Graphic of half a camera lense

Scoping Our Planet

Our understanding of the Earth system is limited by serious measurement and modelling gaps that lead to unacceptable uncertainties in weather and climate predictions. By cultivating frontier technologies, from measurement platforms to artificial intelligence models, we can fill these gaps and generate actionable knowledge to serve society in diverse and so far impossible ways.

What if we could close the gaps in our understanding of the Earth system?

Defined by our Programme Directors, opportunity spaces are areas we believe are likely to yield breakthroughs.

In Scoping Our Planet, we seek to unite frontier platforms, sensors, and AI models to revolutionise our understanding of our Earth system, maximise planetary resilience and revolutionise global business.

Core beliefs

The core beliefs that underpin this opportunity space:

1.

Earth measurement and modelling gaps exist in space and time → closing these gaps is crucial to unlock actionable information. 

2.

A dynamic interplay of frontier platforms, sensors, and models could parameterise the entire Earth system → the resulting forecasts will revolutionise global business and maximise planetary resilience.

3.

Technological innovation alone is not enough; fragmentation of Earth system research, disconnected from the needs of industry, policymakers, and society, is severely impeding progress → transforming data into knowledge and accountability is vital for a future of human prosperity on a flourishing planet.

Observations

Some signposts as to why we see this area as important, underserved, and ripe.

Image of ARIA's observations in the Scoping Our Planet opportunity space. Tab or scroll down to view the accessible version.

 

Download as a PDF here, or the accessible version here.

Programmes

To build a programme within an opportunity space, our Programme Directors direct the review, selection, and funding of a portfolio of projects.

In Scoping Our Planet, we seek to unite frontier platforms, sensors, and AI models to parameterise the Earth system. By linking richer observations with better modelling and new platform technologies, we can unlock trillions in economic value and maximise planetary resilience.

A photo of Sarah Bohndiek, Gemma Bale in an office

Forecasting Tipping Points

Backed by £81m, this programme combines expertise in observation and modelling with innovative sensing systems, to develop a proof-of-concept for an early warning system for climate tipping points. By confidently predicting when a system will tip, what the consequences may be, and how quickly that change may unfold, we’ll equip society with the information it needs to build resilience and accelerate proactive climate mitigation.

Explore the Forecasting Tipping Points programme
Rico Enduring Atmospheric Platforms

Enduring Atmospheric Platforms

Backed by £50m, this programme looks to create a resilient and sustainable platform layer between Earth and space. Success will be measured by a single, galvanising demonstration: keeping a platform aloft for one week while maintaining line-of-sight to a fixed ground point and continuously powering a 300W payload. If possible, this technical breakthrough will provide the physical backbone required for next-generation advanced communications, serving as a critical enabler for the projected £13–20 trillion annual economic potential of AI.

Explore the Enduring Atmospheric Platforms programme

Opportunity seeds


Outside the scope of programmes and with budgets of up to £500k, these opportunity seeds support ambitious research aligned to the Scoping Our Planet opportunity space.

From sensors that fingerprint methane emissions to measuring ocean mixing by combining seismic reflection + hydrographic data, we're funding an array of projects across individual research teams, universities and start ups to maximise the chance of breakthroughs.

Active

Unlocking Ground-Breaking Observations of Antarctic Mixing With Legacy Data

Kathryn Gunn, University of Southampton

Active

Self-degrading Environmental Exploration Drones

Iganzio Maria Viola, University of Edinburgh

Active

Photonics for Portable Isotopologue and PPT Sensing

Peter Nisbet-Jones, Twin Paradox Labs; Christopher Bridges, University of Surrey

Active

Distributed Photovoltaic Neural Networks for Environmental Monitoring

Andrea Di Falco, University of St Andrews

Active

Antarctic Explorations: Where does glacial meltwater go?

Laura Cimoli, University of Cambridge

Active

REMM: REthinking Methane Measurement

Jane Hodgkinson, Cranfield University

Active

Next-CAM

Ronald Clark, University of Oxford

Active

Persistent Monitoring of Climate Variables Using High Altitude Pseudo Satellites

Steve Tate, Voltitude

Active

Clouds Decoded

Jacqueline Campbell, Asterisk Labs

Active

Rapid Development of a Mass-manufacturable SWIR Hyperspectral Camera

Sam Hornett, Living Optic

Active

WAVECLIM

Serge Guillas, University College London

 

This opportunity space is part of our rolling seed call experiment – see what's in scope for opportunity seeds in this space by reading the original call for proposals and apply at the link below.


Learn more and apply

Sign up for updates

Stay up-to-date on our opportunity spaces and programmes, be the first to know about our funding calls and get the latest news from ARIA.

Sign up