President University (PresUniv) held a webinar with the Center for Remote Sensing Research (PRPJ) from the Aeronautics and Space Research Organization (ORPA), the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). The webinar was entitled Kolaborasi Penguatan Ekosistem Industri Satelit Indonesia was held on Wednesday (27/4). The webinar featured speakers Patrick Wong, MSc., Managing Director of Comtech EF Data, and Dr. Rahmat Arief, Dipl.-Ing., Head of PRPJ, ORPA-BRIN. The webinar was led by two moderators, namely Dr. Ir. Bambang Dewandaru, MSEE., Satellite Communications expert at PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia and Hidayat Gunawan M.Eng., Head of the Remote Sensing, Earth Station Research Group, ORPA-BRIN.
Patrick explained about the important role of satellites in everyday life. He explained, “The smartphones we have today are connected to satellites because they have a Global Positioning System (GPS) system incorporated in them. If the satellite doesn't work, the cellphone can't operate either because there's a synchronization on the cellphone that has to go through GPS," he explained. According to Wong, Indonesia was the first Asian country to have a satellite communication system in 1976 under the name Palapa Satellite. At that time Indonesia was also the third country in the world, after Canada and the United States, to build a communication system with domestic satellites. In 2023, Indonesia will launch the Satria Satellite which is claimed to be the largest communications satellite in Asia.
Meanwhile, Rahmat presented material on remote sensing. He explained, “Remote sensing is the science of obtaining information about objects by area or phenomena, using sensors without direct contact. The medium can be via satellite, plane, or drone.” He then gave examples of the benefits of satellites for viewing mining areas in the region, integrating changes in watersheds (DAS), or identifying marijuana fields in remote areas. Rahmat also explained the advantages of monitoring with remote sensing satellites, namely the broader coverage, which results in consistent data acquisition, near real-time, at a relatively low cost, factual, actual, and also measurable. Currently, satellites are widely used for communication and earth observation. (Silvia Desi Betrice, PR team. Photo: Silvia)
