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I noticed that ESA has recently published an interesting call for commercial partners in space exploration. Calling new partners for exploring the moon and Mars. The announcement was for a call for ideas to assess how companies could join forces with ESA in novel partnerships. I welcome this approach by ESA and look forward to developing similar ideas for the EO services domain. This will mean taking some difficult decisions but together we can all benefit.
In this respect, we recently participated with Eurospace to co-organise a workshop addressing priorities in future calls for the space part of the H2020 programme. For those unaware, H2020 is the research programme of the European Union replacing the Framework programme as it was previously known. Calls are issued approximately once per year under different thematic priorities which define the research activities which shall be undertaken.

The research priorities and hence the calls are determined by the European Commission but with a very strong input provided by the Member States through the programme committee. Additionally, the EC is often given expert advice by the Expert Advisory board comprising individuals selected for their background knowledge and expertise. Essentially, decisions are in the hands of the Member States; nowhere is there room for a formal view coming from the industry.

This has long been an issue for EARSC (and for Eurospace) since it means that the projects which are ultimately selected are not necessarily connected with commercial goals. In the earlier Framework programme the situation was worse because the instruments (ie the rules by which participants receive funding) were unfavourable towards private sector players. H2020 is better but it will take some years to see if this is reflected through more exploitable products and services.

Hence this meeting, addressed towards the EC, was the industry approach to getting its views heard. EARSC vice-chairman Chetan Pradhan presented our views (presentation) and made several telling points including the need for stronger industrial participation in projects, the need to improve success rates as even very strong proposals receiving marks of greater than 93% are being rejected and most importantly that a strategy is needed to ensure that actions are coherent and the effort is not widely dispersed.

I saw another reflection on this last point in a recent article by Luc de Keyser of Stratfor ;“Rolling a boulder up Mount Everest”. This is a subscriber only service so I cannot link you to the article but it discusses the proliferation of research and the laws of large numbers. Luc starts by reminding us how policy makers are often unaware of their impacts. He recalls the legend of the inventor of chess who was offered a reward by his king and asked simply for grains of rice on each of the 64 squares starting with 1 and doubling for each additional square (so reaching 2^64 on the last one). The king was happy to accept this apparently modest request not being aware that, in total it would lead to a pile the size of a mountain and representing 1000 times the annual global rice production!

He goes on to talk about mathematical progressions in research such as varying elements which make up the design of a revolving door or a modern commercial aircraft and links this to the notion that each research project leads to more questions than answers and so, whilst the total knowledge increases, the total of unknowns increases even faster. Imagine an expanding balloon where each puff represents a new research result but the surface of unknowns expands geometrically in consequence. He uses as an example the human genome project where in the late 90’s there was enormous investment going into the competition to unravel its components with the great promise to understand the link between certain genes and diseases. But it was just the start and the consequences are large.

Scientists have now acknowledged that even though we know the human genetic code, we don’t really comprehend how it works. There are plenty of bits and pieces of the puzzle that have become clear, but we are only now beginning to realize the immense amount of work ahead of us in our quest for a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between the DNA components and cellular layers that make up a living being. Again, this represents the problem of big numbers: Scientists would need to explore the thousands of different proteins that can be spliced and reassembled into many different combinations, as well as the myriad factors that can affect genetic expression, including the conditions of the womb, stress at birth and the development of individual microbiomes on the skin and in the gastrointestinal tract. Combine these variants with the alternatives that arise in experimentation and the testing of new therapies, and we reach an astronomical number of options that are too unwieldy to test one by one.

What this is telling us is that some more focused efforts are necessary to deliver better returns against the large investments being made. Again I prefer to quote the words from the article:

An explanation for each human disease and disorder exists somewhere within this vast array of data. We now know more about some diseases with simpler processes such as Huntington’s chorea. A silver bullet cure for common chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and most cancers remains elusive. At the time of the Human Genome Project’s inception, enough information was known to anticipate the staggering number of possibilities that scientists would encounter and to adopt more modest and realistic goals accordingly. Had policymakers done so, perhaps they would have devised an approach that was more productive than a high-profile race between public and private institutions. Given all that we don’t know and likely will not know for some time, it is discouraging to see that, today, occasional articles triumphantly announce the discovery of the gene for obesity or Alzheimer’s, knowing that a cure is likely further from our reach than we realize. 

Taking decisions is difficult and whilst the winners are satisfied, those which lose by the decision are not. Hence public money is usually spent in ways which keep as many people happy as possible. But we see the consequences of this in the quotes above and it brings me back to one of our central requests to European policy makers that we need a strategy (a roadmap) to inform on future investment decisions. Furthermore, if we are to put commercial success as a goal by generating economic benefits and jobs, then the private sector must have a formal and recognised voice in the process. This will require a new type of partnership; not necessarily new for the EU but new for our sector. It must bring together the EO services sector (of course) with the policy makers and should include the other players in the geospatial services sector including representatives of communities dealing with big data (IT infrastructure), data sources (UAS, in-situ, space) and tools (GIS, Cloud etc). Collectively, this group can then develop a strategic research roadmap to bring focus to the actions and reduce waste and duplication.

by Geoff Sawyer
EARSC Secretary General

NASA has joined forces with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Geological Survey to transform satellite data designed to probe ocean biology into information that will help protect the American public from harmful freshwater algal blooms.

Algal blooms are a worldwide environmental problem causing human and animal health risks, fish kills, and taste and odor in drinking water. In the United States, the cost of freshwater degraded by harmful algal blooms is estimated at $64 million annually. In August 2014, officials in Toledo, Ohio, banned the use of drinking water supplied to more than 400,000 residents after it was contaminated by an algal bloom in Lake Erie.

The new $3.6 million, multi-agency effort will use ocean color satellite data to develop an early warning indicator for toxic and nuisance algal blooms in freshwater systems and an information distribution system to aid expedient public health advisories.

“The vantage point of space not only contributes to a better understanding of our home planet, it helps improve lives around the world,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “We’re excited to be putting NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration to work protecting public health and safety.”

Ocean color satellite data from NASA’s Aqua, the USGS-NASA Landsat, and the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 and -3 are currently available to scientists, but are not routinely processed and produced in formats that help state and local environmental and water quality managers. Through this project, satellite data on harmful algal blooms developed by the partner agencies will be converted to a format that stakeholders can use through mobile devices and web portals.

“Observations from space-based instruments are an ideal way to tackle this type of public health hazard because of their global coverage and ability to provide detailed information on material in the water, including algal blooms,” said Paula Bontempi of the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NOAA and NASA pioneered the use of satellite data to monitor and forecast harmful algal blooms. Satellites allow for more frequent observations over broader areas than water sampling. The satellite data support NOAA’s existing forecasting systems in the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes.

“Observing harmful algae is critical to understanding, managing, and forecasting these blooms,” said Holly Bamford, acting NOAA assistant secretary for conservation and management and deputy administrator in Washington.

“This collaboration will assure that NOAA’s efforts will assist the coastal and inland public health officials and managers across the country to distribute this information to the community in an easily understandable fashion, making them more resilient to environmental events.”

The new network builds on previous NASA ocean satellite sensor technologies created to study the global ocean’s microscopic algal communities, which play a major role in ocean ecology, the movement of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and ocean, and climate change. These sensors detect the color of the sunlit upper layer of the ocean and are used to create indicators that can help identify harmful algal blooms.

Under certain environmental conditions, algae naturally present in marine and fresh waters rapidly multiply to create a bloom. Some species of algae called cyanobacteria produce toxins that can kill wildlife and domestic animals and cause illness in humans through exposure to contaminated freshwater and the consumption of contaminated drinking water, fish or shellfish. Cyanobacteria blooms are a particular concern because of their dense biomass, toxins, taste and odor.

EPA researchers are developing important scientific tools to help local communities respond quickly and efficiently to real-time water quality issues and protect drinking water for their residents,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Working with other federal agencies, we are leveraging our scientific expertise, technology and data to create a mobile app to help water quality managers make important decisions to reduce negative impacts related to harmful algal blooms, which have been increasingly affecting our water bodies due to climate change.”

The project also includes a research component to improve understanding of the environmental causes and health impacts of cyanobacteria and phytoplankton blooms across the United States. Blooms in lakes and estuaries are produced when aquatic plants receive excess nutrients under suitable environmental conditions. Various land uses, such as urbanization and agricultural practices, change the amount of nutrients and sediment delivered in watersheds, which can influence cyanobacterial growth.

Researchers will compare the new freshwater algal blooms data with satellite records of land cover changes over time to identify specific land-use activities that may have caused environmental changes linked to the frequency and intensity of blooms. The results will help to develop better forecasts of bloom events.

NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives, and safeguard our future. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth’s interconnected natural systems with long-term satellite data records. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing.

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Mapping the Capacity and Directions of Geospatial Industry in Africa‘s Regional Development. (6-7 October 2015, Johannesburg, South Africa)

Geo-spatial Technologies – One of the world‘s fastest growing industry is playing an influential and progressive role in empowering every industry with Efficiency and sustainability. Post marking 2 successful years of the Geo-Leadership in the Middle East, Fleming Gulf is proud to present its mark in Africa with the Geo-Empower Africa Summit. Africa‘s economic crisis and long term sustainability issues are serving as catalysts to adopt new technologies and tools. There is an increased demand for enhanced decision making and Inventive use of resources for attaining high levels of productivity with maximum efficiency and sustainability. Geo-spatial is empowering nations to fight back and sustain and hence acknowledging the potential and growing need for Geo-spatial Technologies for enhanced decision making process and intelligent use of resources for efficient and sustainable productivity, the GEO- EMPOWER Africa will provide a dynamic platform for knowledge sharing, international networking and discussion of Geo-spatial trends, technologies and best practices with users within Africa and across the Globe.

The program will target:
• Bringing together key stakeholders from Geo-spatial service and solution providers, Government organisation, National mapping
organisations, Municipalities, Spatial Research and development centres, Transport Authorities, Industries- Mining, Oil and Gas, Power, Utilities, Telecommunications from the region.
• Understanding participants needs, address their challenges and connect the users to the right technology.
• Assessing the benefits, opportunity and challenges in application of Geo-spatial technologies in the public and private sectors.
• Learning and adopting new Geo-spatial technologies for overall Business efficiency.

Key topics

  • Need and impact of Geo-spatial Technology for Critical business decision making and Sustainable development in Africa
  • Building Capacity for Geo-spatial technologies for the development of the African countries
  • Business benefits using using Geospatial technologies- Maximising
  • Return on Investment, Saving and increased Efficiency & performance
  • Status and and Future of Geo-spatial Technologies
  • Opportunities and Challenges experienced in the path of successful implementation of Geo-spatial mission.
  • Technical Presentations on :- GIS, Mobile mapping, Remote sensing and photogrammetry, Cloud data, LiDAR, Application of Geodesy in Surveying, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) & Autonomous Haulage
  • Special workshop:- Spatial data infrastructure for sustainable development in Africa and LiDAR

More information

Flyer.pdf

(Munich, Nyala, Khartoum, March 2015) GAF AG has successfully accomplished the extensive fieldwork programme in its Darfur Natural Resources Mapping and Database Project carried out for the Darfur Land Commission (DLC). It is the so far largest comprehensive and most up-to-date inventory and capacity-building project on the natural resources and ecological potential of this 500,000 sqkm Saharian/Sahelian region.

A wealth of Earth observation and existing data served as base for preparation, recent field data and Darfur wide mapping including change detection at different scales will deliver now accurate planning data for regional development measures. The field data collection started in 2011 and has been continued over several dry and wet seasons up to end of January 2015. Thematic areas covered are Geology and Minerals, Water Resources, Geomorphology and Soils, further Ecology, Biology and Biodiversity, Land Cover and Land Use and the changes in these over the past decades, and finally Socioeconomic Conditions and Livelihoods in selected population centres. The fieldwork was carried out by expert teams by topic and region or state, involving at peak times well over 120 national and international staff to fulfil the enormous task.

Eng. Mohamed Abdulrahman Mudalal, DLC Commissioner states: “We are first of all very satisfied that we were able to entirely complete the ambitious fieldwork programme and could even add in specific thematic aspects, this despite the security challenges we have seen the past years. The first analysis shows very promising results. They will allow considerably better management of resources and for a targeted rural and urban development of the region.”

About DLC

The DLC was established in 2007 as an integral part of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority (TDRA) to address traditional and historical issues of land tenure and to review natural resources management. TDRA, the interim authority for the Darfur region of Sudan, was created earlier under the terms of the Darfur Peace Agreement (signed in 2006) and since 2012 has been replaced by the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) under Chairman Dr Tijani Sisi.

The DRA is defined by the Darfur Peace Agreement as being the principal instrument for the implementation of that agreement in cooperation with the Sudanese Government and the support of international partners. The DRA is tasked with enhancing the implementation, coordination and promotion of post-conflict reconstruction and development projects and activities in Darfur and is responsible for the cooperation among the five Darfur states.

About GAF

The company is based in Munich, Germany and has developed to a leading European Geo-information and consulting solutions provider with a high reputation. GAF today delivers turn-key projects in natural resources management, water and environment, agriculture, forestry and climate change, renewable resources, mining and geology. Over the past 29 years, GAF has been active with over 500 projects in more than 100 countries worldwide. The company is part of the Telespazio Group, which belongs to Finmeccanica and Thales, two European technology leaders. The Darfur NRDB project is a beacon project to illustrate GAF’s broad and deep geo-information consulting activities in Africa, where the company has covered nearly the whole continent and many prominent natural resources and biodiversity hot-spots.
Further information is available at http://www.gaf.de

GAF is pleased to announce the acquisition of a contract to design and implement a new mining title-cadastre and registry system for the Republic of Tajikistan. The client and beneficiary is the Department of Geology under the State Committee for Investments and State Property Management.

Modernisation of the Mining Cadastre of the Republic of Tajikistan

The overall project objective is improving governance in the mining sector by establishing a transparent system for granting and managing mineral permits. The efficient and reliable administration of such titles is considered to be a key factor in increasing investment and growth in the Republic of Tajikistan’s mining sector.

In practical terms, the project involves implementing a rule-based, computerised management system with GIS functionality that caters for the entire life cycle of mineral titles. The system must also ensure that the title administration procedures comply with the relevant laws and regulations. The implementation will be accompanied by institutional and technical capacity building activities within the cadastral organisation. The resulting improved and transparent administration of mining titles is expected to make the mining sector more attractive to private sector investment, to exploration and mining companies.

The project has a duration of two years and is embedded in the “Tajikistan Private Sector Competitiveness Project” funded by the World Bank/International Development Association (IDA). This was launched as a response to Tajikistan’s request for assistance in developing its mineral sector. It will result in the introduction of best practices and will strengthen the contribution of Tajikistan’s mining sector to economic development in the country.
The assignment is well-suited to GAF, as the company has more than 20 years of experience in the institutional and technical establishment and reorganisation of mining cadastre authorities. This includes the provision of associated consultancy services and cutting-edge software solutions. GAF’s comprehensive experience and skills in the field of mining, land management and agriculture cadastres and registries is underlined by the fact that it has implemented more than 2000 cadastre-application installations in the public and private sectors. GAF’s software unit consists of more than 40 software programmers, developers and testers.

About eMC+

eMC+ is GAF’s framework for providing mining cadastre authorities worldwide with a complete package of products and services. Using the eMC+ framework as a basis, GAF can create tailor-made and maintenance-friendly solutions for each individual client. As it is web-based, it works in an intranet setting as well as over the internet. The application’s source code can also be made available to the client, thereby ensuring that the solution can be used sustainably beyond the lifetime of the implementation project. The system is based on FOSS (free and open-source software), which ensures that no additional costs are incurred for 3rd party licenses and their maintenance. Thus the total cost of ownership is fully transparent and there is no vendor lock-in.eMC+ increases institutional capacity and efficiency by providing a comprehensive mineral tenure management

About GAF AG – Germany

GAF AG is a leading solutions-provider with an international reputation as a skilled provider of data, products and services in the fields of geo-information, spatial IT and consulting for private and public clients. Over the past 29 years, the company has been active in more than 500 projects in over 100 countries throughout Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. The company is part of the Telespazio Group, which belongs to Finmeccanica and Thales, two European technology leaders. GAF is currently performing mining governance and consulting projects in a number of countries, including Morocco, Mongolia, Nigeria, Laos, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.

To obtain more information, please contact:
GAF AG
Daniela Miller
Arnulfstr.199, 80634 Munich
Tel. +49 89 12 15 28-0
Fax. +49 89 12 15 28-79
info@gaf.de | www3.gaf.de/emcplus/

DEIMOS-2, the Very High Resolution fully private Spanish satellite, is now a Copernicus Contributing Mission in the new Data Warehouse phase of the Copernicus Space Component Data Access, coordinated by the European Space Agency. On February 27, the Copernicus GIO Emergency Mapping Service was activated following the Ebro River flooding events, near the town of Zaragoza, Spain. Elecnor Deimos delivered DEIMOS-2 acquisitions from 25th and 26th February over the affected area, less than 4 hours after the emergency activation, at a resolution of 75 cm. Elecnor Deimos fast response and reactivity, coupled with the capabilities of DEIMOS-2 satellite, demonstrated the suitability of the mission for Copernicus users.

On April 1st, 2015, DEIMOS-2 joined the fleet of Copernicus Contributing Missions in the new Data Warehouse phase of the Copernicus Space Component Data Access (CSCDA), coordinated by the European Space Agency (ESA). Copernicus is the new name for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme, previously known as GMES. This initiative is headed by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with ESA. The programme is designed to provide accurate, timely and easily accessible information, to improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change, ensure civil security and support effective policy-making for a more sustainable future. Copernicus offers a unified system through which vast amounts of data are supplied into a range of thematic information services. These services fall into six main categories: land management, marine environment, atmosphere, emergency response, security and climate change.

DEIMOS-2, with a mass of 300 kg and over 2 meters long, is a very-high resolution (VHR) multispectral satellite which produces pan-sharpened images with a resolution of 75 cm per pixel. Its advanced imaging camera acquires panchromatic and 4-band multispectral images over a 12-km swath (which can be increased to 24 km in its wide-area mode), with a sustained production capacity in excess of 150,000 km2/day. DEIMOS-2 is also capable of acquiring single-pass stereo pairs, which allows creating 3D models of the imaged area. Launched in June 2014, it is the first Spanish Earth Observation VHR satellite, and it is owned and operated by Elecnor Deimos

On February 27, the Copernicus GIO Emergency Mapping Service EMS-Mapping) was activated following the Ebro River flooding events, near the town of Zaragoza, Spain. Elecnor Deimos delivered DEIMOS-2 acquisitions from February 25 and 26 over the affected area, less than 4 hours after the emergency activation, at a resolution of 75 cm. Elecnor Deimos fast response and reactivity, along with the agility capabilities of DEIMOS-2 satellite, demonstrated the suitability of the mission for Copernicus users.

The Copernicus GIO Emergency Mapping Service provides all actors involved in the management of natural disasters, man-made emergencies and humanitarian crises, with timely and accurate geospatial information derived from satellite imagery and complemented by available in-situ and open source data. The emergency service has a worldwide coverage and is provided only upon activation by authorized users, in all phases of the emergency management cycle.

Elecnor Deimos
Elecnor Deimos is Elecnor’s technological area that specialises in engineering solutions in the aerospace, information systems and telecommunications sectors. Its main business areas are remote sensing, aerospace and defence systems, air and maritime navigation, satellite systems.
www.elecnor-deimos.com

Elecnor
Elecnor develops projects involving infrastructure, renewable energies and new technologies. It has 12,500 employees and operates in over 40 countries.
www.elecnor.com

Figures:


Ebro River flooding, Zaragoza, Spain. DEIMOS-2 75cm pansharpened image acquired on March 2, 2015.


Detail of the Ebro River flooding, Zaragoza, Spain. DEIMOS-2 75-cm pansharpened image acquired on March 2, 2015.


Detail of snow covered skyscrapers in Lower Manhattan, New York, USA. DEIMOS-2 75cm pansharpened image acquired on February 24, 2015.

2nd annual UAV exhibition welcomes 3000 visitors. A global marketplace for commercial UAVs

The Commercial UAV Show is the largest event dedicated to the emerging commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry.

Launched in October 2014 the show welcomed 1500+ attendees from a diverse mix of industries all looking to develop their knowledge of UAV capabilities.

In 2015 we are expecting 3000+ attendees and will be expanding the number of case studies, bringing together UAV manufacturers with the component suppliers and showcasing flights in our demonstration zone.

more info at

© Euroconsult. Paris, Washington D.C., Montreal, Yokohama, February 26, 2015 – According to Euroconsult’s newly released research titled Prospects for the Small Satellite Market, a total of 510 small satellites, or smallsats (meaning nanosats, cubesats, microsats and minisats) are to be launched in the next five years, a two-third increase in the average number of smallsats per year versus that of the past decade. This total includes 14 constellations of different sizes and capabilities that represent a total of 140 satellites.

75% of the 510 satellites to be launched during the next five years will be for government civil and defense agencies. Growth in government demand will be stronger than in the commercial world where a total of 130 satellites are expected.

“Large constellation projects such as those announced in 2014 by OneWeb and by SpaceX in association with Google have not been included in our forecasts/scenarios for launch by 2019,” said Rachel Villain, Principal Advisor at Euroconsult and Editor of the report. “Large constellation projects could, however, represent a very significant component of launches over the following five year period (2020-2024).”

The market value of these future 510 smallsats is estimated at $7.4 billion (at 2014$ prices to develop and launch the satellites). Market growth will remain strong (+17% vs. the past five years) as the small decrease over time in prices and in launch masses (for satellites greater than 50 kg) is offset by more satellites to be launched.

The U.S. is by far the most active country in smallsat deployment with almost half of the 620 satellites launched in the past 10 years; it will remain the largest country for smallsats over the next five years, with Europe as the second-largest region. Russia, China and Japan have each launched a similar number of smallsats over the past 10 years; the average number of smallsats to be launched in the region per year over the next five years is estimated to be lower than in the past five years. Growth in Asia outside the three space powers above will be strong as more countries launch small satellites for two main reasons: National sovereignty and security, and technology acquisition. Finally, four countries are at the forefront of smallsat development in the Middle East, whom together have launched or will launch 27 satellites, i.e. about half of the total of the MEA region.

Source

BOULDER, Colo., April 7, 2015 – Exelis (NYSE: XLS) Visual Information Solutions (Exelis VIS) has entered a new partnership with CloudEO to offer ENVI® image analysis software in a virtualized, cloud environment.

CloudEO teams with geospatial content and software providers, such as Exelis VIS, to offer consumers a unique service that brings together geospatial data, geospatial software, and the processing power of the cloud.

With ENVI software now available on the scalable CloudEO infrastructure, businesses can easily predict software costs for projects, rapidly scale up operations to handle large scale projects and even develop products and services that can be sold to potential customers.

Designed and built by Exelis VIS, ENVI software provides scientifically proven image-analysis results in an easy to use interface — from the geographical information systems analyst who needs to enhance mapping applications for better geographic awareness to the research scientist using imagery to aid in critical discoveries, a variety of professionals use ENVI software.

Through this partnership, anyone can access ENVI software via their desktop while simultaneously taking advantage of the computational capability of working in the cloud. Customers can sign up for as much or as little “time” with the software as they need based on their project requirement.

“With tighter margins and shrinking budgets, this option gives Exelis customers the ability to do more with less,” said Stuart Blundell, general manager and director of sales, Exelis VIS. “Cloud technology offers our customers a new way to increase employee collaboration, create efficiencies, simplify IT management and improve organizational access to information.”

“We are excited about this partnership with Exelis. It brings the power of ENVI to the CloudEO platform and offers our customer’s unparalleled possibilities by combining market leading software and content without the need for any specific hardware,” said Dr. Ursula Benz, member of the Board of Management at CloudEO.

ENVI is available now on the CloudEO store for as little as 189 euros per month. Visit http://store.cloudeo-ag.com/provider/exelis-vis for a complete list of options for a complete list of options

About Exelis
Exelis is a diversified, top-tier global aerospace, defense, information and services company that leverages a greater than 50-year legacy of deep customer knowledge and technical expertise to deliver affordable, mission-critical solutions for global customers. Exelis is a leader in positioning and navigation, sensors, air traffic management solutions, image processing and distribution, communications and information systems; and focused on strategic growth in the areas of critical networks, ISR and analytics, electronic warfare and composite aerostructures. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Exelis employs approximately 10,000 people and generated 2014 sales of approximately $3.3 billion. For more information, visit our website at www.exelisinc.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

About CloudEO
CloudEO – the unique portal for all those who create, interpret and use geodata. CloudEO offers to its customers a secure and highly scalable geo infrastructure to develop, produce and market geo services. It brings data, software and processing power together within a private cloud service and a certified hosting environment. Within CloudEO’s geo collaboration platform content providers, software developers, service providers and geodata users become partners within one ecosystem providing affordable geo services for commercial applications. CloudEO has European shareholders and its headquarters are located in Munich. www.cloudeo-ag.com

Exelis Media Contact
Nathan Pinder
(303) 447-5980 (o)
Nathan.pinder@exelisinc.com

CloudEO Media Contact:
Dr. Sonja Sulzmaier
press@cloudeo-ag.com

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ImageSat International, which develops satellite sensors, and the Incentive incubator, controlled by the Peregrine Ventures fund, are launching an accelerator for startups developing satellite information-based applications.

ImageSat and Incentive announced that they planned to invest NIS 15 million in five-six startups in this field over the next two years. Entrepreneurs must submit their candidacy by mid-May. Each venture will receive $600,000, with the possibility of a later follow-on investment by Peregrine. Incentive is an incubator that currently divides its activity between the life sciences, which account for the bulk of its activity, and computer and communications technologies.

Incentive now wants to expand its business to include special expertise in other fields. Incentive CEO Lior Shahory explains, “In recent years, we have seen rapid progress in the development of technologies making it possible to put satellites into space at ever-decreasing cost.

“The large number of satellites will constitute a technological platform for innumerable applications and services relating to processing the enormous quantities of information generated by those satellites, such as meteorological, geographical, and security information; information about vehicle traffic; military equipment; etc. The startups chosen for investment will gain access to satellite information, support in signal and image processing, and managerial and business guidance to help them penetrate the market.”

ImageSat CEO Noam Segal said, “We’re looking for innovative technologies that fit in with the solutions and services offered by ImagSat. We plan to invest in companies offering services to businesses that have the ability to grow rapidly in both development of technological infrastructure and market penetration.”

ImageSat currently provides services in the analysis and exploitation of information in various realms: security, precision farming and the environment, smart cities, transportation, and infrastructure. The company has launched two satellites that currently provide services to governments and companies throughout the world.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on April 1, 2015
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015
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