Shinichi SOBUE, Deputy Chief Officer of Earth Observation Missions, receives the “GISTDA Honorable Partnership Award 2023.”

On October 25, 2023, Dr. Shinichi SOBUE, Deputy Chief Officer of Earth Observation Missions, Space Technology Directorate I, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), received the “GISTDA Honorable Partnership Award 2023” from the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) of Thailand. The award ceremony took place during the Thailand Space Week 2023 held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, in the presence of officials from the Embassies of Japan, France and the EU in Thailand and JAXA President Dr. YAMAKAWA. At the award ceremony, a commemorative trophy was presented to Dr. SOBUE by GISTDA Executive Director Dr. Pakorn APAPHANT.

The “GISTDA Honorable Partnership Award 2023” is a prize that GISTDA established for the first time this year. It is awarded to individuals who have contributed to Thailand through international cooperation over a period of more than 10 years. Dr. SOBUE has been at the forefront of bilateral cooperation between Japan and Thailand regarding application of ALOS and ALOS-2 satellites. Additionally, through his endeavor in the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), particularly the Space Applications for Environment (SAFE) initiative, and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), Dr. SOBUE has spearheaded efforts to address societal and economical challenges in Thailand, such as agriculture and water resource management.

Dr. SOBUE became the first recipient of the award. During the award ceremony, while mentioning the names of the Japanese and Thai researchers and engineers with whom he has collaborated over the years, Dr. SOBUE stated, “I would like to share this award with the Japanese and Thai mentors who have guided me, as well as with my colleagues at JAXA and GISTDA. I believe that this collaboration will continue and be expanded upon in frameworks such as APRSAF and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and will be continuously carried forward by the next generation of Japan and Thailand.”

JAXA, through frameworks like APRSAF and CEOS, will collaborate with satellites in the Asian region, including Thailand’s new Earth observation satellite THEOS-2 launched on October 9, 2023, in addition to Japan’s Earth observation satellites like ALOS-2 and its successor, ALOS-4, and take the lead in addressing climate change, such as understanding GHG emissions by monitoring forest and land-use changes and managing water level of paddy fields. Furthermore, through partnership with Japanese companies that participate in the Consortium for Satellite Earth Observation (CONSEO), which is operated by JAXA as a hub, JAXA will engage in the co-creation for commercialization and implementation of satellite Earth observation to the society and aims to address societal challenges and contribute to socio-economic development between Japan and Thailand, as well as between other countries and regions around the world.