JAXA Industry Collaboration Symposium 2014

On January 27, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) held the "JAXA Industry Collaboration Symposium 2014: Explore to Realize ~If it's space, it's possible.~" at HAL Tokyo Cocoon Tower in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Through lectures and sessions, the two-part event explored the business utilization of satellite data for solving societal challenges.

Part 1 featured a keynote address by Professor Shinichi Takemura of Kyoto University of Art and Design titled "What Can Space and Satellites Do for Global Challenges?" and Session I: "Business Utilizing Satellite Data and Its Potential for Solving Social Issues."

Part 2 began with presentations of three business ideas selected from a call for "Business Ideas Utilizing Satellite Data": "Solving the Declining Agricultural Workforce Problem with Character Games," "Proposal for a Service Promoting Solar Power Generation Systems Using Earth Observation Satellites," and "Reducing Traffic Accidents Using Space Infrastructure."

Session II, "What New Businesses Can Utilize Satellite Data?", featured presentations by Nanako Ishido, Chairperson of CANVAS (engaged in workshops for children); Yasunori Kamachi, General Manager of the Space Systems Business Division at Mitsubishi Electric; Naohiko Kamitake, Associate Professor at Keio University Graduate School; Tsuyoshi Natsuno, Specially Appointed Professor at Keio University; and Nobuko Sato, Deputy Group Leader of the Planning Group at JAXA's Industry Collaboration Center. Journalist and media activist Daisuke Tsuda moderated the session. Participants exchanged views on the necessity of public-private partnerships for space development, the usefulness of providing data to the Asian region, and methods for data disclosure to expand corporate utilization, while discussing the current state and challenges of satellite data utilization. In closing, Tsuda stated, "Neither JAXA nor we fully understand yet what data to utilize or how best to do so, but concrete examples are beginning to emerge. Now is the time to nurture the seeds of ideas that connect space development to innovation and solving societal challenges. We aim to build on this for the next 20 or 30 years."

As a first for a JAXA symposium, Session II was streamed on Niconico Video, with Twitter tweets displayed on screen during the session.