Women using space tech to address real-world needs
“It is very much tackling complex issues on Earth and transforming lives with information,” Thiru said. “You know, it ranges for everything from wildfire detection to saving lives and smart agriculture for farmers. So the ton of different things that we’re doing, and as part of the Asia Pacific Sector, my task here is really just to grow the ecosystem. Women are an important part of that.”
There are a multitude of life-changing use cases to be had on Earth by exploring space, according to Mani Thiru (pictured), head of aerospace and satellite, Asia Pacific and Japan, at Amazon Web Services Inc. Today, AWS’ aerospace and satellite division is a crucial cog in the wheel of many astronomical projects worldwide. However, there’s yet a lot more to do, and with the number of hands required now and in the future, a fresh influx of female talent in the space is crucial, according to Thiru. “We have services which play a very critical role. Technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning help us help these customers build up products and solutions, which then allow us to generate intelligence that’s serving a lot of other sectors,” she said. “So it could be agriculture. It could be disaster response and recovery.”
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