The UAE Space Agency and Bayanat, a private limited company, have inked a collaboration agreement in order to create and manage a geospatial analytics platform for the Space Data Center, one of the UAE government’s transformational projects.
According to the conditions of the agreement, Bayanat will utilize the capabilities of large-scale data management and processing, as well as developing analytical reports based on Earth observation satellites, to establish an innovative ecosystem for Earth observation apps.
The agreement was signed in the presence of the president, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during the Abu Dhabi Space Debate. Hasan Al Hosani, CEO of Bayanat, and Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, signed the partnership agreement in front of various representatives and staff members from each side.
The platform is in line with the United Arab Emirates’ primary strategic goals, which are to empower and promote the use of the space services industry and its apps in a way that improves the effectiveness of governmental operations and the competitiveness of the private sector.
According to Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chairperson of the UAE Space Agency, the UAE Space Agency is eager to support peaceful applications of space and to leverage big data, data science, and space technologies to help humanity address sustainability issues and discover workable solutions.
Al Amiri also emphasized how the geospatial analytics platform embodies the wise leadership’s vision, which emphasizes the value of utilizing all resources to sustain human civilization in all of its manifestations. This also strengthens the UAE’s position as a major hub for big data and technology that uses artificial intelligence to advance society and improve people’s lives.
Moreover, for Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, the collaboration agreement with Bayanat was signed in accordance with their vision and strategic goals, which call for including the private sector in their national initiatives and projects in order to promote all of their constituent parts.
The UAE Space Agency will use this platform to encourage the development of space applications and value-added services that support and enable the private sector. The inked PPP agreement is essential to the Space Data Center’s goals of creating an innovative ecosystem to use space data and technologies to address global sustainability concerns and boost the number of companies and patents in the space industry.
According to Al Qubaisi, based on this agreement, Bayanat will run a platform that will be created using the most recent advancements in artificial intelligence technology. This platform will analyze data, use the findings to better people’s lives, and advance knowledge economy sectors.
For Hasan Al Hosani, CEO of Bayanat, in line with their strategic objectives to use their technology for innovation and leadership in the vastly unexplored space industry, their collaboration with the UAE Space Agency is the beginning of a roadmap that will help identify solutions to numerous problems in the space ecosystem.
He added that the development of space apps and information undoubtedly improves daily life and offers useful information to track and monitor risks and natural disasters. From this perspective, they will continue to collaborate with the UAE Space Agency to ensure improvement and further support the growth of the local and global space ecosystem.
The geospatial analytics platform from the Space Data Center will help the UAE government carry out the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, to concentrate on developing the best and most active economy in the world as part of its efforts to transform.
The UAE Space Agency wants to use the platform to provide access to satellite data for academics, researchers, government and private organizations, entrepreneurs, and community members in order to create space data apps and value-added services that address regional and global concerns.
In addition to its function in promoting global collaboration and partnerships. A “marketplace” enabling startups, small and medium-sized organizations, and entrepreneurs to create, develop, and promote space apps and value-added services will be part of the geospatial analytics platform. It is anticipated that the platform would be completely operational by the fourth quarter of 2023.
