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OPTIRAD (OPTImisation environment for joint retrieval of multi-sensor RADiances) aims to advance the state of the art in EO data assimilation in land surface processes.

Jan 2014-Dec2016

The project will build on existing tools and research results (EO-LDAS) to use EO data to improve estimation of some key environmental parameters, notably land surface and vegetation status, and carbon fluxes. The project will implement a Collaborative Research Environment for land data assimilation using ipython hosted on the Centre for Environmental Monitoring from Space (CEMS) computing environment.

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EARSC has prepared a brief guide to the EU Horizon 2020 research programme from a perspective of suppliers and researchers in the domain of EO Geo-information Services.


Download the EARSC Guide to H2020

Meanwhile, EARSC is working in a Research Coffee Area at the portal, where members will be able to find information, partners, ideas – for developing your research project proposal. We are in the developing phase but we would like to open it broadly in the coming month.

“Find documents in the library, post announcements on the message wall, chat to other people in the lounge, learn in the lecture theatre and when you are ready to develop your proposal further you can book a meeting room where you can discuss in more detail away from everyone else. Look out also for announcements from the coffee bar manager from his soapbox!”

We should open it very soon!.

January 13, 2014 Berlin, Germany: BlackBridge is pleased to announce that it is now an authorized reseller of Intermap’s NEXTMap World 30 Digital Surface Model (DSM). Customers now have the opportunity to purchase data that enables a wide variety of applications and efficiently perform geospatial analyses.

NEXTMap World 30 is built using corrected public data as the input source and offers users high performance accuracy and versatility. The World 30 digital surface model has a 30-meter ground sampling distance and filled voids that will give users the accuracy they need in industries such as agriculture, telecommunications, energy, risk planning, water management, defense, military, and a host of government services.

The strength of this partnership is that BlackBridge’s RapidEye imagery and Intermap’s World 30 data are very complimentary with each other. Intermap’s World 30 data add an extra degree of accuracy to the orthorectification of RapidEye imagery while providing an excellent data source to use in terrain draping for visual simulation or other modeling applications. The use of RapidEye imagery allows for the inclusion of a visual and spectral component to the terrain data when doing analysis of geologic hazards, disaster monitoring, or cartographic applications.

This DSM uses over 204 million ground control points with an accuracy of 25 cm RMSE or better to control the vertical elevation of an aggregated surface model derived from ASTER GDEM v2, SRTM v2.1, and GTOPO30.The corrected DSMs were combined with Intermap’s proprietary data fusion technology to create a seamless, void-filled, and consistent dataset with a global accuracy of 7 meters RMSE. Additionally, it offers the most comprehensive coverage of the earth and regular automatic data updates for customers.

To find out more about Intermap’s NextMap World 30 please visit www.intermap.com. For an overview of the BlackBridge, please visit www.blackbridge.com.

About BlackBridge

BlackBridge is focused on providing end-to-end solutions across the geospatial value chain. This includes satellite operations, ground station services, data center and geocloud solutions, and worldwide satellite imagery distribution through over 100 BlackBridge partners, combined with the creation of value added products and services.

BlackBridge – Delivering the world
www.blackbridge.com

About Intermap Technologies

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado – Intermap (www.intermap.com) is an industry leader in geospatial solutions on demand with its secure, cloud based Orion Platform™. Through its powerful suite of 3DBI applications and proprietary development of contiguous databases that fuse volumes of geospatial data into a single source, the Orion Platform is able to provide location- based solutions for customers in diverse markets around the world. For more information please visit www.intermap.com.

Media Contact
Nicole Heringer
Marketing Communications Manager
Kurfürstendamm 22, 10th floor
10719 Berlin, Germany
press@blackbridge.com
(49) 030 609 8300 516

Gisat is a member of the European consortia working in the MELODIES project that focuses on diverse sources of Open Data to develop new applications and technologies using the latest technologies in cloud computing and data-handling.

The outputs of the project will be eight new environmental services built using Open Data. These are products and/or applications that span a range of domains including agriculture, urban ecosystems, land use management, marine information, desertification, crisis management and hydrology. A different organisation leads the development of each of these applications, building on previous experiences in their sector. The MELODIES project is also building the technical foundation underneath each of these services. The project will build a collaborative platform providing cloud computing, Linked Data and visualization components that the services can exploit and assemble, reducing technical barriers to development and deployment.

Gisat is responsible for the Urban ecosystem accounting service, which focuses on the practical implementation of the Linked Data approach to unlock the huge potential of complex datasets from Copernicus services, the Open Data Initiative, sensors and volunteered geographic information (VGI) and deliver the knowledge to effectively support urban planning activities. An ecosystem accounting framework will be applied allowing user friendly exploration of integrated spatial and socio-economic data. A user interface will apply innovative scalable live-components concept based on recent achievements in web based data presentation, data driven documents and infographics. This service will develop methodologies, tool and services for transparent integration of huge amounts of urban related spatial and non-spatial data (including EO and Copernicus products) as linked open data in an intuitive environment for analysis and multi-criteria decision making support providing users with better insight into consequences of urban planning scenarios or development options.

MELODIES project is coordinated by the University of Reading (UK). It has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2013-2016). For more information please visit project web site

Gisat provides wide range of geoinformation services based on Earth Observation technology. It focuses on operational application of satellite mapping to monitor various aspects of our environment and development of dedicated web based platforms for geoinformation analysis and assessment Web // E-mail // Tel:+420 271741935 // Fax: +420 271741936

DROMAS project is based on an innovative approach for monitoring and assessment of the risk and prevention of damage caused by agricultural drought.

The economic damage caused by drought in Czech agriculture is huge and still growing. These damages can be quantified both in agricultural sector (losses in agricultural production) as well as in the case of state administration (compensation paid to farmers). Still there is not paid sufficient attention to this issue and effective tools for monitoring drought, for an objective quantification of damages or for the design and implementation of preventive measures are missing. Information on the development and the possible drought threat is based solely on meteorological data, while the real agriculture conditions of vegetation and soil moisture are not yet monitored at all.

The objective of the DROMAS (Agricultural DROught Monitoring and Assessment driven by Satellites) project is to assess the technical feasibility and the commercial viability of the proposed agricultural drought monitoring service. Integration of meteorological data, vegetation canopy indicators based on satellite imagery and targeted collection of ground truth soil moisture data will allow operational monitoring focused on identification and development of agricultural drought throughout the growing season. At the same time it will be possible to elaborate the risk analysis of drought threats in different regions of the Czech Republic as well as analysis and design of specific adaptation measures for the prevention of damage in the future.

DROMAS project is supported by the ESA ARTES Integrated Applications Programme (IAPARTES element 20). The project team is coordinated by Gisat and includes two additional partners – Czech University of Life Sciences and EKOTOXA.

Gisat provides wide range of geoinformation services based on Earth Observation technology. It focuses on operational application of satellite mapping to monitor various aspects of our environment and development of dedicated web based platforms for geoinformation analysis and assessment Web // E-mail // Tel:+420 271741935 // Fax: +420 271741936

The Remote Sensing Application Center – ReSAC has organized a training seminar on 17th of Dec. 2013 to present the services developed in the frame of the EUFODOS Project, FP7 financed project, which aims at development of Forest Downstream Services for improved information on forest structure and damages.

Remote Sensing Application Center – ReSAC as a project partner has developed several services for the Executive Forest Agencies (EFA), Bulgaria which will support the agency in its activities and reporting duties.

The seminar was attended by more than 20 experts and decision makers from a number of regional departments of the EFA, from State Forest Enterprises and National Parks administrations. All the participants in the training seminar received certificates for attendance, as well as all the reports delivered during the project runtime together with the digital products developed by ReSAC.


Fig. 1: Participants from forest authorities attended the training seminar on ReSAC Services of EUFODOS – 17th of Dec 2013.

The training covered also the current state of the Copernicus and Galileo programme and details on the future Sentinels and how these technologies could support forest management. The new Common Agricultural Policy and its relation to forest sector was also discussed.

The main focus on the training was a detailed description on the Forest Downstream Services which ReSAC has developed in EUFODOS to a state ready for commercial exploitation.

During the lifetime of the project and after the first phase when the demo products were delivered, the User drafted its user requirements, hence the final services which were agreed are: Forest Inventory Service divided to: P-01-1 Forest Area Map; P-01-2 Forest Type Map; P-02 Forest Change Map; P-03 Forest Density Map. The services for damage assessment are as follows: Forest Disasters Service; P-05-1 Reference Map (Forest Cover Map and Forest Type Map); P-05-2 Damage Extent Map (Fire Extent Map, Storm Extent Map and Insect Infestation Extent Map); P-05-3 Detailed Damage Map (Crown/Surface Fire Map, Storm/Snowbreak Damage Map and Insect Infestation Damage Map); P-05-4 Additional products (Combination of the EO products with cadastral information).

All the demonstration products were developed in several territories in Bulgaria where natural disasters in the forest territories has occurred: Area 1 – Gostun Village, West Rhodopy Mountain; Area 2 – Tran, Breznik, Zemen Forestries, West Bulgaria; Area 3 – Sredec Forestry, Strandzha Mountain; Area 4 – Nature Park Vitosha, Vitosha Mountain; Area 5 – Koprivstitsa Town; Sredna Gora Mountain; Area 6 – Silistra Municipality, North East Bulgaria; and Area 6 – Danube Plain.


Fig. 2: Location of the test sites for which Downstream Forest Services were developed from ReSAC and delivered to the User.

The processing chains are implemented in the RS/GIS software of ReSAC, and are ready to work with the available EO data, but on the other hand ReSAC is waiting for the Sentinels data to offer its customers high quality cost effective downstream forest services.

Details on the services specifications could be found on the EUFODOS webpage:
http://www.eufodos.info/
or contacting directly ReSAC at: resac@techno-link.com

For more information:
http://www.resac-bg.org

DEIMOS-2 high resolution Earth observation satellite is scheduled for launch in the second quarter 2014. ELECNOR-Deimos Group, in addition to the satellite definition, integration and testing, has been responsible for the complete development of DEIMOS-2 ground segment.
DEIMOS-2 Ground Segment is based on the gs4EO suite of products. These state-of-the-art products are the result of more than a decade of work for the European Space Agency, specially evolved for supporting small Earth Observation missions.

gs4EO ground segment is built using a combination of 4EO products, working in a coherent and synchronized way, although all of them can also be used as independent applications. Each application communicates with the remaining GS using file based interfaces, easing its integration with other external solutions.

Each of them is controlled by means of advanced user interfaces, in many cases web-based, and can be operated remotely. They are also highly configurable, using XML files.

Their main characteristics of gs4EO can be summarized as follows:

  • State-of-the art.
  • Proven operationally at ESA
  • Flexibility. Scalability. User Friendly.
  • Designed for maximising S/C return

These products are already being used in different ESA and Spanish Governmental missions, like plan4EO or monitor4EO, used by Sentinel-2, of archive4EO, process4EO and calval4EO in Ingenio/SEOSAT, and all of them are the basis for the Ground Segment of our own missions, DEIMOS-1 and DEIMOS-2.

DEIMOS-2 Ground Segment includes the complete on-ground facilities to control, monitor and commercially exploit the mission.

DEIMOS-2 Ground Segment is developed according to the following main drivers:

  • Limit the GS development and operation costs ensuring that the required mission objectives can be fulfilled by relaying in standard and open source components when possible.
  • Use DEIMOS’ know-how and expertise from previous Earth Observation projects and studies. Re-use existing DEIMOS’ assets.
  • Create an integrated system that can be operated with the minimum number of personnel and as automatic as possible.
  • Implement an open and flexible architecture to ensure its expandability and its portability to future missions, as well as its integrability with external applications

It has been developed using the gs4EO suite of products.


Figure 1: Deimos-2 Ground Segment High Level Architecture

Thanks to its modular design, the gs4EO suite of products can be used to customize the ground segment according to the customer’s requirements: various individual products can be assembled in different ways to implement different deployment configurations. This modularity also provides extraordinary flexibility in order to accommodate more than one Earth Observation mission in the ground segment, with different levels of integration.

The deployment shown above is the most typical set-up of all the GS elements, providing all the ground segment capabilities required by the mission. With this solution, customers would mainly access the S/C resources via the User Services, and all data downlink and processing would be performed in the single “central” ground segment (CGS).

It is possible to provide customers with their own Ground Stations and/or Data Processing and Archiving capabilities. Here we find different increasingly complex ground station concepts that can be summarized in two main categories: a VRS (Virtual Receiving Station) or a DRS (Direct Receiving Station).

The Virtual Receiving Station (VRS) is a system conceived for customers who do not have a receiving antenna, or do not want to receive data of a specific satellite. In this scheme, the acquisitions can be planned by the customer, but the data is downloaded at the “central” premises (e.g. DEIMOS ones), and then delivered as fast as possible to the customer. Processing can be done at customer or DEIMOS premises, depending on the selected option.

The Direct Receiving Station (DRS) is a full-fledged ground segment conceived for customers who have a receiving antenna. In this scheme, the acquisitions can be planned by the customer, data is downloaded at customer premises, and can then be processed and archived within the user ground segment.

There are different levels of integration between the User Services and Mission Planning systems of the VRS/DRS and the Central Ground Segment. In its most basic solution, the customer will use the user4EO at its premises, to perform feasibility studies, identify possible acquisitions opportunities, and request (via e-mail) the images to the operator’s CGS. The next step is to use the advanced user4EO module, allowing the operator to perform image acquisition request assessment with automatic connection to the central plan4EO system that will provide automatic feedback about the request acceptance and status.

In the most advanced solution, the customer is provided with a complete User Services and Mission Planning system that would allow the customer to, based on the commercial exploitation agreements, have full freedom in the use of the allocated S/C resources. The customer system is of course connected to the CGS Mission Planning where a highly sophisticated optimization algorithm is used to ensure the customer agreements are fulfilled, maximizing the overall mission return.


Figure 2: Advanced Direct Receiving Station

Many gs4EO components have multi-mission capabilities that allow the integration within the GS of third party missions. The clearest example is the inclusion, within the VRS or DRS of other satellite acquisition and data processing chains. The archive component allows the storage of data from different satellites and the integration effort will depend on the specific interfaces of the third party missions. Typically:

  • Interface with the third party Central Ground Stations, to send acquisition requests, get G/S pass schedule, and receive orbital and other auxiliary (e.g. calibration) data. Although user4EO is designed to include new S/C with relative low effort, it is also possible to accommodate third party user services and adapt interfaces to connect to other VRS/DRS 4EO components (e.g. catalogue). track4EO can support multiple downlink requests from different S/C.
  • Interface with the data processors. Although process4EO implements standard interfaces at ESA, it might be needed some encapsulation and modifications to trigger the third party processors.
  • Interface between S/C and G/S, that may require dedicated HW

The following is an example of integration with another mission:


Figure 3: Multi-mission Direct Receiving Station (DRS)

Source Elecnor Deimos

(© By Matt Ball, Sensors&System) Much time is spent this time of year looking forward. Sensors & Systems did some reflecting on emerging issues, innovative approaches and technology trends to come up with the following predictions for 2014.

On the list are platform and services advancements, policy initiatives and the continued evolution of model-based design. Read the full list and feel free to add your own observations in the comments.

1. Rapid Modeling and Inspections – The proliferation of drone platforms for measurement and modeling will only increase this coming year. There have already been compelling use cases for drones for such things as mine site surveying and bridge and building inspection. One can envision a flying swarm at the start of any major infrastructure project, where data collection is done quickly with a fleet of unmanned autonomous sensors that coordinate for the completion of a detailed model. Similarly, any disaster would be well documented with a similar swarm, feeding on-the-ground efforts with real-time information for better coordination. Yes, we’re still one full year away from the FAA’s planned opening up of commercial drone use, yet such efforts are underway elsewhere in the world. The stability of quad and octo-rotor aircraft that can lift large payloads means sensors such as LiDAR can easily be deployed, improving the detail and accuracy of models to rival any other collection method, with the added benefits of better safety, lower cost, and quicker modeling.

2. Wearables – The advent of Google Glass is perhaps most notable for the term “glassholes” in our mind. The high price and techno advantage on display to a select few will slowly morph into more usable technology and integrated applications. There is huge promise for these hands-free devices in the area of field work, and now there are a growing number of competitors to the Google Glass device. The hope for augmented reality improves with these devices, doing away with the bulky and cumbersome need to hold a phone or tablet in front of you in order to overlay a model on existing reality. Let’s hope something like “kicking glass” is the next popular euphamism for this wearable phenomenon.

3. Storytelling Feeds More Mapping – With so much basemap data in place for navigation and online Earth exploration, the use of online mapping platforms to illustrate news or for storytelling will only increase in the coming year. Google has recently launched Tour Builder tools for users to create their own place-based stories, adding a competitive storytelling push to the templates available through Esri’s ArcGIS Online. The idea of maps as media is rapidly surpassing past expectations, with even integrated video and simulation for real-time or forward-looking maps for planning purposes. The growing awareness of what maps can illustrate can only help to justify greater data amalgamation, and the openning up of additional services. The business model needs some tweaking in order for these data collection efforts to be long sustaining, and longevity is certainly a concern as we’ve seen Google table many services that users have valued. We’ll need to see these services reach a higher level customer with such features as near real-time imagery or in-depth analysis in order to feel confident that the trend will continue.

4. Failure Feeds Funding – There’s a growing likelihood that the weather forecasting capabilities made possible by NOAA and NASA’s collaboration on polar weather satellites will see a gap in coverage. Losing the ability to accurately forecast and predict hurricane paths are a potential inexcusable outcome from this technology trajectory. On top of this gap in funding is the undeniable fact that our sensing capability continues to improve, and we could far exceed the data products of today if an investment were made in next-generation capacity. It would be a grim outcome to have a major sensing failure feed future funding, yet with gridlock in Washington that’s an outcome we may face. Here’s hoping that calmer and concerned policy makers invest in the safety of their citizens before their hand is forced by a calamity.

5. Government Rebound – There are signs that the global economy is on the upswing, and this may bode well for some meaningful policy directives, local government technology advancements, and the investment in geospatial underpinnings. Perhaps this is an overly optimistic outlook, given how grim things were this Fall in the United States with both the Sequester and the government shutdown taking their toll. At the least, more coordinated geospatial data integration across federal agencies could be achieved.

6. Big Data for the Environment – Hewlett Packard just launched Earth Insights in partnership with Conservation International. The effort here is to align sensing to ecological problems, creating an “early warning system” for conservation efforts in tropical forests. This PR-friendly effort is inline with Google.org’s Earth Engine work, proving both the contribution of these technologies as well as the desire to do good. These efforts are making impacts, and helping researchers adopt new connected and integrated monitoring efforts. As the Internet of Things takes hold, we can expect to discover many new things about the natural world thanks to this more sentient century.

7. Territorial Disputes – There are increasing territorial disputes around the world, whether that’s in the South China Sea, the Arctic or elsewhere. Much of this back and forth is around scarcer resources, marking a need for more production in order to meet consumption. With so much scrutiny on disputed land, an increase in monitoring and mapping will be required. In addition to border disputes, there are also increasing international investments in foreign lands, such as China’s growing investment in agricultural land in Africa. The need to gain a better understanding on global land use, and territory claims, will fuel further government investments in geospatial technology.

8. Earth Observation Services – We’ve written about the age of microsatellites, and the Silicon Valley-based earth observation companies Skybox and Planet Labs. With the successful launch of initial satellites by both of these companies this month, and the installation underway for the Urthecast instrument on the International Space Station, the commercial satellite imagery market is getting many new players and with different business models. We can expect online data delivery and insights from these satellites to be sold as services as these companies harness data management and delivery tools coupled with big data analytics.

9. BIM Means an Integrated Model – In the infrastructure modeling and simulation space, increasingly Building Information Modeling (BIM) is translating into a modeling strategy that integrates all inputs, whether aerial imagery, GIS data, legacy CAD drawing or many individual BIM models that all come together as a whole. Having one integrated model for planning and design is becoming a requirement rather than a vision, and the tools are making this integration much easier. It’s fascinating to see such a rapid transformation for ideas of integration and interoperability to a new norm that begins to take the integrated model for granted. We’re a ways away from dismissing the bottlenecks of the past, but there are advancements that promise

10. Solutions and Platforms – Intergraph led the charge away from just their GeoMedia GIS platform and toward solutions that incorporated GIS and image analysis functions for specific application areas (public safety & security, defense, utilities, transportation, etc.). There is a vision for a more integrated geospatial platform to include measurement sensors when they were purchased by Hexagon who also own Leica Geosystems. The back and forth between platform and solutions continues to play out more broadly in the whole geospatial industry. With Esri’s robust ArcGIS Online platform, they are now branching into solutions with the recently launched electric and gas utility industry solutions. As these robust geospatial platforms continue to evolve we can expect them to offer more integrated analysis functions through cloud computing capacity. The building blocks for standardized industry solutions has evolved to the point where solutions become much easier to deploy. With momentum gaining, and technology advancing, we can expect more integrated solutions in the coming years.

Read prior predictions here:

About Matt Ball
Matt has been promoting the application of sensors, systems, models and simulation for the better stewardship of our planet for the past fifteen years. The first ten years of that span were as editor of GeoWorld magazine and show manager of the GeoTec Event. The past five have been as a founder of Vector1 Media, with publications Sensors & Systems, Informed Infrastructure and Asia Surveying & Mapping. E-mail: mattball at vector1media.com – See more at: http://sensorsandsystems.com/dialog/perspectives/32439-ten-predictions-for-2014.html#sthash.4hfAFqWM.dpuf

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GEOconnexion visits Astrium in Toulouse to find out how a leading Earth Observation data and services provider turns image into substance


GEOconnexion took advantage of the opportunity to visit one of those companies, Astrium Services, as it finalised an agreement to provide 50 cm. resolution satellite imagery to Google and prepared for this year’s launch of SPOT 7. This optical Earth Observation satellite will join SPOT 6 in sun-synchronous orbit to deliver up to 1.5-meter resolution wide area imagery through to 2024. 


Uniquely in the industry, both satellites have been entirely funded by Astrium to the tune of €300 million, a venture of which it is justifiably proud given the success of SPOT 6 following its launch in September 2012. The results, as described by Charlotte Gabriel-Robez in her article in this issue, are truly impressive.


Indeed, it was the launch of SPOT 1 in 1986 that ushered in a new era in satellite remote sensing, as Gabriel-Robez, Head of GEO-information constellation Marketing, is keen to remind us. “It was the first satellite that could be tasked to acquire imagery over a specified point as and when required. Before that, one had to rely on archived data.” All subsequent SPOT birds have followed in its footsteps, their wide-swath sensors configured to gather the big picture. 


More than meets the eye

The company has been equally busy building a portfolio of processed imagery from its SPOT, Pléiades and TerraSAR-X constellations that can satisfy the needs of vertical markets. 


Jonathan Shears introduced one of those products – intended for GEOINT professionals – in his article in the Nov/Dec 2013 issue. Processed imagery for engineering, maritime security, energy exploration, environmental monitoring and agriculture/forestry (examples illustrated in Fig.1) are other vertical market products cited by SPOT 6&7 Product Manager, Jérôme Soubirane. 


“And of course, one mustn’t forget mapping,” adds Soubirane, mentioning that a paper delivered at last year’s International Cartographic Conference in Dresden awarded SPOT 6 imagery top marks for its applicability to 1:15,000 and 1:25,000 scale mapping, both in terms of feature extraction and positional accuracy. “Precision of the raw data, without Ground Control Points, is around 20 meters”, he notes. “But with Reference 3D, our internal database, we can orthorectify and deliver a 10-meter or better accuracy product for the same price.”


Yet another new product, a global elevation dataset known as WorldDEM™ and derived from the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X radar satellite constellation, is scheduled for release by Astrium this year. With a vertical accuracy of 2m. (relative) and 10m. (absolute), the claim is that it will surpass that of any satellite-derived DEM currently available. 


Cornerstone


Developed in partnership with IGN, the French national mapping agency, Reference 3D was established in 2002 and, to date, has been populated with geocoded data covering an area of some 58 million km2 structured in three layers: 


  • A High Resolution Stereoscopic Digital Elevation Model to Level 2 DTED format

  • A GPS-compatible HRS Orthoimage 

  • Metadata for source data quality and traceability 


Delivered in the easily-accessible DIMAP format, Reference 3D products are produced as sets of XML files that reference the DEM and orthoimage layers, as well as the metadata. These deliverables are now in widespread use with organisations such as the European Commission (JRC), French defence ministry, United Nations, NGA and Total. 


24/7 GeoStore


Custom-branded portals, managed hosting, customer-specified image processing, secure streaming in standard and bespoke packages, and preferred Direct Access to imagery in near-real time are additional cloud-based customer services introduced by Astrium. With the launch of SPOT 7, one can be certain that more will soon be on their way.


The discussion arising from our meeting with Bernhard Brenner, Executive Director of the GEO-Information Division at Astrium Services, can be followed online at www.geoconnexion.com/articles/

Source

(December 2013) By Debra Werner, SpaceNews. SAN FRANCISCO — In an era of flat budgets, the NASA Earth Science Division’s growing role in offering sustained observations of various phenomena including ozone profiles and incoming solar energy is likely to diminish available funding for core missions, said Mike Freilich, head of NASA’s Earth Science Division.


“We were given a $40 million plus-up to begin this job in 2014 and no additional funds beyond that,” Freilich said Dec. 11 at the American Geophysical Union conference here. “So this responsibility will be coming out of the core.” NASA’s 2013 Earth Science budget totaled $1.65 billion.

In its 2014 budget blueprint sent to Congress in April, the White House assigned NASA the task of providing sustained observations of solar irradiance, ozone profiles and Earth’s radiation budget, which previously were the responsibility of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In addition, the White House directed NASA to work with the U.S. Geological Survey to develop plans for the next two decades of sustained land imaging, carrying on work performed by the Landsat Earth-imaging constellation.

The handoff of those responsibilities was a vote of confidence in NASA and its capabilities, Freilich said, but it will be difficult to carry out “in a budget that is not growing.”

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