Introducing big data from satellite imagery in development contexts.
Satellite imagery has become an invaluable source of data that can help improve levels of contextual awareness for international development. Reduced costs and improved quality of imagery collection technology are driving a new means of informing decision-making processes.
Planet Labs, a Silicon Valley startup, uses a constellation of mini satellites launched in a cluster to provide high resolution images of the planet daily. This constellation of satellites tracks urban growth in all cities around the world. They monitor thousands of changes on earth daily. These include water security, food security, deforestation, icecaps melting, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, movement of migrants, along with many more. Please watch the following TEDx Talk from Will Marshall of Planet Labs.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to help solve some of the world’s most intractable international development problems. Helping farmers adapt to climate change, predicting disease outbreaks, making congested urban centers more livable, are just some of the current uses of AI. International development organizations are now increasingly turning to remote sensing technologies and AI for more effective solutions. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have now introduced cloud-based AI which lowers the cost of running AI systems and increases accessibility. There is always the risk that with this comes the possibility for abuse, misuse, misinterpretation, and unintended consequences. Ethical risks need consideration. AI must not generate big data from remote sensing technologies that causes more harm than good, to the very communities it is designed to help.
Ethical questions in development decision making.
(1) Does collection of satellite data in emergency and development contexts (including access, control and ownership) upset power dynamics?
(2) Can there really be parity of power when one party has access to technology that informs them in detail about your daily movements, while the other party has no technology or access?
(3) Can big data from interpretations of satellites imagery erase local voices by over-reliance on the data?
(4) Can inherent bias built into the AI algorithms that give a false or skewed interpretation of the data?
(5) Can decisions about who employs, duplicates, and sells and buys satellite imagery, become more tightly monitored and regulated?
A publication by UNICEF Innovation “Ethical Considerations When Using Geospatial Technologies for Evidence Generation” offers some guidance for companies and individuals prior to using geospatial technologies for data collection and use.
Concluding thoughts …
Satellite imagery produces global data for global goals, but we must not forget that local is part of the solution. To redress the power dynamic local communities, need to be actively consulted in a collaborative and empowering manner. Regulation should ensure open data does not fall into the wrong hands. Open data is for development purposes rather than military intelligence or destructive purposes. Further there needs to be a clear process of consideration, consultation, and assessment before adoption and use of geospatial technologies for development. Local communities must have a voice in the collection, interpretation, and use of big data. There are undoubtedly potential opportunities for development from big data from satellite imagery as seen in the video from the Global digital Development Forum video below when utilized in the right way.
If you would like to read an introduction to the use of big data from satellite imagery, please see my previous blog post ‘The Eyes in the Sky’.
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