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The SERVIR program, a joint project of NASA and USAID, is named after the Spanish word meaning “to serve”, and it is doing exactly that; it provides web-based satellite images and other data to scientists, environmental managers, and decision makers.

With this data being made ready and available, policy choices can be made regarding climate change, biodiversity, flooding, forest fires, and storms by addressing the variability of these issues.

On April 25, 2011, NASA’s administrator Charles Bolden and USAID’s administrator Rajiv Shah met to agree on a 5 year memorandum of understanding to address and assist global disasters primarily in Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Himalayas.

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EOportal

29 June 2011. This ESPI Report takes an insight into the impact of non-space specific regulations on the development of commercial space activities and space based services and highlights the importance of developing an appropriate regulatory framework to support a competitive space sector.

ESPI Report 36 on “Economic and Policy Aspects of Space Regulations in Europe. Part 2: Space Regulations – On Track for Space Technologies and Space Based Services”, prepared by ESPI Associate Fellow Matxalen Sánchez Aranzamendi, is the second part of a set of two studies dedicated to analysing the impact of National Space Legislation and Regulations on the development of commercial space activities in Europe. While Part 1, prepared by the same author, was dedicated to space activties per se and their legislation (see related webnews here), the present Part 2 focuses on the development of space technologies and space based services and the regulations concerning them. It aims at drawing attention to the relevance of non-space specific regulations and their impacts on the development of the commercial space sector with particular attention on Europe. It intends to convey the message that an appropriate regulatory framework is essential for a competitive space sector.

To that aim, ESPI Report 36 selected three different non-space specific regulatory fields, radio-regulations, data policy and export controls. It analyses how these regulatory fields interact with the development of space technologies and space based regulations and depicts three different scenarios according to the different ways non-space specific regulations affect the space sector. Ways for canalising the potential of non-space specific regulations are identified for each of the three scenarios and recommendations are drawn on those grounds. This study has been conducted by ESPI Associate Fellow Matxalen Sánchez Aranzamendi, who represents ESPI in Brussels and who has already prepared Part 1 of the study contained in ESPI Report 21 as a Resident Fellow in Vienna.

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New Delhi, India (SPX) Jul 07, 2011 Recognising that Remote Sensing data provides much essential and critical information – which is an input for developmental activities at different levels, and is also of benefit to society;

Noting that a large number of users – both within and outside government, use Remote Sensing data from Indian and foreign remote sensing satellites for various developmental applications;

Taking into consideration the recent availability of very high-resolution images, from foreign and commercial remote sensing satellites, and noting the need for proper and better management of the data acquisition/ distribution from these satellites in India;

Recognising that national interest is paramount, and that security consideration of the country needs to be given utmost importance;

The Government of India adopts the Remote Sensing Data Policy (RSDP) – 2011 containing modalities for managing and/ or permitting the acquisition/ dissemination of remote sensing data in support of developmental activities.

Department of Space (DOS) of the Government of India shall be the nodal agency for all actions under this policy, unless otherwise stated.

1. For operating a remote sensing satellite from India, license and/ or permission of the Government, through the nodal agency, shall be necessary.

a. As a national commitment and as a “public good”, Government assures a continuous and improved observing/ imaging capability from its own Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) programme.

b. The Government, through the nodal agency, shall be the sole and exclusive owner of all data collected/ received from IRS. All users will be provided with only a license to use the said data, and add value to the satellite data.

c. Government reserves the right to impose control over imaging tasks and distribution of data from IRS or any other Indian remote sensing satellite, when it is of the opinion that national security and/ or international obligations and/ or foreign policies of the Government so require.

2. For acquisition/ distribution of remote sensing data within India, license/ permission from the Government of India, through the nodal agency, shall be necessary.

a. Government reserves the right to select and permit agencies to acquire/ distribute satellite remote sensing data in India. DOS shall be competent to decide on the procedure for granting license/ permission for dissemination of such data, and for the levy of necessary fees.

b. To cater to the developmental needs of the country, the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)/ DOS is vested with the authority to acquire and disseminate all satellite remote sensing data in India, both from Indian and foreign satellites.

i. NRSC shall enter into appropriate arrangements with DOS for acquiring/ distributing data from IRS within the visibility circle of NRSC’s receiving station(s).

ii. NRSC and/ or Antrix Corporation Ltd., shall be competent to enter into agreements with foreign satellite operator(s) for acquisition/distribution of foreign satellite data in India. However, NRSC will distribute the data as per terms agreed to with Antrix Corporation Ltd.

c. NRSC shall maintain a systematic National Remote Sensing Data Archive, and a log of all acquisitions/ sales of data for all satellites.

3. For acquisition and distribution of IRS data for use in countries other than India, the Government of India, through the nodal agency, shall grant license to such bodies/ agencies of those countries as are interested in the acquisition/ distribution of IRS data, as per specific procedures.

a. The Antrix Corporation Ltd. (of DOS) is vested with the authority for receiving the applications for grant of license for acquisition/ distribution of IRS data outside of India; to consider and decide on the granting of license within the policy considerations of the Government, and to enter into licensing agreements with the prospective users on behalf of the Government. Antrix Corporation Ltd. shall also be competent to levy such fees for granting licenses as may be considered appropriate by it. It shall also be responsible, where necessary, for rendering any further help/ guidance needed by the license.

b. The Government reserves right to impose restrictions over imaging tasks and distribution of IRS data in any country when it is of the opinion that national security and/ or international obligations and/ or foreign policies of the Government so require.

4. The Government prescribes the following guidelines to be adopted for dissemination of satellite remote sensing data in India: a. All data of resolutions up to 1 m shall be distributed on a nondiscriminatory basis and on “as requested basis”.

b. With a view to protect national security interests, all data of better than 1 m resolution shall be screened and cleared by the appropriate agency prior to distribution; and the following procedure shall be followed: 1. Government users namely, Ministries/ Departments/ Public Sector/ Autonomous Bodies/ Government R and D institutions/ Government Educational/ Academic Institutions, can obtain the data without any further clearance.

2. Private sector agencies, recommended at least by one Government agency, for supporting development activities, can obtain the data without any further clearance.

3. Other private, foreign and other users, including web based service providers, can obtain the data after further clearance from an interagency High Resolution Image Clearance Committee (HRC), already in place.

4. Specific requests for data of sensitive areas, by any user, can be serviced only after obtaining clearance from the HRC.

5. Specific sale/ non-disclosure agreements to be concluded between NRSC and other users for data of better than 1 m resolution.

5. This Policy (RSDP-2011) comes into effect immediately, and may be reviewed from time-to-time-by Government.

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LE BOURGET, France — The German government is willing to reconsider its position on whether the private sector is able to take over full financial responsibility for future civil German radar satellites in light of the slower-than-expected radar imagery revenue, the head of Germany’s space agency said.

Johann-Dietrich Woerner, executive chairman of the German Aerospace Center, DLR, said that while Germany is still pushing industry to assume an increasing share of the risk of building Earth observation satellites, it may be too soon to insist that industry go it alone.

“A full private investment in the next-generation satellite, TerreSAR-X 2, was what we had said we wanted,” Woerner said here June 23 during the Paris air show. “This was the basic idea, but we are now discussing whether this is feasible.”

TerreSAR-X was launched in June 2007 at a cost of some 185 million euros, or $260 million at current exchange rates, including launch charges. The German division of a company called Astrium Geo-Information Services paid 20 percent of that sum in return for exclusive rights to commercialize the radar data. DLR paid the remaining 80 percent.

A twin satellite, called TanDEM-X, was launched in June 2010. Its 165 million euros in cost was paid 75 percent by DLR and 25 percent by Astrium Geo-Information Services.

Both satellites are healthy in orbit and delivering imagery with a ground resolution of between 1 meter and 16 meters, depending on the desired observation mode and swath width. Since late 2010, they have been moved to within 350 meters of each other to operate in tandem to produce a stereo map of the Earth’s entire land mass.

Since the launch of TerreSAR-X, Astrium Geo-Information Services, which is part of Astrium Services and a subsidiary of Europe’s EADS aerospace conglomerate, has been informed by the French government that future French Spot optical Earth observation satellites will be the sole responsibility of the private sector.

Astrium Services is now spending around 300 million euros to build and launch the Spot 6 and Spot 7 satellites, which will succeed the larger Spot 5 satellite that is now in orbit and well past its contracted retirement date.

While Astrium Services is one of EADS’s most profitable businesses, the market for Earth observation imagery, and particularly radar data, has not grown as fast as expected.

Eric Beranger, chief executive of Astrium Services, said many governments — which remain the majority market for Earth observation data of all kinds — have reduced their budget for Earth observation data as part of broader spending cutbacks.

“This is mainly driven by short-term constraints and is not entirely unexpected,” Beranger said. He said that to make radar data more easily usable by government agencies more accustomed to optical data, Astrium Geo-Information Services is introducing what it calls “Color-SAR,” which he said is more appealing than conventional radar images, “which are mainly shown in shades of gray.”

The French government is financing the launch of two high-resolution Pleiades optical Earth observation satellites, each with a 70-centimeter imager, for commercial, civil government and military use. The first is set for launch on the second Europeanized version of Russia’s Soyuz rocket, a launch that has been tentatively scheduled for mid-December.

Astrium Geo-Information Services will have access to Pleiades data, but Beranger said neither the French nor any other government has committed to any purchases of Spot 6 and Spot 7 data. Astrium officials have said the French government’s decision not to take part in the satellites’ financing means French government agencies will be paying a lot more per Spot image than they have paid in the past.

Woerner said Germany accepts that the commercial business of selling radar data has been far slower than predicted when TerreSAR-X and TanDEM-X were launched.

“Our thinking was that fully recurrent satellites after TanDEM-X, which was the subject of a private-public partnership, should be paid for entirely by industry,” Woerner said. “But now we see that seems to be not so easy. The prices for which the images can be sold are not as high as what was expected. In addition, in some countries you have open access to data, which makes the commercial business a little tricky.”

Woerner did not disclose how far Germany would go in helping industry with the purchase of a successor to TerreSAR-X, a decision that must be made within the next year if Germany wants to avoid a gap in data flow in the event TerreSAR-X fails soon after its contracted five-year service life.

“It is a priority for us that we have continuity in X-band radar,” Woerner said. “But we still expect industry to keep its word” about increasing the share of program risk it takes in future systems.

Source SpaceNews

New Agreement Advances Development of Russia’s Commercial Geospatial Information Market


HERNDON, Va., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — GeoEye, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEOY), a leading source of geospatial information and insight, announced that it has signed a multi-year, multi-million-dollar agreement with its Russian partner, ScanEx Research and Development Center, to provide more than 50 million square kilometers of high-resolution commercial satellite imagery for international customers in Russia and its neighboring countries.

GeoEye will deliver high-resolution IKONOS imagery from its extensive color imagery archive and new imagery to be collected through 2012. This new agreement expands the 2010 agreement where GeoEye provided ScanEx over two million square kilometers of imagery. The scope of this new agreement underscores the international commercial market’s increasing demand for high-resolution satellite imagery and services.

Olga Gershenzon, founder and vice president of ScanEx, said, “We are certain that this project, similar to the Landsat program in the 1980s, will stimulate development of advanced remote-sensing applications based on GeoEye’s high-resolution imagery. We appreciate our strong and evolving partnership with GeoEye and value their support and confidence.”

Chris Tully, GeoEye’s senior vice president of Sales, said, “GeoEye and ScanEx have enjoyed a productive partnership since 2009. We are continually impressed by the creativity, entrepreneurship and contributions they have demonstrated by providing innovative tools and services to advance the Russian Earth-observation market.”

About ScanEx

ScanEx Research and Development Center is the leading Russian company in the remote sensing market that offers services ranging from acquisition to thematic processing of Earth-observation images from space. ScanEx’s offerings include designing and manufacturing of hardware and software systems for spatial data reception and processing, development of software applications for satellite data reception and storage, processing and interpretation. ScanEx catalogues imagery data from leading remote sensing programs and generates thematic products, renderings and Web-mapping 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 700 employees worldwide. Learn more at www.geoeye.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limitation, the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All statements that address operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future, including statements relating to growth, expected levels of expenditures and statements expressing general optimism about future operating results, are forward-looking statements. Similarly, statements that describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements and those presented elsewhere by our management from time to time are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in “Risk Factors” included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2010, which we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 15, 2011, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2011, which we filed with the SEC on May 10, 2011. Copies of all SEC filings may be obtained from the SEC’s EDGAR Web site, http://www.sec.gov/, or by contacting: William L. Warren, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, at 703-480-5672.

SOURCE GeoEye, Inc.

The Indian Space research Organisation (Isro) has appointed V S Hegde as the full time chairman and managing director of its marketing wing, Antrix Corporation, in a bid to boost its commercialisation drive.

V S Hegde Hegde was Isro’s scientific secretary since January 2010. He was also involved in earth observation satellite (EOS) programmes in his earlier assignments.

V Koteswara Rao has been appointed the scientific secretary of Isro, while H N Madhusudana was appointed the associate scientific secretary.

“This restructuring would ensure the right kind of sharing and allocation of resources for Antrix. We hope the commercial wing would scale new heights under the present leadership,” said Isro Chairman K Radhakrishnan.

Antrix, which was established in 1992, has a mandate to promote and exploit the commercial prospects of space products. It is also engaged in technical consultancy services, along with the transfer of technologies from Isro to various user groups.

“We will look at venturing into a value-creation role from the current value-transfer role of our commercial wing. That would be beneficial for non-space applications,” Radhakrishnan said.

Under the current managerial arrangement, the board will comprise Isro scientists and academic experts, along with people from the industry who would chalk out the strategic moves for Antrix. Along with the board, there would also be a coordination management committee, comprising a few senior Isro directors the chairman and managing director of Antrix. The committee would determine the future direction for this wing.

“While the global space market is pegged at $160 billion, Antrix’s current share is just $200 million. So, there is tremendous scope for us to leverage Isro’s capabilities in the near future,” said V S Hegde.

Hegde, who is also the founder-director of Karnataka Space Remote Sensing Centre and vice-president of International Astronautical Federation, said, “There is huge demand for transponders from various countries and currently, we are not able to cater to the demand. So ,we will ensure that Antrix is able to provide enough transponders on lease in the coming years.”

Antrix had reported revenue of around Rs 1,025 crore in 2010-11, 16 per cent higher over the same period last year. The bulk of its business comes from leasing out transponders, and this contributes around 70 per cent of the total turnover. The remaining is accounted for by satellite services, including satellite launches.

Source

(June2011) ST Engineering has established ST Electronics (Satellite Systems) Pte. Ltd., a joint venture (JV) company with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and DSO National Laboratories (DSO).

The JV company will design, develop and produce advanced Earth Observation (EO) satellites. ST Engineering’s stake in the JV company is 51 percent, held through ST Electronics’ wholly owned subsidiary, ST Electronics (Satcom & Sensor Systems) Pte. Ltd., while DSO and NTU own 33 percent and 16 percent, respectively. ST Electronics is the electronics arm of ST Engineering. The set-up of the new subsidiary is not expected to have any material impact on the consolidated net tangible assets per share and earnings per share of ST Engineering for the current financial year.

ST Electronics views the EO satellite segment as a new and complementary addition to its existing satellite communications and sensor systems business. This new JV company will enable ST Electronics to offer a more comprehensive suite of satellite and earth observation solutions and services to its customers. The estblishment of ST Electronics (Satellite Systems) marks a major milestone in the development of an indigenous high-tech satellite industry. The company will leverage the research and engineering competencies of both DSO and NTU to undertake research, development and manufacturing of products and services for advanced earth observation satellites. Together with the system development expertise and global marketing reach of ST Electronics, the JV will develop satellite technologies in Singapore and take these into the global market.

Source

1 June 2011 – As the world marks the 50th anniversary of humankind’s first flight into outer space, the United Nations today reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation in developing norms of law to ensure adherence to treaties that promote peaceful and beneficial uses of outer space.

In a declaration adopted today, the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS), which is also marking 50 years since its first session in 1961, voiced its conviction that space science and technology and their applications, including satellite communications, Earth observation systems and satellite navigation technologies, provide indispensable tools for sustainable development.

They can also contribute effectively to efforts to improve people’s lives, conserve natural resources and enhance disaster preparedness and mitigation.

“When I looked down on Earth from space, I saw the beauty and the wounds of our planet. The effects of climate change are very visible when you look down,” said Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu, the chair of UNCOPUOS, reflecting on his time in space as the first Romanian astronaut in space.

The Vienna-based UN Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has invited members of the public this week to celebrate the two anniversaries.

Activities will include meeting astronauts and cosmonauts, touching a rock from the moon and joining a Space Tour at the Vienna International Centre.

More than 25 States and organisations have put their national space accomplishments on display. Tomorrow, astronauts and cosmonauts will discuss the topic “Future of Humankind in Space.” On Saturday, astronauts and cosmonauts, as well as representatives of all major space agencies, will be present to answer questions from visitors.

Aleksei Leonov, a Russian cosmonaut and the first person to walk in space, reminded UNCOPUOS members that outer space belongs to all humankind.

“We have to share with the developing countries the benefits from outer space and also what we know about it. We have to work hard in all countries to make that kind of education available to everybody,” he said.

The UNCOPUOS declaration called upon States to take measures at the national, regional and global levels to engage in common efforts to use space science and technology and their applications to preserve Earth and its space environment for future generations.

Source=

The Space Shuttle Endeavour was launched on 11 February 2000 for the “Shuttle Radar Topography Mission” (SRTM). When Endeavour returned eleven days later, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) had obtained high-precision mapping data for more than 113 million square kilometres of the Earth from an altitude of about 230 kilometres, forming the basis for what became known as the “Map of the 21st Century”.

The X-band DEMs from the SRTM mission can be now downloaded free of charge by registering with EOWEB.

The radar images provided a representation of Earth’s surface viewed from two different positions, enabling researchers at DLR’s German Remote Sensing Data Center (Deutsches Fernerkundungsdatenzentrum; DFZ) to derive a precise Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the surface of the Earth. The SRTM was not just a milestone in terms of high-precision mapping of the Earth from space, but also the precursor to and a test for the current TanDEM-X mission, which involves two identical German radar satellites orbiting Earth in formation to record a comprehensive and even more precise DEM that is scheduled for completion in 2013.

More information and SRTM images are available at DLR

“Source”: GMES.Info

7th June 2011


In this Issue
1. EC Communication sets out priorities for the future EU space policy
2. Infringement procedures related to river basin plans
3. Council conclusions on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region
4. JRC-IPSC develops a new Tsunami Alerting Device
5. Council conclusions on EU Integrated Flood Management
6. JRC and Kyoto University strengthen cooperation to reduce disasters risk
7. GMES Masters Innovation Competition launched
8. “Forest and biomass management using satellite information and services”
9. Commission’s workshop on tsunami and earthquake risks
10. Agreement to provide information on land cover under GMES
11. The Council adopts conclusions on a space strategy for the EU
GMES Project Corner:
12. MACC Conference: Monitoring and Forecasting Atmospheric Composition
13. Activations of the GMES Emergency Management Service

1. EC Communication Sets out Priorities for the Future EU Space Policy

On 4 April 2011, the European Commission presented a Communication as a first step of an integrated space policy to be developed with the new legal basis provided by the Lisbon Treaty. Indeed, article 189 gives the European Union an explicit role in designing a policy for the exploration and exploitation of space in order “to promote scientific and technical progress, industrial competitiveness and the implementation of its policies”. Furthermore, space policy is a key element of Europe 2020 strategy and an integral part of the industrial policy flagship initiative. It supports the objectives of a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy by creating high-skilled jobs, commercial opportunities, boosting innovation and improving citizens’ well-being and security.

Read More…

2. Infringement Procedures Related to River Basin Plans

On 6 April 2011 the European Commission announced that it would take four Member States (Belgium, Denmark, Greece and Portugal) to the EU Court of Justice for failing to comply with EU water legislation and submit their river basin plans. All public consultations should have started in December 2008 and the plans adopted by 22 December 2009 at the latest. These plans are essential for achieving the EU’s objective of “good status” for European waters by 2015; if delayed, they could mean a failure to deliver the water quality required.

Read More…

3. Council Conclusions on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region

At a General Affairs Council meeting on 13 April 2011, the Council endorsed the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region, taking note of the annexed Action Plan that was elaborated by the European Commission on the basis of a consultation with the Member States, third countries and other stakeholders. The Council stressed that the implementation of the strategy should be launched without delay and agreed that a governance structure for its implementation and follow-up is required, therefore encouraging the EU Member States concerned, in particular their National Contact Points and their Priority Area Coordinators, to facilitate the start of the implementation.

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4. JRC-IPSC Develops a New Tsunami Alerting Device

The Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC), which is one of the seven institutes of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), has developed a new Tsunami Alerting Device (TAD). Its capacity to directly and timely alert people at risk on coastal areas represents a major step forward towards the creation of effective tsunami early warning systems. On 20 April 2011 began the testing of the device in Setubal (Portugal), in collaboration with the local Civil Protection Authorities.

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5. Council Conclusions on EU Integrated Flood Management

At a Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on 12 May 2011 in Brussels, the Council of the European Union adopted conclusions on Integrated Flood Management within the European Union. Among other measures, the Council calls on Member States to promote the use of available alert systems such as EFAS (European Flood Alert System) and the GMES ERS (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security Emergency Response Service) to improve, together with other forecasting models, early warning for the citizens.

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6. JRC and Kyoto University Strengthen Cooperation to Reduce Disasters Risk

In May 2011 an agreement was signed between the Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC) – one of the institutes of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) – and the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) of Kyoto University. Their objective is to step up co-operation aimed at limiting the impact of natural disasters on the population and on critical infrastructures.

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7. GMES Masters Innovation Competition Launched

On 18 May 2011 the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) Masters contract was signed by Jean-Jacques Dordain – Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA)–, Martin Zeil – Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs– and Thorsten Rudolph– Chief Executive Officer of “Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen” (AZO)–. The GMES Masters innovation competition will encourage European researchers and entrepreneurs to develop market-focused applications from data gathered through the EU-led GMES programme.

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8. “Forest and Biomass Management Using Satellite Information and Services”

Eurisy (a European Non-profit Association Bridging Space and Society) has recently published a report entitled “Forest and biomass management using satellite information and services”, which is an introduction for local and regional authorities, and forestry professionals. This document is part of Eurisy’s collaboration with the consortium of regional authorities involved in MORE4NRG, an INTERREG IVC project aiming to favour the exchange of good practice and experience on the topic of sustainable energy.

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9. Commission’s Workshop on Tsunami and Earthquake Risks

On 20 May 2011, the European Commission (Directorate-General for Research and Innovation) held in Brussels a workshop under the theme “Tsunami risks in Europe – Research Achievements and Future Perspectives”. Six innovative EU-funded projects (to the amount of EUR 16.25 million) presented their work in areas such as risk assessment, new early warning systems and rapid response protocols. Other EU initiatives were also represented: GDACS (Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System), coordinated by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, and the Emergency Management Service, currently in preparation under the European GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) programme. The workshop provided experts with an excellent opportunity to exchange views on the main research findings and to identify areas where more research is needed.

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10. Agreement to Provide Information on Land Cover Under GMES

On 25 May 2011 and on the occasion of a Green Week event in Brussels, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission signed an agreement to provide detailed information on land cover in Europe, under the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme. The EEA will manage a EUR 20 million budget over the period 2011-2013 to coordinate technical implementation of the continental and local GMES land monitoring services.

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11. The Council Adopts Conclusions on a Space Strategy for the EU

On 31 May 2011, the Competitiveness (internal market, industry, research and space) committee of the Council of the European Union adopted conclusions “Towards a space strategy for the EU that benefits its citizens”. As far as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is concerned, the Council reaffirms the need for the European Commission to ensure a quick and effective implementation of the programme by 2014, in partnership with the Member States, recalling the role of the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and other organizations, as appropriate, in respect to GMES.

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GMES Projects’ Corner

12. MACC Conference: Monitoring and Forecasting Atmospheric Composition

The EC-funded project MACC (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition & Climate) is implementing the pre-operational version of the GMES Atmosphere Monitoring Service. An accurate monitoring of the depletion of the ozone layer in March and an improvement of aerosol forecasts are part of the recent achievements of the project.

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13. Activations of the GMES Emergency Management Service

The GMES Emergency Management Service powered by the EC-funded project SAFER (Services and Applications for Emergency Response) reinforces the European capacity to respond to emergency situations: it provides a reactive cartographic service to the registered users involved in the management of humanitarian crisis, natural disasters and man-made emergency situations with timely and high quality products derived from Space Observation. During the last two months (April-May 2011), this service has been triggered several times due to fires in Bulgaria, Belgium and The Netherlands as well as an earthquake in Spain.

Read More…

(Source GMES.Info)