Space capabilities contribute to national imperatives by strengthening the knowledge economy, supporting national security, and advancing scientific discovery. In Volume 1: Space Data Utilization, we provide examples of actual, real-world end use of spaceborne data, i.e. the downstream space segment, in the Philippines across various domains. Data from space can help uplift our condition and better our lives through data-driven and evidence-based policies. Amidst concerns in food security, satellites are able to gather relevant data through remote sensing of agricultural crops, watersheds, fisheries, forests and other natural resources. Through satellite connectivity, space can bridge Filipinos and our communities, especially the underserved or unserved populations in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA). In promoting better health services amidst the lack of health workers, satellite coverage enables medical and public health services, through telemedicine.

Our country has been an active user in the downstream of satellites and space. That is, the utilization of and the applications arising from the data generated by satellites, such as images, geospatial information, and other spaceborne data. This is a valuable endeavor since the downstream is expected to largely account for the growth of the space sector and therefore its contributions to the economic growth of nations. Data and the resulting actionable information and intelligence is a currency of the knowledge economy. The use cases in Volume 1 focus on the application of satellite images to generate actionable information across applications such as disaster risk management, agriculture and fisheries, natural and built environment monitoring, defense and security, and planning and econometrics.