Press Release

Board View

Working Together to Observe Asian Air Pollutants

Date:
2020-10-27
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2,218

▷ NIER, KOICA, UNESCAP and K-eco signed a business agreement to utilize satellites to monitor Asian fine dust and climate change

▷ Installing Pandora Asia Network (PAN) in 13 Asian countries including Thailand and use it in connection with satellite data


On the afternoon of October 27, the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER, President Jang Yoon-seok), an affiliate organization of the Ministry of Environment, signed a business agreement with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) as well as Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco) to promote the "Environmental Satellite Joint Utilization Platform Project" at the KOICA office (located in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si).


The "Environmental Satellite Joint Utilization Platform Project" is being promoted to jointly utilize the information on fine dust and climate change-causing substances observed by the world's first geostationary orbit environmental satellite, Cheollian Satellite 2B (launched on February 19, 2020), with 13 Asian countries*.

* Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam (alphabetical order)


The geostationary orbit environmental satellite (Cheollian Satellite 2B) observes air pollutants and climate change-causing substances in a wide range of areas covering most of the Asian continent, including western Japan, eastern India, southern Mongolia and northern Indonesia. Observed information (fine dust, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, formaldehyde, etc.) will be available from 2021.


Together with KOICA, this project will install Pandora*, 20 remote ground observation equipment belonged to 13 Asian countries, starting with Thailand this year, to establish PAN** by 2023. The project cost is about KRW 4.7 billion (a total of USD 4 million). 

* A remote observation equipment installed on the ground for air pollution monitoring and satellite data verification. It is similar to that of an environmental satellite

** PAN: Pandora Asia Network


NIER oversees the donation of environmental satellite data and construction of the ground observation network to 13 Asian countries. Also, it operates a technology center to support satellite and terrestrial remote observations.


KOICA oversees the overall project, including budget execution, project schedule and performance management according to each organization's project execution. The UNESCAP operates a capacity-building process to support air quality policy making and use of environmental satellite data. K-eco is in charge of installing and piloting ground observation equipment to establish the ground observation network.


The purpose of this project is to donate the environmental satellite data promised by President Moon Jae-in's addresses to 13 Asian countries at the ASEAN-Korea Special Summit (November 25, 2019) and the 1st International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (September 7, 2020). 


The project is expected to raise Korea's international status by providing observational data of geostationary satellite on the atmospheric environment  as well as successful cases and experiences on solving air pollution, while transferring Korea's advanced environmental technologies through joint studies with research institutes in each country.


"As air pollution is difficult to improve with only one country's efforts, we will continue our utmost supports for Asian countries to establish a cooperation system and contribute to regaining the blue sky of Asia," said Kim Young-woo, NIER's Climate and Air Quality Department Chief.