On 15 November 2022, AFSIS Secretariat attended the Satellite Applications for Societal Benefit Working Group (SAWG)virtually which was the working group session of APRSAF-28 that was held physically in Hanoi, Vietnam during 15-18 November 2022.

The representatives from AFSIS Secretariat participated in the SAWG were Dr. Waraporn Saelee, AFSIS Manager, and Ms. Prodpran Lomthong, Project Coordinator.

The objectives of SAWG session were to contribute to common regional issues in the Asia-Pacific Region using space technology, in particular, Earth Observation Satellites and to establish and strengthen the cooperative framework between space agencies and stakeholders, including end-users i.e., AFSIS and development aid agencies, in a sustainable way.

During the SAWG session, Dr. Waraporn Saelee had an honor to present the AFSIS project and the implementation of AFSIS’ Rice Growing Outlook (RGO) activity and the collaboration with relevant organizations such as JAXA, ISRO, RESTEC, GISTDA, and VNSC regarding the utilization of satellite-derived agricultural information through the human resource development activities. In addition, the Meeting acknowledged the suggestions from AFSIS to keep continuous dialog with space community for the use of satellite image technology to improve the efficiency of RGO report in the future and also for the capacity building activity for ASEAN member countries that will be useful for solving the common problems in agricultural information system in the region.