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(Dec 2011) UK to build atmospheric sentinel. British industry has been contracted to build a major European satellite to monitor atmospheric composition.

A new earth observation satellite is to be launched, tracing different gases and aerosols in the air.

British industry has been contracted to build the satellite, but confusion over funding sources may delay its implementation.

The compact satellite, known as Sentinel 5 Precursor (S5P), is a next- generation imaging absorption spectrometer that will trace chemical species from protective gases such stratospheric ozone to damaging pollutants like sulphur dioxide. The45.5 million (40m) project is one ofmany satellites commissioned by the EU under the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program. However, the European Commission wants to fund these projects outside of the main EU budget, leaving operational budgets unsecured.

Futureobservation spacecraft will not be ready until 2020, with Esas Envistat and Nasas Aura currently under construction. Sentinel 5 will fill the gap until this time, eventually flying on Europes future polar orbiting weather spacecraft (hence the name precursor).

The ambitious project will help forge and enforce new European laws by collecting key environmental data. However, funding still needs to be assured.

Dr Liebig, director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA, told the BBC: “We are in very good shape but we need to make a decision next year on the launch of the first Sentinel”

“This is a problem for us if we do not have an operational budget assured. We could find ourselves in a situation where the satellites are ready on the ground but with no operational budget to put them in space.”

Posted by Joseph Hutton
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A detailed understanding of the Earth Observation sector and the trends is essential to help stakeholders to plan their activities and to assess the effectiveness of their actions. Industry has a strong interest to ensure that accurate and up-to-date information is available.

The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies, EARSC, that represents the EO geo-information services sector in Europe is making a first step towards conducting a full survey by trying to identify as many companies as possible in Europe which are involved in providing EO geo-information services.

Once identified, companies will be contacted to interview and establish industry facts and figures that can be assessed on an annual basis to provide information on the industry trends. We aim to gather as full a picture as could be possible.

… as stakeholder, as part of the industry… if you have an overview about companies engaged in Earth Observation business in Europe & Canada or any reports that bear on the sector and that can be used to provide some cross-checking with the industry survey results

Thank you very much and please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information.

EARSC position papers in 2011

Example of EARSC presentations in 2011

EOpages is a brokerage platform to help potential customers find suppliers whilst service providers will be able to promote their products.

Ogeo-portal is the forum for information exchange between the oil and gas and geoinformation communities.

GRAS is involved in mapping of water quality of Danish lakes using WorldView-2, Landsat and MERIS.

Project Background

With the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive there is a need for better knowledge on water quality in all larger lakes in Denmark by 2015. Currently, the national monitoring programme in Denmark (NOVANA) is based on traditional in-situ sampling and an extension of this monitoring programme would be a very expensive and time consuming task.

Activities related to monitoring of the marine environment by use of satellite (for examples see http://www.grasdk.com/Solutions/MarineApplications) have proven to be a cost-efficient addition to the in-situ based monitoring programme. Monitoring of water quality through remote sensing is one of the core competences at GRAS and the thorough knowledge gained in this field will be applied in this project to investigate the potential of very high resolution satellite images for water quality monitoring. In order to test the possibilities of transferring the methods and experiences from the marine monitoring activities in Denmark to the monitoring of lakes a research project funded by the EcoInnovation sector of the Danish Ministry of Environment was initiated in 2010 with the aim of optimizing monitoring of the freshwater lakes in Denmark and demonstrate the capabilities of satellite based methods. The project focuses on chlorophyll mapping using time series of both the newest very high resolution satellite data (2m resolution) and the traditional medium resolution satellite data (300 m resolution). Furthermore, an important component is to prepare for the coming Sentinel-2 data flow which will significantly improve the large scale monitoring potential from use of satellite data in national monitoring obligations to comply with the Water Framework Directive.

During the project it will furthermore be investigated how the integration of satellite data into ecological lake models can be improved and extended and thereby complement the existing monitoring programme of freshwater areas in Denmark.

Preliminary results – WorldView-2

During the summer period of 2011two ‘twin’ acquisitions of WorldView-2 8-band images were realised (time difference between the images in each twin acquisition was 4 and 2 days). Simultaneous field campaignswere made in between each twin acquisition in order to be able to calibrate the satellite data to chlorophyll concentrations.

Following a thorough pre-processing of the data (calibration and atmospheric correction) a multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the best possible variable(s) for the chlorophyll conversion.


Example of Chl-A mapping based on 8-band WorldView2 data

The results are very promising and clearly demonstrate the value of adding satellite based information to the current monitoring programme. The spatial variation for the individual lakes displayed in the satellite data highlights the uncertainty in point-based measurements – they are not necessarily representative for an entire lake. On the other hand, the in-situ data is needed to secure a good calibration of the satellite data to chlorophyll concentrations and for validation purposes.

Future perspectives

The spatial resolution of the coming Sentinel-2 data combined with its temporal and spectral resolution will make the data an important source of information for monitoring purposes on regional scale. The open and free of charge Sentinel Data Policy will limit the price of incorporating the data into the existing traditional monitoring programme compared to using commercially available VHR data.

Preparatory activities for Sentinel-2 based monitoring are therefore an important part of the project. These activities will enable a faster and better inclusion of the data into services shortly after the data becomes available.

Partners

The DK Lake Monitoring Project is a partnership between GRAS, DHI Water and Environment and the National Environmental Research Institute (NERI) – Department of Freshwater Ecology. GRAS’ competences in satellite based monitoring of the environment in general and the marine environment in particular is a central part of the project that runs from 2010 – 2012.

Satellite data being used in the study includes Landsat, WorldView-2 and MERIS Full Resolution data.

Further information at www.grasdk.com

VCS Aktiengesellschaft has changed legal basis and name with effect from 12th of December (according to §§ 190 ff., §§ 238 ff. UmwG). The company now operates as SCISYS Deutschland GmbH.

For the customers and partners of the VCS Space Division, the close integration of VCS and SciSys is not necessarily new. Already in 2009 all space activities in Great Britain and Germany have been bundled in an efficient international Space Division under the direction of Dr. Horst Wulf, Chief Operating Officer of VCS Space. Our latest success in the Operations & Support business in Darmstadt, the joint efforts in the Galileo FOC Phase and the development of robotics know-how at the Bochum site already impressively demonstrate the potential of the synergy between the Space Divisions in Great Britain and Germany.

The new SCISYS Deutschland GmbH will remain a strong and reliable partner for the European space activities in Germany. The key people within the SCISYS Deutschland Space Division will be the same as it was for VCS: Mr. Ulli Leibnitz remains Director of Business Development. Starting in 2012 he is also responsible for all operating activities of the German element of the Space Division. Dr. Horst Wulf becomes a member of the management board of SCISYS Deutschland GmbH and continues to head all space activities of the SCISYS Group.

These recent changes provide a solid foundation for the continuing success of the company. As a strong and versatile group with an international focus, SCISYS will also in future be at your side as a reliable and competent partner.

The contact person for all matters concerning Earth Observation remains Dr. Peter Scheidgen, Head of the Business Segment Earth Observation.

Contact:
SCISYS Deutschland GmbH
Dr. Peter Scheidgen
Head of Business Segment
Earth Observation
Borgmannstrasse 2
44894 Bochum
Germany
Phone:+49 234 9258 0
Fax:+49 234 9258 0
E-Mail:space@scisys.de

Under a R&D project, ordered by the State Agency for Information Technologies and Communications ( now an Executive Agency – Electronic Communication Networks and Information Systems, in the Ministry of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications) Remote Sensing Application Center – ReSAC, in cooperation with the Agency for Sustainable Development and Eurointegration – ECOREGION, developed the Bulgarian contribution for establishing of a model of a national spatial land cover database, based on the classification system of Food and Agriculture Organization – Land Cover Classification System (FAO-LCCS) of the United Nations.

The main purpose of the land cover dataset is to support decision making at national, regional and European level, as well as to give an opportunity for checking the up-to-date status and reliability of the different thematic spatial geodatabases, as required under the INSPIRE Directive 02/2007/ЕО. A registration of metadata for “Reference land cover database” was realized in accordance with the requirements of the Directive 02/07/EC and the “Spatial Data Access Act” of the Republic of Bulgaria, also under the same directive.

Implemented to GMES Regulation 911/2010 from September 22, 2010, the reference land cover layer gives an opportunity for better integration of space and in-situ information, application of simulation models, and conduction of prevention analysis of risk management and losses from past disasters.

The reference land cover layer is prepared, based on satellite images from the US satellite – Landsat from 2009 with spatial resolution 30 m. It is compliant to cartographic scale of 1: 50 000. Information about altitude and slope (derived from the SRTM 90 meter Digital elevation Model) is generated for every spatial land cover object. The subsequent data validation revealed a thematic accuracy of the land cover dataset of more than 85%.

Bulgaria is the first member state of the European Union, which has started land cover database, based on the worldwide methodology LCCS, throughout the territory of Bulgaria and updated in 2009. Another member state, which has built similar database, relying on the Bulgarian experience, is Romania. The first project applying the LCCS methodology was developed by ReSAC between 1999-2001 for a part of the territory of Bulgaria in the frame of TCP/BUL 8922 FAO project “Strengthening Capacity in Agricultural Development through Remote Sensing and GIS”.

The reference database – land cover layer within the territory of Republic of Bulgaria is entirely prepared by specialists from the Agency for Sustainable Development and Eurointegration – Ecoregions (ASDE) and the Remote Sensing Application Center (ReSAC).Consultations by the side of expert from FAO-UN have been also used.

On a next stage, further development of the land cover database toward better spatial resolution (compliant with larger cartographic scale) and including more land cover classes, is expected.

Eurosense recent news on thermography and REDDiness & G-Mosaic (forest monitoring).

Thermographic map, created by EUROSENSE, wins e-GOV award

The thermographic project of Ghent city, executed by EUROSENSE, has won the e-GOV award for usability. The e-Gov Awards aim to reward the best ICT projects realized by Belgian public services which also demonstrate administrative simplification, innovation and sense for cooperation.

In the winter of 2011 a “thermographic image” of Ghent city was taken by EUROSENSE. At the same time, almost 500 voluntary inhabitants executed temperature measurements in their houses. EUROSENSE processed the thermographic imagery into one geo-referenced map and created by means of the volunteer measurements an interpretation key with corresponding legends. This detailed interpretation allows the inhabitants to make the bridge from heat losses to insulation quality.

With the support of EUROSENSE, the results have been inserted by the city of Ghent into a web application: http://warmtefoto.gent.be/ (in Dutch). By this web application, citizens of Ghent can make an assessment on the quality of their roof insulation. Additionally, a link is made to “roof insulation group purchasing”, information sessions and additional support (subsidies) for people with low incomes.

EUROSENSE’s detailed interpretation key and the involvement of inhabitants, were determining factors that distinguished this project from the others with respect to user friendliness.

Besides this award for our innovative approach, EUROSENSE has recently been awarded with 4 new thermographic projects. A thermographic map will be created for the municipality of Tervuren and some industrial areas in West-Flanders (Belgium), the City of Enschede (the Netherlands) and Luxembourg City.

REDDiness and G-Mosaic outputs presented in a poster session at the international conference on Climate change, Deforestation and the future of African rainforests in Oxford (04/01/2012)

Obtaining compensations due to Reductions of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) presupposes the development of a robust, reliable and transparent forest monitoring system.

REDDiness and G-Mosaic are both GMES (Global Monitoring of Environment and Security) projects under the 7th Framework Programme. For both projects, there is a high interest of measuring and mapping changes in the world’s humid tropical forests to derive national and regional figures for multilateral agreements and sustainable forest management.

REDDiness, led by EUROSENSE, compiles a mixed European-African consortium combining years of experience in forest monitoring. The project’s main objective is to assist Gabon and the Republic of Congo in developing EO (Earth Observation) forest monitoring services and building national capacity. Therefore, as a starting point, a quantitative survey has been carried out in both countries to measure needs, interest and awareness of EO-based products for REDD.

Fig.Selection of REDDiness focus by surveying 4 main questions within the consortium The main part of the questionnaire is based on multiple choice questions about geomatics tools (data, expertise and resources in hardware or software), REDD topic (skills available or requested), and the involvement of participants in REDD (political and scientific knowledge, interesting products and definitions or parameters which are useful in setting up a MRV (Measurement, Reporting and Verification)).

Based on the user requirements analysis and after a detailed process of decision in the consortium, the aim of REDDiness will be to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of satellite imagery in detecting and monitoring of forest degradation. The figure above summarizes the relevant choices to be made by REDD projects (or countries) when deciding on starting up an earth observation strategy.

In G-mosaic (GMES services for Management of Operations, Situation Awareness and Intelligence for regional Crises), the critical asset working group developed geo-spatial information to assess forest changes linked to the reopening of roads, in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). Change assessment on three hot spots with very high resolution EO data has been compared to the high resolution map recently produced by our local partner OSFAC (Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale).

Click here to see the poster
Contact us for more information
http://www.eurosense.com

Events Winter 2012


Start Date End Date Event Web Venue
09-jan-12 10-jan-12 Introduction to GIS web Newcastle, U.K.
11-jan-12 12-jan-12 Intermediate GIS web Newcastle, U.K.
12-jan-12 13-jan-12 GMES Data and Information Policy Workshop web Brussels, Belgium
13-jan-12 13-jan-12 Spatial Analysis web Newcastle, U.K.
15-jan-12 17-jan-12 January Click Asia Summit 2012 web Taj Lands End, Mumbai, India
17-jan-12 19-jan-12 Least Squares Adjustment for Offshore Survey web Newcastle, U.K.
23-jan-12 25-jan-12 International LiDAR Mapping Forum web Denver, CO, U.S.A.
23-jan-11 25-jan-11 GIS Ostrava 2012 – Surface models for Geosciences web Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
23-jan-12 26-jan-12 Defence Geospatial Intelligence, DGI 2012 web London, UK
25-jan-12 25-jan-12 GMES – Workshop on Marine Monitoring Service web Brussels, Belgium
01-feb-12 03-feb-12 NordicBaltSat: “Boadening the Base of Europe’s Space Community” web Tallinn, Estonia
07-feb-12 09-feb-12 Imagina web Monaco, Monaco
08-feb-12 10-feb-12 EuroCOW 2012 web Castelldefels, Spain
21-feb-12 23-feb-12 ISU:Sustainability of Space Activities: International issues and potential solutions web Strasburg, France
23-feb-12 24-feb-12 Satellite Earth Observation for RE/Insurance web Frascati, Italy
24-feb-12 28-feb-12 AAG Annual Meeting web New York, USA
28-feb-12 29-feb-12 SpaceEU Conference web Brussels, Belgium
28-feb-12 01-mar-12 RIEGL LiDAR 2012 web Orlando, FL, U.S.A.
29-feb-12 29-feb-12 GeoNext Conference 2012 web Australian Technology Park, Sydney, Australia
12-mar-12 15-mar-12 16th Annual GIS/CAMA Technologies Conference web San Antonio, TX, U.S.A.
12-mar-12 17-mar-12 6th World Water Forum web Marseilles, France
13-mar-12 15-mar-12 Oceanology International web London,UK
18-mar-12 21-mar-12 2012 Sustainable Water Management Conference web Portland, USA
19-mar-12 20-mar-12 Network Analysis web Newcastle, U.K.
20-mar-12 21-mar-12 Internationales 3D-Forum Lindau 2012 web Lindau, Germany
21-mar-12 22-mar-12 GEO-12 a world of geomatics and GIS Innovations web Holiday Inn, London Elstree, U.K.
26-mar-12 26-mar-12 Planet under pressure – new knowledge towards solutions web London, U.K.
26-mar-12 27-mar-12 Free and Open Source Tools for GIS web Newcastle, U.K.
26-mar-12 30-mar-12 The use and the applications of GIS, remote sensing and digital modeling in the field of environment and in the management of natural resources and hazards web Tunisia, Tunisia
26-mar-12 26-mar-12 Planet under pressure – new knowledge towards solutions web London, UK
26-mar-12 29-mar-12 Esri Developer Summit web Palm Springs, CA, U.S.A.
26-mar-12 30-mar-12 6th GeoTunis 2012 web Tunesia
28-mar-12 28-mar-12 Introduction to Spatial Databases web Newcastle, UK
03-apr-12 05-apr-12 GIS for the United Nations and the International Community Conference web Geneva, Switzerland
12-apr-12 12-apr-12 The International Civil Unmanned Aircraft System Event 2012 web Eindhoven, The Netherlands
15-apr-12 18-apr-12 SPAR International, Conference on 3D Imaging & Positioning for Engineering/Construction/Manufacturing/Security web The Woodlands (Houston), TX, U.S.A.
16-apr-12 19-apr-12 Global Aerospace Summit 2012 web Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
17-apr-12 18-apr-12 6th International Satellite Navigation Forum – NAVITECH 2012 web Moscow, Russia
23-apr-12 27-apr-12 Geospatial World Forum web Amsterdam, The Netherlands
23-apr-12 27-apr-12 Sentinel-2 Preparatory Symposium web Frascati, Italy
23-apr-12 27-apr-12 10th ICSHMO web Nouméa, New Caledonia (France)
25-apr-12 27-apr-12 VI International Conference «Remote Sensing – the Synergy of High Technologies» web Moscow , Russia
03-may-12 04-may-12 GMES: new opportunities for Eastern Europe web Bucharest, Romania
06-may-12 10-may-12 Working Week 2012 – Knowing to manage the territory, protect the environment, evaluate the cultural heritage web Rome, Italy
06-may-12 09-may-12 Innovation for Sustainable Production 2012 web Bruges, Belgium
07-may-12 09-may-12 3rd China International Disaster Reduction and Emergency Service Show (The 3rd IDRES CHINA 2012) web Beijing, China
07-may-12 09-may-12 4th International Conference on Geographic Object Based Image Analysis – GEOBIA 2012 web Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
07-may-12 11-may-12 44th International Liege Colloquium on Ocean Dynamics Remote sensing of colour, temperature and salinity – new challenges and opportunities web Liege, Belgium
08-may-12 10-may-12 2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Mapping and spatial Information (ICMSI 2012) and 19th National Geomatics Conference web National Cartographic Center (NCC), Teheran, Iran
13-may-12 18-may-12 World congress on water, climate and energy web Dublin, Ireland
14-may-12 17-may-12 Global Geospatial Conference 2012 (GSDI 13 World Conference, GEOIDE Annual Scientific Conference and Canadian Geomatics Conference) web Québec City Convention Center, Québec City, Canada
14-may-12 18-may-12 International Digital Earth Symposium (TIDES 2012) web Taipei, Taiwan
16-may-12 18-may-12 20th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution web A Coruña, Spain
16-may-12 18-may-12 Workshop on Use of Space Applications in Humanitarian Operations web Warsaw, Poland
21-may-12 23-may-12 International Forum on Satellite Earth Observation for Geohazard Risk Management web Santorini, Greece
21-may-12 24-may-12 32nd EARSeL Symposium 2012 web Mykonos, Greece
23-may-12 24-may-12 e-GEOS International Conference 2012 “Developing New Business Relations” web Rome, Italy
23-may-12 24-may-12 Taza GIS_Days, International Symposium of GIS users web Taza, Morocco
24-may-12 25-may-12 Remote Sensing and Geology web Mykonos, Greece
24-may-12 25-may-12 Joint Workshop on Radar, 3D and Urban Remote Sensing web Mykonos, Greece
27-may-12 01-jun-12 Modes of Variability in the Climate System: Past-Present-Future web Obergurgl, Austria
28-may-12 02-jun-12 5th International Conference BALWOIS 2012 on Water, Climate and Environment web Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia
29-may-12 31-may-12 MundoGEO#Connect 2012 web São Paulo, Brazil
30-may-12 02-may-12 Geodetic Science and Technology Conference EUROmatyka2012 web LOS Puszczykowo, Poland
04-jun-12 05-jun-12 Introduction to GIS web Newcastle, U.K.
04-jun-12 05-jun-12 GMES in Action web Newcastle, U.K.
04-jun-12 06-jun-12 Earth Summit 2012 web Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
04-jun-12 07-jun-12 HEXAGON 2012 web Las Vegas, NV, U.S.A.
04-jun-12 08-jun-12 Small Satellites Systems and Services – The 4S Symposium 2012 web Portorož, Slovenia
06-jun-12 07-jun-12 Intermediate GIS web Newcastle, U.K.
08-jun-12 08-jun-12 Spatial Analysis web Newcastle, U.K.
11-jun-12 14-jun-12 33rd Canadian Symposium on Remote Sensing web Ottawa, Canada
13-jun-12 14-jun-12 Geo Maritime Conference web London, U.K.
17-jun-12 23-jun-12 12th International Multidisciplinary Scientific Geo-Conference and Expo – SGEM 2012 (Surveying Geology & mining Ecology Management) web Albena, Bulgaria
18-jun-12 18-jun-12 Mobile GIS web Newcastle, UK
18-jun-12 18-jun-12 Life in Space for Life on Earth Symposium web Aberdeen, United Kingdom
18-jun-12 22-jun-12 Atmos: Atmospheric Science Conference 2012 web Bruges, Belgium
18-jun-12 22-jun-12 SeaSAR 2012 Workshop web Tromso, Norway
18-jun-12 22-jun-12 4th International Conference on Cartography and GIS web Black Sea Summer Resort, Albena, Bulgaria
18-jun-12 22-jun-12 CALIPSO, CloudSat, EarthCARE Joint Workshop web Paris, France
21-jun-12 23-jun-12 G-spatial EXPO 2012 web Yokohama, Japan
23-jun-12 27-jun-12 INSPIRE Conference – “Sharing environmental information, sharing innovation” web Istanbul, Turkey
25-jun-12 28-jun-12 Toulouse Space Show web Toulouse, Francia
25-jun-12 28-jun-12 14th International CARIS User Conference web Vancouver, Canada
25-jun-12 30-jun-12 “The World GIS Summit” web Istanbul, Turkey
26-jun-12 28-jun-12
1st EARSeL Workshop on 4D Radar Applications for Young Researchers web Prague, Czech Republic
01-jul-12 06-jul-12 SDEWES – 7th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems web Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia
02-jul-12 06-jul-12 EUROSOIL 2012 Soil Science for the Benefit of Mankind and Environment web Bari, Italy
03-jul-12 06-jul-12 GI FORUM 2012, Linking Geovizualisation, Society & Learning web Salzburg, Austria
10-jul-12 12-jul-12 Water Pollution 2012 web New Forest, UK
10-jul-12 13-jul-12 10th International Symposium on Spatial Accuracy Assessment in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (Accuracy 2012) web Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
14-jul-12 22-jul-12 COSPAR 2012: 39th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research web Mysore, India
22-jul-12 27-jul-12 IGARSS 2012 web Munich, Germany
23-jul-12 27-jul-12 Esri International User Conference web San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
30-jul-12 10-aug-12 Earth Observation Summer School on “Earth System Monitoring & Modelling” web Frascati, Italy
06-aug-12 10-aug-12 8th International Conference on Urban Climate web Dublin, Ireland
12-aug-12 16-aug-12 SPIE Optics + Photonics 2012 web San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
15-aug-12 17-aug-12 Latin America Geospatial Forum web Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
25-aug-12 01-sep-12 ISPRS Congress 2012 web Melbourne, Australia
26-aug-12 30-aug-12 4th International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC Davos 2012 web Davos, Switzerland
06-sep-12 08-sep-12 State of the Map 2012 web Tokyo, Japan
10-sep-12 12-sep-12 5th International Urban Design Conference web Melbourne, Australia
13-sep-12 15-sep-12 4th Earth Observation Symposium, Euroconsult web Paris, France
17-sep-12 19-sep-12 Asian Geospatial Forum web Hanoi, Vietnam
19-sep-12 22-sep-12 3rd EARSeL Workshop Advances in Remote Sensing for Archaelogy and cultural heritage management web Ghent, Belgium
20-sep-12 21-sep-12 6th Coastal Altimetry Workshop web Riva del Garda, Italy
21-sep-12 26-sep-12 FOSS4G 2012 web Beijing, China
24-sep-12 29-sep-12 20 Years of Progress in Radar Altimetry web Venice, Italy
24-sep-12 27-sep-12 SPIE, Remote sensing 2012 web Edimburgh, UK
27-sep-12 28-sep-12 Implementing Flood Resilience web Athens, Greece
30-sep-12 04-oct-12 GIS-Pro 2012: URISA’s 50th Annual Conference for GIS Professionals web Portland, OR, U.S.A.
02-oct-12 04-oct-12 African Geospatial Forum web Accra, Ghana
08-oct-12 11-oct-12 GeoInt 2012 Symposium web Orlando, FL, USA
09-oct-12 11-oct-12 2012 INTERGEO web Hannover, Germany
15-oct-12 17-oct-12 Esri European User Conference web Oslo, Norway
15-oct-12 19-oct-12 MERIS/AATSR and Sentinel-3 (OLCI/SLSTR) Workshop web Frascati, Italy
08-oct-12 10-oct-12 CAMUSS, the International Symposium on Cellular Automata Modeling for Urban and Spatial Systems web Oporto, Portugal
12-oct-12 16-oct-12 6th URISA Caribbean GIS Conference web Montego Bay, Jamaica
18-oct-12 18-oct-12 Valuing and managing biodiversity: how satellite applications can help web Lille, France
24-oct-12 26-oct-12 IIM Conference: Knowledge Discovery from Earth Observation Data web DLR-Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
13-nov-12 13-nov-12 Earth Observation and Cryosphere Science web Frascati, Italy
15-nov-12 16-nov-12 FP7 Space Conference:Let´s embrace the Space web Larnaca, Cyprus

Eomag launched 16January2012
Eomag Events Winter 2012.pdf

New remote sensing technologies with applications such as predicting problems with ocean fish stocks and assessing natural disasters were reported at conferences sponsored recently in Prague by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. The papers and others from SPIE Remote Sensing have been published in the SPIE Digital Library, with freely accessible abstracts and full papers available by rental, pay-per-view or subscription.

Color tells the story

To better predict the health of ocean fish stocks, a team from the University of Malta and the European Commission Joint Research Centre statistically compared ocean color values from satellites with values collected in the field. Surface runoff from land can affect ocean fish stocks by inhibiting the vitality of chlorophyll in phytoplankton – the basis of marine food webs. Ocean color can be used to gauge the productivity of a marine area since it is the measure of suspended chlorophyll pigment found in the microscopic phytoplankton. Their report is published in “A first attempt at testing correlation between MODIS ocean colour data and in situ chlorophyll — measurements within Maltese coastal waters.”

Oil and fish

In the Gulf of Mexico, oil and dispersant chemicals left after the Deepwater Horizon spill covered critical fish spawning and larval areas. Researchers from Ocean Research and Conservation Association and the Florida Institute of Technology used biogeographical analyses to gain insights on these impacts of these substances. The team reported that oil on the sea surface and the timing of its occurrence likely impacted the developing eggs and larvae of bluefin tuna, blue marlin and other fishes whose eggs concentrate in the sea surface microlayer (SML) — the topmost millimeter. The SML also concentrates petroleum, petroleum-derived hydrocarbons, tar, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals and plastics. Exposure to oil and oil dispersants causes acute toxicity, narcosis and eventual death in marine fish larvae. Surface oil has been detected in 100% of the northernmost whale shark sightings, 32.8% of the bluefin tuna spawning area and 38% of the blue marlin larval area. In their paper “Potential impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on large pelagic fishes,” the research team reported how they georeferenced historical ichthyoplankton surveys and published literature to map targeted spawning and larval areas in the Gulf with daily satellite-derived images.

Earthquake impacts

Depending on its magnitude and location, an earthquake may have unexpectedly complex impacts, and affected areas may be difficult to access in order to assess the damage. After the 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific Coast of Japan on 11 March 2011, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) provided images acquired by the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) to national and local governments of Japan, to aid in disaster recovery and restoration. JAXA also received and analyzed more than 5,000 scenes via the International Disaster Charter and Sentinel Asia, and supported the governments through its Disaster Management Support Systems Office. Their paper is titled “Disaster monitoring for Japan Earthquake with satellites by JAXA.”

More examples of applications of remote sensing, in monitoring wetlands and areas of coal mining and in certifying organic crops, are reported in the blog Photonics for a Better World.

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, was founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. Serving more than 180,000 constituents from 168 countries, the Society advances emerging technologies through interdisciplinary information exchange, continuing education, publications, patent precedent and career and professional growth. SPIE annually organizes and sponsors approximately 25 major technical forums, exhibitions and education programs in North America, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific. SPIE provided over $2.3 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2010.

Source SPIE

GeoVille’s mission is to offer cost-effective, high quality end-to-end Earth Observation (EO) solutions, with particular emphasis on land monitoring. Recently awarded by EEA to carry out 3 of the 6 GIO Land Monitoring Services LMS, the company has solidified its heritage as a top performing provider of land related remote sensing services in Europe.

The Global Monitoring of Environment and Security (GMES) programme has entered its Initial Operation (GIO) phase (2011 to 2013). As part of the GMES Work Programme, the initial operations will start with the production of 5 High Resolution pan-European Layers (HRL), with specific land cover characteristics. The service provision was recently tendered out by EEA and divided into 6 lots.

GeoVille was selected to provide service provision for a total of 3 lots. As a prime it will produce the imperviousness (sealing degree) and forest layer in Southern Europe, partim East Mediterranean region (Lot 5, Turkey, 783.562 km²). As a subcontractor, it will produce the imperviousness layer for northern Europe (Lot1, 1.452.275 km²) in a consortium led by Metria AS and part of the imperviousness and forest layers in Southern Europe, partim West and Central Mediterranean region (Lot 4, 1.202.046 km²) in a consortium led by Planetek SRL.

Leading role of GeoVille in EU Land Monitoring

The GIO services have been subject to a very competitive bid, with all major European Earth Observation (EO) service companies participating. GeoVille’s success is build upon subsequent activities and performances in the EEA CORINE and High Resolution Layer productions, the EC geoland projects, the ESA GSE Land Information Services, as well as commercial roll outs of land cover/use mapping projects at regional and national scale throughout Europe. Specifically, the land cover production heritage of GeoVille in Turkey, the Mediterranean region and the northern European countries have contributed positively to EEA’s evaluation.

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GMES High Resolution Land Cover – Degree of Imperviousness (2009)
Test product for Lot 5 (Turkey) – 20m x 20m spatial resolution, national projection

Tel: +352 26 71 41 35
Fax: +352 26 71 41 35
Email: info@geoville.com
Web: www.geoville.com

GeoVille Group is a private sector enterprise located in Austria and Luxembourg. GeoVille Group specialises in products and services related to Earth Observation (EO) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications.

GeoVille is Europe’s leading company in using satellite data for land monitoring and spatial planning applications.

Our services provide the bridge from user needs to technical implementation – merging geospatial explicit data with statistics – to the analysis of what on-going processes and trends mean for real world applications.

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