China and Europe are working together significantly on Earth observation for the first time at the Dragon Program meeting, which started in Lisbon on Monday.
The change from Dragon 5 to Dragon 6 starts at this meeting, which also has a groundbreaking agreement on big data and climate change.
(Photo: Unsplash/Markus Spiske)
New Era of Earth Observation Cooperation
About 300 experts and students from China and Europe have come together for the five-day symposium, which was put together by China's Ministry of Science and Technology and the European Space Agency (ESA). The talks are primarily about what Dragon 5 accomplished and how Dragon 6 projects will work. They focus on the newest developments in Earth observation technology and how satellite remote sensing can protect the environment and lessen the effects of disasters.
A new agreement to collaborate was made for Phase 6 of the Dragon Program, which runs from 2024 to 2028. It was signed at the opening event. This deal concerns ten key things, like land, the atmosphere, climate change, and big data. People will be likelier to share and use Earth observation data if they work on research projects, discuss their ideas with other researchers, and teach new people.
The Chinese envoy to Portugal, Zhao Bentang, said that the Dragon Program is an excellent example of how China and Europe can collaborate on science and technology. Through this program, both sides have made significant contributions to science growth and talent development around the world.
A video speech by Dai Gang, director-general of the Department of International Cooperation at China's Ministry of Science and Technology, emphasized that the Dragon Program's cooperation has led to stable joint research teams that study Earth. These teams have conducted studies that are among the best in the world and help solve global problems like climate change with technology.
The head of the China Science and Technology Exchange Center, Gao Xiang, said that over the past 20 years, the Dragon Program has constantly improved its ways of working together, increased funding, and raised technical expertise. He said that the program has increased the number of scientists participating, the types of study that can be done, and the data sources that can be used. This has helped the economic and social growth of both China and Europe in a big way.
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Historical Background and Hopes for the Future
The director-general of ESA, Josef Aschbacher, said that the Dragon Program was one of the best and longest-running projects that China and Europe had worked together on. He stressed that the program had made it easier for scientists from both areas to have deep conversations with each other and pushed the use of new technologies.
The National Remote Sensing Center of China (NRSCC), part of China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and ESA started the Dragon Program together in 2004. Its goal has been to encourage people in China to use data from ESA, Third Party Missions, and Chinese Earth observation satellites for study and everyday use.
At first, the program consisted mostly of 16 projects that used satellite data for scientific study and real-world purposes. It has grown significantly throughout the years. As part of Dragon 2, nearly 400 experts from 165 research institutes in Europe and China collaborate on 25 projects related to land, water, and the atmosphere.
As the sixth part of the Dragon Program starts, it continues to grow. About 400 scientists got together to discuss the results of Dragon 2 and mark the start of Dragon 3. In this phase, 50 projects have been chosen to use Earth observation data together. These projects will involve 170 schools and 700 researchers from China and Europe.
Maurice Borgeaud of ESA said, "The Dragon Program is a great example of how MOST and ESA can work together." It not only helps get Chinese and European Earth observation data out there, but it also encourages science teams from both countries to work together and trains a new crop of scientists.
Entering its sixth phase, the Dragon Program continues to set a standard for how scientists worldwide can work together. The program's focus on climate change and big data means it has the potential to make big differences in protecting the environment, preventing disasters, and advancing science around the world. The new deal between China and the ESA shows how important it is to work together to solve the world's biggest problems.
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