services across key sectors of South Africa's economy. Oumar noted that by providing user support, training, and capacity building, and demonstrating the value of space technology in solving societal problems, Sansa is committed to transforming these project-based developments into sustainable operational services. The agency's strategic objectives also include establishing service level agreements with government departments, developing partnerships with state-owned enterprises and the private sector, and ensuring the ongoing maintenance and enhancement of these tools.