Space exploration and technologies can give us insights into the world around us and help address many urgent societal challenges, particularly climate change. UCD's expertise in data and sensors is helping to establish Ireland as an international leader in using Earth Observation data for economic and societal benefit.
CAMEO was awarded a DTIF of €9m to establish Ireland as a leader in the Earth Observation-based industry
The UCD MSc Space Science & Technology was established in 2013 to train a new generation of space researchers and professionals
Proveye named Start-Up Innovator of the Year at 2023 Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards
NovaUCD Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs supports 535+ companies and new ventures
There has been a five-fold increase in satellites over the last decade, many capturing earth observation (EO) data. While this has led to a huge increase in available data, its usability to non-specialists is a challenge. Led by Prof Michela Bertolotto, UCD School of Computer Science, and funded by the Government’s Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) and industry partners, CAMEO aims to make Ireland a world leader in using this data for economic and societal benefit. By developing an easy-to-use platform, non-specialist users will be able to access EO data and analytics. The project builds on UCD’s growing space-related research and innovation activities through the UCD Centre for Space Research and CeADAR, Ireland's Centre for Applied AI.
Peatlands store vast amounts of carbon and plant life. Over decades, however, drainage of bogs for farming, forestry, and turf-cutting on an industrial scale has turned these areas from carbon sinks to carbon emitters. A CeADAR project led by Oisín Boydell, UCD School of Computer Science, SmartBOG, is exploring how AI can monitor and protect our peatlands and boost biodiversity through restoration. His team is using information gathered by drones, satellites, and citizen scientists to develop an all-Ireland mapping solution; to identify peatland areas under threat from erosion, exploitation, and climate change, and to select areas of high conservation value.
An international NASA study led by UCD's Oliver Roberts (now at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center) observed one of nature’s greatest spectacles from space: gamma-ray flashes from tropical storms. Known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs), they last for less than a millisecond and produce gamma rays with tens of millions of times the energy of visible light. Based on recorded data obtained by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the study was able to look through more than 4,000 TGFs to find out what causes them. The findings demonstrated that weaker tropical storms are more likely to create greater TGFs, particularly as storm systems intensify.
Led by Prof Frederic Dias, UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics, HIGHWAVE is a cutting edge mathematical project that uses real-time raw data harvested in situ by the project team to develop new models and new algorithms. These new models provide information about air and water exchange in oceanic environments, boulder deposits, erosion and structural damage. HIGHWAVE's ‘Real Time Sea’ is using wireless wave sensor technology deployed on a connected buoy to measure and instantaneously transmit raw data of the sea state (air and water) at a given location, at a very low communication cost. These technologies will help future generations to improve environmental practice.
International Journal of Remote Sensing
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