AWS Public Sector Blog

Tag: aerospace and satellite

How Natural Resources Canada migrated petabytes of geospatial data to the cloud

Since 1971, Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO) at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has accumulated an Earth observation (EO) data archive in excess of two petabytes (PB). NRCan wanted to modernize its geospatial offerings at a faster pace, so they turned to the AWS Snow Family on AWS to migrate their large volume of data.

How students help modernize rocket launches at the Western Range with the AWS Cloud

Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB), also known as the Western Launch and Test Range, is one of only two U.S. Space Force launch ranges. A safe rocket launch relies on the ability of Western Range meteorologists to gather and analyze weather data in real-time. The Western Range team wanted to switch to an agile, cloud-based solution that would streamline data analysis and keep operators safe—which prompted them to call on students and AWS Cloud experts at the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) Digital Transformation Hub (DxHub), powered by AWS, to help VSFB prototype a solution.

How to deliver performant GIS desktop applications with Amazon AppStream 2.0

Geospatial datasets are increasingly large, reaching terabyte and even petabyte scale, which can cause many challenges for geospatial analysts and educators–but Amazon AppStream 2.0 can provide some solutions. In this blog post, we walk through how to deploy QGIS, a no cost, open-source geospatial information system (GIS) application used by geospatial analysts, in Amazon AppStream 2.0. We also load an example dataset to demonstrate how desktop GIS application users can access large, cloud-hosted geospatial datasets with high performance by keeping the data and compute components together on the cloud, and streaming the desktop application instead of downloading the data itself.

Amazon and AWS to reimagine space station operations and logistics for Orbital Reef

How will humans explore, experiment, and sustain long-term habitation in low Earth orbit (LEO)? Orbital Reef is the next generation space station currently in development to provide commercial and research space activities in LEO, as well as space tourism capabilities. Amazon Distribution and Fulfillment Solutions (Amazon) and AWS are helping Orbital Reef reimagine networking, logistics, and communications that will be an integral part of the next space station.

Bringing world-class satellite imagery to smallholder farmers with open data

As part of the Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI), AWS invited Nils Helset, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of DigiFarm, to share how AWS Cloud technology and open data support DigiFarm’s efforts in precision farming to make agricultural practices more sustainable and efficient.

Brazilian Space Agency and AWS sign Statement of Strategic Intent to support long-term growth in regional space sector

The Brazilian Space Agency and Amazon Web Services (AWS) signed a Statement of Strategic Intent and Cooperation. The initiative, on which the Brazilian Embassy in Washington also collaborated, is the first of its kind for AWS in Latin America, and will support innovation and the continued growth of the country’s space industry.

What you missed at the public sector leadership session at re:Invent 2021

At the 10th anniversary of re:Invent, Max Peterson, vice president of worldwide public sector at Amazon Web Services (AWS) took to the stage to highlight AWS customers’ innovative advancements to empower communities and transform the future of research, as well as new cloud-powered paths to space exploration and the impact this has on our lives here on Earth. He was joined by customers who shared their stories of how they’re leveraging the cloud to drive their missions. Plus, Max announced a series of new initiatives for public sector customers.

Top announcements from the AWS Public Sector Partners leadership session at re:Invent 2021

During the 10th anniversary of re:Invent, I was thrilled to share announcements and achievements from AWS Partners and programs for the public sector around the world. Since its launch, AWS’s Public Sector Partner Program participation has increased by an average of 54% year over year, with partners providing solutions in mission areas across healthcare, space, energy, transportation, government, education, and nonprofit. In both the Global Partners Summit keynote at re:Invent 2021, as well as in my public sector leadership session, I highlighted the new and upcoming AWS Partner solutions and accomplishments.

How African leaders use open data to fight deforestation and illegal mining

In Africa, scientific data is critical to helping the nation’s leaders tackle issues like water scarcity and climate change. A collaboration between nonprofit Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa) and the Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI) is helping them access the data they need. DE Africa operates a free and user-friendly Earth observation (EO) data service that provides African policymakers with insights into a range of challenges, from natural resource management to the impacts of climate change. The service has already helped Ghanaian officials identify and tackle illegal mining, and provided decision-ready insights on flooding and drought in Tanzania and Nigeria.

AWS and OSTIn sign Statement of Strategic Intent to expand Singapore’s emerging space and technology environment

Singapore’s national space office, the Office for Space Technology and Industry (OSTIn), and Amazon Web Services (AWS) today announced they have signed a Statement of Strategic Intent and Cooperation. This Statement is the first of its kind for AWS in Asia, and will help support Singapore’s focus on space as a potential new industry for economic growth and technology development. The Statement between AWS and OSTIn outlines specific areas of collaboration designed to foster the development of space technologies and support the creation of a vibrant, sustainable, and innovative space hub in Singapore.