Processing data from the space industry could bring benefits to farmers and emergency services, according to the team from the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, which has been awarded $1.5 million from the federal government to create a new national space data analysis centre.
The supercomputing centre was one of two Western Australian organisations awarded federal grants today through the government’s Space Infrastructure Fund.
Fugro Australia Marine received $4.5 million for the Australian Space Robotics, Automation, and AI Command Control Complex, also to be built in Perth.
The Pawsey grant will add to existing state government funding for the centre, which has been called the Australian Space Data Analysis Facility.
It will be supported by Curtin University’s WA Data Science Innovation Hub.
Pawsey executive director Mark Stickells said the organisation was focused on linking industry and research.
“Working with the Australian Space Agency is a tremendous opportunity to build upon this history and unlock the value in the data intensive operations that support the Australian space industry," he said.
In a media release, the Pawsey team said growing data analytics capability in WA would benefit agriculture, mining, emergency services and maritime surveillance.
One specific example was in the management of drought.
The state government has also chipped in funding to the projects, with $750,000 for Pawsey, and $3.5 million for Fugro's control complex.
Fugro’s complex would support startups, small businesses, and researchers to control robotics activities in space.
“Both these projects highlight the fact that space is about so much more than the excitement of launch, it’s about developing technological capability which can drive growth across a range of industries,” Industry Minister Karen Andrews said.
“We’re building on the capabilities that make Australian businesses a desirable partner for space projects around the world, as well as growing the industries that we have a natural advantage in like mining and agriculture.”
