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PCI Geomatics receives recognition for successful business development in China

PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, received the 2010 Mayor’s Award for Business Achievement during a recent Gala dinner organized by the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce.

Dave Barrow, Mayor of the Town of Richmond Hill, nominated PCI Geomatics for the 2010 award following a trip to China in February 2010, where he had the opportunity to work first hand with the PCI China team members. PCI Geomatics has been very successful in China, implementing its sophisticated image processing software solutions for commercial and government clients who need to work with Earth Observation imagery collected by National and commercial satellite sensors. These satellites collect images of the earth, which are used by scientists and operational end users who derive information for applications such as agriculture, disaster management, and natural resource management.

“We are very honoured to receive this award,” said Robert Lang, Chief Financial Officer at PCI Geomatics, who accepted the award at the Gala organized by the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce. “We greatly appreciate the recognition and support received by the Town, and the Chamber of Commerce.”

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PCI Geomatics to implement a high speed GXL system to derive ecological indicators from RADARSAT-2 imagery

PCI Geomatics, a world leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, today announced that the company has been awarded a contract valued at over $520,000 (CAD) through the Canadian Space Agency’s Earth Observation Applications Development Program (EOADP).

PCI fulfillment of the contract – which is based upon its GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL) product – has two main objectives. The first is in assisting Parks Canada in meeting its Ecological Integrity initiatives as mandated under the New Parks Act of 2002.

The second objective is developing advanced and innovative methodologies, systems, and products for Parks Canada and Environment Canada to increase their utilization of RADARSAT-2 data to transition its usage into Government of Canada operations and to support the RADARSAT-2 user community at large.

“This project represents a great opportunity to showcase the power and automation of our GXL technology, which offers the ability to process more data with fewer resources in less time, which in turn will foster greater innovation and productivity for the user community to expand their outreach,” said David Stanley, Chief Technology Officer at PCI Geomatics. “We believe that this contract award speaks to the value of our GXL technology, as well as the innovation and expertise of the PCI Geomatics team.”

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PCI Geomatics working with RADARSAT-2 data to develop operational SAR tools for ESRI’s ArcGIS technology

PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, is pleased to announce it is collaborating with MDA Geospatial Services Inc., to implement operational software tools for ArcGIS using RADARSAT-2 demonstration data. PCI introduced GeoImaging Tools for ArcGIS in 2010, and is currently developing a Radar module, which will allow ArcGIS users to perform coherent change detection, time series analysis, image classification, and feature extraction using RADARSAT-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data as well as other commercially available SAR imagery.

PCI Geomatics has had a long and fruitful relationship with MDA Geospatial Services Inc., stretching back to the initial launch of RADARSAT-1 in 1995. At that time, PCI was first to implement CEOS support in addition to image filtering and registration capability. The technology developed by PCI Geomatics made it possible for the international community working with RADARSAT-1 data to analyze the imagery, and develop operational applications. PCI Geomatics added support for the next-generation RADARSAT-2 satellite in 2005 with the release of its SAR Polarimetric Toolkit (SPW), two years ahead of the RADARSAT-2 December 2007 launch.

Through its business partnership with ESRI, PCI Geomatics is excited to further develop the SAR user base, by introducing simple to use yet powerful analysis tools for SAR data to millions of ArcGIS users worldwide.

RADARSAT-2 is an all-weather day/night commercial satellite that has a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument, capable of taking images at multiple resolutions ranging from 100m to 1m. In addition, RADARSAT-2 can collect simultaneous multi-channel imagery with differing polarization (fully polarimetric), providing a greater ability to discriminate and classify features on the ground from a single date. MDA Geospatial Services Inc. is a leading provider of Earth observation data, information products and services, and the exclusive holder of distribution rights to Canada’s RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. The Canadian Space Agency partnered with MDA to develop RADARSAT-2, which is now managed and operated by MDA.

“SAR has tremendous potential for delivering unique information and complementing optical data collections”, said David Stanley, PCI’s Chief Technology Officer. “Our key objective is to develop powerful, simple-to-use tools that can be integrated into GIS workflows, enabling the next generation operational application development of SAR imagery through a well-established and broad user base. RADARSAT-2 imagery will be used to develop compelling application examples for GIS users to adopt SAR imagery into their everyday operations”.

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Source PCI

We are proud to present our first issue of Kongsberg Spacetec newsletter.

The Kongsberg Spacetec newsletter seeks to inform our customers and contacts about the latest news and product releases from Kongsberg Spacetec.

This first issue features the latest contracts, new products, newest upgrades and latest information from Kongsberg Spacetec.

We would like to draw your attention to our new products on the following pages:

  • Multi-Mission Earth Observatino System (MEOS). Polar 3.x release ready for FY 3 and future NPP and JPSS.

The new version MEOS™ Polar is organized around the new Monitor and Control system and stores status telemetry and scheduling info in a database.

  • MEOS. GEO 3.0 release

The new MEOS™ GEO 3.0 release marks a transition for the GEO systems. Main platform is now SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and package based system for simple install and easy upgrade.

  • New ESA contract

Kongsberg Spacetec won a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop and deliver Modems for the Sentinel 1, 2 and 3 satellites.

  • Next edition:

- MEOS. Antenna – MEOS. Capture

Source Spacetec

GISAT has set up operational snow monitoring service since beginning of this year.

The service is based on Earth Observation Terra MODIS system in spatial resolution of 250 m and temporal resolution of one day. The system supports the existing hydrological activities of the Czech Hydro-meteorological Institute.

Satellite images bring synoptic view on the snow cover dynamics in the Czech Republic with daily acquisitions. Cloud-free acquisitions, covering at least one third of the total country area, are processed into classification maps. The maps are presented as raster or vector product and can be viewed via the Google Earth & Google Maps applications.

Beside that, snow occurrence probability maps are calculated from 80 meto-stations measurements. In case of cloud coverage in the optical images the cloud information is substituted by the probabilities. This way uncertainty in the maps is reduced. So-called hybrid map is presented for further analysis. Additionally, catchments snow statistics is calculated. Graphs of snow statistics present percentage snow coverage in the catchments according to land cover types and altitude levels.

The service products are available daily via dedicated mapserver or weekly by means of flash reports in pdf sent to the user every Monday.

Source

With this certificate, GIM puts emphasis on customer satisfaction, quality and continuous improvement in our company.

GIM has achieved the ISO 9001:2008 certificate.

With this, GIM meets all the requirements of the internationally recognized agency.

ISO 9001:2008 is a standard that demands quality management of an organization. This is checked by means of an analysis of the different business processes, ranging from tender to delivery and everything in between.

To achieve this certification, GIM has prepared a thorough preparation, followed by an external audit conducted by AIB Vinçotte. They certify that GIM meets the quality requirements imposed by ISO.

GIM is certified for the sales and delivery of:

  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Earth Observation 5EO) and GEO-ICT Projects with result commitment
  • GIS, EO and GEO-ICT Support Services (technical assistance and expertise through time/materials commitment)
  • Geo Products Supply (Software and Geodata)
  • GIS Training Services

Every year there is an external scrutiny to insure continuity of quality to customers and suppliers.

Source VITO

(March 2011) RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, announced today that Fugro NPA Ltd. has signed an agreement with RapidEye to be its first reseller in the UK covering the areas of Britain and Ireland.

John Ahlrichs, Vice President of RapidEye commented, “Fugro NPA is a great addition to our distribution team, and we’re specifically glad to have them as part of our UK distributor team. Their long history supporting the British market in addition to their leading role as a geospatial center of excellence with the Fugro Group will increase availability and use of our imagery worldwide.”

David Morten, Managing Director of Fugro NPA said, “We are pleased to have been selected to be part of the RapidEye distributor network and expand our satellite data solutions, in particular our ability to offer enhanced monitoring service capabilities.”

Source NPA

In the context of SWIFT, a project coordinated by FDC and funded by the European Commission, FDC has supervised the production of 6 videos presenting the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) programme and its different services, dedicated respectively to the monitoring of the Earth’s subsystems (land, oceans, atmosphere), to the monitoring of climate change and to emergency management.

The executive production of the films was placed under ESN’s responsibility, a Belgian partner of FDC on this project.

A series of six short videos (2min40 each in average) have been produced in the context of the FP7-funded project SWIFT with the objective to present the European Earth Observation programme to the general public.

A first video provides an overview of the GMES programme while the following five present GMES services.

The “Overview” can be seen here

The service-specific videos can be seen here or in the following pages on this website:

Land monitoring service

Marine environment monitoring service

Atmosphere monitoring service

Emergency management service

Climate change monitoring service

Source GMES.Info

The Sentinel satellites that are being developed to yield data for information services through Europe’s GMES programme also have great potential to advance our understanding of Earth.

Scientists gathered recently to discuss how to get the most out of these missions.

The Sentinels for Science workshop, held at ESA’s Centre for Earth Observation in Italy, set the stage for more than 200 scientists to analyse and prioritise how the various data products from Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 could be put to scientific use.

Headed by the European Commission, the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme will provide accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and help ensure civil security.

Within the framework of this ambitious Earth observation initiative, ESA has been tasked with developing the five new Sentinel missions specifically for the operational needs of the programme.

While the aim is to deliver data to feed into GMES information services, the Sentinels could also be of great benefit to science.

Volker Liebig, Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes said, “The range of sensors carried on the different Sentinels, their ability to provide global coverage and rapid revist times coupled with our commitment to providing long-term data, make these missions highly relevant to gaining a deeper insight into the processes and interactions that make up the Earth system and its changes.

“In order to exploit GMES fully, we need constant feedback of science. This will lead to many new applications, as we have seen with Envisat and other satellites.”

The first Sentinel is planned to launch in 2013. It is a C-band imaging radar mission to provide an all-weather day-and-night supply of imagery of land and ocean surfaces. Sentinel-1 will be followed by Sentinel-2, which carries a multispectral high-resolution optical instrument to monitor vegetation changes. Sentinel-3 carries a multiple instrument package to measure different ocean variables and monitor land.

All three missions will be made up of two identical satellites orbiting as pairs.

Josef Aschbacher, Head ESA’s GMES Space Office noted, “The sentinel data contain crucial information for all Earth sciences, especially climate-change related questions that need long time series.”

Workshop participants also talked about the complementary and synergistic retrieval of data from the Sentinels with that acquired by other Earth observation missions.

The success of the workshop has clearly paved the way for further investigation into how the Sentinels can be of maximum benefit to all users.

The workshop forms part of ESA’s study on Sentinels for Science, or ‘SEN4SCI’, managed by the Remote Sensing Laboratories at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Source

On 30 March 2011, the INSPIRE Initial Operating capability Task Force (IOC TF) updated the Technical Guidelines for Discovery and View Services and approved version 3.0 as a stable version of these documents (which contains significant changes with regard to the previous ones).

This Task Force was set up in May 2009 to help and support the implementation in Member States of the Directive 2007/2/EC establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE). The scope of the IOC TF includes architectural aspects and implementation of Network Services to ensure interoperability with the INSPIRE geoportal among Member States. The IOC TF initially focuses on the implementation of the INSPIRE Discovery and View Services.

More information is available at INSPIRE

(Source GMES.Info)

Fleming Gulf, the leading provider of specialist information and services for the academic and scientific, professional and commercial business communities globally, is delighted to announce a new addition to our Geospatial event portfolio, the launch of our Middle East Geospatial Summit.

Meet your geospatial peers!

Read Interview now

The Summit will provide an excellent opportunity to meet and network within the Middle Eastern and international geospatial community. Through keynote presentations, panels and case studies, the speakers at this event will share their insights about the use of geospatial intelligence in the region and beyond. The event will cover the latest technological advances as well as the new ways of using Geographic information in society, the integration of new real time measurements and it’s impact on end user capabilities, the emergence of Web oriented systems, IT interoperability, standardization as a means of creating a simple integrated platform that could reach billions of people. The event will also cover the latest on collaboration across organizations in the region.

Key speakers

• Professor Mike Jackson, Centre for Geospatial Science, University of Nottingham, UK
Board Member OGC, Director
• Dr. Ahmed El-Rabbany, P.Eng., Professor, Geomatics Engineering, Graduate Program Director, Department of Civil Engineering, Ryerson University
• Dr Omar Al-Emam, Arab Science and Technology Foundation
Space Technology Consultant
• Senior representative from the OGC
• Mansoor Al Malki, Qatar Statistics Authority,
Director
• Dr Basyoni A Abdul Rahman, University of Bahrain, Department of Social Sciences
• Bhupendra Jasani, Department of War Studies, King’s College
Visiting Professor
• Sarah El-Khazin Bouvier Senior Consultant, Regional Office for the Middle East UN OCHA

For panelist and speaking opportunities please contact:
Andrea Krizsak. Project Manager
andrea.krizsak@flemingeurope.com
T: +36 1 41 118 42

Key topics

Through keynote presentations, panels and case studies, the speakers at this event will share their insights about the use of GIS in:

  • Defence and Intelligence
    + Emergency Management
  • Crisis response
  • Infrastructure and Utilities
  • Construction and Engineering
  • Governance
  • Oil and Gas Exploration

Testimonials

Who should attend

Chief Analyst, Air Attache, VP Business Development, Adviser, IT Officer, GIS Business Development Manager, Consultant, Expert, Managing Director, Geospatial Engineer, D&I Industry Director, Head of GIS Department, Head of Research, Defence and Security Key Account Manager, Director, Marketing Director, Professor, Presales and Bid Manager, Chief of Branch

Summit participants in 2010 in Vienna included

Abu Dhabi Police, Arab Science and Technology Foundation, EADS, Arabia, Association of Chief Police Officers, BM Landesverteidigung, Centre for Geospatial Science University of Nottingham, Defence Geographic Centre, Digital Globe International, Embassy Diplomatic Mission, ESRI, EU Military Staff Intelligence Directorate, Eurimage, European Union Satellite Centre, European Space Imaging, Federal Office of Topography, French Ministry of Defence, GBR AR, Ministry of National Defence Command of Mapping, Geo 212 France, Geoapikonisis SA, Geographic Inc, German Armed Forces, Graphitec, HUNAGI, Hydrographic Institute, Iki Nokta, Institut Geographicque National, Intecs, Intergraph, Intermap, Join Aeronautical & Geospatial Organisation UK, Kartographe Huber, King’s College, Kor Oil Company ,Geo KOD, Lantmateriet, Lockheed Martin, Military Geography & Meteorology, University of Defence, Military University of Technology, Ministerstvo Vnitra Policejnt Prezidium, Ministry of Defence UK, Ministry of Interior, Northrop Grumman, ORBIT, Ordnance Survey, Rapid Eye, Regio, ITT Research Systems, Russian Space Systems, Spacemetric, SRI of Precision Instruments, TeamNet International, Tele Atlas, Terra, The Agency for Real Estate Cadastre, Ulusal CAD & GIS AS, University of Munchen, UNOSAT, US ARMY Geospatial Centre, TASC

Source

The 34th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment is happening this week in Sydney.

The theme of the symposium is The GEOSS era: towards operational environmental monitoring, and contains five parallel streams: Earth observation supporting disaster management and situational awareness; Briefings from space agencies; GEO forest carbon; Space policies; A panel on climate and water, and; A vision for the future.

With 800 abstracts and 600 attendees from more than 60 countries – including 35 attendees from NASA – the symposium will officially run at the Exhibition Center until April 14, but there is also a number of side-meetings and post-symposium workshops until April 15.

Instead of posters, the symposium this year is using electronic presentations that will enable speakers to present their digital papers at programmed times, but also at other times for those who may have missed a presentation of interest.

The hosts of the symposium are the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute in Australia (SSSI), the International Center for Remote Sensing of the Environment (ICRSE), and the CSIRO.

The platinum sponsor is NASA, the gold sponsors are ESA and ESRI, and the silver sponsors are Digital Globe and Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

For more information visit http://www.isrse34.org/