IES’s CEO discussing the development of space industry in Latvia

As a part of the European Space Expo Riga, on 5 May IES’s CEO Inese Suija-Markova participates in the Day of Space Expo’s Government and Parliament alongside Members of Parliament, Ministers and State Secretaries to exchanges views on policy requirements needed for the space industry’s development in Latvia.

To promote the development of space industry in Latvia it is crucial to cultivate a common understanding of the value-added products, services and economic growth brought by it. IES is an active participant in the Latvian and European space industry, as it is implementing two European Space Agency’s (ESA) projects. Therefore, I.Suija-Markova was invited to represent IES’s views on what needs to be done to advance the space industry in Latvia, how satellite data usage benefits the national economy and the application of the newest products and services.

As parts of the ESA’s programme The Plan for European Co-operating States IES implements two ESA’s future satellite (Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3) simulation projects. During the projects IES will develop the algorithms that will help to use satellite data for analysis of land cover-land use, spread of invasive species, dynamics of forest resources and vitality, identification of damaged areas, wetlands, flood risk areas and degraded ecosystems and evaluate various aspects of biodiversity loss. The results could be used by the Rural Support Service, the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment and Regional Development, Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre and other institutions.

The largest travelling European Space Expo exhibition takes place in Riga from 30 April to 10 May. The dome-shaped pavilion erected in Esplanade Park offers an extensive programme for different audiences showcasing space industry from research, technology and economic perspective through 13 interactive screens. One of the screens shows the information about IES’s technologies and research projects.

The European Space Expo is organized by the European Commission. It aims to present the achievements of the EU Space Programme and how European Union investment in space research benefits EU citizens in their everyday life. The exhibition in Latvia is hosted by Ministry of Education and Science in cooperation with Z(in)oo Children’s Scientific Centre.

The exhibition’s entrance is free for charge.

More information about European Space Expo Riga