A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS: THE RISE OF SATELLITE IMAGERY IN THE WORLD’S MEDIA

RGSQ Lecture Series

Terri Freemantle, NGIS

The world is in turmoil. Climate change, global conflict, natural disasters, and rapid increases in urban development all necessitate a more complete knowledge of how our world is changing. As earth observation scientists, we study the ways the world is changing every day, and these changes are part of our work. However, the public and the global media also have a thirst to better understand events occurring across the globe. Advancements in technology, global earth observation programs providing free access to satellite imagery, and an increased awareness of satellite imagery have all enabled it’s use for storytelling to a wider audience. Satellite imagery offers an ever-increasing array of storytelling opportunities: garnering sympathy and anger about environmental destruction; increasing awareness of the ravages of climate change; offering use as a tool for open-source intelligence in areas of conflict; assisting in the distribution of humanitarian aid; and inspiring the next generation through education. There has been a notable rise in the use of satellite imagery by the world’s media. This talk will share stories of the impact satellite imagery is having on the global media stage.

Bio: Terri is passionate about finding innovative applications for earth observation data with the aim to create positive impact worldwide, helping those who do not currently realise the potential of earth observation, to incorporate it's use into their research or business processes. Having multidisciplinary expertise, Terri has worked in EO and geospatial for a wide range of applications areas ranging from humanitarian response and international development, sustainable environmental management, climate change impacts, disaster risk resilience and conservation. As a keen science communicator, Terri believe in the power of sharing knowledge and adopting evidence-based decision making to help us move towards a sustainable future.