Sensors & Systems

Change is a constant that is inevitable, but what isn’t inevitable are disruptive impacts. The more we know about our planet and how our built environment interacts with our natural environment, the more we will seamlessly adapt with little or no harm to lives and livelihoods. It’s with the mission in mind — to monitor, analyze and adapt to global change — that the re-branded Sensors & Systems is born.

We face many challenges at a global scale in terms of energy, water, food, and security that are being driven by population growth as well as climate change. Gaining a better understanding about the scale and scope of these changes, and how impacts are interrelated, is a big job that requires a rigorous methodology with interconnected systems and monitoring approaches. While computer models have come a long way, we have yet to adequately model the complex systems of our planet. The web of remote sensing satellites and other sensor networks provide the tools to give us big-picture measurements of change to both our planet and atmosphere. However, our models must be calibrated with these inputs as well as fieldwork in order to understand local conditions. With a growing need to pull together our knowledge and to share insights in order to prioritize our actions, we’ll increasingly rely on sensors and systems to improve our knowledge of change.