A national campaign to bring the NASA JPL AVIRIS Mission to Australia is underway thanks to two scientists from UNE and CSIRO, potentially unlocking widespread benefits for agriculture, geology and the environment.
UNE Professor of Remote Sensing and Earth Observation, Bradley Evans, and Professor Alex Held, CSIRO Chief Research Scientist, Space and Astronomy, are behind the push, and are calling for expressions of interest (EOI) from Australian researchers and industry partners to propose study sites and research concepts that will leverage NASA’s major international mission.
NASA’s JPL: Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) is a state-of-the-art optical sensor that captures detailed images of Earth up to 20 kilometres above ground level and is used to better understand processes related to the global environment and climate change.
“This collaboration with NASA would provide a strong foundation of high-quality imaging spectroscopy data for use in remote sensing research and in preparation for future Earth observation (EO) satellites,” said Professor Held.
“Locally, in the Armidale region, we are consulting with Steven Ahoy, UNE Cultural Heritage Advisor, and the Anaiwan people to capture as many of their key landmark sites as possible.”
The AVIRIS has already been used successfully across North America, Europe, and South America to track forest health, water quality, soil conditions, and climate change impacts.
“This is a unique opportunity to capture data that can demonstrate invaluable applications, including predicting habitats for some of our listed endangered native species,” said Professor Evans.
“It would also benefit industries such as agriculture, as it provides us with knowledge that could significantly increase farm productivity.
“We ask collaborators who are interested to fill out our EOI by June 30.”
This mission will be instrumental to projects aligning with UNE’s recently launched strategic partnerships with the NSW Space Research Network (SRN) and Earth Observation Australia (EOA).
The SRN is a university-led initiative of the NSW Government to bring novel capabilities to the Australian and international space sectors, with UNE to play a leading role through research and industry collaboration projects.
"This collaboration additionally represents an extraordinary opportunity for Australian researchers to access world-class Earth observation technology," said Professor Evans.
"Our partnership with the NSW SRN positions UNE at the forefront of space-enabled research and innovation, and this NASA collaboration will only strengthen this capability in Australia.”
EOA recently co-hosted a webinar with the SRN that outlines the campaign to bring the mission to Australia, featuring world-leading experts Dr. Robert O. Green and Dr. K. Dana Chadwick from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. View the slides here
