A new satellite data network will give poorer countries access to essential crop, health, and climate data in real time and at low cost, helping them forecast and prevent natural disasters and health crises.

The project, called GEONETCast, will grant countries around the world access to potentially life-saving data gathered and disseminated by richer nations’ expensive satellite systems.

“We are expanding the scope of available data and creating a data highway in the sky,” Mike Williams, control center chief at Europe’s weather satellite operator EUMETSAT, told Reuters.

The project combines satellites operated by U.S., EU and China-based organizations to create a global network which can be used to beam data in real time from labs on the ground or instruments in the sky to end-users around the world.

GEONETCast will transmit data about disease, drought, natural disasters, air and water quality, and ocean conditions. To receive the data, users need only a receiver and a license fee, costing a total of around $1,500.