📋 Tender Overview
The third day of programming at the Casa da Ciencia of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) began this Thursday (13) with the keynote lecture Open Data: The Brazilian Experience. The activity, led by the president of the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), Marco Antonio Chamon, opened the day of events in space, which continues with panels and debates on innovation, sustainability and technology.
During the presentation, Chamon gave a historical overview of the Brazilian Space Program, which began in the 1960s, highlighting that, from the beginning, the country maintained its focus on science and practical applications. Brazil started its space program in the 60s and it took a long time before we could have our own satellites. From the beginning, we used space data to bring benefits to society as a whole, to understand the country, he stated.
The president of AEB highlighted that Brazil currently has national satellites in orbit and maintains international cooperation, such as the partnership with China, which resulted in the CBERS series satellites. He recalled the launch of CBERS-2, in 2003, as a landmark moment for the country, especially because it gave rise, in 2004, to the Brazilian open data policy in remote sensing. Releasing these images for free was an unprecedented movement in the world, he highlighted.
Chamon also spoke about Amazonia-1, the first remote sensing satellite fully developed in Brazil, used to monitor deforestation and other environmental transformations in the Amazon. These data feed the Satellite Deforestation Monitoring Program (Prodes), of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), created in 1988. The program annually measures deforestation in the Amazon and other biomes, and, according to the data presented, 2025 records the lowest deforestation rate in the last ten years.
The president of AEB also highlighted that the opening of the data reinforces the transparency and credibility of the information produced in Brazil. The idea is not to simply deliver the images for free. We understand that open images allow the whole world to confirm or not our data, and this transparency gives us responsibility, accountability and governance, he explained. Chamon stated that the Brazilian satellite monitoring system is now a global reference.
House of Science
The MCTI House of Science, at the Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, is a space for scientific dissemination, focusing on climate solutions and sustainability, in addition to being a meeting point for researchers, public managers, students and society. Until the 21st, it will be the symbolic headquarters of the ministry and will have exhibitions, conversation circles, workshops, launches and interactive activities aimed at the general public.
