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(11 June 2014) OmniEarth has announced a partnership with Harris Corp., Draper Laboratory and Dynetics to create a constellation of satellites to deliver high resolution analytics-grade, multispectral imagery data and products, and hosted payloads to commercial and government customers.

Imagery data and products will be for subscribers in the agriculture, energy, natural resources, mobile services and government communities.

The planned OmniEarth constellation of up to 18 satellites will cover 100% of the Earth once per day. OmniEarth’s imagery and analytics will enhance users’ ability to detect, analyze, react to and predict economic and environmental change in near real time.

“This partnership brings together the necessary technical capabilities and space-mission experience for achieving the most ambitious mission to observe planet Earth ever undertaken,” said Lars Dyrud, president and CEO of OmniEarth. “This system will generate up to 60 petabytes of scientific quality Earth observation data annually to feed the next generation of Big Data analytics. Our planned satellite constellation will provide the platform for users who need high-quality analytics-friendly imagery to automatically extract commerce and environmental information and make predictions.”

The planned satellite constellation will also provide commercial and government customers a turnkey, hosted-payload solution, including launch, ground infrastructure and global coverage with a rapid revisit time. The offering consists of up to 80 kg of payload space per satellite with total system capacity of over 1400 kg, all on a highly stabilized LEO platform.

As part of the hosted payload partnership, Harris Corporation (MYSE:HRS) will integrate the hosted payloads using Harris’ AppStar™ reconfigurable, multi-mission payload platform to support marketing efforts for leveraging the available capacity for secondary missions. Harris is a leader in hosted payloads and is currently providing 81 hosted payloads for the new Iridium NEXT satellite constellation, the largest implementation of a hosted payload solution.

“Hosted payloads are a cost-effective solution that enable government and commercial customers to realize their mission objectives without the expense of single-mission satellites,” said Bill Gattle, vice president and general manager, National Programs, Harris Government Communications Systems. “OmniEarth will provide affordable access to space for those who could otherwise not obtain it.”

OmniEarth is partnering with Dynetics to develop and manufacture the satellites at Dynetics’ new state-of-the-art Solutions Complex, which was built to support assembly-line production.

OmniEarth’s satellites are based on Dynetics’ TerraSense™, a high-bandwidth and maneuverable small satellite platform. In an earlier project, Dynetics manufactured FASTSAT (Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite) in less than 10 months using off-the-shelf technology and agile processes at half the cost of a “traditional” satellite and successfully carried six payloads to space.

“Dynetics is pleased to be a contributing partner and investor in this venture,” said Dynetics President David King. “We provide a flexible satellite platform and rapid production capabilities that the OmniEarth team will need to meet users’ needs quickly and affordably.”

Draper Laboratory is providing overall systems specification and systems engineering for the effort, ensuring that the design and its implementation ensures mission success. “Draper is pleased to be a key partner in the development of this first of a kind system and see it as a perfect match for the exciting, leading edge programs we want to support,” said Draper Director of Space Systems, Seamus Tuohy.

About OmniEarth

OmniEarth improves our subscribers’ ability to visualize the world around them by enhancing their ability to see, analyze, and react to change in real time. Through a constant stream of geoinformatics, OmniEarth subscribers always have access to imagery and derived information products from any location on Earth – on demand and over time. Our desire to investigate unanswered questions about our changing planet has led us to produce a reliable, constant data stream and enhanced decision-making tools for subscribers in the agriculture, forestry, energy, civil and military markets … and everyone else who wants to better understand Earth.

About Harris Corporation

Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 125 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of annual revenue and about 14,000 employees — including 6,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and services.

About the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory

Draper is a not-for-profit research and development laboratory focused on the design, development, and deployment of advanced technological solutions for our nation’s most challenging and important problems in security, space exploration, healthcare, and energy. Draper has over 1,300 employees and revenues of approximately $500 million.

(source: OmniEarth)

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CloudEO, EOMAP, Fugro Geos, GlobeSAR, Hermess, Hisdesat, Spatial Energy, Stevenson Astrosat, BHO-Legal, NLR, Satellite Applications Catapult

We are pleased to welcome the new organizations as EARSC members:

Full members

  • CloudEO is a small German start-up offering a secure and highly scalable “cloud-based” Geo-Infrastructure to develop, produce and market geo-services. The CloudEO platform is a unique incubation centre for geo-services. CloudEO joins as a small full-member.
  • EOMAP GmbH & Co.KG is a commercial provider in satellite-derived information on aquatic systems, acting worldwide as an operational mapping service provider for the offshore industry and environmental agencies. Pioneering in the field of commercial, satellite-derived high resolution water quality and bathymetry, EOMAP solutions rely on standardized physical models which are independent of scale, sensor type, and geographic location.
  • Fugro Geos is a global leader in the provision of commercial meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) services and systems. These are provided on a fully integrated world-wide basis to meet and support client needs in offshore and coastal environments.
  • Globesar is a Norwegian Earth Observation company. It holds exclusive commercial rights of the SBAS-GSAR software that enables us to provide the customers with surface displacement maps using advanced processing of satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data.
  • Hermess Private owned company developing and providing innovative solutions on environmental issues to the offshore, coastal and harbour sector based on remote sensing data and models.
  • Hisdesat is currently developing a new satellite constellation for Earth observation (PAZ and INGENIO) with some other Spanish players. PAZ is a very high resolution synthetic aperture radar satellite working in X band, planed to be launched in 2014 and INGENIO is a high resolution panchromatic and multispectral satellite, planed to be launched by 2016.
  • Spatial Energy GmbH serves the Oil and Gas industry by providing the right spatial imagery and data content at the right price — which we host and disseminate throughout the organization. As a result, we enable our customers – 5 of the Top 6 Super Majors and 30 of the Top 50 Oil & Gas Companies in the world – to efficiently and effectively manage their workflows throughout the exploration and production lifecycle.
  • Steveson Astrosat has 3 divisions: Earth Observation, Space Communications and Spacecraft systems. The Earth Observation division focuses is on GIS/DEM, quick return on demand imagery, hi- res geo-mapping services and software value add from this – all in multiple disciplines but with a strong focus on renewable and low carbon technology.

Observers

  • BHO Legal is a boutique law firm based in Cologne, Germany, specialized in international space law, EU regulatory law, procurement, IT, Data protection, IPR, R&D and contract law. BHO has been heavily involved in the Copernicus and Gali leo/EGNOS programmes as well as other large Earth Observation Programmes (ENMAP, EDRS), FP7 projects. BHO Legal becomes and Observer member.
  • NLR is the Dutch knowledge enterprise for identifying, developing and applying advanced technological knowledge in the area of aerospace.
  • Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd is one of a network of Catapults established by the Technology Strategy Board, the Satellite Applications Catapult is an independent innovation and technology company, created to foster growth across the economy through the exploitation of space. We help organisations make use of and benefit from satellite technologies, and bring together multi- disciplinary teams to generate ideas and solutions in an open innovation environment.

Kazakhstan’s second Earth Observation Satellite KazEOSat-2 was successfully put in orbit, Kazakh Space Agency reported on June 20.
“Launch of Kazakhstan`s second earth observation satellite held on June 20, 2014 1:11 Astana time from Yasniy launch base in the Orenburg region (Russia),” the Space Agency said.

KazEOSat-2 was launched by a Dnepr booster, designed on the basis of intercontinental ballistic missile RS-20.

KazEOSat-2 with spatial resolution of 6.5 meters was manufactured by the British company Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, which is part of the largest French group Airbus Defense and Space.

The satellite is designed to provide the full range of remote sensing services to obtain images of the territory of Kazakhstan, as well as other plots of land, including monitoring, prevention of natural disasters, conducting the land cadastre, mapping to ensure the defense and security of the country.

Following KazEOSat-2 launch, Kazakhstan’s Earth remote sensing space system consists of two spacecrafts (first Kazakh Earth observation satellite KazEOSat-1 was launched on April 30) and ground complex for reception, processing and distribution of satellite data. (Cihan/Trend az)

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#June 2014

Copernicus Masters 2014 competition
This competition rewards innovative proposals for new applications of EO data in solving problems for society and businesses. So don’t miss the chance to win prizes with a combined value of more than EUR 300,000.
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The Copernicus Emergency Management Disaster Risk and Recovery mapping service is scaling up
Preparedness, Disaster Risk Reduction, Reconstruction and Recovery are the critical phases before or after a natural disaster, for which the Copernicus EMS Risk and Recovery Mapping Service provides critical information that supports the work of local actors.
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The European Environment Agency and Copernicus: a game changer for land monitoring
In an interview with Copernicus Observer, Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency, discussed the benefits of the European Environment Agency’s involvement in the Copernicus Land Service.
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Copernicus Benefitting Society and the Environment
The Copernicus Conference organised by the Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Space Agency was held in Athens on the 12th and the 13th of May 2014. It provided a fresh opportunity to showcase the benefits of Copernicus for society and environment.
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The Copernicus Emergency Management Service supports humanitarian responses to tackle the Ebola outbreak in Guinea
The European Commission’s DG ECHO has been supporting the humanitarian response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. As part of its action plan, DG ECHO activated the Copernicus Emergency Management Service in order to obtain accurate and timely information on the city of Meliandou (Guinea) to enable them to plan and support logistical operations.
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Sentinel-1A: leaving behind the commissioning phase
The first spacecraft of the Copernicus constellation of Sentinels was successfully launched into orbit on the 3rd of April 2014 from the European Spaceport in French Guiana. Very soon after the launch, the Sentinel-1A satellite successfully delivered its first images in record time. The commissioning phase is now progressing at full speed with outstanding results and will soon give rise to the operational phase.
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The European Space Expo has reached out to close to half million of citizens!
The European Space Expo has achieved the outstanding result of having attracted 476,932 visitors since the start of its journey in Copenhagen in 2012 demonstrating that awareness of the benefits of the European Space Programmes among European citizens has been raised.
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7th Continent Expedition: Copernicus participates in the fight against marine litter
The MyOcean2 project has participated in the 7th Continent Expedition to the Sargasso Sea to support the crew in optimising ship routing and in identifying the most likely areas for plastic convergence in the region.
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Forecasting smog: how Copernicus supports national activities
Observations, from both satellites and ground-based in situ sensors, can provide a valuable snapshot of the air quality, but beyond that have no real predictive capability. Conversely, Copernicus Atmosphere monitoring service will combine state-of-the art computer models of the atmosphere with satellite and in situ observations, providing daily forecasts of the composition of the air around the globe, with a particular focus on Europe.
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Copernicus projects: providing added-value to the EU fisheries control campaigns
The European Fisheries Control Agency has the important mandate of coordinating fisheries control operations and inspection activities by Member States and assisting them in complying with the application of the Common EU Fisheries Policy. In order to support these activities, two Copernicus projects (DOLPHIN and NEREIDS) have participated in two of the agency’s field campaigns.
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Copernicus contributes to the security and safety of major football championships
Copernicus research projects began supporting the emergency planning around major football tournaments during the preparation of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa (2010). In the context of this year’s championships in Brazil (12th June – 13th July 2014), Copernicus is contributing to ensuring the safety and security of players and supporters.
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Copernicus contribution to innovation for maritime security and safety
On the occasion of the 7th European Maritime Day (EMD) Conference, a workshop jointly organised by two R&D (FP7) projects (DOLPHIN and NEREIDS) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) presented the benefits and achievements of Copernicus support to Maritime Surveillance.
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Copernicus: When free data meets open software
During the GMES Initial Operations phase (GIO) and prior to Copernicus, two preparatory actions, obsAIRve and ICEMAR, were launched by the European Commission to develop pioneering services in two application areas: Atmosphere and Marine environment monitoring.
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From Copernicus research projects to commercial services: monitoring oil and gas infrastructure and oil spills using Earth Observation
The Copernicus programme, which has evolved from a research-based programme to full operational capacity, has served as a means for companies to build capacity for the provision of commercial Space-related services. The Spanish multinational GMV is a successful example of how participation in Copernicus has created new commercial opportunities.
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European Space Solutions conference in Prague: How Space applications can make a real difference to our lives and businesses
The three-day event allowed business leaders, policy-makers, academics and users in the Space sector to exchange ideas, showcase technologies and products and organise one-to-one meetings with other stakeholders.
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Barcelona implements state-of-the-art initiatives thanks to Copernicus
In March 2014, the European Capital of Innovation ‘iCapital’ prize was awarded to Barcelona (Spain). Starlab, an SME based in the Catalan city, has supported the City Council of Barcelona in the implementation of several innovative projects that are making the city more resilient to climate change and ensuring the welfare of citizens in many other ways.
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CrescoAg Corporation (CrescoAg) and Raytheon Company (Raytheon) have entered into an exclusive agreement to develop a new generation of agricultural technologies and analytics designed to help agriculture producers increase productivity and manage their operations more efficiently.

The CrescoAg-Raytheon collaboration will pair Raytheon’s demonstrated capabilities in engineering, climatic science, analytics, sensor technology and systems integration with CrescoAg’s agricultural domain knowledge, farming expertise and relationships within the network of crop input retailers and advisors. Utilizing mobile and advanced cloud computing, the CrescoAg-Raytheon collaboration will deliver information products and technologies that will help agronomic advisors support growers in their efforts to increase efficiency, productivity, profitability and crop sustainability.

“Raytheon has made major investments in research and development in analytics, climate science and Big Data computing for our customers in the defense and Intelligence Communities that have applications in farming and the agriculture community,” said Bill Jones, vice president for Systems Modernization and Sustainment at Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. “For example, historical trends combined with real-time local weather will be available on smart devices, allowing farmers to make cropping, planting and harvesting decisions and, at the same time, inform decisions on which investments to make in other equipment such as irrigation and drainage technologies.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Raytheon scientists and engineers to develop what we believe will be the most advanced precision agriculture and analytical tools that the industry has seen,” said Barry Knight, president of CrescoAg. “U.S. farmers are already adopting precision ag technologies at a record pace. This collaboration will provide them and their trusted advisors with new ways to combine farmers’ crop production activities with innovative climatic, remote sensing and analytical technologies.”

Headquartered in Memphis, CrescoAg provides geospatial data management, data analysis, and precision agriculture services to agricultural retailers, crop advisors and companies across the United States. The company is committed to further expanding its analytical footprint into both domestic and international regions of agricultural importance.

Knight notes that CrescoAg is already collaborating with Raytheon on product concepts that will be tested during the 2014 growing season, with a goal of offering step-change improvements in how producers and their trusted agronomic advisors examine the contribution of seed, tillage practices and other agricultural inputs to their operations.

About CrescoAg: CrescoAg, Inc. is an agricultural information management company based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company’s suite of products and services enables retailers and crop consultants to improve efficiency in their operations, offer new services, and deliver decision-making tools to customers. CrescoAg is focused upon commercializing technologies and applications that make precision agriculture data easier to collect, manage, interpret and translate into profitable decision-making. For more information, visit www.crescoag.com.

About Raytheon: Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 92 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as cyber security and a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com.

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Airbus Defense and Space and its client GeoNorth have inaugurated the first commercially available multi-satellite Direct Receiving Station (DRS) in the world, set to give a host of new markets quick access to both high-resolution and very high-resolution optical and radar satellite imagery.

The DRS in Fairbanks, Alaska, will give GeoNorth the unparalleled capability of priority tasking the Airbus Defense and Space satellite constellations to capture imagery anywhere on the globe and downlink data to its processing terminal.

It draws on SPOT (5 and 6, and soon 7), Pleiades (1A and 1B), TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites – with resolutions across optical and radar products ranging from 0.25m to 40m.

New customers, including small-scale customers who previously did not have such rapid access to such information, will be able to collect and downlink data in an instant.

The GeoNorth DRS is set to bring in a wider range of clients and contracts for both companies given that GeoNorth is an Alaska Native Corporation – a status that among other benefits gives it procurement preference in the US.

The new DRS will have applications for the North American market, in particular for major business areas in Alaska, including: oil, gas and mining; infrastructure development; fisheries and ice monitoring.

“Airbus Defense and Space welcomes GeoNorth both as a new partner and as the first multi-satellite radar and optical DRS operator,” said Bernhard Brenner, head of the Geo-Intelligence program line at Airbus Defense and Space.

“The more ground terminals like this there are in the world, the better it is for our customers because we can provide them with data more quickly than ever before.”

This new DRS brings the number of stations in the Airbus Defense and Space DRS network, the largest worldwide, to nearly 40. The network allows customers to downlink imagery instantly each time a satellite passes over the stations, thereby ensuring rapid delivery of fresh data and services in near-real time.

In addition, the ability to more frequently download images frees up memory on-board the satellites and as such increases acquisition capacity. Airbus Defense and Space offers the broadest multi-sensor portfolio on the market in terms of resolution and responsiveness – as well as availability in all weather conditions.

“We at GeoNorth are delighted to be able to inaugurate and operate this new Direct Receiving Station,” said Martin Hanofee, of GeoNorth.

“The addition of optical and radar remote sensing capture and processing capabilities complements and expands our existing geospatial technologies expertise. We will continue to service our clients at the highest level while adding services unmatched in today’s industry.”

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The US government’s Ozone Widget Framework provides a way to combine geospatial visualisation and analysis services on the fly in an interactive environment. Patrick Collins explains how it works
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The open-source release of the Ozone Widget Framework (OWF) in late 2012 ushered in a new way of creating and sharing online services. OWF provides a cloud-based environment where online content and services from different providers can all be presented in a single instance, and events that occur in one service can be used to trigger other actions, even across traditionally unconnected services and technologies. The display and event handling capabilities of the framework provide a unique canvas on which providers of online services can collaborate.


For the geospatial community, OWF promises a new paradigm in online mapping applications, as well as GIS and remote sensing analysis capabilities in a cloud implementation. Forward-thinking companies are building widgets that leverage OWF and can be combined with other geospatial visualisation and analysis services to build cross-platform applications on the fly in an interactive environment. 


Originally developed as a project for the US Government, OWF was designed as a way for agencies to share information and applications in a single interface. It was initially distributed solely within the US Government and saw great successes. The 2012 National Defense Authorization Act mandated the release of the OWF to the public as freely available software for consumption by commercial and other non-government entities. Its release has been lauded as a great step by the federal government to create cohesion between the services shared by governments, commercial industry and other non-governmental organisations. 


It also has great implications for international developers of geospatial software as well. The open source nature of OWF means that the software is available to anyone interested in developing widgets for use in the framework, which will help foster collaboration between businesses and countries alike. 

Implications


In a basic sense, OWF is a cloud-enabled framework that can display content and services, known as widgets, from different sources in a single interface. Beyond simple display capabilities, it provides the ability to create event-handling rules that operate between these sources. Widgets can ‘shout’ events that happen within their construct and other widgets can ‘listen’ for these events, which can trigger a response from that new widget. This widget can then ‘shout’ its event for other widgets to hear, creating an event handling system that is decentralised from any of the widget’s specific design. This allows for information-sharing and custom workflow management built on previously disconnected sources of information and functionality. 


The benefit here is that distributed entities can now take siloed stores of information or discrete functionality slices from the organisation and make them available to the larger organisation as a whole without having to centralise the data or servers that are holding it. It also means that the consumer can now take widgets published by non-partnered organisations and create integrated user interfaces that combine the functionality from different companies. 

How does it work?


As an example, in Figure 1, we can see what appears to be a single, fluid interface involving a map display, a data catalogue provided by the Exelis Jagwire data management component, and a list of analysis functionalities provided by the ENVI Services Engine. While these appear to be part of a singly coded interface, they are, in fact, discrete widgets that are providing services and/or data from separate servers. 


This interface is derived from four individually running widgets. Each of these widgets can be added as a different component to a single interface, or ‘dashboard’, which can then be shared with others as a single entity. Dashboards can also be created on the fly by individual users to create a custom interface specific to their workflow.


Here’s how it works. When a user clicks on a data source in the widget, that widget ‘shouts’ the event to the map widget, which zooms to the appropriate extent and displays the data. Clicking on an analysis task in the ESE Tasks widget shouts out to the ESE Parameters widget below it, which then displays the appropriate parameter list for that specific task. The parameters task is then listening for an event from the catalogue, where a click on a dataset sets it as the input for the task which, once it completes, sends the data source back to Jagwire and to the map display. 


Now, while this may not seem any different than, say, a JavaScript client with all the embedded functionality inside of it, the great part about OWF is that you can sub in different widgets for pieces of the dashboard. For instance, a different catalogue, mapping, visualisation or analysis widget could easily be put in place of one of the other components of the dashboard, providing access to valuable functionality provided by those new components. The widgets themselves are reusable, meaning that you can take individual slices of functionality and mash them up with self-designed widgets or those developed by other companies, designing the way that the widgets interact with each other within the framework itself. 


In Figure 2, we can see an example of a new interface, which uses the Exelis LiDAR Viewer widget instead of the Exelis Map widget. This was created by simply replacing the Map widget with the LiDAR viewer widget, and defining the way that the LiDAR viewer responds to events within the other components of the dashboard, such as the clicking of a dataset within the Jagwire widget. 


In this new dashboard, clicking on a LiDAR dataset brings that point cloud up in the streaming viewer and allows the user to manipulate the dataset using the mouse or keyboard controls. This highlights one of the key benefits of OWF, which is the ability to quickly configure dashboards built from different functionality components and define the way that those components interact with each other. This greatly simplifies the creation of workflow-specific interfaces and further enables both the individual analyst as well as analysis teams within a cloud-based network. 

Summary


With the recent open-source release of OWF, end-users are now able to quickly create workflow-specific interfaces from previously disconnected slices of functionality. Geospatial companies are working to build out widgets that can be shared among GIS users and data analysts to promote the integration of their technologies into this cloud-enabled, open source framework. Through the adoption of this new paradigm in web-top development by commercial industry, we will begin to see the benefits of on-the-fly, workflow-specific interface development and dissemination that made the OWF such a success before its release.


We will begin to see the benefits of on-the-fly, workflow-specific interface development and dissemination that made the OWF such a success before its release


Patrick Collins is a solution engineer at Exelis Visual Information Solutions (www.exelisvis.com)
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Every time we get in a car and drive, we burn gasoline, releasing carbon dioxide and other compounds into the air and disturbing Earth’s climate. Our use of fossil fuels continues to increase exponentially, with more than half of all fossil fuels ever used by humans being consumed in the last 20 years.

In comparison with the amount of carbon that enters the atmosphere from natural sources, our fossil fuel emissions are modest. “Carbon dioxide generated by human activities amounts to only a few percent of the total yearly atmospheric uptake or loss of carbon dioxide from plant life and geochemical processes on land and in the ocean,” said Gregg Marland, a professor in the Geology Department of Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina.

“This may not seem like much, but humans have essentially tipped the balance.”

Scientists are able to accurately measure the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, both today and in the past, and the impact of our activities is apparent in those measurements. Before the Industrial Revolution, there were about 280 molecules of carbon dioxide out of every million molecules in the atmosphere, that is, 280 parts per million. By 2014, the concentration had risen to about 400 parts per million.

Although we know the concentration of carbon dioxide, much about the processes that govern the gas’s atmospheric concentration remains a mystery. We still do not know precisely where all of the carbon dioxide comes from and where it is being stored when it leaves the air. That information is crucial for understanding the impact of human activities on climate and for evaluating options for mitigating or adapting to climate change.

Scientists expect to get some answers soon to these and other compelling carbon questions, thanks to the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, a new Earth-orbiting NASA satellite scheduled to launch on July 1. OCO-2 will allow scientists to record detailed daily measurements of carbon dioxide — around 100,000 measurements of the gas around the world every day.

“Now that humans are acknowledging the environmental effects of our dependence on fossil fuels and other carbon dioxide-emitting activities, our goal is to analyze the sources and sinks of this carbon dioxide and to find better ways to manage it,” Marland said.

“If you visualize a column of air that stretches from Earth’s surface to the top of the atmosphere, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 will identify how much of that vertical column is carbon dioxide, with an understanding that most is emitted at the surface,” said Marland.

“Simply, it will act like a plane observing the smoke from forest fires down below, with the task of assessing where the fires are and how big they are. Compare that aerial capability with sending a lot of people into the forest looking for fires. The observatory will use its vantage point from space to capture a picture of where the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide are, rather than our cobbling data together from multiple sources with less frequency, reliability and detail.”

Kevin Gurney, an associate professor at Arizona State University, Tempe, believes OCO-2 will complement a suite of NASA-funded efforts he is currently leading that quantify fossil fuel emissions by using statistics on fuel, activity of cars, etc., to pinpoint emissions on scales as small as an individual city building or street.

“This research and OCO-2 together will act like partners in closing the carbon budget, with my data products estimating movements from the bottom up and OCO-2 estimating sources from the top down,” Gurney said.

“By tackling the problem from both perspectives, we’ll stand to achieve an independent, mutually compatible view of the carbon cycle. And the insight gained by combining these top-down and bottom-up approaches might take on special significance in the near future as our policymakers consider options for regulating carbon dioxide across the entire globe.”

For more about OCO-2 please go here

(June 2014) Japan’s space agency released the first photographs taken by the Daichi-2 advanced land observation satellite on July 27, which showed detailed images of the aftermath of last October’s deadly mudslides on Izu-Oshima island.


“The images turned out to be finer than we had expected,” said Masanobu Shimada, science program leader at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Earth Observation Research Center. “We have great expectations for the new satellite in helping us grasp of the scope of damage in natural disasters and monitor the Earth for changes in the environment.”

The images were taken June 19-21 at an altitude of 628 kilometers.

The images of Izu-Oshima island, about 100 kilometers south of Tokyo, revealed streaks on the surface of Mount Mihara that were left behind after the Oct. 16 typhoon dumped heavy rains on the island, creating mudslides that killed more than 30 people.

The satellite also took photos of 3,776-meter-high Mount Fuji, capturing detailed images of the geographic contours of Japan’s tallest peak.

Launched into orbit in May, the Daichi-2 satellite is capable of distinguishing ground objects as small as 1 to 3 meters in length and has a resolution five to 15 times higher than its predecessor, the Daichi. The Daichi-2’s ability to shoot images of the Earth’s surface at night and when it is cloudy is also greatly improved from the Daichi.

Images of the shrinking Amazon rain forests in South America were also taken by the Daichi-2.

Images captured by the satellite can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKi6wOnezig
bq. JAXA’s press release is shown at http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2014/06/20140627_daichi2.html

The Philippines is blasting off into the space age with the planned launching of its own microsatellite in July ,2016, with the cooperation of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said the space venture is part of the government’s disaster risk management program.

The space program has two components: the Development of the Philippines’ Earth Observation Microsatellite (DIWATA), with a budget allocation of P800 million; and the Philippine Earth Data Resources and Observation Center (PEDRO), with a budget of P600 million, DOST Secretary Mario Montejo said.

DOST’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) said DIWATA is expected to gather “on-demand and real-time status of the country’s environment, particularly for applications such as disaster risk management, land-use, and aquatic resource assessment and monitoring.”

On the other hand, PEDRO will serve as an earth-receiving station that will “securely receive, process, and exploit and distribute space-borne imagery and derive information from the supported remote sensing satellites.”

The government-owned microsatellite can be used to improve weather detection and forecasts, agricultural growth patterns, and monitor forest cover and the country’s territorial borders, Montejo said.

“We can develop a lot more uses for the microsatellite if we keep on improving its capability to expand its applications,” he added, citing that the Philippines presently relies on third-party service providers and commercial vendors for satellite data and interpretation.

He also said that with a microsatellite and receiving station, the country will be able to gather its own satellite images and other data and not rely anymore on foreign sources.

PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevarra said DIWATA will be developed in partnership with the Tohoku University and Hokkaido University of Japan.

She said PCIEERD will monitor the implementation of the space program to be implemented by the University of the Philippines.

“We are going to launch the microsatellite development program this coming July. Then, we will be sending seven engineers to Japan for the training with the two universities,” Guevarra said.

From its development to its launch, making microsatellite involves many stages — from making sensors, payload mass, the microsatellite itself, including testing, and finally the launching, Guevarra pointed out. She expressed hope that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will allow the DOST to launch the microsatellite in 2016.

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