Skip to content

(August 2012) BMT ARGOSS, a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, recently started producing weather forecasts for the Dutch North Sea for TAQA Energy B.V. TAQA Energy B.V. is a subsidiary of TAQA (Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC), a global energy company majority owned by the Abu Dhabi Government. TAQA Energy B.V. is involved in the exploration, production, transportation and storage of oil and natural gas in the Netherlands.

With the information provided by BMT ARGOSS, TAQA Energy B.V can optimise operability and minimise risks due to unexpected and unfavourable weather conditions during drilling operations. In addition, the weather forecasts are used to safely transfer crews going offshore by helicopters.

Jean-Paul Lindeboom, Senior Meteorologist and heading the Centre at BMT ARGOSS comments: “Servicing clients like TAQA is bringing BMT ARGOSS right in the middle of our core business, Metocean and Weather forecasting. We will be using all off our in-house capabilities, like our extensive database, our experienced
oceanographers and maritime forecasters”.

The BMT ARGOSS MetOcean Weather Forecast and Emergency Response Centre provides weather forecasts and emergency response services globally. The dedicated forecasts, issued by a team of experienced Maritime Meteorologists, are designed to help minimise weather-related downtime and risk. The Weather Support Desk is available 24/7 by phone or email. In addition, the Meteorologists of BMT ARGOSS are qualified to provide on-site support of offshore operations.

BMT ARGOSS BV

BMT ARGOSS is a consulting company monitoring, analysing and forecasting environmental conditions with a focus on providing innovative meteorological and oceanographic solutions to the offshore, coastal and port sectors, and rban
management authorities.

Using in-house resources and expertise on MetOcean conditions, ocean & atmospheric modelling, meteorology, remote sensing and data assimilation we support numerous projects and operations around the world. The services that BMT ARGOSS offers are used, amongst others, for design of offshore structures, downtime analysis, operations planning and the execution of maritime operations.

Source

September 15th. On the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol, the global ozone layer has stabilized, but large depletion in the polar regions continues to occur.

The United Nations has declared the 16th of September as the International Day for the Protection of the Ozone Layer to commemorate 16 September 1987, the date when the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) was signed. The Montreal Protocol controls the production and use of ozone-depleting substances. It is an outstanding example of a successful cooperation between scientists, governments, non-government organizations, and industry, as well as between developed and developing countries. It also provides an excellent paradigm to the international community for cooperation on complex environmental issues of global importance.

The theme of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on 16 September 2012 is: “Protecting our atmosphere for generations to come.”1

The Montreal Protocol has been highly successful in reducing the emissions and atmospheric abundances of ozone-depleting substances. Recent ground-based and space-based measurements show that the stratospheric amounts of chlorine and bromine, the species most harmful to the ozone layer, continue to decline, and that global ozone abundances have stabilized at about 3.5% below 1980 levels in the 60°S-60°N latitude range.

While the ozone layer is recovering from the effects of ozone depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons, increased greenhouse gases levels are projected to change the stratosphere. These changes require continued vigilance in monitoring the ozone layer.

Return of the global ozone layer to pre-1980 levels is expected to occur around the middle of the 21st century, as a result of the decrease of ozone-depleting substances regulated by the Montreal Protocol. In Antarctica the return is predicted to occur about two decades later.

At the present time, however, a large Antarctic ozone hole is still a recurrent seasonal feature in the Southern Hemisphere, and record-setting ozone depletion was observed in the Arctic in 2011.

There is a strong interplay between increases in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and stratospheric ozone recovery. In the midlatitudes of both Hemispheres, greenhouse gases are projected to accelerate the return of midlatitude total ozone columns to 1980 values, and to increase ozone towards the end of the 21st century to values higher than in 1980, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. In the tropics, greenhouse gases are projected to cause a decrease of ozone. Because of these greenhouse gases, the ozone layer will not return to its pre-industrial natural state. Recent research demonstrates that stratospheric ozone changes have had important influences on climate in the stratosphere and also at the ground.

The number of ground stations that observe ozone has continued to decrease in the last decade. In addition, satellite systems that measure ozone-depleting substances are aging, and are likely to fail in the next few years. The loss of ozone-observing capabilities threatens the ability of scientists to report on the state of the ozone layer, and restricts their ability to project future levels of ozone.

The International Ozone Commission (IO3C) of IAMAS-IUGG urges all national and international agencies that support scientific research and monitoring of ozone and related parameters to continue supporting these activities. Without ozone measurements, threats to the ozone layer will not be identified, and scientists will be unable to forewarn future problems. Without observations, the theme of “Protecting our atmosphere for generations to come” cannot be fulfilled.

This text was last reviewed by the IO3C members on September 15th
For more information: Dr. Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Secretary of the International Ozone Commission, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire Atmosphère, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 75252, Paris, Cedex 05, France, Tel.: +33 1 44 27 47 67, Fax: +33 1 44 27 49 67, mobile: +33 6 77 18 38 64, e-mail: sophie.godin-beekmann@latmos.ipsl.fr
IO3C
WMO Northern Hemisphere Ozone Mapping Center
WMO Antarctic Ozone Bulletin
European Ozone Coordinating Unit
World Ozone and Ultraviolet Data Center
Ozone Hole Watch
Assessments on the state of the ozone layer Who is who in the Montreal Protocol: http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/montrealprotocolwhoswho/PageFlip.asp

(1) Please visit the web site of the Ozone Secretariat for the Vienna Convention , where you will find suggestions for worldwide activities on the 2012 International Ozone Day

Source

(SpaceNews by P. de Selding). PARIS — India’s PSLV rocket on Sept. 9 successfully placed Astrium Services’ Spot 6 commercial Earth observation satellite into low Earth orbit in a launch that represented a milestone in the gradual privatization of commercial remote sensing.

Operating from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, the PSLV also carried the 15-kilogram Proiteres amateur radio satellite, built by the Osaka I.

The 712-kilogram Spot 6 will be joined in its 700-kilometer polar low Earth orbit by the identical Spot 7 in 2014. Astrium Services financed the Spot 6 and Spot 7 project without government support, and with no guarantee from French authorities of imagery purchases.

The Spot 6 and Spot 7 investment totals about 300 million euros ($375 million), according to Astrium.

The go-it-alone financing may be unprecedented in the growing, but still highly government-dependent, Earth observation industry, at least in the volume of at-risk capital that Astrium committed.

Commercial Earth observation programs exist in Germany, Britain, the United States and elsewhere, but in these cases governments are investment partners, guaranteed customers or backing the projects in some other way.

Astrium Services would have preferred that this be the case for Spot 6 and Spot 7 as well, but the French government, which invented the commercial Earth observation business in the mid-1980s with the first of the Spot satellite product line, decided that, with 100 million euros or more in annual revenue, the Spot satellite system was ready to leave the government nest.

By not having invested in the program, the French government likely will pay higher per-image prices for Spot imagery.

Spot 6 and Spot 7 are capable of taking black-and-white images with a ground resolution of 1.5 meters. Multispectral imagery in blue, green, red and near-infrared, are captured with 6-meter resolution. Image swath, as it has been for the lower-resolution previous Spot satellites, is 60 square kilometers.

Spot 6 and Spot 7 are designed to operate for 10 years, double the life of Spot 5, which was launched in 2002 on a five-year life but remains healthy in its 820-kilometer orbit. The two-satellite system, using the satellites’ ability to swivel off-nadir, will be able to revisit a given spot on Earth once a day.

Spot 5 weighed about 3,000 kilograms at launch, more than four times the launch weight of Spot 6. Spot 5 takes images with a ground resolution of between 2.5 and 10 meters

While Astrium Services is flying solo for Spot 6 and Spot 7, the company has the exclusive commercial use of the French civil-military Pleiades high-resolution satellites. Pleiades 1A was launched in December. Pleiades 1B is scheduled for launch in 2013.

Pleiades, which like Spot 6 and 7 operates in a 700-kilometer orbit, is capable of detecting images as small as 50 centimeters in diameter in its highest-resolution mode. Swath width is 20 square kilometers.

The two Pleiades and Spot 6 and Spot 7 satellites will be positioned in orbit to maximize revisit time to give Astrium Geo-Information Services a commercial product portfolio designed to capture a piece of the high-resolution end of the market, which is the fastest-growing segment of the business, while not giving up its bread-and-butter medium-resolution customers.

Brand new high-resolution Earth observation satellite
SPOT 6, designed and built by Astrium, has been placed in orbit by an Indian PSLV rocket from the Sriharikota launch base.
SPOT 6 is a high-resolution optical Earth observation satellite. Like its twin SPOT 7, which is slated for launch in 2014, SPOT 6 has a 60-km swath width and produce imagery products with a resolution down to 1.5 metres. SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 will ensure service continuity from the SPOT 4 and SPOT 5 satellites, which have been operating since 1998 and 2002 respectively.
SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 will both be operated by Astrium Services.
Astrium

Source SpaceNews

By Petros Patias, posted on September 11th, 2012 at earthzine (Earthzine, Fostering earth observation & global awareness Sponsored by IEEE Sponsored by ICEO)

In the field of Earth Observation (EO) activities, the critical point found for the Balkan countries is how to create a future environment of cooperation between partners at various levels where companies from across the world would be involved in joint projects. Experience gained in projects supported by the European Union (EU) paves the way toward future models of cooperation and will help to identify new products and market niches for these products and services. Future cooperation between Balkan partners becomes much easier if experience from initial projects is already available. In this sense, the OBSERVE project has significantly contributed by developing a network and capacity-building in the region.

Many activities within OBSERVE have been focused on collecting information and investigating the current state of affairs in the field of EO in the Balkan region. The analysis of this detailed data shows there are inevitable differences between the contributing countries due to history, politics and other reasons. On the other hand, we can find many common trends and common goals for the EO in the region.

The biggest weaknesses are that EO data regulation is not clear to the data producers. Data in many countries is expensive, incomplete, limited, outdated, unavailable or incorrect. Other factors include the use of standards regarding EO data, weak and irregular cooperation among data producers and providers, limited sharing of EO regional datasets in places such as the former Yugoslav republics and Balkan countries, and data compatibility with GEOSS.

Also, in many counties, most of the data producers or providers are only partially aware of the needs of end-users regarding EO data. Other areas that need improvement include the export of products and services in most countries, media reports of EO-related issues, informing professional societies about new data sources, data availability and data usage, and the cooperation between academic institutions and decision makers for EO data development and implementation. The completeness of EO data and the ease of access can considerably increase the annual income of EO data users by 10-25 percent.

More information at

Japan’s Marubeni Aerospace Corp. has been conducting a feasibility study for the Myanmar government this year on the satellite launch, a company official said.

He added that Myanmar’s Minister for Transport Nyan Tun Aung met with a regional representative of Marubeni Corp., the aerospace firm’s parent, on Wednesday as they prepared to hold a workshop on the plan in the second week of October.

“We are in the process of assessing if the launch will be valuable for Myanmar. We have yet to draw up a report,” the official said. “It may take a long time before a decision is made.” He added that the satellite launch was one of a number of possible projects that might be funded through official Japanese loans. If the launch goes ahead, the satellite will be used by the meteorology and hydrology department of Myanmar’s transport ministry, according to the country’s official media.

In April, Japan announced it would forgive about $3.7 billion of Myanmar’s debt and resume suspended aid as Japanese firms continue a push into the country. Myanmar has largely untapped natural resources, including minerals, metals and fossil fuels, and a potentially huge tourism sector, although challenges abound with the rule of law weakly enforced and a major infrastructure deficit.

The junta that ran the country for decades handed power to a quasi-civilian regime—albeit dominated by former soldiers—in a bloodless political transition in March 2011. A series of reforms ensued that have been praised by the opposition and the West, with biting sanctions that had once stymied the country gradually being relaxed. © 2012 AFP

“Read more at”: http://phys.org/news/2012-09-myanmar-mulling-satellite-japan-company.html#jCp

(10 September 2012) GeoEye announced an agreement with Fugro for online imagery dissemination through Fugro World, Fugro’s global portal for delivery of data and solutions.

GeoEye’s EyeQ platform will be integrated with Fugro World to support online access to satellite imagery.

“GeoEye is pleased that Fugro has chosen to add EyeQ services to its range of offerings via the Fugro World global customer portal,” said Paolo Colombi, GeoEye’s vice president for International Sales. “In addition to serving Fugro World’s existing customers, this agreement will also allow GeoEye to welcome new EyeQ and imagery end-users in new markets and regions.”

Fugro is one of the world’s leading service providers for the collection and interpretation of data about the earth’s surface and sub-surface. Through Fugro World, clients are able to seamlessly discover, order and obtain data from multiple sources and suppliers in a single Web site.

“We pride ourselves on offering our global customers access to the satellite imagery they need in order to explore, develop, produce and transport the world’s natural resources,” said Louise Gibbons, manager of Fugro World. “We are pleased to partner with GeoEye and to use EyeQ as part of our suite of online delivery capabilities.”

Fugro chose GeoEye’s EyeQ platform for its ability to provide online access to premium high-resolution satellite imagery content from an extensive global catalogue, as well as new collections using the GeoEye-1/IKONOS constellation. EyeQ offers fully managed service in the cloud, a scalable infrastructure and the availability of open and secure standard Web services.

About GeoEye

GeoEye is a leading source of geospatial information and insight for decision makers and analysts, who need a clear understanding of our changing world to protect lives, manage risk and optimize resources. Each day, organizations in defense and intelligence, public safety, critical infrastructure, energy and online media rely on GeoEye’s imagery, tools and expertise to support important missions around the globe. Widely recognized as a pioneer in high-resolution satellite imagery, GeoEye has evolved into a complete provider of geospatial intelligence solutions. GeoEye’s ability to collect, process and analyze massive amounts of geospatial data allows our customers to quickly see precise changes on the ground and anticipate where events may occur in the future. GeoEye is a public company listed on NASDAQ as GEOY and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia with more than 740 employees worldwide.

(source: GeoEye)

GeoViQua is an EU research project that is working to provide the GEO data user community with innovative quality-aware visualisation and advanced geo-search capabilities. One of the objectives of our research is to contribute to defining the concept of a GEO label – that is, a label to assist users in quality assessment of geospatial datasets.

It is now available online the GeoViQua Newsletter Nº1 with the last developments and ideas on the project.
You can download the Newsletter in the following link on the GeoViQua Twiki page

For more information about the GEO label

A clear and common description of EO products and services will help suppliers and customers arrive at a common understanding of what can be offered

By proposing a common language, the taxonomy should also provide a translation between the world of EO services and the world(s) of their customers.

The aim is to present and explain the rationale for the EO taxonomy that is proposed and to address the common products and services from two perspectives:
(1) A market segmentation will provide a tool to help classify and understand the markets for EO services as well as to define the type of customer
(2) A thematic segmentation provides a tool to help describe and classify the products that are offered by the service providers.

Taxonomy for EO services market.pdf

A market place between Earth Observation industry and users

The Earth Observation value added Industry is quickly evolving. It has a pool of resources and services which must be organized, catalogued and presented in a unified tool. eopages.eu has been designed for this purpose. EOpages is a brokerage platform to help potential customers find suppliers whilst service providers will be able to promote their products.

EOpages also included a section on success stories and a photo gallery for you to illustrate possible services to different market sectors; agriculture, forestry, oil & gas, infrastructure, environment, emergency, transport, urban planning, etc. The success stories demonstrate that service companies have the resources, capabilities, knowledge and ability to address and contribute to the goals of different communities.

EARSC is a non-profit-making organisation created in 1989 with the mission to foster the development of European Geo-Information Service Industry. Our main objective is to stimulate a sustainable market for geo-information services using EO data. Today, EARSC has 68 members in more than 20 countries, and is a recognized association both in Europe and worldwide.

EARSC represents the European providers of geo-information services creating a network between industry, decision-makers and users. We consider that the market is at a crucial stage of development as Earth observation becomes more frequently used by society and adds positive value to our daily lives. Nevertheless, there are many issues, opportunities and threats facing industrial actors and, through a small secretariat, EARSC informs and involves its members though its website and newsletters, through the provision of web-tools, as well as organizing events.

Members tell us that they appreciate the opportunity to network with other similar companies and that this helps them develop new business opportunities as well as exchanging on best practices. They also like the regular flow of information as well as the knowledge that EARSC is able to influence EU and ESA policy when it is important for the sector.

The acceptance of new members has to be approved at the Board of Directors. The documents needed are:
1) signed pdf letter quoting an agreement with EARSC status, company interest in the Association, and a brief description of your company activities and
2) common EARSC Template (please request to secretariat_at_earsc.org)

More information on EARSC including how to join could be found at our website (www.earsc.org). Here you can subscribe to eomag if you do not already receive it and learn more about what EARSC is doing.