Korea Environment Corporation, National Geographic Information Institute sign MOU to strengthen satellite-based green-zone monitoring

The Korea Environment Corporation signed an MOU with the National Geographic Information Institute on Tuesday at the institute's office in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to strengthen cooperation on national satellite imagery sharing and spatial information.

The agreement aims to apply satellite imagery from the institute's national satellites — CAS500-1 and CAS500-2 — along with aerial imagery, to the Korea Environment Corporation's riparian green-zone ecological restoration and management work, and to build a data-driven environmental management framework.

Under the MOU, the two agencies will pursue: the provision of national satellite imagery and spatial information; the sharing of environment-related spatial data and drone footage covering riparian zone land acquisitions; the integrated use of satellite imagery and environmental data along with the development of application models; and technical exchanges and policy and project cooperation in the fields of spatial information and environmental data.

The Korea Environment Corporation plans to use the shared satellite and aerial imagery to periodically analyze land-cover changes in riparian green zones within the four major rivers' riparian areas.

Through this, the agency expects to quickly identify ecological changes, sediment loss and areas suspected of damage on state-owned land, and to more efficiently select sites requiring on-site inspections and ecological restoration.

"Accurate satellite imagery and spatial information are a core foundation for managing the ecological environment across vast areas in a scientific and efficient manner," said Shin Jin-su, president of the Korea Environment Corporation. "Through this agreement, we will closely link the expertise and resources of both agencies to contribute to the systematic management of riparian green zones along the four major rivers, as well as diverse national environments, and to the ecological restoration of damaged areas."