Satellite data and GeoAI take centre stage as Islamabad space conference turns to early warnings

ISLAMABAD: Artificial intelligence, satellite imagery and young researchers took centre stage on Friday at the SUPARCO GeoAI conference in Islamabad, where experts argued that space-based data is fast becoming the most reliable way to warn communities before climate disasters strike.

The fourth day of the UN-Pakistan International Conference on “Leveraging Space Technology for EW4All, Climate Action and Disaster Risk Assessment”, hosted by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), was themed “Innovation, Youth and Field Experience” and drew national and international experts, researchers, academics and young professionals.

GeoAI tools and earlier warnings
The first technical session, “Innovative Tools and GeoAI”, looked at the role of UN-SPIDER in the United Nations’ Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, the responsible and ethical use of GeoAI for disaster risk reduction, and what geospatial technology can do for socio-economic change. Presentations ranged from AI-driven multi-hazard risk assessment and climate-related health analysis to agentic AI for proactive early warning, satellite-based earthquake precursor research and new tools for assessing building damage.

Youth-led research in the spotlight
A second session, “Rising Voices: Youth-Led Climate Research and Action”, gave emerging researchers the floor. Their work covered satellite-based landslide assessment, GeoAI applications, snow-cover change and the risk of glacial lake outburst floods in the Hunza Basin, streamflow prediction in data-scarce regions, AI-driven flood management, climate-resilient settlement recovery and urban subsidence monitoring. Decentralised early warning systems, climate variability and above-ground biomass estimation using LiDAR technology and machine learning were also on the table — a sign, organisers said, of how much of the practical work is now coming from universities and young researchers.

How space can serve the Paris Agreement
A panel titled “Paris Climate Change Agreement — How Space Can Help in Its Realization” brought together experts from Pakistan and China to discuss how satellite observations, geospatial intelligence and space-enabled technology can support climate commitments, environmental monitoring and policymaking. Representatives of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, SUPARCO, China’s Aerospace Information Research Institute, the Global Change Impact Studies Centre and the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) took part, with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) moderating. Participants also visited the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) the same day to see how technology is used in disaster preparedness, response and risk management. A day earlier, the conference’s third day had focused on satellite monitoring of carbon emissions, atmospheric aerosols, temperature extremes, forests, groundwater and urban air quality.