GeoTech Center

Space is quickly becoming the new frontier to be explored by national governments and private sector actors. In the process, the different parties prepare themselves for an environment that will bring to space the competition and collaboration behaviors that are typical on Earth, that will require new or updated regulations and international norms, and that will unleash new opportunities for multiple industries and technologies – spanning from transportation and satellite communication to data sharing, artificial intelligence or national security.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, an EU privacy regulator, has issued a preliminary order to Facebook Inc. that demands a suspension of the transfer of EU user data to the United States, where regulations on user data are less stringent.

COVID-19 has shaken up markets across the globe as much as it has societies, but perhaps no supply chain has been as impacted as that of food and agriculture. Fortunately, technology promises a brighter future, one where data shared over the internet can connect farmers directly with the people consuming their products. As Dr. David Bray, Director of the GeoTech Center, explained at the recent Agricultural Science Association of Ireland 2020 Conference, the world will need to consider an international approach, with far-reaching political implications, in order to rethink our current supply chains and meet the needs of our growing population, even with natural and human made shocks disrupting along the way.

On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, the GeoTech Center convened an expert panel to discuss solutions for accelerating COVID-19 testing and thoughts on how logistics, technology, data, and people can distribute vaccines once they become available.

Around the world, scores of individuals and organizations work to create a better reality for their communities, their nations, and the world. Yet, with so many players in the field, it is often difficult to coordinate between different streams of public, private, and nongovernmental data seeking to combat overlapping problems. For example, what methods are necessary to connect data with the organizations who need it without exposing personal information of anyone involved? Watch the event to hear more about how data is revolutionizing the social entrepreneurship space, and learn from the panelists’ successes and challenges in the field.

Where before the only players were large government entities, now private companies regularly launch and maintain infrastructure intended to last years or even decades. The new market dynamics and politics introduced by the private sector’s emergence will reshape a realm where policy, geopolitics, cooperation, and science have always been deeply intertwined. This raises several crucial questions. Who will be allowed to operate in orbit and beyond? Who will be held responsible for the actions of private companies, and what bodies will enforce such accountability? What policy decisions can be made now to shape the economy of space exploration down the road?

GeoTech Center and Commission Launch on 11 March 2020. Focused efforts on determining priorities for future investment and cooperation between public and private sector entities seeking to develop new technologies and data initiatives specifically for global benefit.

On-going, private deliberations of the GeoTech Commissioners. Focused efforts on how can either societies or markets characterize new technologies and data choices regarding measurable benefits to people, prosperity, and peace.

Data Salon Series on improving the State of Data Governance with experts from across sectors. Focused discussions on the Future of Work, Data, Trust, Space, and Health.

The first roundtable of the series was held in Paris and brought together high-level delegations from the United States, China, and Europe for a wide-ranging discussion on emerging technologies.

The Atlantic Council’s endeavor to evaluate the implications of modern technologies for society and politics continued in Brussels, where the event was co-hosted by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).

Unlike previous gatherings where a majority of participants represented government institutions, the roundtable in Germany brought together business- and private-sector representatives. Together with policy experts, they discussed the emergence of new technologies, the rise of China, and the implications of a global AI race.

Two roundtables in Beijing and a third one in Shanghai brought together leaders from government, civil society, academia, and think tanks to discuss China’s role as a global citizen, the country’s use and development of artificial intelligence, and the implications of modern technologies for international relations.

Two digital roundtables with India brought together high-level experts to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and geopolitics of emerging technologies in the South Asian country. While the first focused on AI and health, the second centered on Sino-Indian relations.

The final roundtable of the Smart Partnerships Series focused on the African continent and how AI as well as other emerging technologies can be harnessed there for good.