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EARSC members recalled the successful eoVox-1 study conducted in 2006 by EARSC, with ESA support (several of the outputs of that study helped to define the EARSC evolution strategy for 2007 and beyond )… eoVox2 kicked off!!


In 2010-11, a set of follow-on activities are being undertaken by EARSC, again with support from ESA

-These activities are designed to help EARSC strengthen and grow the European EO/RS value-adding sector, and continue EARSC’s evolution and growth strategy

eovox2 activities

-Horizon scanning taking a look at the ‘next big things’
-Industry position papers capturing the views of the industry
-Trade directory “eoPages” to promote the service providers and services
-Promotional packages targeted at specific market sectors
-Trade missions to talk to key customers in those sectors

In support of these activities, we warmly encourage all EARSC members and stakeholders to come up with fresh ideas and input for EARSC to take forward. The EARSC secretariat will keep you informed of ways to get engaged in the process. Your active participation will add value to the association and bring greater benefit to all of our members and the industry as a whole.
eoVox2 will be organising a consultations that you might be interested to look at and participate. For more information please do not hesitate to contact secretariat-at-earsc.org

Content for publication is welcomed and can be submitted at any time for consideration. Let us help you bring your article to the world


Please feel free to suggest any news, study and successful cases, events, projects, blogs or other geoinformation content items that you deem relevant for our community and interested stakeholders. This will enable us to share important knowledge and expertise networking among other experts who will exchange their know-how.

EOmag is released every three months, with focus articles on members, news in depth features, achievements, progress reports on programmes, communication and partnership with organisations and events.

The distribution of the Newsletter is based on our stakeholders database (Industry and relevant Institutions worldwide interested in geo-information domain).

The Newsletter is an excellent platform for companies and organizations to communicate on actions and programmes related to geo-information.

Articles:
We would be happy to publish all relevant articles for companies/institutions (max 1000-word articles, preferably with illustrations) for the next issues of the Newsletter

Events:
In order to improve the information offered about the activities of our stakeholders, we are collecting basic data concerning all the already scheduled events. For the purpose, we kindly ask companies and institutions to
provide the following information about each event:

Start Date
End Date
Title
Web
Place – City and Country

Please send this information to EARSC secretariat always stating [Events] as the beginning of your message description at the subject box, in order to help managing and archiving. Since it is intended to keep this list as much updated as possible, please remind to inform Secretariat every time a new event is scheduled.

Optional Information:
Theme
Description
Language
E-mail contact

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to “secretariat-at-earsc.org”:

Many thanks in advance
EARSC secretariat

EARSC is a non-profit-making organisation created in 1989. The mission of EARSC is to foster the development of European Geo-Information Service Industry. Our main objective is to stimulate a sustainable market for geo-information services using EO data, which is openly accessible to all members.

We all know quite well that it took many more years for the market itself to mature pushing many to forget some of their illusions on the way. However realizing that maturity and market expansion could only happen little by little in this complex domain EARSC has been sticking to its goal of helping develop the European remote sensing industry, reaching today 80 members, and being a recognized association worldwide. All the major European industrial actors of remote sensing are EARSC members and are involved in numerous ways to foster the development of the domain together with European institutions. Lately the EARSC strategy has evolved one step further to account for the geospatial information revolution of the 21st century.

EARSC is representing the European providers of geo-information services in its broadest sense creating a network between industry, decision makers and users. It is a crucial stage of maturing of the sector as nowadays Earth observation is used more frequently by society and adds positive value to our daily lives.

At the same time, an active participation from all of our members is the best guarantee that EARSC will play an important role on the European Earth observation and geo-information arena. For our members, the annual membership dues are a cost-effective way to stay informed, promote their company, political and institutional representation, networking opportunities with industry players and help to support the future of geo-information Industry: “industry stakeholders together could transform activities into meaningful action on behalf of our sector”.

Internally EARSC informs and involves its members though the website, newsletter, directorate and the organization of more numerous events. This will allow us to be more present on the European and International scene and to contribute more efficiently to the implementation of European programmes.

To get more information on EARSC membership, please contact us at

EARSC membership

EARSC membership represents the entire spectrum of the Earth Observation industry including all sector chain: providers, stakeholders and users. Membership of EARSC is currently 500 Euros per annum. For our members, the annual membership dues are a cost-effective way to stay informed, promote their company, political and institutional representation, networking opportunities with industry players and help support the future of Earth Observation. Industry together could transform activities into meaningful action on behalf of our sector

Full Members
Any commercial European company or partnership offering and undertaking consulting and contracting services or supplying equipment in the field of remote sensing which is based in a European Country which contributes to the European Space Agency or which is a member of the European Community shall be eligible for membership.

Observer Members
Companies from countries associated to European programs but not eligible for full membership. Any active representative organization, institution or association party in the field of Earth observation and not engaged in commercial or profit-making activities such as Public/Governmental Bodies, International Organisation, International Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Private Non Profit Organisation/Foundation, Network/Association/Aggregation of Intermediaries(profit or non profit), Business Association, Universities, other?) with interest in Earth Observation.

(Source EARSC)

ERDAS announces the official release of ERDAS APOLLO 2011, now available for download on the ERDAS website.

ERDAS APOLLO is an enterprise solution for managing and delivering massive volumes of distributed geospatial data and imagery. This server-based offering is available in three product tiers to suit a wide spectrum of organizations – from those that simply need a very low-cost, remarkably fast image server to those requiring a comprehensive data management system.

ERDAS APOLLO 2011 further improves the reliability and scalability of the system via clustering, in which multiple servers work in concert to improve performance. Clustering increases the number of users the system can serve and improves system reliability by allowing other servers to handle requests if a server goes down.

Additionally, ERDAS APOLLO 2011 features significant usability enhancements. Base maps from Microsoft Bing Maps are now available in both the ERDAS APOLLO Web Client and the ERDAS TITAN Client, providing a premium map-viewing experience. Users may choose from three different map sources: Bing Maps Roads (a map with roads and labels), Bing Maps Aerial (an aerial imagery map) and Bing Maps Hybrid (an aerial map with roads and labels).

Source

Fugro EarthData announced last week it has delivered the first tiles of updated orthoimagery and digital elevation model (DEM) for the Alaska Statewide Digital Mapping Initiative’s (SDMI) multi-year program to develop new mapping of the entire state

Frederick,MD — Funded under a state and federal cost partnership, the goal of the SDMI is to provide new and improved base mapping that can be used by many organizations to include local, state, tribal, and federal governments; businesses; and the scientific research community. New, up-to-date statewide geospatial information will directly contribute to a broad range of applications from aviation safety, to infrastructure planning, to natural resources management.

The Statewide Imagery Acquisition project is coordinated by AeroMetric with Astrium providing the source satellite imagery. Deliverables include digital color and infrared orthoimagery at 2.5 m pixel resolution. The Alaska Mid-Accuracy DEM update project is coordinated by Dewberry through a contract with the U.S. Geological Survey and will deliver a 5m-posted DEM and orthorectified radar imagery across the state.

“Fugro’s role on both the orthoimage and DEM mapping programs of the Alaska SDMI demonstrates our ability to meet a broad range of user needs through the use of cutting-edge technology,” said Ed Saade, president of Fugro EarthData, adding: ““These projects reinforce Fugro’s decades-long position as a leading survey services provider in Alaska and the Arctic region.”

Fugro EarthData, Inc. provides a full range of mapping and GIS services to support customer needs in a wide variety of natural resource management, urban planning, economic development, defense, and engineering activities.

Fugro EarthData is a member of the international Fugro group of companies. Fugro is listed on Euronext N.V. in Amsterdam and is included in the Amsterdam Midkap index. Fugro has over 275 offices, more than 13,500 staff and a permanent presence in over 50 countries.

Source

from November issue Vector1 magazine

While integration of geospatial technologies is contributing toward an increase in real-time geodata needs, it can be argued that a shift toward demands for greater collaboration and increased sharing within and between projects is the primary driver for real-time geodata. With more people working and sharing together, often from different localities and time zones – projects never sleep. Spatial data is constantly be captured and exchanged, and many sub-systems in the work flows are automated for continuous geoprocessing and output.

Many geospatial applications today aspire to greater collaboration and sharing among those participating within and between projects. Whereas users previously worked alone with specific kinds of spatial data or because of disciplinary boundaries, many projects and contracts now depend upon people communicating together with higher levels of interaction and sharing. Technological developments have supported this change and standards also contribute toward these interactions.

  • BIM Model Sharing and Synchronization
  • the United States Geological Service (USGS) generates real-time earthquake mapping as a means to improve reaction response.
  • real-time GIS data is used to enable GeoDesign through pen-based technology.
  • Real-time and near real-time GPS-components for the Indonesian tsunami early warning system and IGS real-time products evaluation.
  • JASON-2 satellite delivers near real-time data for ocean monitoring.
  • IBM software predicts traffic patterns using real-time data.
  • Weatherbug delivers real-time agricultural data to support real-time decision making for agricultural producers.
  • ERTICO – urban test bed sites should include real-time collection (intelligent agents, WiFi etc.) from fleets.
  • Capturing the Long Tail of Sensor Web

Recently at a meeting in Rome, members of the European Environment Agency indicated that the future would see a rise in the number of general public as contributors to that agency’s web services. The notion behind this realisation is that people will begin to feedback their own expressions as part of a wider data pool, thereby contributing toward updates of these web services – the services will be dynamic in nature.

The extent of real-time requirements is not restricted to a particular technology. From field mobility tools through to satellite imagery, real-time geodata will be captured, analysed and represented in near continuous fashion. One of the clearest signals that collaboration and sharing are driving real-time data needs can be found in the building information modeling (BIM) field.

BIM seeks to integrate spatial information from a wide number of professionals in a multi-disciplinary approach. Architects, structural engineers, urban planners and transportation specialists as well as others seek to connect their work in a fused and seamless way. These BIM models inter-connect these individuals, sometimes from different locations and time zones.

It becomes more difficult to identify local projects, since the participants originate from different locations. In fact, discussions surrounding 3D city models now often speak about connecting different projects that find their foundational infrastructure all within common geodata. Few can argue with the fact the one road serves utilities, transport and developer needs at the same time.

How will all this connectedness impact the sector? Clearly efficiency is an outcome as is improved communication. Additionally, there are benefits in time saved on projects, and the ability to access components of infrastructure lifecycle using a common approach. But other impacts may be triggered.

How do we train and educate people to work at such high levels of collaboration and rates of data integration? Should people become more generalist or more specific in terms of disciplines that they study? What will be the role of surveyor’s? Should architects need to know and understand geodata? Where do the lines of ownership and liability meet and cross as real-time data draws more people into the collaborative processes?

The trend is toward greater amounts of real-time geodata. This is positive and likely to result in better decision-making and improved outcomes. It will demand improvements in hardware, particularly communication technologies and connections for moving large quantities of geodata, storing them and new innovations for improving the synthesis of vast quantities of data arriving at our work places.

Source

(November 2010) GeoOptics has just released a new Climate Mobile app that is free to all. The app allows users to access worldwide climate information, from space satellites and surface instruments (which provide valuable information in their own right and also cross-checks of space data).

Users can browse worldwide temperature records from NASA and NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) going back over 130 years.

The app’s “Personal Climate Analyzer” enables you to perform analysis of climate trends – if you discover something important, your results can be relayed back to the web and potentially published for the world to see.

The point is to engage “citizen scientists”, arm them with up-to-date info and let them see the facts of climate change for themselves.

This is not the first climate app out there. Skeptical Science, a very nice website that “gets skeptical about global warming skepticism” launched its free app earlier this year.

The goal is to enable people to browse the top 10 arguments used by climate skeptics to argue against the scientific evidence for man-made climate change, as well as browse by three main skeptical categories (“It’s not happening”, “It’s not us”, “It’s not bad”)”, and then compare that with what the scientific evidence says.

Of course, then there’s the “skeptics” themselves, and their iPhone app offering called “Our Climate”. They say: “It offers a balanced, skeptical point of view on the current state of climate science, since after all, science is supposed to be about a skeptical search for the underlying truth in how nature behaves!”

Check them out for yourself. Read, think and discuss with your friends and family. Question sources of information. Think for yourself. And get more informed about climate change, on-the-go or not.

Source

(November 2010) Issue 41 of the “ESPI Perspectives” series

Since the 1990s, cooperation between Europe and Russia in space has steadily expanded and became institutionalised. While successful projects were undertaken in areas like human spaceflight, launchers, space science or exploration, cooperation in the field of Earth observation (EO) has remained rather limited. Russia, however, has set forth an ambitious plan to develop further its EO capabilities in the coming years. This effort is emblematic of Moscow’s broader desire to revitalise its role as a leading space power. It could likewise offer an opportunity to inspire expanded cooperation between Europe and Russia. This ESPI Perspective seeks to provide a summary of Russia’s space policies, institutions and industry as a lead-in to exploring candidate areas for expanded cooperation between Europe and Russia in the civilian EO field.

Download:
ESPI Perspectives 41: Russia’s Earth Observation Activities: Overview and Prospects for Expanded Cooperation with Europe

Should part of the future Space Budgets be allocated directly to potential end-users of satellite services? This proposal and other measures to support demand creation were the focus of the Eurisy Conference “Securing the benefits of satellite services for European society”, held ending November in Brussels.

The event brought together representatives from potential end-user organisations on the one hand (the Committee of the Regions, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Union (SME Union) and the European Confederation of Associations of Small and Medium Enterprises (CEA-PME)) and the space community on the other hand (the European Commission, the European Space Agency, service provider associations EARSC, ESOA and EuroTeleServ).

End-user organisation representatives confirmed an interest in satellite information and services, but highlighted difficulties for their members in accessing clear and transparent information about what is on offer, and in finding suitable financing mechanisms for implementing them. All made concrete proposals on enhancing service diffusion in Europe.

Joost Van Iersel, Chairman of EESC Consultative Commission on Industrial Change, positively commented on the Eurisy Position Paper proposal to support the end-users: “Financial support to the non-space SMEs will promote market development, and thus will generate a positive return on initial [European] investment in R&D and the downstream sector”.

CEMR Policy Director Angelika Poth-Moegele suggested that the next Cohesion Policy Programme, among others, could be a suitable framework for financing local and regional authorities wishing to share and transfer good practices in the use of satellite services and to apply them for their needs. Other measures could include putting the potential benefits of satellite services on European agendas, such as in the upcoming revision of the EU’s territorial agenda for the EU’s spatial development and the Leipzig Charter for sustainable urban development.

Similarly, Manfred Vohrer, Member of the CEA-PME Board, agreed on the importance of financially supporting end-user SMEs from sectors other than space: “We need SMEs to translate satellite services into benefits for society”, but [SMEs] need to be supported in this process.

Geraldine Naja, ESA Head of the Coordination with EU institutions, agreed on the necessity “to encourage the adoption and use of already-existing services” to complement service development. She highlighted the complementarity between its responsibilities in service development programmes, and EC responsibilities in ensuring better diffusion of operational, market-ready satellite services. Service providers expressed a commitment to working better with all stakeholders to make the case for satellite information and services.

For further information contact:
Eurisy Secretariat Phone no.: 0033147340079
info@eurisy.org

Source

(November 2010) With the commissioning of ESA’s CryoSat now complete, the mission has been officially transferred to the operations team. This milestone marks the beginning of the satellite’s operational life delivering ice-thickness data to understand the impact of climate change on the polar environment.

The handover ceremony took place on 19 November at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands, where the responsibility for the mission passed from CryoSat-2’s Project Manager, Richard Francis, to the Mission Manager, Tommaso Parrinello.

Richard Francis had held the mission’s reins since the decision was taken to rebuild CryoSat in 2006 following the loss of the original satellite during launch. However, his experience with the mission goes right back to 1999, when CryoSat was selected as an Earth Explorer mission and he worked as the System Manager.

Dr Francis said, “The commissioning phase has proved what a high quality system we have in CryoSat. This is a tribute to the team. Handing over to Tommaso to begin its operational life is an important milestone and achievement.

“Although tinged with sadness for me, as it marks the end of a formal involvement with this wonderful project, Tommaso inherits a superb mission and I am confident he will make the most of it.”

Launched in April, the mission has recently completed commissioning – an important phase that ensures the satellite, instruments, data retrieval and data processing procedures are in optimal working order.

Now that this period is over, the mission has entered its exploitation phase and will start delivering vital data on ice thickness to the scientific community.

Tommaso Parrinello now holds the ‘keys’ to the mission and takes charge of the data exploitation, which is managed from ESRIN, ESA’s Centre of Earth Observation in Frascati, Italy. His responsibility includes operations and maintenance, data processing and delivery.

The satellite will continue to be monitored, operated and controlled by the Flight Operations Segment at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Dr Parrinello said, “I am privileged to take over the responsibility of this important mission which will play a key role in understanding how our climate is changing.

“The commissioning phase has proven that both the satellite and the ground segment are in good shape. We are now looking forward to releasing the data to the scientific community next month and equally eager to receive the first results.”

CryoSat is Europe’s first mission dedicated to monitoring Earth’s ice fields. The satellite carries a sophisticated radar altimeter that can measure the thickness of sea ice down to centimetres and also monitor changes in ice sheets, particularly around the edges where icebergs are calved from the vast ice sheets that cover Greenland and Antarctica.

Along with information on ice extent, these measurements on ice-thickness change will show how the volume of Earth’s ice is changing and ultimately lead to a better understanding of the relationship between ice and climate change.

This milestone is not only achievement for the CryoSat mission, but also for ESA’s programme for Earth observation. After the GOCE gravity mission and the SMOS water mission, CryoSat is the third Earth Explorer mission to begin operational life in orbit.

Looking to the future, a host of missions, including the Swarm magnetic field Earth Explorer and the family of Sentinel satellites for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme are in various stages of development and will be launched over the next few years.

These satellite missions will significantly contribute to advancing our understanding of how Earth works as a system and provide much-needed information to assess how climate change is affecting our environment.

Source ESA

Info extracted from