Uzbekistan adopts satellite monitoring to improve oversight of land and environmental use

Under a decree signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan will introduce a nationwide space monitoring system to improve management in agriculture and other economic sectors.

According to the presidential press service, the Agency for Space Research and Technology will begin conducting state space monitoring at least three times a year starting January 1, 2026. The initiative aims to expand the use of aerospace data to improve oversight of land use, geology, and ecology at the local level.

Satellite monitoring will detect unauthorized subsoil extraction, illegal construction, and land grabs, as well as waste management violations and the creation of unapproved landfills. Space-based surveillance of illegal logging will also be carried out annually.

From March 1, 2026, all violation data will be transmitted digitally through integration with the SGM platform. The system will include information on administrative measures taken—from warnings and rectifications to cases referred to prosecutors and courts.

The decree also outlines several sector-specific pilot projects. In the energy sector, space monitoring will be applied to high-voltage power lines in the Bostanlyk district to detect faults early, and to identify suitable areas for solar panel installation in the Surkhandarya region. In transportation, the Tashkent–Angren railway line will be monitored to enable real-time assessment of track conditions.

The Ministry of Ecology and the Forestry Agency are required to carry out field surveys and record results in the SGM platform within five days of detecting illegal logging, and to report on enforcement actions within 24 hours. Additionally, from March 2026, space monitoring will be used to track the burning of straw and crop residues on farmland.

A rating system to assess how effectively ministries, agencies, and regional authorities use aerospace data will become effective on July 1, 2026.