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US: The global precision agriculture market is projected to cross $ 5.5 billion in total market value by 2020 after registering a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 12.64% over the period 2014 to 2020.

The report, published by research firm Mordor Intelligence LLP, predicts that the high growth in this sector due to growth in the agricultural industry, government incentives and subsidies. The need for increased productivity due to population growth and cost effectiveness are some of reasons for the recent integration of IT and Big Data Analytics into agriculture.

The precision market involves technologies like GNSS/GPS Systems, GIS, remote sensing, automation and system control: communication and monitoring devices, software and services for farm management systems among others. The APAC has been identified as a region which is yet to reach its maximum potential in the precise farming domain. Precision Agriculture not only ensures efficient use of resources, maximizes output and profitability, but also provides a sustainable solution to farm management practices.

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Teddington, UK — The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has published an extensive report ‘Metrology for Climate – Metrology priorities for the earth observation and climate community‘ containing the recommendations from international research organisations on the role of metrology in supporting climate research.

The report follows a two-day event hosted by NPL in May 2015, which provided structured workshop sessions to investigate and prioritise the role that metrology should play in supporting the robust measurement of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs).

There are 50 ECVs associated with the three Atmospheric, Oceanic and Terrestrial domains, and the concept provides a crucial systematic and internationally consistent framework of variables to facilitate the monitoring and understanding of climate change and forecast models.

During the event, three sessions were run in parallel to focus on the three domains. Each session addressed the current adherence of satellite products to climate monitoring principles as stated by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the adequacy of specific requirements for the ECVs.

They reviewed existing ECV datasets and developed recommendations on how metrological techniques are and can be applied to the generation of improved ECVs to support the long-term generation of quality and consistent climate data records (CDR).
The key objectives of the workshop were to address the following questions:

  • Can GCOS requirements be met and how can metrology help the earth observation and CDR community?
  • What can the earth observation and CDR community do to ensure successful integration of metrological principles into the monitoring of ECVs and the formation of CDRs?

Download a copy of the report here (http://www.npl.co.uk/content/ConPublication/6728).

by Peter B. de Selding — September 25, 2015. PARIS — A European Earth observation advisory committee has selected a mission to map global vegetation fluorescence to measure plant-stored carbon ahead of a carbon- and methane-monitoring satellite as Europe’s next Earth Explorer mission.

Meeting in Krakow, Poland, after two days of debate between the two missions’ backers, the Earth Science Advisory Committee concluded that the Fluorescence Explorer (Flex) mission should move toward full funding, with a planned launch in 2021 or 2022.

The committee’s recommendation is all but certain to be adopted by the European Space Agency’s Earth Observation Program Board when it convenes in mid-November.

The decision means that the CarbonSat mission, which like Flex was designed to examine the carbon cycle and has been vying for ESA backing for years, will have to await the next round of mission competitions in a couple of years or seek backing outside the usual ESA context.

The committee’s endorsement of Flex came with a request that ESA not abandon CarbonSat, whose precision measurements were viewed as offering an unparalleled assessment of atmospheric carbon and methane.

Both proposals have a long history of seeking funding that has been delayed in part for technical-readiness reasons. The precision of the proposed CarbonSat instrument is still viewed as challenging and may yet win backing as a technology development on its own, even before the full mission is approved.

The Flex mission had been set aside following a previous ESA Earth observation competition, in part because of the complexity of its own instruments. That complexity has been reduced by the arrival of Europe’s Sentinel 3 Earth observation satellite, whose multispectral imagery will do some of the work of Flex.

The two satellites will now fly in tandem in polar low Earth orbit. Sentinel 3 is one of a fleet of environment-monitoring satellites financed by the European Commission as part of a long-term program called Copernicus.

To reduce the risk of budget growth or schedule slips, ESA financed two industrial consortia to work on each of the two proposed missions and to continue the work until what is called Phase B1.

This means spending more money before the winner is selected, but it eliminates sufficient technical and financial risk to be worthwhile, ESA Earth Observation Director Volker Liebig said. It is a procedure ESA adopted after previous Earth observation missions faced technical hurdles that were not foreseen when the contracts were signed.

To further reduce the likelihood of future bad surprises, ESA is almost certain to order the Flex instrument package by mid-2016 but to hold off on signing a full mission contract, including the satellite platform, until a year later. It is in the development and production of the sensors that most cost overruns and schedule delays have occurred.

Jose Moreno, an Earth physics professor at the University of Valencia, Spain, and chairman of the Flex Mission Advisory Committee, said Sept. 24 that starting instrument development in 2016 and platform construction in 2017 could advance the mission’s launch date by one year, to 2021. He said the Flex idea has been looking for ESA support since 1998.

In a Sept. 25 interview, Liebig said his division has more than half of the total financing needed for the Flex payload — enough to begin development early in 2016.

The remainder, including funds required for manufacturing the platform, assembly and testing of the full unit, launch and operations, will await a late-2016 meeting of ESA government ministers to decide a multiyear financial commitment.

Current estimates are that Flex’s industrial development will cost around 150 million euros ($165 million). When the launch — aboard a European Vega small-satellite vehicle — the ground infrastructure and operations are added in, total Flex mission costs are likely to come in just under 300 million euros.

TerraGo, a pioneer of geospatial collaboration and mobility software, announced today the availability of TerraGo Publisher® for ArcGIS® Server version 6.8. The release provides powerful new features that help companies create map portals and web services that extend the power of ArcGIS to all enterprise users.

For ArcGIS users and developers, TerraGo Publisher includes a new Python package, called PubPy, which exposes TerraGo Publisher functions to ArcGIS’s extension language ArcPy®. PubPy can be accessed from both ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS for Server. This enables the easy creation and automation of portable, interactive maps that are accessible as web services. For end users, this means on-demand, self-service access to customized maps and data. This gives non-GIS users access to the exact map they need, in desktop and mobile environments, in both online and disconnected workflows.

“TerraGo’s new Python functions provide easy-to-use export and configuration capabilities through ArcPy interfaces, which can be published as web services,” said George Demmy, Chief Technical Officer at TerraGo. “PubPy represents a major leap forward in simplifying and automating the creation of free, lightweight GIS applications for non-GIS users.”

With TerraGo Publisher, GIS users are able to create and share interactive OpenGeoPDF maps accessible by any user with universal, free software. OpenGeoPDF is a collection of technologies that combine open spatial database features and application logic within portable, intelligent maps. In essence, OpenGeoPDF is the incorporation of the Open Geospatial Consortium’s (OGC) GeoPackage standard to store feature attributes in a universally accessible PDF container.

About TerraGo

TerraGo develops software applications and mobile apps that make it easy for our customers to collect data, share information and work together anywhere, any time. From sharing feature-rich maps and imagery to deploying on-demand apps for a mobile workforce, TerraGo builds intuitive products that enable collaboration from any place on the planet.

Founded in 2005, TerraGo invented the industry’s most widely adopted geospatial collaboration technology with its innovative GeoPDF products and is revolutionizing field data collection with its TerraGo Edge mobile platform.

TerraGo’s customers include the world’s leading defense and intelligence departments, government agencies, non-profits and commercial enterprises in every industry, with over 2,000 global customers based in over 70 countries and all 50 US states.

For more information, visit http://www.terragotech.com.

Spacemetric and ÅAC Microtec have announced today their partnership on innovative technologies for smart downlinking of satellite Earth observation data. The new Bluestone technology will optimise the downlink of imagery from satellites to ground stations addressing the problem of handling the ever increasing volumes of data generated in space.

Mikael Stern, Spacemetric’s CEO, commented “Bluestone is a critical enabler as constellations of imaging satellites face the challenge of getting high-value data back to Earth at a sustainable cost”. The collaboration between the two companies sees ÅAC Microtec providing expertise in onboard systems while Spacemetric brings long experience in ground-based image data management and processing.

“This innovation is a solution that bridges the traditional gap between space segment and ground segment systems”, noted Mikael Andersson, CEO of ÅAC Microtec, “and in doing so opens up a wide range of new opportunities that add value for the customer by saving costs on downlinking large amounts of data.” The technology underpinning Bluestone is the subject of a recent US patent application.

About ÅAC Microtec:
ÅAC Microtec is a leading supplier of compact, capable and reliable avionics for small satellites. To date, ÅAC Microtec systems have orbited the Earth onboard US, Japanese and European satellites.

www.aacmicrotec.com

About Spacemetric:
Spacemetric is a leading provider of image management solutions for satellite and airborne sensors, streamlining data access and processing from image capture to analysis. Spacemetric solutions are deployed worldwide in a wide range of operational applications with customers including Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, Airbus, ESA and Harris.

www.spacemetric.com

(24 September 2015) DigitalGlobe today announced that the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has executed the next year of the Global Enhanced GEOINT Delivery (Global EGD) program under the NGA EnhancedView contract starting Sept. 1, 2015.

This agreement builds on more than a decade of service providing the NGA and its customers with unclassified, sharable, high-resolution imagery in support of operational planning, emergency response, and situational awareness.

Global EGD products are available in ready-to-use formats, and the platform enables access to more than 6 billion square kilometers of high-resolution earth imagery to thousands of government users. DigitalGlobe keeps Global EGD current by uploading more than 1 million square kilometers of new imagery every day. The median delivery timeline for this imagery is less than four hours after downlink, and as quickly as 11 minutes. This next year agreement for Global EGD includes even easier access and expanded content for government end users in classified domains.

“We are proud to continue delivering the Global EGD service to the NGA and its end users around the globe,” said Jeffrey R. Tarr, DigitalGlobe President and Chief Executive Officer. “This program exemplifies the value that DigitalGlobe provides with our best-in-class commercial imagery that is unique in its ability to meet demanding U.S. Government requirements.”

About DigitalGlobe

DigitalGlobe is a leading provider of commercial high-resolution earth observation and advanced geospatial solutions that help decision makers better understand our changing planet in order to save lives, resources and time. Sourced from the world’s leading constellation, our imagery solutions deliver unmatched coverage and capacity to meet our customers’ most demanding mission requirements. Each day customers in defense and intelligence, public safety, civil agencies, map making and analysis, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, infrastructure management, navigation technology, and providers of location-based services depend on DigitalGlobe data, information, technology and expertise to gain actionable insight.

(source: DigitalGlobe)

spaceref

Satellite-Based Earth Observation: Market prospects to 2024 is the only report providing industry forecasts, assessment of business opportunities and analysis of the entire value chain for this growing segment of the satellite industry.


It includes a detailed breakdown of application sector within each region along with consolidated forecasts per application and per region.

In 2024, the market for commercial EO data is expected to reach $3.5 billion. Regionally, the Asian markets, Latin America and Africa are expected to have strong growth profiles.

Meanwhile, natural resources management, engineering & infrastructure, LBS and defense are expected to be the main application areas supporting growth for the EO segment.

The report includes:

  • Strategic Issues & Forecasts
  • Detailed value-chain analysis
  • EO data demand
  • Satellites launched & forecast

Report elements
More than 100 full-page graphs and tables
Over 1,000 data points
Price € 5,500 includes PDF, PPT & Excel files

Download electronic brochure==
See press release==

Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today a new software solution, the Trimble® Remote Sensing Suite. The new software suite enables geospatial professionals to efficiently extract high-quality information from satellite imagery for environmental, urban planning, agriculture, oil and gas, mining and engineering applications. The Remote Sensing Suite is a powerful combination of Inpho® SATMaster module for satellite imagery processing and eCognition® software for object-based feature extraction.

The announcement was made today at INTERGEO 2015, the world’s largest conference on geodesy, geoinformatics and land management.

Quickly extracting relevant and accurate information from large satellite data sets can transform work processes for better decision making,” said Alain Samaha, business area director of GIS and Software for Trimble’s Geospatial Division. “Our new remote sensing package combines highly accurate image processing with leading satellite image analysis capabilities to create an end-to-end data to intelligence solution.

Satellite Imaging Software Suite Optimizes Big Data Analysis

Trimble’s Remote Sensing Suite combines the capabilities of the new Inpho SATMaster module and eCognition software. SATMaster streamlines the workflow to process satellite-based imagery and deliver high-quality results. Through satellite triangulation, geospatial professionals can generate digital surface and terrain models from overlapping satellite scenes, providing a rich model of the real world. These models can be used to quickly generate terrain-corrected orthophotos and continuous, seamless mosaics over large project areas. The models and imagery can be easily combined within eCognition software for the automated extraction of GIS-ready layers using powerful object-based image analysis. Professionals can create high-quality, valuable information in a streamlined workflow – saving time and operation costs.

Enhanced Information Extraction with Change Detection

To enhance decision making, eCognition Essentials software now supports time-based analysis for imagery and GIS data. The new capabilities allow remote sensing and GIS professionals to determine imagery changes over time or relative to GIS layers, supporting applications such as vegetation change, deforestation or urban planning. Users can efficiently produce change information to export directly as a raster or as a new GIS layer.

Customizable for Various Applications

To maximize flexibility, the new software suite is available in different configurations to fit application and professional needs. For applications such as environmental mapping and monitoring landscape changes, the base suite provides a streamlined, easy-to-use workflow to efficiently analyze satellite images and extract spatial data. For more advanced applications, such as monitoring planning permits and vegetative clearances, geospatial professionals can leverage the full capabilities of eCognition software, which enables sophisticated image analysis and updating of GIS layers.
With satellite imagery becoming an important component of a geospatial professionals’ workflow, Trimble is taking another step to combine and enhance its existing portfolio to allow customers to be even more productive and efficient.

To learn more about Trimble’s new remote sensing solutions, visit.

Availability

The Trimble Remote Sensing Suite is available now through Trimble’s Geospatial Distribution Channel.

About Trimble’s Geospatial Division

Trimble’s Geospatial Division provides solutions that facilitate high-quality, productive workflows and information exchange, driving value for a global and diverse customer base of surveyors, engineering and GIS service companies, governments, utilities and transportation authorities. Trimble’s innovative technologies include integrated sensors, field applications, real-time communications and office software for processing, modeling and data analytics. Using Trimble solutions, organizations can capture the most accurate spatial data and transform it into intelligence to deliver increased productivity and improved decision-making. Whether enabling more efficient use of natural resources or enhancing the performance and lifecycle of civil infrastructure, timely and reliable geospatial information is at the core of Trimble’s solutions to transform the way work is done.

For more information, visit.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

NASA and ISRO joining hands to build an earth observation satellite called NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Mission).

The satellite will be in charge of measuring changes in the Earth’s surface related to motions of the crust and ice surface, and its launch is scheduled for 2021. Its mission will comprise snow and glacier studies in the Himalayas, monitoring of agricultural biomass over India, Indian coastal and near-shore ocean studies, and disaster monitoring and management. “One of the GSLV Mark II (launcher) will carry NASA’s satellite NISAR in 2021. There is a very good chance of commercial requirement. Currently we are working on it,” stated Kiran Kumar, Chairman, ISRO.