DAVA NEWMAN
NET ZERO
Democratising climate intelligence Perhaps one of the most important shifts identified in the whitepaper is the focus on democratising access to high-impact climate intelligence. By transforming vast EO datasets – once accessible only to technical experts – into interactive, visual and decisionsupport tools, technology pipelines are helping bridge the gap between data and action.
Tools using augmented reality( AR) and virtual reality( VR) enable users – from policymakers to grassroots communities – to experience and understand climate insights in intuitive, actionable ways. These platforms can turn complex EO data into interactive, scenario-based models that support collaborative climate adaptation and advocacy.
New platforms aggregate multidimensional EO data and make it easy to access, analyse and visualise by location, time or key environmental variables. The MIT Media Lab’ s Earth Mission Control and Africa’ s Digital Earth Africa initiative are leading examples, using open-source technology to bring EO-driven water monitoring and flood forecasting to hundreds of thousands of sites and millions of users across Africa.
Imminent advances in generative AI, such as ESA’ s planned digital EO assistant, will seamlessly answer text-based queries and provide tailored visual insights from EO data – making complex climate science ever-more accessible.
“ There is a need for accessible and inclusive climate insights, especially for communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change”
Dava Newman, Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics, MIT
DAVA NEWMAN
TITLE: APOLLO PROGRAM PROFESSOR OF ASTRONAUTICS
COMPANY: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY( MIT)
LOCATION: CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, US
Dava is a former NASA Deputy Administrator and pioneering spacesuit and humanperformance researcher. She is a global leader advancing inclusive STEAMD education, innovation and sustainable, human-centered space exploration.
130 February 2026