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BMT ARGOSS, a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has secured a contract with Eneco, one of the leading energy companies in the Netherlands to deliver accurate wind forecasts for the Dutch energy provider’s onshore and offshore locations.

This service will allow Eneco to better anticipate changing conditions and adjust planning when necessary.

Generators of wind energy usually provide DNOs (Distribution Network Operators) with an estimate of the expected amount of energy they plan to produce over the coming days in order for the DNOs to be able to match consumption with the electricity produced. To help minimise the risk of being penalised for not meeting their obligations, companies such as Eneco need to ensure that their weather forecasts are as accurate and effective as possible by partnering with leading experts.

(Dr.) Hein Zelle, Project Manager for meteorology at BMT ARGOSS states: “No one can control the wind and therefore how much power a wind farm is capable of producing on any given day. We can however play an integral role inWin Farm Late ensuring that Eneco has greater confidence in predicting the power they will produce and maximising the selling price by providing accurate forecasting services, helping to reduce the level of uncertainty which is often associated with this type of energy production.”

With atmospheric models that have been extensively validated and calibrated against locally observed data, BMT ARGOSS will provide much finer and more detailed forecasting services to Eneco which will be delivered four times a day. A reliability estimate for each wind forecast is an integral part of the delivery.

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Assimila Projects


Earth Observation Land Data Assimilation EO-LDAS (2009-present)

Assimila is managing the EO-LDAS project which is currently developing a scheme to assimilate multi-sensor optical Earth Observation data with a land surface model. The project aims to produce optimal, sensor-independent EO outputs.

more details

ISIC Visualization Centre

Assimila is providing project management support to NCEO for the development of the ISIC Visualisation Centre. ISIC (the International Space Innovation Centre) is being built at the Science and Technology Facilities Council Harwell Campus and will form a focus for EO activities in the UK. Assimila is responsible for managing science requirements for the visualisation centre and translating these into technical facilities, providing liaison between the users of the facility and the technical implementation, and sourcing high impact multi-media material to be used in the visualization centre. Assimila is also developing plans for long term engagement of NCEO in the ISIC.

Royal Meteorological Society Quality Standard (2009– present)

Assimila is supporting the Royal Meteorological Society in the refinement and testing of a set of quality standards for UK meteorological service providers. The revised quality and audit guidelines have been developed through a dry-run implementation involving volunteer meteorological service providers.

National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO). Programme Management (2008-2011)

Assimila is providing Programme Management services for the National Centre for Earth Observation.

more details

Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. EO Strategy and GMES Support (2007-2011)

Assimila is supporting Defra in the development of its Earth Observation strategy and in communicating the applications and benefits of EO within Defra. Assimila is also responsible for Defra’s engagement programme with UK stakeholders in GMES.

more details

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Role in EarthCare Missions. Certified in Reserach, Development and Innovation


Critical Software is set for launch on EarthCARE Space Mission

12 November 2010 – Critical Software Technologies has secured a contract to be the principal independent software tester for the EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) project, a joint European-Japanese space mission which is due for launch in 2013.

First designed and constructed in 2009, the aim of the EarthCARE spacecraft mission is to improve scientists’ understanding of the cloud, radiative and aerosol processes that affect Earth’s climate.

Critical Software will independently verify and validate the on-board software that goes into creating this hugely complex system designed to create a successful space mission. Critical will be predominantly responsible for identifying areas with increased complexity and criticality and then ensuring that the software developed meets the stated requirements and is implemented correctly.

“We’re pleased to be involved in a mission that will give scientists valuable information about our planet, but critical systems on board the spacecraft will be vital to its success. Software on board satellites has the potential to be extremely complex, which is at odds with the necessity for it to also be extremely reliable.

“Failure of critical software can have catastrophic consequences, and it is clearly vital to have well-tested reliable software on theunmanned satellites orbiting over all of us,” says Brian Luff, chairman Critical Software Technologies.

Critical Software is certified in Research, Development and Innovation (NP 4457:2007)

The NP 4457:2007 (Portuguese Norm for the Research, Development and Innovation) defines the requirements for R&D as well as Innovation Management Systems that would drive organizations towards the development and implementation of a R&D and Innovation Policy that could help raise the levels of efficiency and effectiveness within the innovation context. All normative requirements are applicable to an organization that has R&D activities, regardless of the size, complexity or business sector. The NP 4457 is applicable to any organization (goods and services); processes; organization; and marketing; or even a combination of these.

“Among the main advantages of having R&D and Innovation practices are the controlled and periodic stimulation and collection of innovative ideas that emerge from the various micro and macro environments as well as its analysis and respective development. Considering the current global recession, the success of any business relies, a great deal, on the existence of a structured organization, consolidated processes and use of proven best practices,” states José Gonçalo Silva, Quality Director of Critical Software.

Critical Software’s IMS was already certified ISO 9001:2008 TickIT, EN 9100:2003 and 9006 and CMMI-Dev ML5, not to mention other best practices that are being followed by the company, such as the PMBoK for Project and Portfolio Management and Six Sigma for Quality Control.

“We were not primarily looking for the certificate but instead to continue our endeavor in raising of the quality levels in our services and products. This certification happened naturally as a result of a strong and strategic commitment in R&D and innovation policy that has been in place for some years now. Still, the preparation for the NP 4457 certification helped us consolidate some of the requirements that were already in place and close some gaps that existed in our IMS”, says José Gonçalo Silva.

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SEOCA project Conference, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, April 2011

The FP7 Environment project GEO Capacity Building Initiative in Central Asia” (SEOCA) organizes the project Federated Conference comprising the following events:

  • International seminar of Central Asian Universities and other educational stakeholders: “New scientific and educational technologies in the field of Earth Observation”. The seminar will bring together University representatives from all 5 countries of Central Asia and their colleagues from the EU in order to discuss the modern curricular relevant to the topic. Also, the seminar will include the roundtable discussions “Modern technologies of EO information processing” and “Environment monitoring by using small satellites”. The project partners from Germany, Greece and Turkey will present the European curricula and technologies.
  • Demonstration workshop GEONETcast technologies for environment monitoring”. The representatives of Central Asian organizations interested in application of GEONETCast low-cost terminals for educational needs as well as for real-life applications in environment and natural disasters monitoring will be acquainted with the GEONETCast system capacities
  • Training workshop GEO: Global efforts and regional impact” aimed to provide training to National GEO offices in all 5 countries of Central Asia. As a result it is expected that the regional contribution to GEO, as well as engagement of regional stakeholders with GEO activities will be significantly strengthen.

The dates of the event: April 2011

Update of the SEOCA website

The website of the SEOCA project has been updated recently. Aratos Technologies S.A. participates in SEOCA Project.

The proposed project aims at further fostering cooperative ties between the countries of Central Asia and Europe in developing and applying Earth Observation (EO) technologies for effective environmental monitoring.

You can visit the website here

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from Nov to Dec 2010


Aerodata goes Southeast Asia (Dec 6th, 2010)

The Consortium PASCO-FINNMAP has signed a contract for Acquisition of Digital Aerial Photography as part of the project “Improvement of Digital Mapping System of Survey of Bangladesh” with the Survey of Bangladesh.

The flying will be executed by Aerodata, a PASCO group member. The digital aerial photography will cover the complete area of Bangladesh (130,000 km²) with ground resolution of 50 cm and five urban areas with ground resolution of 25 cm. For this project two Vexcel Ultracam Xp cameras will be deployed in two of Aerodata’s new Aero Commander aircraft.

The flying has already started and is expected to be finished early 2011.

Brussels Oblique pilot project (Nov 15th, 2010)

Aerodata has carried out a pilot project over Brussels with one of its Visionmap A³ camera’s. The goal was to show the oblique viewing capabilities of the camera.

Due to the very large field of view of this camera (100°) oblique imagery is captured together with vertical imagery. Using special software the nadir aerials can be integrated with the obliques enabling users to rapidly navigate, zoom and measure (even building heights) in the obliques at any location in 4 directions. In addition revolutionary 3D modeling application enables to create 3D building models at substantially reduced time, labor and cost.

Results are spectacular and Aerodata will continue to invest in this movement towards combining traditional nadir images with oblique images.

Netherlands 2010 – 10cm now available (Oct 31st, 2010)

For the second year in a row Aerodata International Surveys is proud to announce to have successfully completed the NL 10cm project covering the entire territory of the Netherlands (over 40.000 sq km).

Only 6 months after the first flight all the 100.000 Ultracam Xp images were processed into a stereo product (Stereo10) and a countrywide seamless orthophoto mosaic (Ortho10).

For more detailed information or sales inquiries, please contact Aerodata (International Sales) or our partner Cyclomedia (clients in The Netherlands)
In 2011 Aerodata will again undertake this mega aerial photography project.

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INSA leads a Consortium with EXPAL and HISPASAT that has been selected by ESA for the “Space Assets for Demining Assistance” project in the framework of the Integrated Applications Programme (IAP). Remote sensing information is useful in identifying minefields and determining their boundaries. The satellite solution proposed by INSA will improve the minefield clearing process, thus helping to save lives and to improve the socio-economic impact in target areas. But Mine Action is more than just clearing, it is also survey, research, resource allocation, tool selection etc. and this study will cover the whole range of aspects.

The Spanish consortium led by INSA Ingeniería y Servicios Aeroespaciales S.A. with EXPAL Explosivos Alaveses S.A. and Hispasat S.A has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the “Space Assets for Demining Assistance” project in the framework of the Integrated Applications Programme (IAP).

Space-based Earth observation technologies, whilst being a fundamental pillar in some fields such as meteorology, are far from being fully exploited in other areas. In the case of demining management activities, the combination of integrated applications based on remote sensing, navigation and Satellite communications might provide a step forward in the performance of the current systems already available.

Some mature imagery applications, notably those related to static information integrated in Geographic Information System (GIS), are widely used in their operations, but there is a gap in the use of all the potentiality arisen from the new satellite input data available as well as the communication technologies in areas where network deployment is still deeply below the desired standards.

The satellite systems could work in a synergetic manner with the ground facilities, reaching a more efficient utilisation of available technology.

Landmine Monitor Report 2009 reported that as of August 2009, more than 70 states were believed to be mine-affected, as well as seven areas not internationally recognized (see Table 1 below).

In the past year Landmine Monitor has removed two states from the list: the Gambia and Tunisia. Although any estimate should be treated with caution, Landmine Monitor believes that less than 3,000km2 of land worldwide was mine contaminated as of August 2009. Increasingly, data gathering efforts are—rightly— seeking to define more accurately the perimeters of Suspected Hazardous Areas (SHAs) and to ensure there is sufficient evidence of contamination for these SHAs to be entered into national mine action databases.

Table 1: Mine-affected states and other areas as of August 2009 (from Land Mine Monitor on Mine Action status, link, http://lm.icbl.org/lm/

Experience in many mine action programmes indicates that large areas that have been cleared were, in fact, hazard free. In many cases, the targeting of clearance assets could have been improved if appropriate surveys had been conducted. The challenge is to attempt to better define the land that contains explosive hazards so that clearance activities can be limited to those areas. In that way a more efficient use of resources and a faster land release can be achieved.


Figure 1:Demining flow chart (adapted from “A guide to mine action” 2010)

Information obtained through space and airborne remote sensing can contribute substantially to many aspects of mine action and mine clearance planning. Earth Observation satellites have been recording the earth surface in increasing resolutions from 1972 onward. Recently high-resolution images have become commercially available. Declassified high-resolution panoramic camera data from 1960 onward of many areas around the world are now also available (Day et al., 1998 (1)). These image archives provide a wealth of historical information. For topographical, map production and updating conventional aerial photography can be used. These images also provide a high spatial resolution and multi-temporal coverage. All this information can be used to support the mine action effort. In addition, indicators of mine presence can be assessed using satellite data, although often the combination of different types of data (visible, infrared and radar) and techniques is required, in order to improve the detection accuracy and reduce both commission and omission errors.

Among the different types of explosive, INSA’s study focuses on detection and clearance of landmine and Explosive Remnant of War (ERW). Explosive Remnant of War (ERW) refers mainly to ammunition and abandoned artefacts and they are usually located on the surface. They differ from Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) principally because ERW were not shouted; that implies that some action is required to induce the explosion.

At project level, INSA’s concept definition shall take into account the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) tool already available, and it shall be integrated into the architecture for the services provision. Space assets shall be a key part of the architecture, allowing filling the gaps identified with the already used technologies.

The architecture is based on a distributed configuration, following the approach of IMSMA solution. This concept is based on a network of facilities providing services at different levels of the end user organisation ranging from national centres to field facilities. Remote sensing based information will be made available at the national level, where data fusion and integration with the latest version of IMSMA would take place. This national facility is where decision makers need all the information for prioritization of regions for survey and further release effort. At regional level, regional centres or UNMAS coordinate the activities of demining organizations, which may be NGOs (Non-governmental organizations), military, commercial demining companies, or even own demining action. This intermediate level will be synchronised with the national one for information updates. Finally, filed facilities will be provided with services based on information tailored to their operational needs through either terrestrial or satellite communications depending on availability.

Although this project is a viability study, INSA is very proud to collaborate identifying the methodologies and systems, which will allow saving lives through the integrated application of space technology.

(1) Day, D.A., Logsdon, J.M., Latell, B. (1998). Eye in the sky: the story of the Corona spy satellites. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington. ISBN: 1-56098-80-4

NSR Report Forecasts EO Market Will Reach $7.7 Billion by 2019

CAMBRIDGE, MA—(Marketwire – November 30, 2010) – According to NSR’s Global Satellite-Based Earth Observation, 2nd Edition study released today, the EO market growth, size and shape are more than ever affected by government contracts, in particular from military users. They are the largest consumers of high-resolution satellite imagery, as demonstrated by the recent EnhancedView contracts from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) that will generate a majority of the EO data market revenues over the next ten years.

“The EO market continues to see growth associated with larger civil government and military segment orders for defense and intelligence, surveillance and security as well as environmental and climate change,” stated Claude Rousseau, Senior Analyst for NSR and author of the report. “Notwithstanding these two main segments, commercial and enterprise users have increased their adoption rate of EO data products and services, albeit at a slower pace.”

NSR forecasts global Earth Observation (EO) market revenues from data, value-added services and satellite manufacturing will grow to $7.7 billion by the end of 2019 at a CAGR of 3.5% over the next ten years. At the same time, the number of operational satellites will grow from 180 satellites in-orbit in 2009 to almost 240 operational satellites by the end of 2019. NSR also projects 77% of all new satellites in the coming ten years will be owned or operated by a government or military entity, confirming the dominance of public institutions on the supply side.

Many new commercial EO satellites and constellations are expected to be launched in the next 3 years with sub-meter resolution, and military users will have a big say in this growth. But as more commercial high resolution satellites continue to be launched, regulations imposed on pixel size due to national security issues will create an opportunity for new players to challenge established ones. Reliance by government and military organizations on commercial satellites has nonetheless rendered the prospect of the EO market sustainable and less prone to the ups and downs of traditional commercially-oriented markets.

With a reduction in data costs in contracts for larger volumes of imagery, the sector is seeing more government and military agencies dedicating staff to use EO, which will slow EO value added services (VAS) growth. The definite trend towards higher resolution is also having a negative effect on low and medium resolution imagery providers who try to fend-off EO data distributed by governmental organizations at a very low price.

About the Report

Global Satellite-Based Earth Observation, 2nd Edition is a multi-client report now available from NSR. The report provides a complete and comprehensive analysis of demand trends for the Earth Observation (EO) market in all regions and forecasts operational satellites and new satellite manufacturing revenues, as well as EO data and value-added services (VAS) revenues for the government/military and commercial markets for the period 2009-2019.

About NSR

NSR is an international market research and consulting firm specializing in satellite and wireless technology and applications. NSR’s primary areas of expertise include emerging technology, IP applications, and broadcast services. With extensive expertise in all regions and a number of broadband sectors, NSR is a leading provider of in-depth market insight and analyses.

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During 2010, the GMES emergency management service developed by the SAFER project has been activated 50 times in response to natural disasters (e.g. earthquake in Haiti, floods in Pakistan and Central Europe) and to industrial accidents (e.g. toxic mud spill in Hungary).

On these different occasions, SAFER provided civil protection authorities and rescue teams with rapid mapping products and thematic products supporting the emergency phase as well as the preparedness / prevention and recovery phases.

Concrete examples of the SAFER’s products are provided in the Flash Info produced by the project as well as on this website (visit the page dedicated to SAFER for more details).

Source GMES.Info

Paris, 1 December 2010 – In January 2011, a single operational management structure will be implemented, bringing together the imagery and services experts Spot Image and Infoterra to form the new GEO-Information division of Astrium Services.


  • Satellite imagery and geo-information specialists Spot Image and Infoterra, subsidiaries of Astrium Services, will combine forces to form its new GEO-Information business division
  • The GEO-Information division will now offer a unique one-stop-shop portfolio of multisource, multi-resolution optical and radar satellite imagery under the Astrium brand
  • Committed to continuity, innovation and investment with Astrium’s financial and R&D resources to fully serve the needs of customers worldwide.

With more than 25 years’ experience, the GEO-Information division will now offer a fully-consolidated product and services portfolio under the Astrium brand covering the entire geographic information services value chain: from satellite imagery to high value-added solutions.

“Astrium Services is focused on becoming the world leader in the field of geo-information solutions. Our recent commitment to financing the next generation of SPOT satellites and the current TerraSAR-X and most recent TanDEM-X missions are a clear demonstration of our ambition,” said Astrium Services’ CEO, Eric Béranger.

Patrick Le Roch, the new Divisional Managing Director of the GEO-Information division, added, “Our customers will now benefit from unrivalled expertise across the entire geo-information value chain. We will be able to respond to their complex needs with first class efficiency, worldwide.”

With this new fully-integrated management structure, customers will enjoy simplified access to Astrium’s unique extended offer of products and services provided through commercial Business Areas’ teams established on a regional basis worldwide. Timeliness, accuracy and reliability remain at the centre of the GEO-Information division’s delivery strategy. Backed by Astrium’s resources, R&D investment will continue to bring innovative products and services to wider regional and vertical markets.

Unique GEO solutions to be offered by this integrated division include:

  • Optical and radar geo-imagery. Relying on its incomparable access to numerous Earth observation satellites, Astrium Services’ GEO-Information division will continue to promote the innovative combination of both optical and radar satellite data;
  • Value-added products including 3D urban simulations and Digital Elevation Models. Access to global, highly accurate DEM coverage anywhere, regardless of relief and weather conditions is another example of a unique solution only Astrium Services can provide;
  • A set of market-oriented geo-information services for markets such as Defence and Security, Agriculture, Oil & Gas, Urban planning, Insurance and Environment;
  • Expertise to deliver complex project-based geo-information solutions – current examples including the development of a land administration and taxation system in Mauritius and the implementation of a national spatial data infrastructure for Serbia.

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Press release

The recent Space Council again demonstrated the will of Europe to boost space policies. The member states praised ESA’s good work over many decades, and reiterated the need to support the Agency as a source of Europe’s excellence and leadership in space.

Space policy is moving up on the political agenda in Europe. European space policy rests on three pillars: the member states, the EU and ESA. To reflect this, the EU’s Lisbon Treaty for the first time includes competence for the EU in the space domain.

The Space Council is the joint and concomitant meeting of the EU Council and the ESA Council at ministerial level. The 7th Space Council was held on 25 November in Brussels, under the co-presidency of Belgium (EU) and Italy (ESA). This was the first Space Council after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December 2009.

The introduction of a specific EU competence in space is positive for Europe and ESA. ESA focuses on research and development of space systems and in their applications, while the EU brings a clear picture of how space can best serve Europe’s citizens European policies and provides additional financial resources to the space programmes that implement these policies.

Minister Giuseppe Pizza of the Italian ESA Presidency emphasised this point: “The European Union is crucial for the promotion and financing of operations which will provide benefits for the citizens.

“I also want to emphasise that Europe’s excellent capacity expressed so far in the area of space policy is the result of the build-up of 30 years of experience with ESA where member states invested financial, scientific and human resources.

“Therefore, I look forward to a very fruitful role to be played by ESA in the promotion of research programmes; the development of advanced technology; innovative space systems; the development of launchers, as well as the implementation of the flagship Galileo and GMES programmes of the European Union.” GMES is Europe’s initiative for Global Monitoring for Environment and Security.

The German delegation continued on the same positive note, and also emphasised the need for continuity and the need to avoid duplication between the three pillars: “We have in ESA a wonderful, world-renowned space agency with a high level of skills, and we have some member states that are very involved in space policy,” said Peter Hintze, Parliamentary State Secretary from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

“We have to ensure that each player, each stakeholder plays their role and avoids duplication…we should not reinvent the wheel. ESA is strong and we should keep it that way,” Mr Hintze continued.

Other delegations also reflected the need for a strong ESA. Teresa Santero Quintilla, Secretary General of Industry from the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, emphasised the achievements of ESA and its precursor organisations over the last four decades to develop a competitive European space industry through a successful industrial policy: “We think it’s vital that ESA continues to be an independent, intergovernmental body subject to its own rules and in particular in terms of its industrial policy.”

Minister Pizza also touched upon the need for wider international cooperation and announced that in the wake of two previous ESA-EU space exploration conferences, held in Prague in October 2009 and Brussels in October 2010, the first high-level international platform on space exploration will be hosted in Italy next year: “Our intention is to work towards a common, long-term European vision in synergy with international partners… we are looking forward to hosting this expanded first international conference on exploration.”

The event will build upon the recent European conference on exploration to promote a united, global vision of space. All states involved in space exploration will be invited to the meeting, to be held in autumn 2011. The meeting will be in the town of Lucca, in Tuscany, an important crossroad for Italian culture and science.

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