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The MapScaping Podcast - GIS, Geospatial, Remote Sensing, earth observation and digital geographyAuthor: MapScaping
A podcast for geospatial people. Weekly episodes that focus on the tech, trends, tools, and stories from the geospatial world. Interviews with the people that are shaping the future of GIS, geospatial as well as practitioners working in the geo industry. This is a podcast for the GIS and geospatial community subscribe or visit https://mapscaping.com to learn more Language: en Genres: Earth Sciences, Natural Sciences, Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Common Space
Episode 254
Sunday, 22 March, 2026
This episode examines the Common Space initiative, a non-profit project dedicated to building and launching high-resolution optical satellites designed specifically for humanitarian purposes, such as aiding populations at risk from climate events and conflict. Although there are over a thousand Earth observation satellites currently in orbit, high-resolution imagery remains largely inaccessible to humanitarians, journalists, and civil rights groups due to high costs, restrictive licensing, and the prioritization of defense and intelligence tasking. Common Space aims to bridge the gap between low-resolution public goods (like Landsat and Sentinel) and expensive commercial options by offering 50 to 70-centimeter resolution imagery with open licensing. The project plans to utilize a "club good" funding model, where humanitarian groups can access the data for free, while commercial and government entities pay to participate to fund the system's continued operations. How will a community-driven governance model successfully navigate the ethical risks and potential misuse of releasing high-resolution conflict data in real-time? Learn more about Commonspace here https://www.commonspace.world/ Or connect with the founders here https://www.linkedin.com/in/billfgreer/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhiannan-price/
