We welcome all cooperation opportunities as well as highly laud the bilateral collaborative attempts in capacity building programs.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia cooperates with South Korea to improve its capability to maintain the maritime area by using remote sensing technology, the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment stated.

"We welcome all cooperation opportunities as well as highly laud the bilateral collaborative attempts in capacity building programs," Acting Deputy for Coordination of the coordinating ministry Firman Hidayat noted in a press release received on Tuesday.

Hidayat remarked that Indonesia has committed to and taken action to sustainably conserving as well as managing its natural resources, including those related to maritime, by developing a blue economy.

The bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) collaboration project is aimed at developing a system for utilizing South Korea’s satellite data as well as increasing Indonesia's maritime management capacity through knowledge and technology sharing of remote sensing method, he noted.

Chairperson of the Advisory Board of Korea-Indonesia the Marine Technology Cooperation Research Center (MTCRC) Safri Burhanuddin remarked that the project will also accommodate the handing over of remote sensing equipment assistance between Indonesia and South Korea.

In addition, he noted that the project will facilitate capacity building and training on remote sensing method for the Indonesian government, agencies/institutions, and universities.

The Korea-Indonesia MTCRC is a joint intergovernmental marine science and technology research center between the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) as well as Indonesia’s Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment.

The joint research center aims to bolster and promote practical cooperation on marine science and technology between the two countries.

Director of Korea-Indonesia MTCRC Park Hansan believes that if the ODA project can be implemented appropriately, then it will be an important support not only to solve maritime issues in Indonesia but also global maritime issues.

Currently, Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has also begun exploring the utilization of remote sensing data in various sectors, such as fishery, agricultural, and disaster mitigation.

"Related to Indonesia's future economy, remote sensing data can be used as an enabler, a catalyst, and a lever for providing a multiplier effect (on the economy)," Head of the BRIN Laksana Tri Handoko noted.

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Translator: Martha Simanjuntak, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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