Uzbekistan’s President Reviews Proposals for Using Space Monitoring to Boost Economic Development

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 16 October, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation on identifying new economic opportunities through space monitoring.

In recent years, Uzbekistan has actively developed the use of aerospace data across various sectors of the economy. A new phase in this work was outlined in a presidential decree signed on 30 September 2025.

According to the decree, the Uzcosmos Agency under the Ministry of Digital Technologies will conduct state space monitoring at least three times a year in the fields of geology, land management, and environmental protection. Territorial representatives of the agency have been appointed to increase operational efficiency.

The main goal, as emphasized during the presentation, is to use satellite analysis to identify opportunities that can stimulate economic growth.

Annually, hundreds of mineral deposits and quarries are put up for auction in Uzbekistan. The system provides businesses with opportunities to implement modern industrial technologies for resource development. In 2024, 170 deposits were auctioned, and in 2025, an additional 172.

At the same time, illegal extraction remains a concern. Since the beginning of the year, space monitoring has detected over 2,000 cases of unlawful resource use. The General Prosecutor’s Office has been tasked with effectively using satellite data for investigating economic violations and preventing such offenses.

Special attention is given to construction control. Over recent years, cadastral registration has been completed for 1,365,000 unauthorized residential buildings. However, the problem persists: since the start of 2025, over 33,000 unauthorized constructions have been identified, many on agricultural land. The President instructed the acceleration of integration of existing information systems and the creation of a unified platform for timely detection and prevention of illegal construction.

Another priority is identifying unused land plots and incorporating them into economic circulation. Analysis in six regions revealed around 300 hectares of free land, including 95 hectares in Tashkent already put up for auction. The President instructed completion of similar studies in eight additional regions by the end of this year, with coverage of all district centers planned for 2026.

Projects were presented to integrate international experience and modern technologies, including the use of artificial intelligence to analyze space data. Tasks include detecting illegal logging, methane leaks, assessing solar panel efficiency, and monitoring roads, railways, and power networks.

Initiatives to develop an educational ecosystem in space technologies, expand scientific research, and extend telecommunications to remote areas via satellite communications were also discussed.

The President instructed that preparations for the International Astronautics Congress, to be held in Samarkand in 2028, be carried out with high quality.