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Why protesting if you can do the testing? A system for public monitoring from space to establish a dialogue with the authorities at the highest – orbital – level is being created in Russia. Together with its partners ScanEx RDC has plans to develop and open access to system called “Space Patrol” in 2013.


This system is the socially significant initiative and is aimed at the shaping of a new quality culture of interaction between the authorities and the society; a comprehensive socio-economic development of Russia and improvement of activities in the environment and nature protection, education, development and introduction of technology innovations, corruption reduction within governmental and commercial structures and citizens’ self-consciousness level increase. Regular operational updating of the coverage of the Russian territory with space images is planned within the frames of the project implementation and data posting on an open web portal. Based on space images, as well as additional geospatial data available at the portal (cadastre division, borders of protected natural areas, protected forests, water protection areas, forestry subdivisions and forest rides), the users will get the possibility to conduct complete monitoring of current activities. In case of detecting violations the information accompanied with visual evidence and illustrations, indicating the coordinates, will be sent to the respect regulatory and controlling agencies.

Based on this data each user can become “on duty” in the country and not just to watch what is happening on his land, but to report to relevant agencies “if someone somewhere is doing something wrong”. This is exactly the purpose of this project, believes ScanEx’s Director Olga Gershenzon

“Make our lives transparent and teach each student, senior citizen, any person who does care where and how we live, to control the government authorities  - in the best sense of this word. So that we could use space data processing and application methods to identify problem areas or the government’s actions. But we want to make this process not against the government, but in the dialogue with it instead”

The quality of roads repairs, construction terms, land use, ecology, nature conservation, mining, logging, fishing regulations abidance, routes of movement – they see everything from above, including the abuse of those who feel themselves to be on top as well. In legal terms, however, space images do not solve all the problems yet. They have no legal effect, but they may raise the moral courage to convict can raise, warns Olga Gershenzon:
“We have a precedent of using space-based information in the court. Both the Investigation Committee and the Prosecutor’s Office apply to us for assistance. Of course, there are officials who do not want to take these data into consideration, referring to the fact that it is legally illegitimate. But if we attract attention of both the civil society, and the government in the framework of this all-Russian project, and perhaps of a global one, because it is a matter of concerns in many countries, not only in Russia, then it will be easier for us to change the regulatory framework as well”.

ScanEx decided nowadays to bring the satellite capabilities from space down to earth. The company specializes in forwarding space data for more than two decades. The Center has been creating, maintaining and developing the orbital data reception stations operating with different satellite systems. It does business with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Federal Forestry Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Natural Resources and with federation constituents (sub-regions). It’s the ScanEx’s project “Kosmosnimki – Fires” that turned into the online TV-series about the fire spots in Russia.

But the dream of Olga Gershenzon, as she claims, lies in the fact that even a schoolboy could open the site, choose his/her own “piece” of Russia and control it:
“Unlike Google or Yandex, where images obtained two years ago are updated once a year for the megacities only, we would like, ideally, to update biweekly the images on the most active emergency spots or once a day, when a special event, for example, fishing and nets installing is ongoing at the places of salmon entering a rivers for spawning. There were many such projects. For example, they rescued baby-seals on ice when they are just born and the icebreakers ride over them. We want it to be not only the prerogative of the federal or regional authorities, but also would like to involve civil society”

“Space Patrol” is no special troops. It is rather  the people’s guard. Besides, it is a good graphic orbital illustration of the fact the state can be governed from space can not only by a cook, but even by a child. The main thing is for the state to be ready for this.

Illustration: UniScan™ – ground station for X-band data reception from polar-orbiting remote sensing satellites developed at the “R&D Center ScanEx”

Sources:

What is the extent of real loss to the Russian forest during fire season? In recent years, the issue has been causing permanent conflicts between environmentalists and representatives of public authorities at both federal and regional levels. ScanEx RDC company believes that it is possible to accurately count our losses already today.

The main problem is that the data of environmentalists and government officials would not match.  Moreover, this data differs a lot – in some region severalfold. Environmentalists keep telling that forest fires cause ten times more damage to nature than it can be judged according to official statements. The increasing serious distrust to official information, which is referred to by forest agencies, gave birth to space images. Thanks to the global Internet, and technical achievements of Americans in the expensive exploration of space, images of our planet became publicly available today. Environmentalists affirm that satellite images taken by U.S. satellites indicate that there is a catastrophic understatement of forest fires areas in Russia. In response, the authorities allude to the lack of professionalism of environmentalists, far from the art of satellite images interpretation.

To understand the problem, we decided to address to the ScanEx Research & Development Center, where Earth remote sensing data is processed in a professional manner . It is difficult to accuse of bias the independent commercial entity – ScanEx company, which announced democratization of remote sensing data as its primary mission.
Head of the Operational Monitoring Department Artem Nikitsky patiently explained me all the nuances, which are constantly faced by the experts involved in the analysis of data coming from space.

How long ScanEx deals with the problem of forest fires?

Since 2002, approximately. We were partially working with this even earlier. Most information about fires comes from two U.S. satellites – Terra and Aqua, which take low spatial resolution images. This information is available worldwide. But if we have an interest in some specific area, the error in determining the fire area can be significant because of the low resolution of images. Images are acquired  frequently – twice a day by each of the satellites. In other words, any spot on the planet can be analyzed in terms of fire four times per day. Of course, if there are no clouds. Prior to the launch of the first Terra satellite in 1999, the images of the Earth were taken by weather satellites with a lower sensitivity and a poor ability to determine the size of forest fires. A new page in the forest fire monitoring was opened thanks to the active application of Terra and Aqua satellites. It is important that the survey and data from satellites are transmitted  in direct broadcasting mode. If you have a ground station, you can receive the data free of charge. Another way – to download them from the Internet, where they are also available for free public access.

Do all thermal spots on satellite images indicate fires? In other words, are there problems with decoding data from satellites?

Of course, there are problems. We must remember that the satellite provides information covering a huge area. The detection is carried out by the images, one pixel corresponds to one kilometer. When a thermal spot is detected we can confirm that there is a fire site within this area. But we cannot determine neither its size nor location with a 100% percent accuracy. If, for example, we have a fire within 10 pixels, it is clear that, most of all, this whole area is on fire. When we face a small fire, then we cannot determine its size and strength for sure. In other words, we can determine with a reasonable degree of accuracy the fires that cover a really large area. But the error may reach about 30 percent due to the ragged outline of a fire. Illustration 1: Thermal spots in the “Kosmosnimki – fires” interface

Another thing, affecting the accuracy of the area detection: we can have only one edge burning, instead of the whole area. Consequently, we will see a set of thermal spots. If we ignore the burnt area, which is within this edge, the area of the fire will dramatically reduce. This is a question of who counts fires and how. There is a method, according to which only the burning edge is taken into account, but what has already burned out is not considered. Accordingly, long-term fire that has spread on a large area, we will get a multifold understatement of burnt areas.

Can a campfire be interpreted as fire?

No, we do not see a campfire. A satellite can detect small ground fire under the forest canopy, by rough estimates, ten to one hundred meters. If a fire is on the areas one hundred by one hundred meters, then the satellite will surely recognizes it. Crown fire is determined, even if it is 20 to 20 meters. Theoretically, there is a danger to confuse the fire with burning flares , which are mounted on the oil rigs. But we have data on most of  the stationary flare stacks, so we ignore such thermal spots. A strongly heated Earth surface can be misleading in our interpretation. For example, the highly-heated 1×1 km black arable land spot can be taken for fire. Similar errors can be with the peats. Glare on the shallow ponds or overheated sandy surface can also be misleading for the automatic equipment. Clouds may also become a major obstacle to obtaining reliable information.

Imagine small ragged clouds within a few kilometers. The fact is that the edges of the cloud can produce the effect of burning surface, but actually there is no fire down there. The fire detection algorithms provide a mechanism for elimination of error sites, but, unfortunately, it is not 100 percent accurate as well.

It’s all part of the 30-percent error?

Good question. The problem is that we have a weak feedback. Ideally, the data obtained from space, should be verified by area ground survey. In this case we would have an impartial picture of how much we can trust the satellite images. But we are not able to organize such a large-scale data verification, whereas the regions do not hurry to report the results of their surveys. We are working very closely with the Emergency Ministry, for example, in such issues as peat fires. Technology is as follows: we are sending information about a potential fire, it is being forwarded to the region, but we very rarely get any feedback on whether it was a real fire or it was a mistake.

In other words, technically you cannot double-check the information received from the satellites?

That’s right. When huge forested areas are burning in Yakutia, it is obvious that it is a fire without any field surveys. The error may be in identification of a specific area, but the fact that it is a fire indeed leaves no doubts. Another thing, when we face with a stand-along small fire, especially in the European part of the country.

In recent years the debates about real areas of forest fires intensified. Ecologists blame the authorities for a substantial, sometimes multi-fold, understatement of the area of fire. What do you feel about this kind of accusations? What is the probability that they really conceal the actual scales of the disaster from us?

I am inclined to think that, of course, much more is actually burning than it is reflected in official statistics. It’s difficult to say what is the realistic extent of underreporting. To do so, we need to count in details the actually burnt area with respect to each and every fire. We have been doing the studying of burned area in the Republic of Komi. We found that as a result of the analysis of higher resolution images the area covered by fires is by 35-40% more than what was initially detected. As to how local foresters were reporting, I can only guess. There is another nuance. The official statistics of forest fires include only data on forest fund lands. But the fire can spread to forest areas, which are not officially regarded as forest fund lands. It can be, for example, overgrown agricultural land. To get a more impartial picture one needs to have an accurate map of forest fund lands and overlay it with the map, which shows the burnt area. There is another fundamental question of how to account for the huge fires in forest areas within the area of satellite monitoring. We must understand that those are difficult-to-reach forests, where there is no infrastructure, no roads, no towns, no social facilities. Naturally, no one extinguishes fires over there. I think that it is the fires within the area of space monitoring that give main differences between the data of environmentalists and the official statistics.

How does the space, from your point of view, can help in obtaining an impartial, independent on the desire or unwillingness of authorities, information? Is there a mechanism that allows you to bring our “lame” on both legs statistics to reality?

These satellite images should certainly be verified. Most operators launch satellites to take images in the visible and near infrared bands. Such images give no unbiased information about the fires. A special shortwave middle infrared band is required. Those images that are now acquired by satellites are best suited for the determination of the burned areas. But they are no good for high-quality real-time monitoring of the fire situation.

Illustration 2: UK-DMC2 image of fires burning in California © DMCii, 2013. Smoke is clearly visible rising from the dark burnscar caused by the fires.

It looks like we have a great opportunity to obtain reliable information about the real damage done to our forests? Is anyone using this chance?

Periodically we receive requests of this kind from the regions. However, they do not always reach the implementation stage. Sometimes in the regions come to the conclusion that it is cheaper to calculate the actual damage applying  ground survey. But we have executed some of such orders. Science and space technology is developing rapidly. I am convinced that it will become increasingly difficult with every new year to withhold information on the areas of forest fires. This is an objective process that cannot be stopped. By the way, a lot of issues of satellite images application, including fire situation monitoring will be discussed at the International Conference Earth from Space:the Most Effective Solutions to be held in October 1-3 in Moscow Region. We are pleased to invite the editors and readers of the “Russian forest news” to take part in it.

Sources:

Illustration 1: Thermal spots in the “Kosmosnimki – fires” interface
Illustration 2: UK-DMC2 image of fires burning in California © DMCii, 2013.
Smoke is clearly visible rising from the dark burnscar caused by the fires.

Gisat is responsible to design and develop a web based analytical platform for European Territorial Monitoring System within ESPON programme.

The European Territorial Monitoring System (ETMS) aims at supporting policy makers and practitioners at all levels in their practical work with factual information on trends related to European regions, cities and types of territories. By reading and interpreting the quantitative statistical information in the light of policy objectives and aims related to territorial cohesion, the results of this project may help policy makers to identify development opportunities and territorial challenges, as well as better understand the diversity and position (benchmarking) of cities, regions and territories in the European context.

The project is led by MCRIT (Spain) and the ETMS consortium consists of 4 additional partners: Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain), Department of Geography and Environment of Université de Genève (Switzerland), Nordic Centre for Spatial Development (Sweden) and Gisat (Czech Republic). All partners have experiences in developing monitoring systems at European, national and regional levels and disseminate their activities regularly across Europe. They are also experts in different scientific and policy fields concerned and they are familiar with different territorial contexts in the frame of ESPON space.

ETMS will be an operational system, providing to users, policy-analysts and policy-makers useful policy-support related information, focused on most important spatial policy objectives. Appropriate indicators relevant to territorial development trends in accordance with policy objectives related to Territorial Cohesion (in particular the EUROPE 2020 Strategy and the Territorial Agenda 2020) will cover thematic content of the ETMS. More information on the ETMS is provided on project portal

Gisat is responsible for designing and development of web based analytical platform, which will provide the ETMS users possibility to view, analyze and use information on territorial state and development in an user friendly and effective way. Interactive and interconnected components including maps and charts, as well as description of indicators and their significance or links to relevant policy debates and news will be incorporated in the platform. Access to the information will be ensured via multiple entry-points including selection of territorial type of topic. The platform will enable interactive selection and comparison of different spatial units of interest or time periods. Technical solution for export of regular reports will be also incorporated to the platform. Open source software solutions are used for the platform development.

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: www.gisat.cz E-mail: gisat@gisat.cz Tel: +420 271741935 Fax: +420 271741936

Gisat has been awarded a contract with the European Space Agency to develop a prototype system that integrates varying snow products and in-situ information.

ISTAS project aims to explore and demonstrate the full potential of currently available EO data and products in snow monitoring, including ESA’s DUE GlobSnow, for regional hydrology prognosis. Snow remote sensing monitoring is an important element of the Earth Observation to evaluate water resources. Snow is monitored to evaluate risk of spring floods from snow-melt runoff. The requirement is to provide timely and complete information for operational service.

The snow services developed within different existing projects rely mostly on one type of input data source; it can be high or medium resolution optical data, active SAR or passive microwave data and on the other hand purely in-situ data. Snow mapping by optical data suffers mostly from cloud cover during winter season.

Optical data are provided by number of sensors with varying spatial and temporal resolution. Active SAR snow mapping, which is not affected by cloud cover, can detect only wet snow, while passive microwave is used for snow water equivalent retrieval of dry snow.

The full potential of Earth Observation in snow monitoring was not yet explored in terms of data integration. As different data sources can have largely diverse interpretation the integration needs to be done with dedicated approach that includes uncertainty analysis. The aim of the ISTAS project is to develop prototype system that integrates snow products from varying sensors and in-situ component into one cloud-free, full coverage and potentially seamless, product that suite best the user requirements.

This integration process is necessary to be performed via uncertainty analysis, while mapped areas of higher uncertainty should be replaced by sources of lower uncertainty. In the simplest example the cloud cover gaps from optical data (100% uncertainty) can be replaced by probabilities of snow occurrence from in-situ measurements as already tested in FLOREO project. Integration of high temporal acquisitions of optical data, for instance MSG Seviri with 15’ repeating frequency, or combination of optical and SAR data are the main challenges to be approached by ISTAS. The potential of the integrated snow monitoring will increase with coming operational Sentinels (1, 2, 3 and MTG).The enhanced snow monitoring products will be injected into snow-melt runoff model with error propagation analysis. The task is to demonstrate the uncertainty propagation to the end application and evaluate improvements of the integrated snow products over single sensor approach.

While the ISTAS project setup is focused primarily on the application areas serving hydrological community monitoring activities in the Czech Republic, the results and developed framework will be applicable to support snow remote sensing service application in general.

ISTAS project is supported by ESA under the Czech Industry Incentive Scheme. More information can be found at GISAT

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: www.gisat.cz E-mail: gisat@gisat.cz Tel: +420 271741935 Fax: +420 271741936

rasdaman GmbH is world technology leader in Big Data Analytics on Earth Science data.

Its flexible, scalable, open, and cost-efficient raster server technology allows to directly manipulate, analyze & remix any-size geospatial data. The unique true multi-dimensional data model supports all types of raster maps, x/y/t image timeseries, x/y/z geo tomograms, and x/y/z/t climate and ocean data.

Since 2003, we offer individual consulting, development, and support for Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs). In the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) we lead geo raster service standardization, being chair of the raster-relevant working groups and editor of the raster standards. As external expert we support the European INSPIRE SDI harmonization. The open-source rasdaman software is included in the OSGeo Live DVD and, hence, branded as particularly recommendable geo database.

Built on the experience of world-leading Big Earth Data experts and the makers of the standards, the rasdaman geo server represents the best of breed for today and tomorrow.

Metria in Stockholm is moving from Karlavägen 108 to Warfvinges väg 35. You are most welcome to visit our new facilities!


New address
Mail: P.O. Box 30016, 104 25 Stockholm, Sweden Courier: Warfvinges väg 35. 112 51 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: (switchboard) + 46 10 1218000

Metria – bridging the gap between map and reality
More information on www.metria.se

Experts in satellite monitoring of the Earth’s climate and ecosystem are to pool their talent to observe changes on the planet.

Scientists at the Universities of Surrey and Reading will work with colleagues at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the new collaboration called Global Satellite Sensing (GLOSS) – a world leading Centre of Excellence to monitor changes to the Earth, its ecosystem and climate.

Working together with the Satellite Applications Catapult, the Centre aims to contribute to the UK Government’s drive to capture at least 10% of the predicted global space market of $400bn by 2030.

The aim is to develop ways of using the very latest advances in the new generation of small, lightweight and highly innovative satellites, being developed in the UK.

GLOSS will provide new satellite data services for meteorological purposes and use in disaster scenarios, as well as proving a wide range of services to commercial sectors, including energy resource management, urban and environmental monitoring, security and insurance industries.

Keith Robson, Director Enterprise and Growth at the University of Surrey, said: “Bringing these world-leading research capabilities together within a single centre of excellence provides the UK with an unrivalled ability to provide expertise across a range of areas.

“This includes everything from developing new low cost sensors, designing groups of small satellites that can work together which are called ‘swarms’, in-orbit calibration systems, data assimilation, data processing and visualisation.

“The Centre’s aim is to ensure the UK plays a key role in the exploitation of new sophisticated Earth Observation services which will be in increasing demand as the cost of putting satellites into orbit falls dramatically over the next decade.”

Professor Robert Gurney, Director of Space and Earth Observation at the University of Reading, which has the largest research capability in weather and climate science and earth observation of any university in Europe, said: “This centre provides a unique opportunity for scientists and engineers to work collaboratively on research with the potential to deliver breakthrough technologies and applications for a changing planet.

“British scientists are among the best in the world at using data from satellites to provide vital information about weather and climate. By helping to develop the next generation of satellite technology, this collaboration will help to expand the range of information available to businesses and industry, such as real-time data. Such crucial and affordable information will help to give British businesses the cutting edge, boosting innovation and economic growth.”

Stuart Martin, CEO at the Satellite Applications Catapult, added: “We are excited to be working with the academic community in this new initiative. This new Centre of Excellence will provide important links to a wide range of sectors including water, oil and gas, financial services, transport and telecom.”

Read more at

(2013-06-18) In order to show that Chikweti Forests fulfill forest certification requirements Metria mapped forest changes in time series of more than 70 satellite images covering forest concessions in Mozambique.

In order to show that Chikweti Forests fulfill forest certification requirements Metria mapped forest changes in time series of more than 70 satellite images covering forest concessions in Mozambique. A new powerful method for analysis was applied with detailed forest change mapping using time series of satellite data. The results (chikweti_example) clearly show what areas that have been changed since the introduction of forest certification.

Source Metria


Summary

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) in Tromsø, Norway, has since 1998 been a world leading provider of an operational near real-time service using satellite radar data to detect oil discharges and locate potential polluters. Extensive experience, close integration with satellite owners and end-users, and continuous innovation has made the KSAT oil spill detection service a World Class service. The development has undergone several phases R&D, through demonstrations and pilot projects with involvement from the end-users, onto todays operational utilisation. National and European (ESA) programs were important during the initial phases. The service is today used by national authorities, offshore oil and gas industry and by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) on behalf of the European coastal states.

Issues and needs

Discharges of oil from ships, oil platforms and other sources can cause significant damage to coastlines and the marine environment in general. It is not always the largest spills that cause the worst damage, as the timing and location of a spill can sometimes be more critical impact determinants than the volume of oil introduced. Satellite radar (SAR) data can provide wide area monitoring day and night and operate independently of weather conditions and is an excellent tool for detecting oil films on the sea surface, either independently or in combination with other data.

Oil companies have a high degree of environmental awareness, social responsibility and reputation is also an important issue. Some have been accused of illegal discharges that are actually caused by dumping from bypassing ship traffic, and the service information can provide valuable documentation in case of such false accusations. The satellite based service is used for self monitoring and early warning of accidental leakages from offshore installations, or just for documentation of clean seas in areas.

The KSAT satellite oil spill monitoring service has been developed in cooperation with users, including the Norwegian offshore industry, the Norwegian Coastal Administration, the Swedish Coast Guard, the Finnish Environmental Institute, the Admiral Danish Fleet and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) of the UK. Since 2007 EMSA has contracted a satellite monitoring service, CSN, to the European service industry and KSAT has been a lead partner since the beginning.

The solution

The customer is responsible to define the areas to be monitored and the monitoring frequency. It is then up to KSAT to assure the availability of the satellite data for reception a KSAT ground station for further processing, and analysis. Time is crucial for and the KSAT oil spill analysis results and satellite images are delivered to the customer within 30 to 120 minutes after satellite acquisition, depending on satellite and user requirements.

KSAT utilises satellite data in combination with additional data to identify and discriminate oil slicks from other phenomenon in the image, pin-point the location, estimate the size and assign a confidence parameter and identify a potential source. Vessel traffic information such as terrestrial and satellite AIS (Automatic Identification System) is used for identifying possible pollution source(s). Information on offshore installations and metocean conditions (wind, waves) is also useful as support for discriminating man made slick and identifying possible polluters.

The KSAT service is provided twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. By using our global ground network in combination with the agreements with the satellite operators we can provide very fast access to global satellite radar data, both under normal circumstances and in case of emergencies. If an oil spill is detected an alert message is delivered to the customer, either as a phone message, email report or SMS message depending on customer preference. Each customer also has access to a dedicated web portal with information on all data and products delivered.

The result of the analysis distributed to the customer includes:

  • Time of observation
  • Position in Latitude/Longitude.
  • Confidence assignment of the identified spill.
  • If a potential source could be identified, this information is included in the message.
  • Predicted wind information from numerical models
  • SAR based wind information

The KSAT web portal provides access to the oil spill service, and offers data search and retrieval functionality, map based dynamic and interactive viewing, overlaying of datasets, interactive user reporting facilities and some data manipulation functions, as illustrated herein.

KSAT supports most commercial satellites today, e.g. including Radarsat, Cosmo-Skymed and TerraSAR, but also optical missions. The actual selection might be a function of the coverage frequency at a specific location, the delivery times, local and national regulatory requirements, and budgetary constraints. KSAT has a broad expertise to carefully match what is technically possible in a given location to the needs and capabilities of the end user. 

In case of a large incident, KSAT can include additional satellites to increase the monitoring frequency, introducing optical satellite coverage, or modifying the defined area of interest. This was demonstrated during the large accident in the Gulf of Mexico.


Figure 1: SAR image from the west coast of Norway. An oil spill is visible in the middle of the image, and several vessels are also detected. The AIS positions with tracks (indicated as icons with green boats and green lines) are overlaid the image, and the potential source is identified. Copyrigth raw data ESA, 2009

Results and perspectives

Satellite radars are in general capable to detect oil spills at wind speeds ranging from app 5m/s up to 18 m/s. The detected features include mostly mineral oil, but also plant oil, fish oil, chemical spills and algae blooms. Three different confidence categories are assigned to a spill, Low, Medium or High, depending upon a set of observation feature and sea state description criteria. User verifications show that more than 2/3 of the reported High confidence spills are real spills. These customers use the service information to coordinate and perform more efficient operations of the surveillance aircrafts.

Identification of the potential source has become very important for the users. KSAT uses AIS data in combination with the satellite radar to identify and report about who might be the most likely polluting source. It is then up the user to take the next step for final identification and eventual prosecution. The figures show examples of the detected and reported features, as well as examples of combined use of satellite and AIS data.

The KSAT multimission service utilises in principle any satellite radar mission, as opposite to those relying only on a single mission. This showed very useful when Envisat was lost, where KSAT could continue to support the customers by using Radarsat and TerraSAR. Recently KSAT has included global data reception and processing capabilities for Cosmo-Skymed.

KSAT has been a pioneer in developing the service since its start. The service reliability is accepted among the customers, and new missions like Sentinel-1 and Radarsat Constellation will ensure service continuity. KSAT were the lead provider in establishing the European use and since then we have focused on the global market. Today KSAT is serving customers in Europe as well as in America, Asia and Australia. For the coming years we expect a strong global growth, and KSAT will be present to serve these markets.


Figure 2: Pipeline rupture outside India. January 2011. Radarsat satellite radar image (upper) and aerial photo documentation (lower). Copyright raw data MacDonaldDettweiler, 2011

About

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) in Tromsø, Norway, is a world leading provider of Earth Observation services and satellite Ground Station services. The company has been involved in satellite operations from Tromsø for over 40 years and has through several projects and service contracts demonstrated that radar satellites is an efficient tool to provide early warning to offshore operators and to assist national authorities in detecting oil discharges and locating potential polluters.

Points of Contact
Kongsberg Satellite Services, KSAT
Prestvannveien 38, BO Box 6180
N-9291 Tromsø
Norway
Phone: +47 776 00 250
sales@ksat.no
www.ksat.no

Kongsberg Satellite Services AS (KSAT) is a commercial Norwegian company, uniquely positioned to provide ground station and earth observation services for polar orbiting satellites. With three interconnected polar ground stations; Tromsø at 69°N, Svalbard (SvalSat) at 78°N and Antarctic TrollSat Station at 72°S, and a growing mid-latitude network, KSAT operates over 60 antennas optimally positioned for access to polar orbits.

Ground Network Services

KSAT is the global leader in providing ground station network services including Telemetry, Tracking and Commanding (TT&C) and Data Acquisition services, with experience all the way back to 1967. With a large number of sites and antennas available, KSAT provides the very high reliability that is needed for critical support of satellite operations.

  • Telemetry, Tracking & Command (TT&C)
  • Data Acquisition
  • Hosting Services
  • LEOP & Launch Support
  • Sounding Rocket Support
  • Data Handling

Earth Observation Services

KSAT supports most of the commercial satellites in orbit and can provide timely imagery and data independent of satellite ownership. With our unique ground station network and experienced analysts, ‘near-real-time’ operational information can often be provided within 30 minutes. KSAT’s multi-mission maritime monitoring services have been provided to coastguards, pollution-control authorities and oil companies since 1998.

  • Oil Spill Detection Service
  • Vessel Detection Service
  • Multi Mission Rapid Response
  • Ice Navigation
  • Nasjonal bruk og tilgang til data

KSAT has supplied multi-mission near real-time services for more than a decade. The main focus has been marine applications, where services for oil spill, vessel detection, wind information and real-time image access for navigation are provided. The capability of providing near real-time customized information has been a key to the success of these services. KSAT focuses on customized multi-mission services, and development of new operational services tailored to user requirements has a high priority. Services for Emergency situations, land applications and ice berg tracking are being established as part of KSAT Rapid response and Near real-time service portfolio. KSAT is now also developing new data services particularly for forestry. KSAT will ensure operational access to multi-mission optical and SAR data products e.g. at a geocoded format suitable for forest mapping and monitoring.

Multi-mission near real-time services

The distribution of SAR and optical data acquired and processed at the Tromsø Station, Grimstad, SvalSat and the Troll station in Antarctica represents a major element in the business activities. The processing facilities and distribution chain has been designed and developed for very fast deliveries of data to customers with operational needs. Near real-time is by KSAT defined as delivery of data and/or information in 30 to 60 minutes after acquisition.

KSAT process and deliver image products from Envisat, Radarsat-1, Radarsat-2, ALOS, Kompsat-2, Formosat-2 and Terra/MODIS. In addition KSAT has data distribution agreements for infoterra’s high resolution SAR satellites; TerraSAR- X and soon Tandem-X, and Digital Globe’s high resolution optical satellites; Worldview -2, WorldView-1 and QuickBird. KSAT also contributes to the Norwegian investment in the Canadian Radarsat program, providing access to data for institutional and commercial customers at favorable conditions.

KSAT has a highly qualified order and supports centre and is a one-stop access point for multi-mission data users. Our services include planning and ordering support, scheduling, data acquisition, processing, value adding and dissemination of information – all through a dedicated and well defined interface.

KSAT is continuously working to reduce delivery time for supported missions. New concepts and service chains are being developed and tested in close cooperation with satellite operators and key end users such as Norwegian Defense and UNOSAT-UNITAR. Through these activities delivery time has been reduced to less than 2.5 hours for optical satellites and less than 15 minutes for SAR satellites. The target is Near Real Time deliver for all supported missions!

Maritime environment and situational awareness

By utilizing state-of-the-art technology and experienced operators, KSAT provides satellite based oil spill and vessel detection services to coastguards and pollution-control authorities. The services are based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in combination with optical imagery and integrated with non-space data.

The overall aim of these services is to provide detection and early warning of possible oil spills and associated sources for regional environmental monitoring, and to provide information about vessels and associated activity in a certain area at a given time. The information is relevant for the Defense, Coastguards and for authorities responsible for fisheries or ship traffic monitoring. The
rapid delivery from the satellite service makes the information effective in support to surveillance means like coastguard vessels and surveillance aircrafts. Oil spill or detected vessels are reported to customers as fast as possible after satellite acquisition, typically 30 to 60 minutes.

The KSAT service has been used operational in Europe for many years and since 2007 a KSAT lead consortium has provided 24 European Coastal States with satellite based oil spill information through the CleanSeaNet service contract with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

The KSAT Emergency response service allows rapid set-up of a complete multi- mission satellite based service for any given area. The monitoring density will be adapted to each individual case and can be adjusted as the situation develops. This service was activated and used during the first month of the Deepwater Horizon accident in Gulf of Mexico in April 2010. Such situations are characterized by a huge need for information – and short deadlines. One single satellite system will not meet all requirements, so the rapid set-up of the KSAT multi-mission service concept where end users have one access point to all applicable satellites is the optimal solution.

KSAT is continuously working on service improvement and development of new services. The new generation services is based on information derived from the satellite data, integrated with additional information such as wind, wave and current from SAR-images, numerical models information, observations, and additional geographical database information. KSAT also provides satellite imagery for measuring sea surface temperature and ocean colour. The new generation of integrated services will be a KSAT contribution to the Barents Watch system now being established in Tromsø under the responsibility of the Norwegian Coastal Directorate.

Ice navigation services

Any journey in the ice infested waters of the Arctic Ocean is a journey into the unknown with no up-to-date detailed map of the ice conditions readily available. Icebergs may represent a threat for offshore oil and gas activities as well as for commercial ship traffic and fisheries. KSAT is now developing a service where the aim is to detect and monitor the drift of the icebergs.

KSAT also provide near real – time access to the satellite images for users operating in the high North. These users can connect to the image server at KSAT in Tromsø to access the latest radar satellite image of the sea ice conditions immediately ahead of them. This enables the users to receive the very latest information on the sea ice conditions and use it for navigation.

Global Ground Station Network

KSAT owns and operates three polar ground stations. SvalSat, the world’s largest ground station for polar LEO satellites is located at 78 degrees north. SvalSat is augmented with the Tromsø station and the Troll site in Antarctica. With the new ground stations in Hartebeesthoek, Bangalore, Dubai and Singapore, KSAT offers a global network of stations for all clients.

  • Svalbard Satellite Station (Svalsat)
  • Tromsø satellite Station
  • Troll Satellite Station (TrollSat) – Antarctica
  • Grimstad
  • Hartebeesthoek – South Africa
  • Dubai
  • Mauritius
  • Singapore

General

Earth Observation

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT)
Prestvannveien 38, 9011 Tromsø
Mailaddress; P.O. Box 6180, 9291 Tromsø, Norway
E-mail: ksat@ksat.no
Telephone: (+47) 77 60 02 50 // Telefax: (+47) 77 60 02 99