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Generic news from last weeks


Astrium signs new Pléiades contract with Eastdawn (05/10/2011)

Paris, 5 October 2011 – Astrium Services and Chinese provider of satellite data and value-added services, Beijing Eastdawn Information Technology (Eastdawn), have signed a partnership agreement to give Eastdawn access to Pléiades solutions and technologies.

This three year contract (with the possibility to extend for an extra two years) will enable Eastdawn to distribute 50-cm resolution products from the Pléiades constellation, as well as innovative services. These products will support near-real-time applications to five key accounts in China (Ministry of Land Resources; National Administration for Surveying, Mapping & Geoinformation; China Geological Survey; Ministry of Agriculture; and Ministry of Housing & Urban-rural Development) on an exclusive basis.

This new partnership agreement demonstrates Eastdawn’s commitment to Pléiades. The company, investing in reception infrastructure, will operate three receiving stations to meet the needs of clients over the vast Chinese territory….

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Astrium signs new GMES contract with ESA (19/09/2011)

Paris, 19 September 2011 – Astrium Services has signed a three-year contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the delivery of satellite images under the terms of the European GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment & Security) programme. This contract, initially worth 17 million euros, is being funded by the European Commission.

The contract covers the provision of optical data from the SPOT 4/5 and FORMOSAT-2 satellites and radar images from the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites, plus additional data from the Pleiades constellation and the SPOT 6/7 satellites. This data will help improve the quality of the geo-information services with which the European governments aim to implement their environmental and crisis-management policies. The data and services will be available to all public users on a European, national and regional level.

According to Patrick Le Roch, Head of GEO-Information at Astrium Services, “This contract adds to the importance of Astrium’s place in the GMES programme. As well as confirming our role as suppliers of satellite-based data, it will also enable us to develop and enhance the services we provide to civil emergency response groups (SAFER) and environmental protection agencies (GEOLAND) in Europe. SAFER has been activated more than a hundred times in the past two years, and GEOLAND has helped to improve environmental protection in Europe by providing more accurate land-usage data.”…..

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Astrium at INTERGEO 2011 (12/09/2011)

Astrium GEO-Information Services presented its new, expanded portfolio at INTERGEO, the World’s largest event for geodesy, geo-information and land management.

27-29 September in Nuremberg, Germany
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New! Pléaides (11/09/2011)

Download Pleiades sample imagery data

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Astrium signs first Pléiades contract with PASCO (09/09/2011)

Paris, 09 September 2011 – Astrium Services and Japanese geospatial solutions provider PASCO have signed a partnership agreement – the first for the Pléiades constellation for very-high-resolution satellite imagery.

The partnership agreement between PASCO CORPORATION and Astrium Services gives the company access to Pléiades solutions and technologies. The agreement reflects PASCO’s confidence in the growth of the very-high-resolution market, with imagery acquired by highly agile and responsive satellites. In Japan, PASCO will distribute 50-cm resolution products from the Pléiades constellation as well as innovative services to support near-real-time applications.

As a subscriber to Pléiades Direct Access Services, PASCO will offer its customers preferential access to Pléiades data. The satellite’s extreme agility coupled with multiple acquisition modes makes the Pléiades system very responsive to specific user requirements. Local production units will be able to deliver ortho-rectified products within 30 minutes. In addition, the image acquisition and production interface ensures the highest levels of efficiency and confidentiality.

« Adding Pléiades to our portfolio of satellite products enables us to guarantee to our customers the best optical solutions. And the combination of Pléiades and TerraSAR-X data will contribute gathering detailed information of the nation’s natural disasters such as earthquake and floods, and will mean we can develop new and advanced solutions to further fulfil the information requirements of our valued customers,» said Mr Yoichi Sugimoto, President & CEO of PASCO CORPORATION…..

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More than 180 000 km² of Astrium satellite imagery collected for Irene relief efforts (01/09/2011)

August 30, 2011 – Toulouse – Astrium GEO-Information Services tasked its satellites to collect data over the USA in anticipation of hurricane Irene’s arrival to the east coast. Over 100,000 km2 of cloud-free SPOT optical imagery and more than 85,000 km² of TerraSAR-X radar data were collected as of Monday, Aug. 29 covering portions of the U.S. east coast from Charleston, SC to Maine and Vermont. Astrium will continue to collect imagery for disaster relief efforts over the next few days.

The images were received at the time of acquisition via satellite transmission to direct receiving stations (DRS) in multiple U.S. Government agencies and Astrium personnel worked together to define the collection plan prior to the event. An U.S. Disaster Relief license was issued for the validated scenes. Validated scenes were processed and provided to government relief organizations and emergency management agencies on Sunday.

As operators of the SPOT satellites, exclusive commercial marketers of TerraSAR-X & TanDEM-X, and with unique access to a broad range of other spaceborne and airborne acquisition capabilities, Astrium Services’ GEO-Information division can provide customers with an unrivalled combination of Earth imagery – both optical and radar – as well as value-added expertise in a variety of vertical markets such as oil and gas exploration, emergency response, and forest monitoring….

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The first high resolution satellite imagery is today released from NigeriaSat-2, as engineers from the Nigerian space agency (NASRDA) and the satellite’s manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) continue in the successful commissioning of the new satellite from NASRDA’s headquarters in Abuja.

Testing of all the systems on-board the satellite has been successfully completed, and calibration of the imaging payloads is ongoing with outstanding results already being produced.

This 2.5m resolution pan-sharpened example shows the airport at Salt Lake City, USA with the terminal buildings, runway layout and surrounding roads all clearly visible.

In the full resolution terminal buildings extract, aircraft can be seen at the stands as well as cars in the parking lot. In the runways extract painted numbers can clearly be read on the tarmac and there is sufficient detail to count the engines on larger aircraft. In another extract of a highway interchange, vehicles are readily discernable on the road.

NigeriaSat-2 is the first SSTL 300kg class satellite, and represents a significant step forward for NASRDA from its 100kg predecessor, NigeriaSat-1. The main reason for its increased size is that imaging at 2.5m resolution demands a larger camera – but the increased capability doesn’t end there. The distinctive heptagonal SSTL-300 platform is highly agile enabling it to roll off-centre to acquire images in a variety of modes to suit the application and the response times required and the data handling and power system are also significantly enhanced to provide greater throughput as well as quality of imagery.

During disasters, NigeriaSat-2 will complement its fellow Disaster Monitoring Constellation satellites by using its high resolution imager to “zoom in” on areas of interest and determine if individual buildings are damaged, bridges destroyed or roads impassable. It is also the first satellite in the African Resource Management (ARM) constellation.

Nigeria’s national space agency (NASRDA) also plans to harness the satellite’s new capabilities and fast image downloading to map the entire country in detail every four months. The high resolution and geo-location accuracy of the satellite make it possible to monitor urban development in sprawling cities such as Lagos, and for planning infrastructure such as roads. Geospatial data will also be used to update the land registry with accurate and current information.

There are also benefits for commercial imaging campaigns. NigeriaSat-2’s smaller pixel size improves the accuracy of the maps used for applications such as precision agriculture. In this case more granular data improves fertiliser application maps, meaning that fertiliser can be applied more efficiently.

At next week’s International Astronautical Congress in Cape Town, NASRDA and SSTL will present a selection of impressive high resolution images from NigeriaSat-2 collected in these early stages of the mission.

NigeriaSat-2 adds new, higher resolution imaging capability to the Disaster Monitoring Constellation, a fleet of separately owned small satellites, coordinated by DMC International Imaging Ltd (DMCii) for daily global monitoring.

About SSTL

Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is the world’s leading small satellite company, delivering operational space missions for a range of applications including Earth observation, science and communications. The Company designs, manufactures and operates high performance satellites and ground systems for a fraction of the price normally associated with space missions, with over 400 staff working on turnkey satellite platforms, space-proven satellite subsystems and optical instruments.

Since 1981 SSTL has built and launched 36 satellites – as well as providing training and development programmes, consultancy services, and mission studies for ESA, NASA , international governments and commercial customers, with its innovative approach that is changing the economics of space.

Based in Guildford, UK, SSTL is owned by EADS Astrium NV.
www.sstl.co.uk

Notes to editor:
Images are available from http://www.sstl.co.uk/media-gallery/images
Image captions: Salt Lake City Airport, USA, acquired September 2011
Images credits: Image acquired by NigeriaSat-2, copyright NASRDA.
High resolution images are available for media us from the press contacts below.
This press release can be downloaded as a Word or Pdf document at the following url: http://www.sstl.co.uk/news-and-events

SSTL Contact:
Joelle Sykes, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
Tel: +44 (0)1483 804243 Email: j.sykes@sstl.co.uk

Press Contact:
Robin Wolstenholme, bcm public relations
Tel: +44 (0)1306 882288 Email: r.wolstenholme@bcmpublicrelations.com

In emergency situations it is necessary to provide a response as quickly as possible. When the type of emergency depends on the use of satellite data, it then becomes necessary to plan their acquisition, processing and distribution, having teams ready 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, to respond to this type of situation.

The Satellite Rapid Response System was created by CHELYS precisely with the intent of making satellite data available as quickly as possible, as images and value-added products.

The constellation of satellites known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) that will be launched starting in 2013, thanks to low revisiting times and the planning of the whole mission already present on board the satellite, will allow monitoring of our planet as never seen before.

SRRS has participated in the GMES Masters Competition and was awarded the Best Service Challenge 2011 prize from an audience of web users asked to express their preferences on most innovative and useful GMES services and applications.
SRRS is a system able to perform real-time processing of most satellite data from ESA and NASA missions in order to make the data received from Earth immediately available (two minutes after acquisition), transforming them into products that can be analyzed instantly.
The strength of SRRS lies in its ability to process raw data without having to wait for them to become higher level products. This means that the system does not have to rely on the processing time for the data in the reception centers, and provides images and data that are ready to be studied to users and researchers.

The portal in which the products are brought together is made to be capable of functioning on any type of client (mobile, PC, tablet, etc.) and takes advantage of the latest web technologies (AJAX, Google Earth, Flash), giving the user the impression of utilizing a standalone application instead of a webpage.

GMES represents an important milestone in terms of availability and product quality. This, along with very low revisiting times, will make it possible to have coverage of the Earth in a way never possible before. SRRS will thus allow us to have a “truly” real-time vision of our planet. All of this, along with the system’s capacity to generate value-added products, such as FAPAR, Ship Detection and Mosaics, will make it possible for a high number of users to have access to a quantity and quality of images never before seen.

European citizens in particular (thanks to the greater number of acquisition stations present in Europe), but also users from other parts of the planet, will be able to access the portal in order to download the latest meteorological images, a high resolution photograph of a particular zone on Earth acquired just a few minutes prior. It will be possible to monitor in real-time the evolution of phytoplankton in the North Sea, observe the latest Etna eruption or monitor the vegetation absorption index (FAPAR). The ship detection realized in every Radar image will allow the port authorities to continuously monitor not only coastal areas but also ships in mid ocean. The quantity of data processed will make it possible to generate up-to-date mosaics of almost any type (high resolution optics, multi-spectral, radar, etc.).

SRRS service will remain publicly available until end of October. After this date you will be requested to register to access the service.

You can visit SRRS at the following link Chelys
More information about Satellite Rapid Response System
An overview of the SRRS usage
More about GMES Masters

Future Earth observation scientists: learn about using satellite data for science and applications development.

An ESA series of advanced thematic training courses in remote sensing applications was held in Krakow, Poland last month. Those who were not able to attend can now watch the video replays of the presentations and discussions.

The course aimed to train the next generation of European and Canadian Principal Investigators by introducing the available tools for taking advantage of Earth-observing satellites.

The week-long event stimulated and supported the exploitation of ESA and Third Party Mission remote sensing data for land applications.

Watch Land Training Course 2011

Source ESA

Events Autumn 2011


Start Date End Date Event Web Venue
09-oct-11 19-oct-11 Second World Landslide Forum web Rome, Italy
16-oct-11 20-oct-11 SilviLaser 2011 web University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
17-oct-11 17-oct-11 myWorld UK & Ireland Roadshow web Exeter, UK
17-oct-11 18-oct-11 ATOPICA project launch web Vienna, Austria
17-oct-11 19-oct-11 Asia Geospatial Forum “Geospatial Convergence-Paradigm for Future” web Jakarta, Indonesia
18-oct-11 19-oct-11 LocNav 2011 web San Jose, USA
18-oct-11 20-oct-11 QA4EO Workshop on Providing Harmonised Quality Information in Earth Observation Data by 2015 web Oxford, UK
20-oct-11 20-oct-11 Tourism, leisure and sustainable development on the coast: the added value of satellite services web Bergen, Norway
20-oct-11 21-oct-11 8th International Workshop of the EARSeL Special Interest Group (SIG) on Forest Fires web Stresa, Italy
24-oct-11 28-oct-11 GITA’s 20th Annual GIS for Oil & Gas Pipeline web Houston, USA
25-oct-11 28-oct-11 FIG Commission 3 Workshop – The Empowerment of Local Authorities: Spatial Information and Spatial Planning Tools web Paris, France
26-oct-11 28-oct-11 2011 Esri European User Conference EFEMA web Madrid, Spain
01-nov-11 01-nov-11 Global to Local: Space Innovations in Mapping web Leicester, UK
01-nov-11 02-nov-11 Introduction to Open Source web Newcastle, UK
01-nov-11 04-nov-11 GIS-Pro 2011: URISA’s 49th Annual Conference for GIS Professionals web Indianapolis, IN, U.S.A.
07-nov-11 07-nov-11 GMES services seek local authorities for long-lasting relationship for
mutual benefits
web Brussels, Belgium
07-nov-11 07-nov-11 GNSS and Network RTK web Newcastle, UK
08-nov-11 09-nov-11 4th Conference on EU Space Policy “A European Space Policy for Citizens and Society” web Brussels, Belgium
08-nov-11 09-nov-11 SPAR Europe/Plant-Tech 2011 web The Netherlands
08-nov-11 09-nov-11 Be Inspired: Thought Leadership in Infrastructure event web Amsterdam, The Netherlands
08-nov-11 10-nov-11 CAMUSS, the International Symposium on Cellular Automata Modeling for Urban and Spatial Systems web Porto, Portugal
08-nov-11 11-nov-11 Intelligent Cities Expo web Hamburg, Germany
09-nov-11 09-nov-11 SMEs developing GMES downstream services web Brussels, Belgium
10-nov-11 10-nov-11 GEODATA 2011 web Edinburgh, UK
14-nov-11 17-nov-11 ASPRS 2011 Fall Pecora Conference web Herndon, WV, U.S.A
14-nov-11 18-nov-11 UGI 2011 – Regional Geographic Conference web Chile
15-nov-11 16-nov-11 GEODATA 2011 web Belfast, Ireland
15-nov-11 17-nov-11 spatial@gov® Conference web Camberra, Australia
15-nov-11 17-nov-11 IGNSS 2011 web Sydney, Australia
15-nov-11 18-nov-11 ASITA National Conference web Reggia di Colorno, Italy
16-nov-11 16-nov-11 BAE Systems GXP workshop web Farnborough, Hants, U.K.
16-nov-11 16-nov-11 GISDay ‘Discovering the World Through GIS web ++, +++
16-nov-11 16-nov-11 Second UN-SPIDER International Expert Meeting: Crowdsource Mapping for Preparedness and Emergency Response web Geneva, Switzerland
16-nov-11 17-nov-11 GEO VIII Plenary Session web Istanbul, Turkey
16-nov-11 18-nov-11 2nd International Workshop on 3D Cadastres web Delf, The Netherlands
21-nov-11 23-nov-11 8th International Symposium on Location-Based Services web Viena, Austria
21-nov-11 25-nov-11 Surveying & Spatial Sciences Conference 2011 web Wellington, New Zealand
22-nov-11 25-nov-11 United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Risk Management web Beijing, China
22-nov-11 23-nov-11 Geoimagery Malaysia 2011 web Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
23-nov-11 23-nov-11 Eurisy confernce on “Growth and
competitiveness using satellite applications – practical approaches for non-space SMEs”
web Warsaw, Poland
23-nov-11 24-nov-11 AGI web London, UK
23-nov-11 25-nov-11 JRC MARS Conference, Tallinn web Tallin, Estonia
24-nov-11 24-nov-11 3rd High-Level Conference on Industrial Competitiveness: “Delivering an Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era” web Brussels, Belgium
27-nov-11 30-dec-11 Planning and Geodesign Forum web Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
27-nov-11 02-dec-11 Understanding Extreme Geohazards. web Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain
28-nov-11 02-dec-11 The Earth from space – the most effective solutions web Vatutinki RC, Moscow Region, Russia
29-nov-11 30-dec-11 European LIDAR Mapping Forum (ELMF 2011) web Salzburg, Austria
29-nov-11 01-dec-11 3rd International Workshop on Air Quality Forecasting Research, IWAQFR 2011 web Maryland, USA
29-nov-11 01-dec-11 European Navigation Conference 2011 web London, UK
29-nov-11 02-dec-11 Earth observation for ocean-atmosphere interactions science web Frascati, Italy
30-nov-11 01-dec-11 GIN Congres / Geo-Info Xchange 2011 web Utrecht, The Netherlands
30-nov-11 02-dec-11 7th International gvSIG Conference web Feria Valencia, Spain
04-dec-11 06-dec-11 Third Annual International Conference on Law & Regulation of Air Transport and Space Applications web New Delhi, India
05-dec-11 06-dec-11 http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/index_en.cfm?section=ic2011 web Brussels, Belgium
05-dec-11 06-dec-11 IAIA Climate Change and Impact Assessment Symposium web Beijing, China
05-dec-11 09-dec-11 FMEdays 2011 web Muenster, Germany
05-dec-11 09-dec-11 AGU Fall Meeting 2011 web San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
06-dec-11 11-dec-11 Ubiquitous Location & Positioning web Chicago, USA
07-dec-11 09-dec-11 Geological Remote Sensing Group (GRSG) & OGEO WK web Frascati, Italy
05-jan-11 06-jan-11 GeoDesign Summit web Redlands, CA, U.S.A.
09-jan-11 10-jan-11 Introduction to GIS web Newcastle, U.K.
11-jan-11 12-jan-11 Intermediate GIS web Newcastle, U.K.
12-jan-11 13-jan-11 GMES Data and Information Policy Workshop web Brussels, Belgium
13-jan-11 13-jan-11 Spatial Analysis web Newcastle, U.K.
17-jan-11 19-jan-11 Least Squares Adjustment for Offshore Survey web Newcastle, U.K.
23-jan-11 25-jan-11 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.
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.
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
28-mar-12 28-mar-12 Introduction to Spatial Databases web Newcastle, UK
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)
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
13-may-12 18-may-12 World congress on water, climate and energy web Dublin, Ireland
16-may-12 18-may-12 20th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution web A Coruña, Spain
21-may-12 24-may-12 32nd EARSeL Symposium 2012 web Mykonos, Greece
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
04-jun-12 06-jun-12 Earth Summit 2012 web Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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 22-jun-12 Atmospheric Science Conference 2012 web Bruges, Belgium
18-jun-12 22-jun-12 SeaSAR 2012 Workshop web Tromso, Norway
21-jun-12 23-jun-12 G-spatial EXPO 2012 web Yokohama, Japan
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
01-jul-12 06-jul-12 SDEWES – 7th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems web Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia
14-jul-12 23-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
30-jul-12 10-aug-12 Earth Observation” Summer School on “Earth System Monitoring & Modelling web Frascati, Italy
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
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
09-oct-12 11-oct-12 2012 INTERGEO web Hannover, Germany
15-oct-12 19-oct-12 MERIS/AATSR and Sentinel-3 (OLCI/SLSTR) Workshop web Frascati, Italy

Eomag launched 17October2011
Eomag Events Autumn 2011.pdf

The Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI), with funding from the Space Agency of the United Kingdom, has awarded contracts to eight industrial and academic teams around the country to develop new satellite technologies for observing the Earth from space.


The two largest projects will involve the development of technologies for measuring the make-up of the Earth’s atmosphere, providing data for use by climatologists and for the next generation of weather-forecasting satellites. Another climate-related project will help to measure the amount of carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere by trees and stored in forests. Five other projects will help to develop seedcorn ideas for future space missions.

Teams of scientists and engineers have been awarded contracts worth more than £500,000 to develop new satellite technologies for observing the Earth from space.

According to a statement, the two largest projects will involve the development of technologies for measuring the make-up of the Earth’s atmosphere, providing data for use by climatologists and for the next generation of weather-forecasting satellites.

The first will be led by RAL Space, part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and the second by Astrium.

RAL Space will test novel instrument technology that will be used to measure the effect on the climate of biomass burning and industrial pollution.

The tests will also check that the technology can survive the severe vibration that it will experience during launch and that it will continue to work properly at both the extreme temperatures and vacuum of space.

Astrium will lead a team — including JCR Systems, RAL Space and Systems Engineering & Assessment — that will develop instrument technologies designed to improve numerical weather forecasting by monitoring natural microwave emissions from precipitation, cloud ice and water vapour in the atmosphere and sea surface parameters such as temperature, wind and sea ice.

The measurements are expected to improve the accuracy of the computer modelling carried out by meteorologists for weather forecasting and is also important for oceanography and climate prediction.

Another climate-related project will help to measure the amount of carbon dioxide extracted from the atmosphere by trees and stored in forests.

Heriot-Watt University will look at how a space-based laser, using multiple wavelengths or colours, can be used to make global measurements of forests, including looking for changes occurring as a result of large-scale fires and deforestation.

Five other projects will help to develop seedcorn ideas for future space missions.

Source

Three calls published for the mapping activities of the GIO Emergency Management Service

Three calls have just been published for the implementation of the mapping activities of the GIO (GMES Initial Operations) Emergency Management Service. These calls address the following activities:

  • Mapping in ‘‘rush mode in support to the crisis management during the response phase
  • Mapping in ‘non rush mode’ in support to the crisis management during the other phases of the crisis
  • External validation

The corresponding contract notices are available through the “Tender Electronic Daily” part of the Europa portal:

TED:NOTICE:293912-2011
TED:NOTICE:293913-2011
TED:NOTICE:293914-2011

INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community) data specifications reached an important milestone in June 2011 with the delivery of the Data Specifications Version 2.0, the launch of the stakeholder consultation and the start of the proposed specifications testing.

It was a difficult task, considering the number, complexity and inter-relations between the 25 themes of Annex II and III, and the dependencies, in many cases, on Annex I data specifications.

The consultation and testing period will end on 21 October 2011. Then, the Thematic Working Groups and the European Commission INSPIRE Team will start the important and final phase of the INSPIRE Data Specification development: the Delivery of Version 3.0 of the Data Specifications and the preparation of the Implementing Rules for Annexes II and III.

Further information is available at INSPIRE

Source GMES.Info

23-24 February, ESA-ESRIN, Frascati, Italy

The European Space Agency is hosting an insurance industry workshop in ESA-ESRIN in Frascati, Italy on 23rd and 24th of February 2012. Earth Observation (EO) data and services can deliver significant benefits to the scientific, public and private sector communities and this workshop examines the potential value of this data to the insurance industry.
This will be a unique gathering, bringing together colleagues from the Insurance and Reinsurance communities with the Earth Observation community to address the real challenges that we face in the drive to realise the benefits of using EO information in global insurance processes and products.

Objectives for the Workshop

  • To ensure that the re/insurance community is aware of current and new generation Earth Observation capabilities
  • To provide an opportunity for key personnel from both insurance and space industries to exchange ideas and develop new possibilities
  • Identify blockages to increased uptake of Earth Observation based services, short and long term
  • Develop ideas for new innovative Earth Observation products relevant to the Re/insurance industry
  • To communicate Re/insurance requirements to satellite operators and service providers, so that the space sector can work to meet these requirements

Outline programme as follows:

  • Presentations from insurance and Earth Observation Data experts
  • Presentation of a real event scenario to stimulate discussion and ideas on how insurance can utilise earth observation data
  • Break-out sessions focusing on different insurance requirements and uses for Earth Observation Data
  • Panel discussions on future activities, key constraints and recommendations
  • Final Workshop report is likely to include possible “innovative” insurance tools, set of requirements for EO products and services, and a roadmap for future activities.

The European Space Agency is hosting an insurance industry workshop in ESA-ESRIN in Frascati, Italy on 23rd and 24th of February 2012. Earth Observation (EO) data and services can deliver significant benefits to the scientific, public and private sector communities and this workshop examines the potential value of this data to the insurance industry.
This will be a unique gathering, bringing togethe colleagues from the Insurance and Reinsurance communities with the Earth Observation community to address the real challenges that we face in the drive to realise the benefits of using EO information in global insurance processes and products.

Organising Committee

Fiona Shaw – Willis
Neil Smith – Lloyds
Jens Mehlhorn – Swiss Re
Ola Gråbak – ESA
Gary Timms – EARSC

Contact Points

Workshop Co-ordination
Earth Observation R&D Team
email: envmail@esa.int

Participation and fees

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NASA’s new Aquarius instrument has produced its first global map of the salinity of the ocean surface, providing an early glimpse of the mission’s anticipated discoveries. Aquarius, which is aboard the Aquarius/SAC-D (Satelite de Aplicaciones Cienticas) observatory, is making NASA’s first space observations of ocean surface salinity variations – a key component of Earth’s climate. Salinity changes are linked to the cycling of freshwater around the planet and influence ocean circulation.


“Aquarius’ salinity data are showing much higher quality than we expected to see this early in the mission,” said Aquarius principal investigator Gary Lagerloef of Earth & Space Research in Seattle.

“Aquarius soon will allow scientists to explore the connections between global rainfall, ocean currents and climate variations.”

The new map, which shows a tapestry of salinity patterns, demonstrates Aquarius’ ability to detect large-scale salinity distribution features clearly and with sharp contrast. The map is a composite of the data since Aquarius became operational on Aug. 25. The mission was launched June 10 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Aquarius/SAC-D is collaboration between NASA and Argentina’s space agency, Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE).

“Aquarius/SAC-D already is advancing our understanding of ocean surface salinity and Earth’s water cycle,” said Michael Freilich, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division at agency headquarters in Washington. “Aquarius is making continuous, consistent, global measurements of ocean salinity, including measurements from places we have never sampled before.”

To produce the map, Aquarius scientists compared the early data with ocean surface salinity reference data. Although the early data contain some uncertainties, and months of additional calibration and validation work remain, scientists are impressed by the data’s quality.

“Aquarius has exposed a pattern of ocean surface salinity that is rich in variability across a wide range of scales,” said Aquarius science team member Arnold Gordon, professor of oceanography at Columbia University in New York and at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in Palisades, N.Y. “This is a great moment in the history of oceanography. The first image raises many questions that oceanographers will be challenged to explain.”

The map shows several well-known ocean salinity features such as higher salinity in the subtropics; higher average salinity in the Atlantic Ocean compared to the Pacific and Indian Oceans; and lower salinity in rainy belts near the equator, in the northernmost Pacific Ocean and elsewhere. These features are related to large-scale patterns of rainfall and evaporation over the ocean, river outflow and ocean circulation. Aquarius will monitor how these features change and study their link to climate and weather variations.

Other important regional features are evident, including a sharp contrast between the arid, high-salinity Arabian Sea west of the Indian subcontinent, and the low-salinity Bay of Bengal to the east, which is dominated by the Ganges River and south Asia monsoon rains. The data also show important smaller details, such as a larger-than-expected extent of low-salinity water associated with outflow from the Amazon River.

Aquarius was built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., and the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for NASA’s Earth Systems Science Pathfinder Program. JPL is managing Aquarius through its commissioning phase and will archive mission data. Goddard will manage Aquarius mission operations and process science data. CONAE provided the SAC-D spacecraft and the mission operations center.

The new map is available at photojournal

For more information about Aquarius/SAC-D