EARSC Position Paper on Industry Access to Copernicus Sentinel Data

The practical aspects of Copernicus Data Policy

GMES-Copernicus Free and Open Data Policy

We have recently completed the study into the benefits of a Free and Open Data policy for GMES Sentinel data.

Industry survey

We are now starting the consolidated analysis and EO companies will be invited to a workshop looking at the preliminary results.

AEROGRID extends WMS aerial orthophoto service Europe-wide

AeroGRID Ltd (England) operates a geo-imagery wms and tiling web-server that now has available over 4 million km² of orthorectified imagery from 12.5cm to 50cm resolution covering most of Europe all produced by professional photogrammetry organisations both government and private. The data is accessed through a high performance web server system in any required projection.

Astrium: operational and commercial launch of the fully complete Pléiades constellation

(19 March 2013) Astrium, Europe’s leading space technology company, has announced the operational and commercial launch of the fully complete Pléiades constellation as well as SPOT 6, following the successful in-orbit qualification of the Pléiades 1B and SPOT 6 satellites.

CCR and SERTIT join forces to provide space-based expertise to the reinsurance sector

A multi-annual partnership agreement has been signed by France-based reinsurance company CCR (Caisse Centrale de Réassurance) and SERTIT, the regional image processing and remote sensing department at the University of Strasbourg, with the aim of speeding up natural disaster impact assessments. SERTIT receives support from the French Space Agency, CNES, for the development of satellite-based imaging applications.

Chelys: Satellite Rapid Response System

Chelys was established in 2002. Our core business focuses on software development and supplying services in the Earth Observation sector, by providing processing stations for Earth Observation satellites.

Diego Rodríguez, appointed SENER’S Director of Defense

He will combine this new position with his current post, held since 2005, as SENER’S Director of Space

DMCii imagery ‘up for grabs’ in ISPRS competition

DMCii is offering ISPRS Student Consortium members the chance to get their hands on free DMCii archive imagery scenes as part of an ISPRS competition.

Euroconsult: Tech Transfer Propagates Earth-Observation Programs

(Aviation Week – March 04, 2013) by Amy Svitak.

EUROSENSE finished 2 FP7 projects: MALAREO and REDDINESS

MALAREO and REDDINESS, two FP7 projects led by EUROSENSE as the prime leader, finished in January 2013. Both projects were dedicated to the international cooperation between European and African partners. Within MALAREO, a Map Atlas for malaria research and control community was created. REDDINESS helped Gabon and the Republic of Congo to get ready for a future REDD+ mechanism.

exactEarth and KSAT win Individual Alliance Excellence Award

Cambridge, on- March 14, 2013—Last week the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals met to announce the winners for their 2013 Alliance Excellence Awards.

First national mosaic for Astrium Services in Mali with SPOT 6

SPOT 6, the high-resolution satellite built and operated by Astrium, has been chosen by IGN France International (IGN FI) to update basemaps of Mali. IGM, Mali’s national survey and mapping agency, will be receiving the most recent detailed data at a resolution of 1.5 metres from SPOT 6, which has covered the country’s entire 1 241 000 km². in less than 5 months.

GAF AG provides earth observation technology to support compliance monitoring of the future Aynak copper mine

GAF provides state-of-the-art earth observation resources to create baseline data that supports compliance monitoring and supervision of the mine development activities at Aynak – one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposits, located in the Logar province about 35 km south of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Gisat is a member of the team providing pre-operational security mapping services.

The G-NEXT (GMES pre-operational security services for supporting external actions) is a project in the Copernicus security context under the Seventh Framework Programme.

GRAS is now DHI GRAS

(March 2013) GRAS has always been 100% owned by DHI. The synergies between GRAS and the rest of DHI have steadily increased over the years contributing significantly to the growth we have experienced at GRAS.

Indonesia chooses CLS to set up its satellite-based oceanography centre for the sustainable management and development of its marine resources

The Indonesian archipelago lies at the heart of the Coral Triangle and is one of the most important reservoirs of marine biodiversity on the planet. The region provides several billion dollars of annual revenue through fisheries, aquaculture and tourism, with fishing and aquaculture employing almost 50 million people. These resources are now under threat as never before, ravaged each year by, illegal fishing that robs the government and local fishermen of some 2 billion dollars. The region’s natural resources are also threatened by global warming, pollution and coastal deforestation. To combat these risks and support the country’s Blue Revolution, which aims to make Indonesia the world’s leading producer of seafood, the government has chosen CLS, a subsidiary of CNES, to create a major national centre to forecast changes to marine resources, protect them (especially against illegal fishing) and develop them.

JOGMEC awards contract on the “Detection of Ground Deformation due to Oil Production through Satellite InSAR Analysis” to TRE

(March 2013)

Konsberg Spacetec Newsletter 05

Topics including (i) MEOS™ Capture to the ESA Landsat Data Continuity Mission PDGS (ii) Saving cost in Ground Station operations using MEOS™ Control (iii) MEOS™ Capture HRDFEP – Second Generation

KSAT Vessel Detection Service Teams Up With PEW Charitable Trusts to Combat Illegal Fishing

KSAT has recently finalized a contract to monitor vessel traffic in the waters around Easter Island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.

PCI News

…News on releases, Historical Airphoto Processing, Supports SPOT-6 Sensor or GeoEye-1 DEM Generation for Mining …

Probing Vegetation Conference From past to future 4 - 5 July 2013 • Antwerp

SPOT-VEGETATION turns 15 in May 2013!

Project Manager for Earth Observation and GI Projects

RapidEye Imagery-Based MALAREO Project Complete

(Berlin, Germany, March 14, 2013) RapidEye, a leader in high-resolution, wide area repetitive coverage of earth through its constellation of five satellites, announced today that the African Malaria Control Project, MALAREO, which incorporates RapidEye data, has come to a close and results are now available on the project’s website.

Regular working meeting of the EUFODOS project, 7th FP for Research and Technological Development of the EC, was held in the office of ReSAC.

(March 3) Regular working meeting of the EUFODOS project, 7th FP for Research and Technological Development of the EC, was held in the office of ReSAC.

ReSAC experts engaged in the Danube Strategy

ReSAC experts are actively involved the development of common resources for a territorial planning for the cross-border area between Bulgaria and Romanian, which comprises large part of Lower Danube. The work is in the scope of a Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) Project “Common Strategy for Sustainable Territorial Development of the cross-border area Romania-Bulgaria”, funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Satellite based oil spill and impact assessment – The chronology of the Deepwater Horizon Accident

Latest since large scale oil spill events, such as BP’s Deepwater Horizon accident, it became clear that technology for effectively monitoring, documenting and analysing oil spill dynamics is urgently needed. Moreover, the techniques shall allow a spatiotemporal explicit identification and quantitative assessment of the interaction with terrestrial and marine habitats of natural and economic value.

Satellite imagery helps fight locust plagues in North Africa

DMC International Imaging (DMCii) is helping The Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) to predict the spread of locust plagues across North Africa as part of a pro-active approach to tackle the destructive phenomenon using satellite imagery.

ScanEx news

ScanEX news from March/April

SCISYS Ensures Data Continuity

Meteosat-10 Data Utilization For All 2met!® Processing Software Versions

Spacemetric at Remote Sensing Days 2013

The Remote Sensing Days conference (Fjärranalysdagarna) is taking place at the Solna Summit venue in Solna, Sweden, on 9th and 10th April 2013.

SSBV Aerospace & Technology Group & zero2infinity annouce signing of MOU

SSBV Aerospace & Technology Group (SSBV) and zero2infinity today announced the signing of an agreement regarding the use of SSBV’s ACRIDS airdrop & vehicle recovery technology for the guided recovery of the bloon Near-Space vehicle.

TerraImaging and Aerodata Surveys: synergies and a uniform trade name

Two years ago Aerodata International Surveys started a close co-operation with TerraImaging via a majority shareholding in the company.

China to launch high-resolution Earth Observation Satellite

(Beijing, Mar 29) China’s first satellite for its high—resolution system for Earth observation, aimed at reducing disasters and protecting resources, will be launched in April.

City of Antwerp: a traffic scenario assessment service to monitor air quality in the city

(Source EURISY, March 2013) A mix of satellite images, in-situ measurements and air quality models are used to detect air pollutants and guide city authorities in improving traffic management to reduce emissions.

Connservation gets boost from new Landsat satellite

Danish Meteorological Institute partners with MDA for the creation of ice charts for the Greenland Sea

(March) MDA’s Information Systems group announced that it has signed a contract to provide the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) with RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2 data to create up-to-date ice charts and reports that are sent via satellite to ships navigating the ice-infested Greenland Sea.

DigitalGlobe acquires Tomnod

DigitalGlobe acquired crowdsourced intelligence pioneer Tomnod. Tomnod has been at the forefront of innovation in the growing field of crowdsourcing of earth observation imagery analysis, combining their unique and novel algorithms with deep GIS and imagery knowledge.

European Space Agency opts for radar mission to measure biomass

(02 Apr 2013)Posted by Quirin Schiermeier. A €400-million (US$513 million) radar project that is designed to measure global forest biomass in unprecedented detail will very probably launch around the end of the decade as the next Earth-observation mission by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Fraunhofer-IAF’s GaN X-band amplifier to be launched aboard ESA’s Proba-V earth observation mini-satellite

The launch by the European Space Agency (ESA) of its Proba-V earth observation mini-satellite in the coming weeks will represent the first time that a European-made device based on gallium nitride (GaN) will be sent into space. This follows an intensive test series that has qualified the amplifier – developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF in Freiburg, Germany – for launch into space.

Geospatial World Forum, 13-16 May 2013

International Charter: Geographic tool to track activations

The “Charter Geographic Tool” was developed by the Charter member CNES (French National Centre for Space Studies) in order to establish a comprehensive record of all images acquired by the Charter members in response to Charter activations, as the international mechanism reports in its latest newsletter.

Lockheed Martin-built Infrared Surveillance Satellite Launched

(21. März 2013) The U.S. Air Force’s second Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO-2) spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, was successfully launched today at 5:21 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

MDA to provide RADARSAT information

MDA’s Information Systems group (MDA) announced that its Geospatial business unit will deliver RADARSAT-2 data products and change monitoring services to the Ukraine Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Ministry) to support environmental monitoring and emergency response services in key areas within the Ukraine.

NigeriaSat-2, a highly advanced Earth observation satellite that incorporates a high performance camera

… with key optical components manufactured by Optical Surfaces Ltd., has helped Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) win the 2012 Sir Arthur Clarke award for “Best Space Activity – Industry / project”. The prestigious awards, held by the British Interplanetary Society since 2005, recognizes notable contributions to the U.K. space sector.

OBSERVE Ends, Two Projects Qualified to Benefit the Balkan Area

The OBSERVE project has officially ended, with a final event held in Thessaloniki, Greece, in October 2012. The program has fulfilled all of its obligations and delivered more results and deliverables than those agreed to initially by the European Committee and the project’s coordinator. (By Petros Patias, posted on February 13th, 2013)

Protecting history with satellites

Raytheon brings automation and virtualization to NASA's Earth Observing System

Subsystem enhancements will provide greater efficiency and cost savings

Release of PlanetDEM30, a unique high quality global elevation product

(March 20). The PlanetObserver team is happy to announce the release of PlanetDEM 30, a new Digital Elevation Model (DEM) covering the entire Earth at 30-meter resolution, offering accurate, homogeneous and voidfree data.

Satellite data to support ice monitoring and flood preparedness in Ukraine

Over the period March 22-24, 2013, northern and western regions of Ukraine experienced a snowfall equal to the monthly norm. The amount of snow and rising temperatures significantly increased the risk of potential floods.

SMEs and entrepreneurs: boosting business using satellite applications

Eurisy event: This event will offer a platform for SMEs to showcase their innovative uses of satellite applications in sectors such as transport, marketing, construction, agriculture, tourism, and others.

Spreading the Inspiration of Earth Observation

(08 April By Matteo Luccio, Copyright Sensors & Systems). Research scientists continue to add to our understanding of Earth systems, thanks to the global earth observation capacity. Waleed Abdalati, associate professor of Geography at the University of Colorado, Boulder, director of the Earth Science & Observation Center, a Fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, and former NASA Chief Scientist, has a perspective that encompasses the capacity, coming capabilities, and ongoing challenges. Sensors & Systems (S&S) special correspondent Matteo Luccio spoke with Abdalati about the inspiration that is provided through Earth observation, the need to balance satellite-based sensors with in-situ observations, as well as his research work studying ice and climate change.

The OGC requests comment on Coordinate Reference System Extension

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) announced a call for public comment on the OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) Coordinate Reference System (CRS) Extension Standard.

UKspace Selects SSTL CEO Matt Perkins as Vice-Chair

[Satellite TODAY 04-08-13] Matt Perkins, CEO of Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL), has been elected Vice-Chair of the U.K. Industry Association for Space (UKspace), the trade association of the UK space industry.

UNIGIS Equips Universities, Students with Intergraph Geospatial Software

UNIGIS selected Intergraph’s geospatial education offerings to provide leading GIS, remote sensing and photogrammetry tools to its universities and enrolled students. UNIGIS, a network of universities cooperating in the design and delivery of distance learning in GIS, was founded in 1990 and currently includes sites in fourteen countries.

UNOOSA and UNISDR organize Session on Space and Disaster-Risk Reduction

Under the umbrella of the thirty-third session of the United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting (IAM) on Outer Space Activities this week in Geneva, UNOOSA and the United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) organized the 10th Open Informal Session entitled: “Space and Disaster Risk Reduction: Planning for Resilient human settlements.”

What and Where: The Integration of Remote Sensing and GIS by Matteo Luccio

Source Sensors & Systems

Copernicus and Earth observation's potential for the EU environment

“Environmental policy making depends on timely, accurate information about the state of our planet and predictions about its future.” With this sentence, the European Union’s Science for Environment Policy Future Brief sketches the vast importance of Earth observation programs like the EU-led initiative, Copernicus (previously known as Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, or GMES).

Copernicus Masters Competition: Revealing Humankind´s footprint

(18 March 2013) In its third year, the Copernicus Masters competition – previously known as the GMES Masters – opens once again. Submissions are now being accepted for the first challenge that asks participants to demonstrate how satellites show humans’ impact on our planet.

Eyes in sky help when catastrophe strikes

Almost unknown to the public, a constellation of satellite guardians is flying overhead, and all it takes is a phone call for them to intervene when a country is hit by a storm, earthquake, tsunami or flood.

International Charter: March 2013 Newsletter available

The International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” published the March 2013 issue of their Newsletter, which is available online

Iran: Plans for launch of seven new satellites

During the new Iranian calendar year which started on March 21, Iran plans to launch seven satellites into space, Hamid Fezeli,Head of the Iran Space Agency (ISA) said.

Meteosat-9 takes over Rapid Scanning Service

In April 9th, Meteosat-9 took over the rapid scanning imagery service (RSS) from Meteosat-8.

National Security Drives Growth for GIS Professionals in Government Sector

Geographic information systems (GIS) is a technology that uses location to bring different types of data together. One of the most important markets for the technology is the government, where it has quickly become the backbone for U.S. national security and a key driver of the technology’s growth.

New milestone for Sentinel-3 reached

(March 2013)A satellite platform, ESA’s Sentinel-3, has been reached an important milestone. It has been delivered to Prime Contractor in France and will be installed and made up for a mission to monitor earth.

OGC: Best Practices Document for Earth Observation Product, Service and Sensor

An official OGC Best Practice document entitled, “OGC EO Product Collection, Service and Sensor Discovery using the CS-WebRIM Catalogue” was adopted by the Open Geospatial Consortium.

Water Mission extends its talents to carbon

ESA’s SMOS satellite is not only proving its worth by mapping soil moisture and ocean salinity, this multifaceted satellite has now shown that it can ‘see’ through vegetation to monitor wetlands for a better understanding of Earth’s carbon cycle.