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Saudi Arabia’s Vegetation Monitoring Receives An AI Upgrade

The new program will contribute to the Kingdom’s Green Initiative.

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1 year ago

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saudi arabia's vegetation monitoring receives an ai upgrade

Saudi Arabia is around 2 million square kilometers in area, with multiple terrain types and a diverse mixture of vegetation, including forests, pastures, coastlines, and islands. Now, the government is deploying AI and remote sensing to make studying and monitoring these environments more efficient.

The new program to evaluate and study vegetation cover via remote sensing and AI was announced by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli. The initiative will help to drive afforestation projects and the Saudi Green Initiative.

Khaled Bin Abdullah Al-Abdulqadir, CEO of the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC), explained that the goal is to monitor changes in vegetation cover at the sites of afforestation projects, calculate rainfall, and monitor and control local plant health.

Also Read: Saudi Arabia And UAE Join The Global Rush For AI Dominance

AI and remote sensing techniques will also allow drones to monitor mangrove forests stretching across the kingdom’s coastlines. The surveys will calculate the number of trees and follow up on sand encroachment and its impact.

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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.

Published

5 days ago

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December 17, 2024

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uae prepares to launch two satellites thuraya-2 and mbz-sat

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.

The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.

Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.

Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.

Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.

Also Read: IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth

The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.

The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.

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