PHILIPPINE EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE MISSIONS AND APPLICATIONS: A DECADAL SURVEY

Abstract. The Decadal Survey was conducted to generate recommendations for integrated and sustainable conduct of space-based environmental monitoring and Earth observation (EO) science programs. Inputs from members of the scientific community and various stakeholders were synthesized to gain an in-depth understanding of the current status and gaps in our space- and non-space-based observation systems in addressing challenges that may persist or arise in this decade. The Decadal Survey is conducted in two phases. The first phase is the Request for Information 1 (RFI-1), where 29 experts from the scientific community were asked to describe the most pressing challenges in their field and the corresponding objectives to address these challenges. A total of 54 challenges and 94 objectives were identified across six focus areas. The second phase consisted of the Delphi Survey where stakeholders from the government, academe, private sector, and non-government organization were asked to rank the challenges and objectives identified from Phase 1. A Request for Information 2 (RFI-2) is conducted to gather information on current programs and projects and institutional capabilities in relation to space science & technology applications (SSTA). Six focus areas (FAs) were identified to adequately cover the components of Earth observation. The assessment and validation of the prioritization of the challenges and objectives resulted in the identification of the top challenges per focus area. These priority challenges and objectives were then compared with the current SSTA technology capabilities of the agencies and institutions to identify common initiatives and gaps or areas for improvement. The results provided a glimpse of how the country’s current SSTA capabilities and initiatives are implemented to solve different scientific challenges and objectives. Looking at the list of previous and ongoing projects, much focus has been made on addressing challenges in resource management and disaster risk reduction and management. Fewer programs and projects center on climate and Earth processes studies. Although most of the identified challenges were matched with at least one ongoing project, there is also concern about the continuity and sustainability of these projects. The Decadal Survey provided information regarding the priority objectives, the target observables, and the mission specifications and timelines from the program of record. The collated information was used to conduct a mission gap analysis that eventually determined the satellite payloads needed to address most of the priority challenges and objectives. The performed gap analysis led to the identification of three instrument gaps that will serve as the basis of future EO satellite missions.