On 26-27 November 2024, Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, the AFSIS Manager, participated in the 30th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-30), held in Perth, Australia. This event was co-organized by the Australian Space Agency (ASA), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The forum's focus was to bring together stakeholders from various space agencies in the Asia-Pacific region to address pressing regional issues through space-based solutions.

One of the key sessions, Satellite Applications for Societal Benefit (SAWG), aimed to promote and facilitate the use of space-based systems, such as Earth observation and navigation satellites, in conjunction with ground-based information. This approach seeks to address a wide range of common social issues in the region while fostering sustainable cooperation between space agencies, stakeholders, development aid organizations, and end-users.

During the SAWG session, Dr. Sumanya Ngandee delivered a presentation focused on the Satellite Applications for Crop Area Estimation and Growing Conditions for the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS).
She outlined the role of the Rice Growing Outlook (RGO) activities and the use of the INAHOR system (International Asian Harvest mOnitoring system for Rice) for estimating rice planted areas, which is a critical tool for tracking agricultural trends in the region. Her presentation also highlighted collaborations with key organizations, including JAXA, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), RESTEC (Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan) and GISTDA (Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency)

Furthermore, she emphasized the critical role of remote sensing technologies in providing accurate agricultural information to support food security decision-making. She also underscored the importance of capacity building in ASEAN region, such as workshops on rice mapping using the INAHOR system, which are essential for empowering local stakeholders to make data-driven decisions.

Her presentation highlighted not only the technological advances in satellite applications but also the vital need for regional cooperation and knowledge exchange she also expressed deep gratitude to the organizations involved in the SAFE Agromet Project, which aims to integrate satellite data and advance the use of remote sensing technologies into agricultural decision-making processes, ultimately strengthening food security in the region to ensure sustainable food security in ASEAN nations. The ongoing collaborations reflect a shared commitment to addressing common agricultural challenges through space-based solutions and human resource development in the use of satellite-derived agricultural information.