New frontiers

Carine Saüt works with some of Europe’s leading climate experts, applying space data to address society’s problems such as climate change.

Through her work as a business developer in Capgemini’s science and space applications team, Carine identifies solutions to the issues facing society – using data gathered from space. Here, she gives us an insight into her work.

A dream come true

“My role is to promote this new and exciting field as an answer to some of the biggest challenges we face,” she says. “And in doing so, I work with major partners such as the European Union and European Space Agency (ESA). When I was seven years old, I dreamed about working with the ESA. Now it’s in my job description!”

It’s raining space from data

According to Carine, the scope and potential of space data is growing all the time. “The Copernicus program, for example, is the largest earth observation European program in history,” she says. “It generates huge amounts of data from numerical simulation outputs, in-situ networks, and of course the satellites. So, it’s raining data, all which is open and free to access.”

According to Carine, the sheer volume of data, together with the maturity of cloud and AI technology, has enabled a huge leap forward in terms of monitoring the Earth, and improving our understanding of climate-related issues.

A climate platform – powered by data and AI

As a digital integration specialist, Capgemini is at the heart of collecting, processing and enhancing this data. “We play an important role at the European level through our digital climate platform. Essentially, Capgemini operates a sustainable IT environment in which the top scientific researchers in Europe can provide their expertise on algorithms, code and simulators, to help us make sense of all the data.”

In simple terms, AI and algorithms are used to valorize the data, which massively reduces the time it takes to process all the information pouring in from the Earth observation missions – and this allows better insights to be drawn more quickly.

Faster than sound

“Today, the entire European ecosystem, from scientists, citizens and businesses, to public and private authorities, can access and explore the information being generated by ESA satellites, almost as soon as it is processed,” says Carine.

Using space data to address societal challenges

Turning raw data into useful insights is crucial for helping policymakers and organisations make better decisions for society and the planet, says Carine. “Insights from space data can be applied to address many areas related to climate change, such as food security, agriculture, air quality, smart mobility, and the reduction of CO2 emissions more broadly.

“For example, our platforms can facilitate near-real-time decision-making based on intelligent indicators of air quality, the spread of deforestation or urbanization, or the state of the oceans and crops.”

Carine explains that her work is aligned with the high level goals set by the UN and EU, such as Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate action, the European Green Deal, which is the growth strategy for Europe.

“Space data provides clear evidence of climate change, and allows people to see the bigger picture. Our platforms and apps are intended to enable the right decision at the right time, to improve society and improve people’s everyday lives.

Opening the door to Capgemini

So what would Carine say to anyone with a scientific background considering working for Capgemini? “Open the door,” she answers. “You can’t imagine what we have in Capgemini. Forget your assumptions about traditional IT companies: We are much, much more than that.”

Working at the cutting-edge

Working with agencies such as ESA is a source of great pride for Carine. “I feel incredibly lucky to be working with the leading experts in Europe on tackling climate change with advanced satellite technology and data driven solutions. They’re very open and easy to work with – because they want to collaborate with companies like ours, and Ithat's motivating!”

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Hunting for dragons

Sarah Gonçalves wasn’t always a data engineer. She began her career as an archaeologist, unearthing the secrets of the past in sites across France before retraining as a data engineer. She brings the same curiosity to her new vocation at Capgemini, using artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover what lies beneath the surface.