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28 June 2013) MDA’s Information Systems group is making available a series of Radarsat-2 flood maps to any local, provincial, or federal agency or non-profit organization that is involved in responding to the recent flooding in Alberta.


David Belton, the General Manager for MDA’s Geospatial Services business spoke about this major event. “The flood events in and around southern Alberta were declared the largest in the province’s history. It has caused immense devastation to Calgary, High River and the surrounding region and has delivered untold damage to the people that live there. Belton further added, “When the flooding started, the Canadian Government initiated a number of Radarsat-2 acquisitions of the surrounding region. This new imagery allows us to match the acquisitions of the flooding with imagery from our extensive archive to build a series of flood maps that can help the groups that are responding to this disaster.”

Radarsat-2 is a high resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite that is ideally suited to developing flood products that clearly delineate the extent of flood waters by comparing images from before the flooding took place, with images from the height of the flooding to give organizations responsible for responding to the event details about the flood extents. Covering large areas at a high resolution, Radarsat-2 based flood maps are ideal for assisting in situations like the Alberta floods. The flood products cover an area from Calgary through to High River, and clearly show the extent of the flood. They are available as both PDF reports that provide detailed information about the flooding, as well as geospatial data that can be used for more comprehensive analysis within a Geographic Information System (GIS).

(source: MDA)

[Satellite TODAY 06-28-13] As global climate change continues to spark international concern, satellite technology is providing experts with additional tools to better analyze and combat its effects.


“The quality of the imagery has certainly increased,” said Tim Farrar, president, TMF Associates. Farrar said that new satellite sensors, different frequency bands and a decrease in the distance between sampling points are among the reasons for the improved imaging results.

Dan Stohr, president of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) said he welcomes the new satellite technology and its benefits. “Improved technology and imagery is critical,” he said, noting that “the cutting edge research helps serve a need to better understand climate and severe weather. It’s a question of public safety and a greater knowledge of the environment,” he said.

Although climate change is a hotly contested political issue in the United States, it is recognized and accepted in Europe and throughout much the world, according to Farrar. “In Europe, climate change tends to be more of an accepted science, but in the United States it tends to be more political.”

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), satellites have demonstrated their power in providing far greater precision mapping of the northern hemisphere’s biomass of forests and in assisting with the process of analyzing the Earth’s future climate.

The biomass of the northern hemisphere’s forests has been mapped with greater precision than ever before thanks to satellites, improving the understanding of the carbon cycle and our prediction of Earth’s future climate.
Image credit: ESA
This was part of a statement made by the ESA on climate change, a major focus for the organization.

However, funding for satellite climate change imagery and monitoring systems remains a challenge just about everywhere, noted Farrar. “Satellites are not immune from budget pressure, [they are] just like other government programs,” he said.
Climate change discussions have long been a controversial subject in U.S. politics, typically with Democrats who have traditionally been supportive of additional climate change funding, and use of advanced of satellite technology, according to Trey Hood, professor of political science at the University of Georgia. He said it would not be surprising that the Democratic Obama administration would be supportive of such efforts in the wake of the White House’s recent climate change announcement.

“The carbon pollution that causes climate change isn’t a distant threat, the risk to public health isn’t a hypothetical, and it’s clear we have a moral obligation to act,” David Simas, deputy senior advisor to the White House said in a written statement on June 25.

In response, Republicans have already began organizing U.S. television advertisement campaigns arguing that consumer electric rates will increase as a result of the White House proposal, CNN reported. “The Obama war on coal is killing jobs and raising costs,” a GOP website said.

But according to Simas, the 12 hottest years in the United States on record have all come in the last 15 years. “2012 was the hottest one we’ve ever recorded. When carbon pollutes the air, the risk of asthma attacks increases. When the Earth’s atmosphere fundamentally changes, we see more heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods,” Simas said.

Last year, the United States alone saw nearly a dozen significant weather storm systems, each of which cost the country more than $1 billion in damages, according to Simas. As a result, President Obama’s administration has issued a climate change plan based on using satellite technology. Through a series of executive actions, the plan is expected to reduce carbon pollution and prepare the country for the impact of climate change and lead international efforts to address global climate change, all with the help of satellite technology.

On the European front on the war against climate change, European scientists have developed a new method of evaluating data from the Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) to create more accurate pan-boreal maps, according to Astrium. ASAR is an imaging radar instrument which uses microwave radiation to image the surface of the Earth and the oceans.

“The Biomass satellite will deliver, for the first time from space, radar measurements at a wavelength of around 70 cm to delve below the treetops,” an ESA statement said.

In May of 2013, BBC news reported that the Biomass satellite, slated to be launched in 2020 will be able to calcluate the amount of carbon stored in the earth’s forests. And ESA’s Envisat satellite has already given scientists a rare look at map of the entire northern hemisphere’s forest biomass in higher resolution than ever before – each pixel represents 1 km on the ground, according to the agency. “Single Envisat radar images taken at a wavelength of approximately 5 cm cannot provide the sensitivity needed to map the composition of forests with high density,” said Maurizio Santoro a researcher with Gamma Remote Sensing.

Using a new, “hyper-temporal” approach, 70,000 Envisat radar images from October 2009 to February 2011 were used to create a pan-boreal map. “This is the first radar-derived output on biomass for the whole northern zone using a single approach – and it is just one of the products from the Biomasar-II project,” Santoro said.

According to Santoro, combining a large number of radar datasets yields a greater sensitivity and gives more accurate information on what’s below the forest canopy, providing scientists with an insider’s view and additional data to analyze.

The dedicated Biomass satellite was recently selected to become ESA’s seventh Earth Explorer mission. The mission is set to provide an easier and more accurate way to monitor precious resources more regularly. The Biomass satellite will complement the Biomasar’s project results, including tropical regions and will penetrate dense multi-story canopies of rainforests using the Sentinel 1 satellite.

In 2009, an amendment to the Global Monitoring Environment and Security (GMES) agreement authorized the completion of the five initial satellites for the program, and, paved the way to ordering the second units of the Sentinel 1.

Source

Each year, the formation and break up of river-ice around the world can cause extensive damage due to flooding. In the town of Badger, situated in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, in 2003, the ice-built up to such an extent that severe flooding caused many millions $ damage to homes and property. Since then, the use of satellite radar imagery (Radarsat 1& 2, Envisat and in future Sentinel 1) has led to improved monitoring of the ice build-up and consequently flood warnings are improved allowing citizens to move and protect their property. The success in Badger has led to this technique being used for other rivers in Canada, USA and in Russia.

Furthermore, the products developed to support the improved flood warnings are now also used by emergency services for planning of responses, by the operators of hydro-electric projects to improve resource management and by engineers for design work.

As a further benefit, the sustained observations are available to look at longer term effects and particularly the impact of climate change as well as being available for research and development into flood relief and other local planning schemes.

The Water Resources Management Division of the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of the Environment and Conservation is the provincial authority responsible for providing flood warnings based on the information derived from the satellite data and their model. They also make the ice products available for use by others.


Project Background
The “Badger flood” in 2003 caused $10m of direct damage to the town of Badger; a community of 1,100 inhabitants. It is situated in the centre of Newfoundland island at the confluence of 3 rivers of which the largest is the Exploits river. On 14th February 2003, no flood was indicated by the historically observed, ice behavior, yet on 15th February the river level rose 2.3m in 1 hour and large chunks of ice were pushed into the town. The damage caused was extensive and led to parts of the town being moved and re-constructed. As a result, ways were looked for with which to improve the forecasting of floods without causing extensive false alarms. The Water Resources Management Division had been using an ice-progression model to predict when the river would freeze and when jams would occur (often because of frazil ice slush being carried downstream). The general inaccessibility of the river banks and the large areas to be surveyed meant that a remote sensing system is needed; and the Water Resources Management Division turned to satellites to help.
Issues & Needs
Flood forecasting for rivers like the Exploits at Badger has especially been a challenge due to the complexities of modelling ice formation and breakup in real time in an operational context. This has been further complicated by the effect of climate change which has changed historically observed and studied ice cover formation behavior.
The enclosed nature of the river system (inaccessible river banks) and the large areas to be covered means that using synoptic imagery from radar satellites allows defficiencies in the model to be overcome as well as providing robust improvements as the underlying conditions change due to climatic effects. The area needs to be observed every few days during the winter meaning that satellites provide an effective solution. The use of helicopters or manned observations would be an expensive solution that would be restricted by weather conditions and daytime hours. radar satellites provide all weather coverage at all hours of the day.
The Water Resources Management Division therefore worked with the local EO services company C-Core to develop a solution based on the use of Radarsat imagery which was provided by the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. This was supported under a project, Polarview from the European Space Agency as part of a programme to prepare service elements for GMES (now Copernicus).
Solution

The river ice service uses satellite RADAR imagery from the ENVISAT, RADARSAT and RADARSAT 2 polar orbiting satellites. It is used to augment and enhance a modelling and traditionally ground observation based flood forecasting service for Badger that uses a computer simulation model for simulating ice conditions on the Exploits River next to Badger. This was the first integration of RADAR imagery into operational flood forecasting of river ice in the world. The river ice service is now used on several rivers in Canada, United States of America and Russia.

The satellite data is acquired and rapidly delivered to the processing centre where it is analysed and interpreted to generate 3 products; the location of the ice front, an ice classification map and an ice change map. These products are delivered to the Water Resources Management Division which has set up an ice monitoring service. This service delivers flood warnings as well as making information available to other users in the area. The first 2 of these products are also made available through a web-site where local citizens are able to see and interpret the information for themselves.

The three products generated are:

1. An Ice front map showing the location of the ice front on the river.

2. An Ice Classification showing the types of ice at various river locations:

3. An Ice change map

These products are used as inputs to the ice model providing information which would otherwise not be available.

Results & Perspectives
The result has been very successful in the Badger area such that it has now been extended into other rivers as well.
Firstly, the improved warnings are allowing citizens of the town to better prepare themselves against the future floods by moving vehicles onto higher ground and moving furniture and other property / valuables into safer locations.
Secondly the direct savings to the Water Resources Management Division is significant with the use of satellite data replacing helicopter flights and the need to send people to gather the information. The cost and the frequent updates required rendered this method almost impossible in any case. Each helicopter flight costs around $5k and with around 35 flights (one flight for each image) needed each year the total cost would be over $100k.

Thirdly, the value gained by the community in having access to better information.

Fourthly, the emergency services which are placed on stand-by as soon as a warning is given are able to operate more efficiently with fewer false alarms and better targeted information when it is needed.

Fifthly, the operators of a hydro-electric dam upstream on the Exploit river are able to use the same products to achieve better management of water levels in the winter since they are able to observe the ice-build-up more directly and frequently; using the information to provide real-time feedback.

Sixthly, the engineers designing a new hydro-electric project on the Churchill River in Labrador are able to take advantage of the ice information directly during the design process as well as planning for it once the project becomes operational.

Overall the economic value of the application is significant and the use in a number of other rivers in Canada, USA and Russia provide even more economic value to this application.

Related & Info

Provision of accurate 3D Mapping Data to generate new and update existing geological maps in extremely geologically active, heavily clouded regions is a challenge. The emergence of 3D radar mapping has proven to be a disruptive technology in this field.

Background Project

Indonesia is a rapidly developing nation in South East Asia. Natural resource extraction and infrastructure improvement are keys to this ongoing development. In addition, as part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is extremely geologically active: earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have frequent impacts on people and property throughout the nation. Reliable geologic mapping is required to assist with Indonesia’s development goals and simultaneously reduce the risk of geological hazards on the population.

Issue and needs

From a mapping perspective, areas near the equator (which Indonesia sits astride) represent a particular problem: much of the land-mass is almost continuously under cloud cover. Traditional mapping approaches use aerial or satellite photography as the foundation layer upon which all maps (paper or increasingly digital) maps are created. This means that many areas in Indonesia are not accurately mapped, since clouds cover the terrain, making repeat passes with aircraft or satellites necessary.

During the last 15 years, radar mapping has moved from a scientific curiosity to a fully-fledged remote-sensing technology. The advantage of radar waves is that they can penetrate cloud cover, and even operate in complete darkness, virtually guaranteeing coverage in a single pass. This reduces the cost, and greatly improves the “schedule reliability” of any tropical mapping project using radar. Astrium Geo-Information Services has the commercial exploitation rights to two radar satellites: TerraSAR-X and TanDEMX. This allows Astrium GEO to collect radar imagery and create 3D DEMs over any terrain surface.

Once the images and DEMs are collected, they require some manual interaction to fix any errors in the elevation model (terrain editing), adjust water elevations (hydro-enforcement) and perform Quality Control.

Proposed solution

Because the areas involved for the two Geology projects were so large (several hundred-thousand km2), it was decided to partner with an Indonesian firm to undertake the manual terrain and hydro editing steps. Final Quality Control of the data was maintained by Astrium GEO. The Indonesian partners were then involved with the final packaging and distribution of the data to the Indonesian Government.

The partner firms were somewhat familiar with radar data, having previously purchased and distributed radar imagery from both airborne and satellite sources. One of the firms also had topographic mapping experience and contour generation experience using radar-derived DEMs. However, terrain and hydro-editing on the scale required for these projects was unknown to these firms. A strategy was developed to transfer knowledge and technology to these companies, so they could succeed in the short time-window required for these projects.

Industry perspective

In order to save on software costs, which can greatly increase the internal cost and price of the overall project, it was decided to use freeware software as much as possible for the delineation of water bodies. A workflow was developed by Astrium GEO to integrate freeware software into the normal production process. Hands-on training was provided to the partner firms in radar interpretation, data-flow management and overall production management and reporting. Wherever possible, data and production information was shared online, so as to reduce costs and improve communication across six time-zones.

Regular on-line discussions were held to provide quality and production feedback to the partner firms. Metrics about quality acceptance (and failure) were provided to ensure that production processes were improved, and individuals re-trained where necessary.


Fig. TerraSAR-X based DEM, Mount_Rinjani, Lombok, Indonesia

Cost justification

The manual surveying of vast areas of Indonesia to create new and update existing geological maps is neither cost nor time effective. The only way to undertake such a task is through remote earth observation. With the weather and terrain challenges of Indonesia, the emergence of radar mapping and 3D radar mapping has proven to be a disruptive technology in this field.

For Astrium GEO, the inclusion of Indonesian partner firms in the production of DEMs is also essential. This inclusion allows Astrium GEO increased access to markets, and allows Astrium GEO the flexibility to add production capacity when necessary to undertake outsized projects very quickly.

Return of investment

The Indonesian Geological Survey now has imagery and elevation information for the majority of Indonesia, including some areas that have never been comprehensively mapped before. The actual generation of the geological maps is an internal process that will continue for some years.

Astrium GEO maintains its relationships with its Indonesian commercial partners. These production partners were able to reduce overall data production costs, and increase the speed of the overall product creation and distribution. The partners are now fully trained in radar DEM production, and stand available to assist with future production requirements in Indonesia and elsewhere.

Additional information

  • Provision of 3D Mapping Data to the Indonesian Government Geological Survey
  • Keywords: 2011 and 2012 / Minerals and Mining/ Map geological features /
  • Production of 3D Digital Elevation Models (DEMs)

Students monitored rainforests using Earthwatchers (geospatial crowd-sourced web-monitoring tool) and Earth Observation to provide the intelligence required to halt illegal deforestation. In the presented pilot of Earthwatchers concept near real-time access to EO data was secured through TerraSAR-X ortho-rectified imagery and automatically generated change information. The overall service provides a new approach to education by involving users directly in the conservation effort with direct access to real data. Knowledge and results are shared by collaborating in a social media environment.


Background Project

The second largest island in the world, a mere half century ago, Borneo was covered nearly entirely by tropical rainforest. Illegal logging activities and the conversion of land for palm oil plantations has however drastically reduced rainforest acreage, to the detriment of orangutan populations. This has also contributed substantially to the accumulation of greenhouse gases. According to the WWF, 75% of the wood in Indonesia is obtained from illegal logging. The scope of the problem is acknowledged both in the scientific world and in politics, as is the necessity to preserve the rainforest. However, new solutions are urgently needed as large areas of rainforest are disappearing on a daily basis.

Issue and needs

DeforestACTION is a worldwide action plan to save the rainforest, and is a campaign in which young people from all over the world are involved. It aims to help monitor deforestation in Borneo in order to preserve and protect the habitat of the orangutan and preserve livelihoods of local communities.

The difficulty fighting illegal logging in Indonesia is to locate and identify the deforestation in vast and inaccessible areas early enough to initiate mitigation action.

Proposed solution

A new software tool ‘Earthwatchers’ developed by GEODAN for the DeforestACTION project and a large range of Earth observation data are used to tackle the problem. This allows young people all over the world to monitor the rainforest with the aid of a webGIS environment and current satellite images and publish reports on their findings.

However to effectively combat illegal logging timely provision of up-to date EO imagery covering large regions at high resolution to detect skid trails and also small scale changes of forest canopy is required. Frequent acquisitions of optical imagery are hindered by almost permanent cloud cover over Borneo.

The radar satellites TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X are able to reliably provide high-resolution SAR imagery with a resolution of up to 1m independent of weather conditions and illumination. In addition they exhibit a unique geo-localization accuracy which is a prerequisite for field teams (eco-warriors) to find distributed small scale loggings. These facts make the imagery particularly well suited to monitor Borneo’s rainforests. Therefore TerraSAR-X imagery and derived change indicators were gathered to the DeforestAction project by Astrium GEO-Information Services and have been used in the EarthWatchers test campaign in 2012.

Industry perspective

EarthWatchers application provides access to current EO data and enables participants from around the world to monitor the forests of Borneo and provide usable intelligence to help stop deforestation.

Astrium Geo-information Services made available TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X radar imagery and derived change products in a few hours after acquisition for a site near Ensaid Panjang despite the challenge of conflicts with commercial orders and TanDEM-X mission objectives1. Imagery for two test sites in West Kalimantan has been acquired. TerraSAR-X high resolution SpotLight of Ensaid Panjang was used to directly compare with the Landsat images reflecting the status of forest in 2008 and 2010. For the second test site Tembak extending approximately 100 km by 60 km TerraSAR-X StripMap imagery was acquired in 3 m resolution mode to achieve larger coverage. The acquisition was repeated under the same geometry one month later allowing for direct comparison of measured radar backscatter values. This form of image comparison is the basic concept for Astrium GEO’s SAR based change detection product and services. It is very sensitive to surface changes and proved that even small scale selective logging activities can be detected which indicate forest degradation. An example of a change detected with TerraSAR-X in a vast forest area has been used for the EarthWatchers videos.


Fig. Earthwatchers Alert Detection , TerrraSAR-X High Resolution SpotLight of Ensaid Panjang site. Clear patterns of Palm oil plantations instead of rainforest

In the EarthWatchers application the rainforest to be monitored is divided up into 1.6 km² hexagons, and these are assigned to individual ‘agents’. These agents monitor their parcels and through the use of satellite imagery, identify and mark changes in land patterns over a period of time, and are able to work together in a social-network environment.

On ground EarthWatchers are supported by Eco Warriors who also assisted the villagers of Ensaid Panjang longhouse who are facing challenges to hold on to their community forest against palm oil companies. Verfied changes are shared with relevant local authorities, who will then investigate any deforestation in that area.

(1) The aim of the TanDEM-X mission is to acquire the data basis for the global Digital Elevation Model (DEM), WorldDEM™.

Cost justification

The project demonstrates new ways to preserve forests at risk and create livelihoods for local landowners as well as helping animals who are victims of deforestation. It creates a global awareness campaign for the destruction caused by palm oil production.

‘Many people are worried about the condition of the rainforest here and would like to make a contribution to finding a solution. With this project, we make it possible for everyone to take action themselves. This way, people are part of the solution and, using the Earthwatchers application, they are able to see for themselves what is happening’.

Return of investiment

The benefits of the combination of web-GIS based innovative software and radar based Earth Observation such as TerraSAR-X /TanDEM-X are manifold. Overall, it Involves Earthwatchers from around the world in forest conservation efforts via Satellite Earth Observation (crowd-sourcing effort allocating small areas to millions of volunteers each) and increases environmental and specific deforestation awareness.

High resolution weather independent radar data like TerraSAR-X and Tandem-X is indispensable for tropical rainforest monitoring. However, fully automated change products show all surface changes and have to be evaluated by human intelligence. The developed crowdsourcing tools and techniques for human computation of radar earth observation deployed on a webGIS environment linked to social media enable collaborative intelligence (joint decision by crowd wisdom) and improving the system by self-learning on results. It proves that useful results can be harnessed from radar earth observation analyzed using human computation (in a crowdsourcing effort).

The program contributes by teaching the interpretation of radar imagery which is not as intuitive as optical imagery and creates awareness and learning materials about earth observation (especially radar) tailored to students aged 12-18. In addition the Earthwatcher tool makes available and accessible different geographic layers of the specified area for the Earthwatchers to explore and understand the inter-relationship between biotic and abiotic factors in forest conservations (biodiversity layer, forest density, human accessibility and infrastructure, carbon deposits, etc).

The Earthwatchers application gives schoolchildren a fun way to learn about advanced technology such as social media, GIS and remote sensing. By adding special context information, such as rivers and palm plantations, the application is also suitable for use in teaching programs addressing deforestation issues.

Additional information

  • Service provider: Geodan, Astrium GEO-Information Services
  • User/Customer: EarthWatchers, Eco Warriors, local communites & land owners, Environmental conservation NGOs, Institutions responsible for REDD+ MRV implementation
  • EO service: Detect illegal forest activities. Timely support of web-based crowd -sourced rainforest monitoring by TerraSAR-X imagery & automatic change detection layers
  • Keywords: Earthwatchers, TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X, REDD+ MRV; deforestation, forest degradation, forest monitoring, illegal logging, change detection, crowd-sourcing, webGIS, Germany 2012
  • www.deforestaction.org

About one fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions are caused by forest destruction with highest contribution from carbon-rich topical forests. REDD+, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, aims to significantly reduce these emissions and enhance forest carbon stock by performance based payments. Proof of emissions reductions requires a special system of monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) for large, inaccessible areas at requested observation frequency, independent from local interests as well as from external “handicaps” like cloud covers.

Both the Indonesian and Ghanaian pilot projects have shown the invaluable benefits and efficiency of the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X space-borne radar missions in the field of tropical forest monitoring for REDD+. The use of these highly accurate technologies has been proven in the field and won the recognition of local authorities and project partners. The developed services will help develop innovative approaches and methods for national MRV implementation. Additionally, they have led to successful capacity building campaigns in both countries.

Background project

The ongoing destruction and degradation of tropical forests through expanding agriculture, new infrastructure and fire caused by anthropogenic intervention contributes between 10-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. REDD + (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is an initiative within the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. The carbon bound in forests is hereby assigned a monetary value. The developing countries will be refunded if they avoid emissions resulting from activities destructing the forest or degrading the biodiversity and quality of forests. In order to determine the compensation payments (incentives) and to monitor the reduction commitments of the countries concerned, current and accurate information on the carbon stock and its changes over time for large, tropical forest areas are required.

Issue and needs

Proof of savings of emissions relative to a reference time point (baseline) has to be provided within the framework of concepts defined for REDD + for monitoring carbon storage in the forest. The current solution is to use available archives of optical high to medium resolution satellite data for mapping of the recent and historical status of forests.

However, this faces two problems: First of all the temporal inconsistency of coverage as well as data gaps in tropical regions. Secondly, the mapping of forest degradation requires very high resolution data and sensitivity to changes in forest structure or biomass. Frequent cloud cover in the forest zone of Ghana and Mawas peat swamp forests in Kalimantan make the use of optical imagery difficult in terms of availability and applicability for deforestation and forest degradation mapping on an annual basis.

Proposed solution

TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X radar imagery offer the capability to penetrate clouds on the one hand and very high resolution (3m) on the other, important factors when mapping complex land use patterns and forest degradation in tropical countries.

The TanDEM-X mission (1) will acquire Earth’s entire land surface several times during its three-year mission. Thus providing an ideal data source for homogeneous and globally consistent, high resolution land cover surveys as a baseline for land use change and forest monitoring.

Up-to date TerraSAR-X imagery acquired in 3 m resolution StripMap mode under the same geometry can be directly compared to TanDEM-X global reference datasets and prove that even small scale selective logging activities, which indicate forest degradation, can be detected.

The use of information derived from single pass interferometry significantly improves the mapping capabilities and this enables to focus on forest changes. The combination of both, TanDEM-X based classification and TanDEM-X versus TerraSAR-X change detection, makes use of the unique characteristics of both missions, providing a powerful tool for the monitoring of tropical forests.

TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X exhibit a unique geo-localization accuracy which is a prerequisite when combining remote sensing data with small scale forest field plots extending a few meters. The combination of remote sensing derived stratification with field plots on the other hand makes quantitative assessments on carbon stock change reliable and affordable.

(1) The aim of the TanDEM-X mission is to acquire the data basis for the global Digital Elevation Model (DEM), WorldDEM™.


Fig 1. Forest Baseline Map , peat swamp forest in Central Kalimantan Indonesia)

Industry perspective

Methodology implementation and validation of TanDEM-X reference mapping was performed together with SarVision in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The chosen study site is located in a peat swamp forest which is characterized by drainage from the Mega Rice project which has led to increased fire vulnerability. Emissions from peat swamp forests equal about one quarter of the overall emissions from deforestation and degradation.

The pilot study shows that the TanDEM-X data is very useful to produce accurate land cover mapping, compliant with the 6 land cover categories mandatory for REDD+ MRV as specified by IPCC, and proved to be as accurate as conventional optical mapping results. Beyond basic classes it provides information on canopy cover and forest structure both related to forest biomass. Validation of quantitative forest characteristics with LIDAR measurements showed a good agreement with forest height and canopy cover.

Ghana was chosen as a second pilot case performed within the framework of public private partnership between GIZ1 and Astrium GEO. The goal of the pilot is to test the applicability of methods for the national REDD+ MRV development process including capacity building of relevant institutions involved in later MRV execution.

Forest destruction in Ghana is largely a process of progressive degradation driven by a mix of forces from within and particularly from outside the forest sector. Therefore, the emphasis was laid on the forest change assessment to demonstrate the potential for forest degradation mapping with TerraSAR-X.

Test sites have been distributed in the different eco-zones of Ghana, from the tropical moist South to the semi-arid North.
TerraSAR-X based change detection results confirmed a high level of forest changes in the main forest zone of Ghana. The found cases of deforestation and degradation are representative in terms of drivers such as legal and illegal gold mining, palm oil production and selective logging within forest reserves. The pilot proved that small scale scattered changes can also be detected in TerraSAR-X StripMap mode (3 m) but most reliably in very high resolution SpotLight mode with 1m resolution. Detected changes were validated during a field trip with Ghanaian trainees including staff from the forestry commission.

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Fig 2. Gold mining , Ayanfuri, Ghana. Change Detection, TerrraSAR-X High Resolution SpotLight, composite of 2010/2012, Detected deforestation overlaid in red

Cost justification

1. Indonesia, KALIMANTAN: This pilot stands to contribute to the conservation of Bornean orangutans, the endangered apes that live only in Asia, by providing current information on the status of their forest habitats. By mapping and monitoring tropical forests using remote sensing data from the TanDEM-X mission, it can assess the status of tropical forests and detect forest degradation and loss. Using space-borne SAR data allows accessing remote areas within Borneo’s swamp forests in a timely manner and the assessment of the status of forests over large areas after, for example, fire events.

2. Africa, GHANA: Given the level of forest degradation in Ghana in combination with the complexity of land use patterns and the dynamic nature of drivers of deforestation, it is proposed to use very high resolution imagery from TanDEM-X for reference mapping and TerraSAR-X for the subsequent monitoring of deforestation and forest degradation.
The proposed resolution offers better identification of features, change boundaries, drivers of change, and maps areas of forest degradation more accurately, than would be achieved with high resolution imagery such as Landsat.

Return of investment

1. Indonesia, KALIMANTAN: This project will also strengthen local capacity: field work will be performed in collaboration with BOS-Mawas staff and local field assistants so the project will contribute to the training and transfer of field knowledge for Indonesians.

2. Africa, GHANA: The image to image change detection approach using TanDEM-X global archive as reference gives information on forest degradation at an early stage and therefore allows mitigation actions. Training on the job and verification of methodology was performed by Ghanaian users and led to recommendations of technology to the forestry commission of Ghana for REDD+ MRV implementation. Further validation and detailed cost benefit analysis will be performed in REDD pilot sites.

Additional Information

  • User/Customer: Africa, Ghana: Forestry Commission of Ghana and the Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services at the University of Ghana (CERSGIS). Indonesia, Kalimantan: Borneo Orang-utan Survival (BOS) Foundation
  • Location: 2012 Ghana
  • Location: 2012 Kalimantan, Indonesia
  • EO service: Monitor forest resources
  • Key words: REDD+ MRV, forest monitoring, change detection, carbon monitoring, climate change, deforestation, degradation, forest classification, biomass, canopy cover, forest structure, LULUCF, Land Use, land-use change & Forestry, TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X, Germany 2012

Objective

To collect the views of the EO services industry and some of their main customers regarding an industry-wide certification scheme,

  • to agree or not on the need for a scheme and establish its scope
  • the key requirements based upon draft proposals
  • to determine steps towards its implementation

Background

Certification implies that a company, a process or a service has been approved to a common, well-defined industrial standard. In any industry, certification and validation helps to reassure customers of the reliability of the product and is generally of most relevance for standard products and services. Certification can play a role in improving product quality and thereby getting users to trust the products and services helping to speed up customer acceptance of earth observation products. Certification can also play a role in reducing the cost of the earth observation products by introducing more streamlined processes

A study of a Quality Management System Certification scheme and/or a Product Certification Scheme has been issue by Hollidge Consulting Limited during 2011. This study should be used as reference background for the round table discussions. The workshop should provide an outcome input into the definition of scheme requirements and standards.

Approach

The workshop will bring together the key players from both EO service suppliers and customers. Each part of the EO service value chain will be represented; satellite operators, VA service providers, customers as well as other stakeholders; ESA, EC, EARSC. Representatives from customer sectors will include the O&G industry, insurance industry and the agriculture sector. The views of the various stakeholders will be presented representing differing needs at different stages of the value chain. Both institutional and commercial customers will present their views. The suppliers will be asked to present what they already do and working groups will be organised along thematic/market lines ie vertically, to examine the specific interests which will be presented to the workshop as part of a round table session. Conclusions will be drawn as to the next steps to be taken on the nature of the scheme, areas where pilot projects could be considered and linking activities between the various stakeholders.

Presentations have been now included at dropbox

The launch by the European Space Agency (ESA) of its Proba-V earth observation mini-satellite in the coming weeks will represent the first time that a European-made device based on gallium nitride (GaN) will be sent into space. This follows an intensive test series that has qualified the amplifier – developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF in Freiburg, Germany – for launch into space.

The satellite weighs about 140kg and is just about the size of a washing machine. The mini-satellite Proba-V is covered in solar cells and will be observing the vegetation on earth. Every other day, the environmental satellite will send pictures from a distance of about 820km. Rain forest destruction, pollution of the seas and soil erosion will be made visible by pictures taken in various spectral ranges.

Being more robust, more compact and lighter than traditional solutions, the new GaN technology promises to significantly improve communication electronics in space. “We expect signal strength and data transmission to improve five- or tenfold,” says Andrew Barnes, who is responsible for the project at ESA. Based on GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), the amplifier circuit operates in the 8–8.5GHz (X-band) frequency range for Proba-V’s communication system. Tesat-Spacecom GmbH of Backnang, Germany, in cooperation with SCHOTT Electronic Packaging, packaged the amplifier together with further components into a hermetically sealed housing suitable for operation in space. “We are eagerly awaiting the results of the first practical test in space,” says Barnes.

More information at

The Directorate supports the research and stakeholder community in the pursuit of goals which improve the European and the global environment, the environmental and climate policies and the competitiveness of European environment-related industries and businesses. This support consists of smart priority-setting in the preparation of Work Programmes, and the consequent funding of excellent and innovative research through the current Framework of Community Research. Interview with A.Tilche, EC-DG Research&Development


ENVIRONMENT DIRECTORATE

Could you briefly explain your daily activities at your Directorate What exactly is the role of your team?
How is the liaison with other programmes, units and directorates?

The Environment Directorate, of which I am responsible, is composed of several units dealing with specific subjects: Environmental Technologies, Management of Natural Resources – which includes the Earth Observation sector -, Climate Change and Natural Hazards. In addition, we are cooperating with the Communications Unit, as well as with other relevant DGs (DG ENVIRONMENT, DG CLIMA, DG ENTREPRISE, JRC etc) in order to ensure that new programmes address the most relevant policy needs and that project results may feed policy development and implementation.

How would you see the activities changing with the move from FP7 to H2020?

To remain globally competitive and improve EU citizens’ quality of life, Europe needs to rapidly improve its capacity of transforming research into products and services.

This has been at the heart of the Innovation Union, one of the flagship initiatives under the EU’s growth strategy, Europe 2020. The EU’s new research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, will be used to implement this initiative.

Compared to the past, Horizon 2020 will support all strategies of the innovation cycle, providing seamless and coherent funding from idea to market, through a natural integration and continuum between research and innovation. It will be implemented using measures which promote wider participation from industry and SMEs, and in combination with actions promoting the completion of a truly integrated European Research Area.

The support to research and innovation is seen as a key policy supporting the competitiveness of Europe, and no longer as a “funding agency” job. This radically changes our job into a much more strategic one.

How important is Earth Observation as a tool for projects under your responsibility?

FP7 projects have contributed to the development and strengthening of the European capacity to aggregate, access and develop global Earth Observation datasets and information products. These are essential for underpinning environmental research and innovation in sectors such as Climate Change, Biodiversity, Water, Land Use etc… More cross-cutting integration will be required in Europe in the period 2014-2020 in order to further advance the implementation and use of Global Environmental Datasets and the information that can be derived from them.

More specifically Research and Innovation is required in the following domains to support Environmental research and the development of models to predict the functioning of the various Earth Systems:
1) Developing technical solutions and applications to enable a full and open data sharing capability as advocated through the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) Data Sharing Principles and the EU Open Data Policy, to develop the required knowledge bases to address the Societal Challenges ;
2) Build the next generation information system, enabling sharing, discovery and full, open and unrestricted access to Earth Observation datasets, engaging with the private sector to leverage emerging technologies and develop services, and citizens to develop citizens’ observatories, citizens governance, etc.;
3) Increase the robustness of global observation by strengthening and developing in- situ observation networks through the use of novel technologies.

The importance of Earth Observation for our activities is accounted for and demonstrated by a dedicated group that oversees the implementation of Community

Research and Innovation in the domain of Earth Observation, is the contact point for the International Group on Earth Observation, and cooperates with Copernicus and the Joint Research Centre on all Earth Observation related issues.

How do you see the flagship EC programme Copernicus contributing to the goals of DG R&I?

Addressing global societal challenges requires a thorough understanding of the Earth system, the underlying processes and their interactions. This will improve the forecasting of the future state of the environment, enabling us to sustainably manage fragile ecosystems and natural resources. Comprehensive, sustained and coordinated in-situ, airborne and space-borne EO data and its integration into a holistic modelling and analysis framework is a prerequisite.

For this, the following components are essential:

  • a data collection and dissemination infrastructure, ensuring data interoperability and consistency, based on agreed standards and supporting easy access to free, open and readily available data without any restrictions on its use;
  • a retrieval / modelling environment supporting the generation and operational provision of a range of societal benefit services allowing a continuous monitoring of the state of the Earth system and the prediction of its future evolution; and
  • a research framework supporting a continuous improvement and evolution of the system by utilizing re-analysis, taking into account of new data from scientific experiments and conducting observing system simulations to boost innovation.

Copernicus basically will cover the first two components and as such it is essential for addressing a range of societal challenges. In particular the launching of the Sentinel missions (the Copernicus space component) will represent a tremendous opportunity for the research sector as it is a unique programme that will have no equivalent at international level and that will deliver accessible Earth Observation Data that are strategic for the broad environmental research. Together with an appropriate research framework Copernicus will allow implementing policy monitoring tools and foster research to continuously improve the system.


Sentinel©ESA

How do you work with the rest of the EC (and particularly DG Enterprise) on the Copernicus programme?

The activities of DG RTD and DG ENTR regarding Earth Observation are very complementary. The work carried out under the GMES programme focuses on the delivery of services whereas the programs implemented under DG R&I are focussing on building the knowledge base necessary for the development of the services and also on new avenues regarding the in-situ monitoring of the Environment. In particular the Environment programme is delivering research and innovation products that are necessary for the development of Copernicus services. The different models that have been developed in the past FP and more specifically during FP7 are of utmost interest for the implementation of the Copernicus services in domains such as Climate prediction, Ocean Forecasting, Hazard preparedness and emergency management. Regarding new avenues to developing innovative systems to observe/monitor the environment 5 new R&D projects have been launched recently under the Environment program with a great potential to strengthen the in-situ component of Earth Observation Systems. These projects are based on the concept of Citizen Observatories and will take advantage of the latent capability in everybody’s mobile phone/tablet/laptop to monitor the environment. Also 2 topics have been included in the current joint call “The ocean of tomorrow” that will permit conducting research and innovation activities for the development of new sensors for the monitoring of the ocean. Both R&I activities, Citizen Observatories, and new Ocean sensors are direct contribution to the in-situ monitoring of the environment and to the Copernicus programme.

COOPERATION & PARTNERSHIP WITH EO INDUSTRY

What do you look for in cooperative efforts between European Institutions and Industry? What type of dialogue mechanism could take place with the industry

Industry is a key to the development of Observing System as Observatories rely on cutting edge technologies spreading over several industrial sectors such as telecommunications, energy, new material, computing, etc. SMEs would provide their capacity to deliver new solutions for dedicated sensors, data processing, and new services. As indicated in my previous response concerning Copernicus a significant part of the resources of FP7 is dedicated to technology research. In those projects the participation of Industry and SME’s was encouraged in an active way. So a significant number of SME’s are already present in FP7 projects dealing with Earth Observation and monitoring that could in the future be involved in further system development and service delivery.

Regarding Horizon 2020, the involvement of the industrial sector will be ensured from the onset by making cooperative efforts mandatory. As indicated in the Commission proposal for the Societal Challenge Climate Action, Resource Efficiency, and Raw Materials the role of Industry should be central in the implementation of Horizon 2020,

In this context it is important that a dialogue takes place with the Earth Observation industry. In this respect, the GEO initiative is planning to set up at global level and Industrial Forum – this was a decision made at the last GEO Plenary meeting in Brazil in November 2012. The forum should be launched this year in view of developing a dialogue with the Private and Not-for-Profit Sectors. The rationale for the establishment of this forum is twofold 1) it would help understanding how the private sector could support the development of GEOSS 2) it would also be used to inform the private sector how it could benefit from the Earth Observation data collected through GEOSS.

How important is the role of industry in the DG R&I Environmental Research programme?

FP7 attaches great importance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Lisbon European Council, in 2000, set the ambitious objective for Europe to become the “most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010”. A year later, the Gothenburg Council added an environmental dimension to this objective. Underpinning this strategy is the European Research Area, which recognises the importance of research-intensive SMEs for sustainable economic growth and employment in Europe.
Reflecting the desire to encourage them to take part in environmental and other areas of research, the aim for FP7 was to allocate at least an indicative 15% of the total EU funding of roughly €50 billion for 2007–13 to SMEs, and this objective is going to be largely achieved.

Should further measures be developed to encourage greater industry participation?

The Commission proposal for a council decision establishing the Specific Programme Implementing Horizon 2020 makes provisions for greater industry participation. With regards to this, I can only make reference to the Commission proposal regarding industry in Horizon 2020:

For achieving sustainable growth in Europe, the contribution of public and private players must be optimised. Horizon 2020 includes scope and a clear set of criteria for setting up public-public and public private partnerships. Public-private partnerships can be based on a contractual arrangement between public and private actors and can in limited cases be institutionalised public-private partnerships (such as Joint Technology Initiatives and other Joint Undertakings).

Particular attention will be paid to ensuring a broad approach to innovation, which is not only limited to the development of new products and services on the basis of scientific and technological breakthroughs, but which also incorporates aspects such as the use of existing technologies in novel applications, continuous improvement, non-technological and social innovation. Only a holistic approach to innovation can at the same time tackle societal challenges and give rise to new competitive businesses and industries.

For the societal challenges and the enabling and industrial technologies in particular, there will be a particular emphasis on supporting activities which operate close to the end-users and the market, such as demonstration, piloting or proof-of-concept. This will also include, where appropriate, activities in support of social innovation, and support to demand side approaches such as pre-standardisation or pre-commercial procurement, procurement of innovative solutions, standardisation and other user-centered measures to help accelerate the deployment and diffusion of innovative products and services into the market. In addition, there will be sufficient room for bottom-up approaches and open, light and fast schemes under each of the challenges and technologies to provide Europe’s best researchers, entrepreneurs and enterprises with the opportunity to put forward breakthrough solutions of their choice.

FUNDING

How do you see the planning and budgeting process in future programmes concerning EO?

As indicated earlier the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge Climate Action, Resource Efficiency, and Raw Materials includes and action to: “Developing comprehensive and sustained global environmental observation and information systems”

The aim of this action is to ensure the delivery of the long-term data and information required to address this challenge. Activities shall focus on the capabilities, technologies and data infrastructures for earth observation and monitoring that can continuously provide timely and accurate information, forecasts and projections. Free, open and unrestricted access to interoperable data and information will be encouraged.

Now it is too early to indicate what kind of budgeting process will be attached to this action. However generally speaking the various Horizon 2020 activities will be planned following the Horizon 2020 specific program decision with a strong involvement of the member states and stakeholders. Continuous guidance will be provided through dedicated advisory groups representing stakeholders.

Will your Directorate be able to bring opportunities for the downstream service providers?

Absolutely! Let me give you an example. More research is needed to better understand the link between ecosystem functioning, biodiversity and its socioeconomic impact. A better knowledge of these links will allow predicting better the evolution of ecosystem services due to climate change. This will foster the development of downstream services for managing ecosystem services e.g. for air quality applications. There are many more examples like this. The direct involvement of the industrial sector from the onset of these activities will foster downstream services and spinoffs.

Are there further policies beyond Research & Innovation that you consider could be effective in helping the development of EO industry?

There is a range of policies and treaties which benefit from EO data given that appropriate monitoring tools are available. These are e.g. climate policies by supporting emission trading and deforestation policies (e.g. see UNFCCC’s REDD+ initiative), environmental policies – by e.g. monitoring ozone or waste and water quality – or transportation policies – by assessing infrastructures and their use -, just to give a few examples. EO industry will all benefit from their need for products and services derived from spatial data.

However, there is a single most effective policy from which EO industry would benefit. This is a free and open access to data with no restriction on its use. As demonstrated by many economic studies this will boost innovation and growth.

This opening of the Earth Observation datasets has been stimulated by the GEO initiative in which the Commission is an active member. In the 2010 Beijing Declaration, GEO Members committed to implement the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles by developing flexible policy frameworks that enable a more open data environment, and these Principles have influenced national and regional data policies, including INSPIRE and Copernicus in Europe and Landsat in the US, facilitating the uptake of Earth observation data by a wide range of user communities.

By promoting data sharing, Europe is able to deliver benefits to citizens throughout the world, including those in developing countries. And in return, Europe is able to derive benefits through the use of data shared with us by our partners in GEO.

Further, by making Earth observations freely and openly available, without any restrictions, we are able to stimulate the European service sector to develop new services and products. This leads to growth, job creation in Europe and the provision of societal benefits for European citizens.

Could you explain the role of EC at GEO as co-chair activity?

The European Commission is one of the 88 GEO Members and has been co-chairing the initiative since its creation, together with Co-Chairs from the USA, China and South- Africa. The Commission is represented in GEO by DG RTD.

The GEO initiative is of a strategic nature for the European Union, given its clear relevance to a number of important European policies in the area of sustainable development, environmental research and international co-operation. The EU is strongly represented within the GEO and is taking a leadership role in the development of the GEOSS, with the Commission very much to the forefront. The overall European approach to the GEO is co-ordinated through a High Level Working Group, which meets on a regular basis before GEO Executive Committee and Plenary Meetings.

The contribution of the European Union, coordinated by the Commission, to the GEO initiative is significant, including: the support given through the Space Theme of FP7 to GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security), which is a major contribution of Europe to GEO; the contribution of the INSPIRE Directive (Infrastructure for Spatial information in Europe), which is a powerful tool to overcome the major barriers still impeding availability and accessibility to Earth Observation Data in Europe; and finally a major contribution from the FP7 Cooperation Environment theme in terms of R&D effort to provide GEO with research elements necessary to develop and implement the GEOSS.

How can GEOSS help the European EO services industries?

As the “G” in GEOSS stands for Global and as the major societal challenges that confront Europe today are global in nature, e.g., climate change, food security, etc. Europe needs to have access to global datasets to understand and address these challenges. And these can only be assembled “at a reasonable cost” within a global framework, as Europe does not have the financial capability to acquire all of the data it requires on a global scale using its own resources. Data sharing and access to data is one of the important keys. If our partners in GEO would not share their data with us, we would not have access to the global data Europe needs.

By promoting data sharing, Europe delivers benefits to citizens throughout the world, including those in developing countries. In return, we can derive benefits for Europe through the use of data shared with us by our partners in GEO. Furthermore, data sharing is stimulating the service sector by making Earth observations freely and openly available, without any restrictions, we allow the European service sector to develop new services and products. The European service industry will benefit from it. It will leads to growth and job creation in Europe and the provision of societal benefits for European citizens.

What are your views on the GEO decision regarding Engaging Industry Support in the Implementation of GEOSS?
EARSC along with the AAEO has written to the GEO secretariat proposing a stronger engagement between industry and GEO, do you support this and how could you see that working in practice?
GEOSS has been mentioned as being able to provide a “window” to display private sector capabilities and products. How would this work?

The Commission supports the decision made at the 9th GEO Plenary meeting to explore the possibility for further engagement of the private sector in the GEOSS implementation.

While the burden of investing in Earth observation infrastructure and data is generally carried by governments, there is a shared understanding that not only the public sector, but also the private sector benefits from increased data sharing, and from the exploitation of integrated Earth observations for the provision of societal benefits. In a world where public budgets are under increasing pressure, and where the private sector can increasingly benefit as users of Earth observations, GEO should define a suitable framework to allow and encourage private sector contributions to develop and grow GEOSS. Private sector engagement would bring additional expertise and resources in all domains associated with GEOSS development and to SBA-related services as well as additional political support for ensuring continuation of the GEO action.

From another perspective, the private sector also represents a big “consumer” of Earth Observation data and information. In this regard, its main interest in contributing directly to GEO would be to access GEOSS resources, both for provision of commercial services and for the provision of institutional services, under contract from governmental entities. GEO may also work as a multiplier of private sector R&D resources. GEOSS could be a “window” to display private sector capabilities and products and, for private companies, an operationally sustained GEOSS could represent a good opportunity to operationally run, on a long term basis, many of its components.

FUTURE

At the end of the interview, here is the opportunity for your final thoughts on the future development of the EO geo-information service sector? Do you think the European Earth Observation activities are on the right track?
And In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges the commercial earth observation industry is facing in the years to come? What kind of downstream service industry would Europe benefit from?

The challenge for the EO geo-information service sector depends on the easy access to regional and global Erath Observation datasets. The Commission has already laid the foundation for Europe’s participation in GEO in the period 2014-2020 with the proposal we made to the Parliament and Council for the next Framework Program for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020.

This includes, as indicated earlier, specific references to GEO, the GEOSS and an activity on “Developing comprehensive and sustained global environmental observation and information systems”, with the aim of ensuring the delivery of the long-term data and information required to address the societal challenges set out in Horizon 2020.

However, to ensure the support of the Council and European Parliament for both this proposal and for GEO post-2015, it is vital that we are able to demonstrate that the GEOSS has real substance and relevance to it, which means it must begin to deliver societal benefits to users.

The Council and Parliament will want to see that the GEO and GEOSS are working well, allowing Europe to contribute globally, but also bringing benefits to Europe.

So, for example, in the domain of data sharing, where Europe is making great efforts to open up its data and to share it with our partners in GEO, we also need our partners in GEO outside of Europe to share their data with us.

The biggest challenges ahead are making data consistent and interoperable and dealing with ‘Big Data’ at the same time. For this a close dialog between researchers, the service industry and the IT sector is needed for building the required infrastructures.

Downstream services supporting Green Economy and Blue Growth, both emerging industries within Europe, are in particular considered of great benefit.

And we will have to be able to demonstrate to our political masters that our investment in the development of the GEOSS, in data sharing and interoperability, does bring benefits by contributing to growth, job creation in Europe and the provision of societal benefits for citizens in Europe and across the globe.


Citizen Observatories©Sensorscope.ch

EO-MAG -Interview with A. Tilche EC-DG Reserach & Development.pdf

(18 March 2013) In its third year, the Copernicus Masters competition – previously known as the GMES Masters – opens once again. Submissions are now being accepted for the first challenge that asks participants to demonstrate how satellites show humans’ impact on our planet.

The Copernicus Masters rewards the best ideas for services, business cases and applications based on satellite Earth observation data. With a prize pool of € 350 000 in cash prizes, technical support, data packages and business incubation, it aims to foster product development and entrepreneurship in Europe.

Initiated in 2011 by ESA, the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, the DLR German Aerospace Center, Anwendungszentrum Oberpfaffenhofen and T-Systems GmbH, the competition is supported by the European Commission, European Space Imaging GmbH, Astrium GEO-Information Services and the BMW Group.

The international monthly magazine GEO now joins as the competition’s new media partner, seeking the best illustrations based on satellite images under the GEO Illustration Challenge ‘Traces of Humankind’.

Contestants will be asked to illustrate humankind’s footprint on our planet – from past to current developments – in vivid, artistic ways based on satellite imagery.

ESA is teaming up with DLR, European Space Imaging and Astrium GEO-Information Services to provide free satellite data to the contestants of this category.

Submissions for the GEO Illustration Challenge are being accepted from now to the end of June. Submissions to the other eight challenge categories begin in May and June.

For more information, visit the Copernicus Masters website
‘Copernicus’ is the new name for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme.