In October 2014 a new cooperative project between ESA and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), called Earth Observation for a Transforming Asia Pacific (EOTAP), was launched.
The enterprise seeks to advance satellite Earth observation capabilities through a wide range of development projects in Asia and the Pacific.
In particular, the EOTAP initiative includes twelve projects related to the use of satellite data for sustainable growth. The final results will be assessed in the autumn of next year.
The initiative's rationale is that using satellite data is particularly relevant in areas such as urban, agriculture and rural development applications, as well as energy management, disaster and risk analysis and climate change mitigation strategies.
“We hope increased cooperation with agencies such as ESA and Earth observation service providers will lead to strengthened capacity among our developing member countries to better exploit the potential of geo-information for sustainable development,” stated Nessim Ahmad, Deputy Director General of ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department.
