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Polish forests cover almost 30 % of the country’s area, which is over 90 thousand sq km. State forests constitute about 78.2 % of the total forest area.

Private forests belong mainly to the individuals. Thanks to the project GSE FM Polish forest administration got an overview of both state and private forest. The project is a support to National UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol Reporting on Land Use (LU)/Land Use Change Forestry (LUCF) Activities.

GEOSYSTEMS Polska Ltd provided the pilot project in 2005 for two Polish forest districts. In March 2009 the company joined the GSE FM project at the implementation phase. The provided products of this service case include: ortho mosaics 1990 and 2006, a forest area map 1990, a forest type map 2006 (s. Fig. 1) and forest area change map 1990 / 2006. All products were elaborated for the entire Poland and are compliant with GSE FM Portfolio specifications. The generation of forest are map comprises archived Landsat TM-5 dataset around year 1990. The forest type map 2006 is derived from the Image 2006 data (SPOT-4 and 5 HRG as well as IRS-P6 LISS III). The maps have been validated by interpretation on aerial photographs for 1990 and on National Forest Inventory for 2006. In order to generate National Volume, Biomass and Carbon Statistics GEOSYSTEMS Polska cooperated with an commercial company Taxus SI Ltd from Warsaw. The Taxus prepared the data from the National Forest Inventory (The State Forests IT System) and Large Area Forest Inventory Fig. 1 Forest Type Map 2006 , Poland.

After a preparation of data biomass and carbon were calculated basing on IPCC factors. The end-users of the Polish forest case are: Ministry of Environment, Poland – Department of Climate Change and Atmosphere Protection as well as General Directorate of Environmental Protection within the frame of the project, a training concerning the GSE FM project is planned and is going to be held in a few weeks. In the future map products of GSE FM can be updated and improved by using very high resolution data.

The map products of Polish GSE FM are located in a geoportal hosted by GEOSYSTEMS on the home page. The service, featuring Web Map Service and Web Coverage Service of ERDAS APOLLO 2010, enables a displaying of data for an area indicated in the web browser. Moreover the project enables both the downloading of data for a selected area, as well as seeing attributes for a chosen layer (s. Fig. 2).

Fig.2 GSE FM service catalogue

GEOSYSTEMS Polska Sp. z o. o.
ul. Smolna 38 lok. 5
00-375 Warszawa, Poland
www.geosystems.pl

Remote Sensing Application Center – ReSAC finalized the first step in creation of database for wetlands and standing water bodies in Bulgaria. Digitalisation of more than 10 500 objects is completed and the database is the first in the country which uses EO data for mapping and monitoring water resources. The prepared database could serve as a reference layer in different national activities, as well as in EU programmes such as GMES.

For achieving the purposes of building the National Web database the following tasks were defined:

  • mapping of standing water bodies such as lakes, reservoirs, fish ponds, etc.
  • mapping of wetlands such as swamps, morasses, bogs, etc.
  • passporting of standing water bodies and wetlands

The database answers the following requirements:

  • assistance in forecasting flood hazard
  • support the decision making process in risk management
  • possibility for receiving the newest and actual information for the condition of water bodies (abounding in water, drained, shape and other)

Fast mapping of wetlands and standing water bodies was performed in scale range 1:10 000 to 1:25 000 over the whole territory of the Republic of Bulgaria, which is approximately 111 000 sq. km. Satellite images from SPOT with spatial resolution 5 m from years 2002 until 2006 were used for the purposes of the project. Satellite images from Landsat with spatial resolution 30 m from 2009-2010 were also used, where it was possible to observe whether the water body exists at the present moment, it has been drained temporarily or it doesn’t already exist.

Topographic maps in scale 1:25 000 were also used. When it is impossible to recognize the water body from the satellite images (it has too small area or it has been drained), but it exists on the topographic map, it is digitized on it.

In addition, for specific territories of the country VHR satellite images and orthophoto published on the website of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works was used to map the most important water reservoirs in scale 1:10 000.

As a result of the mapping more than 10 500 water bodies in the whole country were mapped in scale 1:25 000 (Fig.1).


Fig 1.Distribution of water bodies in Bulgaria

The water bodies on the territory of Bulgaria according to their area are divided into five classes:
≤ 0.5 ha, representing 40 % of the total number of water bodies
0.6 ha ÷ 10 ha, representing 52 % of the total number of water bodies
10.1 ha ÷ 100 ha, representing 7 % of the total number of water bodies
100.1 ÷ 1000 ha, representing 0.8 % of the total number of water bodies
≥ 1000 ha, representing 0.2 % of the total number of water bodies

In the process of comparison of the results from satellite interpretation and topographic maps it was realized that many “new” water bodies exist (they exist on satellite images but not on the topographic maps). The same was valid for the “old” water bodies (they existed on the topographic maps but not on the satellite images). This information was also included in the attributes.

The next step, after digitizing, was to be created attributive data towards graphic objects as the first received data were geographic coordinates and the area of the water body. It was inserted date of the image, from which the water body has been seen for last and the date of the image, from which the water body was mapped.

The other information is also the name of the water body, its location, watershed, some important abiotic factors, species composition, protection status and others, structured in the form of informative passport of water bodies.

With reference to the National System for Environmental Monitoring, it is important to monitor the status of wetlands, as well as the changes in their land use. The following example shows the land cover changes of a wetland, that are followed in three different years (Fig.2).


Fig.2 Historical overview of land use change in wetland “Chepintsi pit”

Ideas for future development of the project are pointed in the following directions:

  • Building a National Web database to perform additional hydrologic and hydraulic analysis
    •Relationship with actual data for river flows;
    •Data for the distance between water bodies and settlements;
    •Identification of local watersheds and their characteristics (area, % land cover, relief and others);
    •Methodology for linking database with hydrometric and meteorological data – from the relevant stations;
  • Completing passporting with attributes in terms of risk, disaster and accidents
  • Other tasks as required by end users

Water bodies mapping with the use of satellite images is very fast method for identifying and defining water bodies location and area. What is more, this method gives most updated and actual information for the water bodies status (high water level, shape, etc.). This information is very important when the dynamics of the water bodies for a longer period of time is analyzed, as well as for the photo revision of the topographic maps. The database is multifunctional and it can be used by a wide range of specialists such as cartographers, ecologists, biologists, hydrologists, hydrogeologists and decision makers. This information system is built to provide consumers with scientific and available information, which to contribute to sustainable policy for managing water resources within the territory of Bulgaria.

Part of the database was used in SAFER FP7 project in which ReSAC is partner, to update the information sources needed for Plain Flood Risk management and Assets Mapping.

For more information:
ReSAC

The government has decided to provide yen loans of up to 40 billion yen in official development assistance to Vietnam for its space exploration program, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

It would be the first time Japan’s ODA would be allocated for space development. The loans of between 35 billion yen and 40 billion yen will reportedly be spent on three projects—an Earth-based space center, two observation satellites and the training of engineers.

The final decision on the project will be made this month at a ministerial meeting on packaged assistance for overseas infrastructure projects, and an agreement should be reached with the Vietnamese government in June, according to sources.

The government wants to enhance the global reputation of Japan’s space technology and also hopes the project will lead to more industrial development in Japan, observers said.

According to government officials, Japan expects to be awarded all three projects. The government aims to conclude an official contract this autumn.

The space center will be built at the currently under-construction Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, which is about 30 kilometers west of Hanoi. The center will house a testing facility for satellite assembly, a satellite operation and data-analysis facility and a large bidirectional antenna 7 meters in diameter.

One of the two Earth observation satellites will be manufactured in Japan and loaded onto an H-2A rocket to be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture in 2017. Japanese private space development firms and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will train Vietnamese technicians on satellite production and operation, as well as data analysis.

The other satellite will be made by these Japan-trained engineers, with production expected to start from around 2019. Japan will send components and engineers to Vietnam for the project for a planned launch in 2020.

The Southeast Asian country is long and thin, stretching from north to south with an unstable climate and complex environment prone to typhoons and floods. Vietnam has long made use of observational data from a French satellite. However, the Vietnamese government is said to have a strong desire for its own satellites to monitor weather for potential natural disasters.

The Japan External Trade Organization has conducted research to determine the possibility of helping Vietnam obtain their own satellite. Vietnam officially asked Japan to support its space program with ODA in April 2009.

===

Japan lags Europe, China
By Keiko Chino / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer

The government’s decision to utilize yen loans for Vietnam’s space development is taking its ODA policy boldly where no Japanese ODA has gone before.

Official development assistance previously focused on infrastructure development. Projects such as artificial satellites or rocket development had been excluded because space exploration was regarded as a “luxury.” Many government officials felt that assistance for essential bridges and roads should be given priority.

However, satellite observation data plays an important role these days in predicting and minimizing the effect of natural disasters. This was a key factor behind the government’s change of stance. “Assistance that uses Japanese space technology will benefit the nation’s diplomacy,” a government official said.

Many leading countries in space exploration are tapping emerging countries to expand their market. Last year, Japan started selling satellites to Africa and Latin America through joint efforts by the public and private sectors. However, Japan lags behind Europe and China.

Vietnam obtained its first communications satellite in 2008 and is constructing a data reception facility. It hopes to launch an Earth observation satellite in 2013 using ODA from France. A further delay in Japan’s involvement in the space exploration industry could be fatal to its success overseas.

France’s support to Vietnam is unlikely to extend to technical transfers or training of engineers. Japan’s comprehensive support to Vietnam’s space development will be a crucial step for this nation as it seeks to break into the space development market.

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Source

17 – 18 March 2011, Sofia, Bulgaria

The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria together with Bulgarian organizations and institutions among which the Remote Sensing Application Centre (ReSAC), with the support of the European Commission and under the overall coordination of the Bulgarian Information Office for EO – GMES, are organizing the Second Earth Observation-Global Monitoring for Environment and Security Operational Capacity Workshop which will take place on the 17 – 18 March, 2011 in Sheraton Hotel, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Website
PROGRAMME

The aim of the OBSERVE project is to collect and compile all the necessary information for delivering an integrated analysis on the current status of EO activities and networks in the Balkans regarding environmental monitoring, the potential benefit from the full exploitation of an integrated capacity development strategy and the prospect of creating a relevant permanent EO Community in the broader region.

Quick Facts Sheet

-Acronym: Observe
-Full Title: Strengthening and development of Earth Observation activities for the environment in the Balkan area
-Website: http://www.observe-fp7.eu
-Funding scheme: Coordination Action
Theme: ENV.2010.4.1.4-1
Identification and Networking of EO activities in the Balkan area
Starting Date: November 1, 2010
Duration: 24 months
Funding: 999.465,00 €
Coordinator: Prof. Petros Patias, The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece [patias@auth.gr]

Participant organisation

-Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
-Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry – ETH Zurich, Switzerland
-University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
-GeoImaging Ltd, Cyprus
-Infometria Ltd, Greece
-Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
-University of Haifa, Israel
-University of Belgrade, Serbia
-University of Architecture, Civil Engineering & Geodesy, Bulgaria
-Polytechnic University of Tirana, Albania
-University of Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina
-GEOSAT Ltd, Croatia
-The Remote Sensing Technology Institute – German Aerospace Center, Germany
-GISDATA Ltd, Serbia
-Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

The concept

Balkan countries do not have a coherent and continuous approach towards the challenge of implementing integrated Earth Observation (EO) applications in environmental monitoring and management. It should be mentioned that the Balkan countries, except Greece, are not ESA members. Besides, Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria, FYROM, Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina are also not members of the GEO.

The defect in the implementation of EO applications and their use in the environmental decision making are manifested through the limited synergies among national and regional institutions, ineffective technological means and discontinuous record of participation to international organizations and committees.

On the other hand, the increasing importance of a common approach towards effective environmental monitoring practices, for the benefit of the societal web of the broader Balkan region, calls for immediate action, setting as a starting point the built up of regional institutional capacity and spillage of technology transfer.

The aim of the OBSERVE project is to collect and compile all the necessary information for delivering an integrated analysis on the current status of EO activities and networks in the Balkans regarding environmental monitoring, the potential benefit from the full exploitation of an integrated capacity development strategy and the prospect of creating a relevant permanent EO Community in the broader region. OBSERVE project has the ultimate goal to raise awareness and establish firm links with the regional decision making bodies on the importance of a mutual and enhanced EO application network on environmental monitoring according to the principles of the GEO.

An additional key objective is to ensure a focused and strong dissemination strategy in the Balkan region. This includes EO and environmental decision makers, as well as national and regional government decision makers, the international research community, local stakeholders, the media and other valuable “multipliers”.

The OBSERVE project consortium consists of:
15 institutions from
13 different countries
8 of which belong to the Balkan region
10 of the partners are Universities/Research Organizations while the other
5 are from private sector.

The Vision

OBSERVE has the vision of establishing a new Balkan EO community of multilevel stakeholders that will make use of state of the art technological developments, products and knowhow from the existing European EO community and industry.

Strategic Objectives

-Build a spatial database and web inventory with all existing dynamic elements related to the scope of the relevant analysis in order to reinforce new synergies in EO solutions for the benefit of environment;
-Raise awareness on the need to harmonize policies and practices in the field EO applications in order to address the challenges described by the GEO societal benefit areas;
-Serve as an efficient mechanism for recording, monitoring and influencing policy in EO;
-Favour exploitation and development of EO activities and ensure coordination of these activities for the benefit of natural resources management;
-Promote the idea of permanent institutional links and mutual cooperation between Balkan states in the field of EO for environmental management;
-Ensure free access of Balkan countries to all advantages of Earth Observation techniques;
-Promote cooperation between Balkan States in the fields of training and sharing of staff and experiences in all aspects of EO.

LES MUREAUX, FRANCE — The head of Europe’s Astrium space hardware and services provider on Jan. 12 said his company is hunting for Earth observation services acquisition targets in the United States.

Astrium Chief Executive Francois Auque said bolstering the Astrium Services division’s Earth observation profile to sell imagery in the United States is a priority, and that Astrium is confident its parent company, EADS, will give it the resources needed to expand.

“It is clear that the U.S. is on our radar screen,” Auque said of a possible acquisition during a briefing with reporters at Astrium’s Space Transportation facility here.

EADS Chief Executive Louis Gallois, addressing reporters earlier here, said the company’s cash reserve of more than 10 billion euros ($13 billion) likely would be used to fund acquisitions in 2011, especially since the company’s Airbus commercial aircraft division is growing so fast.

Gallois has said EADS would like a 50-50 revenue balance between Airbus and non-Airbus activity, a goal that has been made more difficult because of the Airbus expansion.

Auque said EADS in 2010 permitted Astrium to spend 450 million euros on internal research and development, small additions to its physical infrastructure, the purchase of a Skynet 5D military telecommunications satellite and the purchase of two optical Earth observation satellites, Spot 6 and Spot 7.

Astrium Services has ordered a Skynet 5D satellite following an extension, to 2022, of its long-term services contract with the British Ministry of Defence. The company also is financing, for an estimated 300 million euros, the development and launch of the Spot 6 and Spot 7 Earth observation spacecraft following a French government decision not to share development costs. The government had financed all or most of the previous Spot spacecraft.

Auque said Astrium is worried that commercial Earth observation — an industry that was all but invented in France — is changing its shape following a 10-year, $7.3 billion contract from the U.S. government to two Astrium competitors, GeoEye and DigitalGlobe of the United States.

Astrium’s Earth observation services division, which includes Spot Image of Toulouse, France, and Infoterra of Britain and Germany, continues to grow its revenue base but has been held back because of the long delay in the launch of two French Pleiades high-resolution optical Earth observation satellites.

Both Pleiades satellites, financed by the French government, have reserved capacity for commercial and government customers and were designed for launch, one at a time, aboard the European version of Russia’s Soyuz rocket. That vehicle’s inauguration at Europe’s French Guiana spaceport has been delayed repeatedly, forcing delays in the Pleiades launch and depriving Spot Image of the expected revenue.

Astrium’s investments in 2010 investments also included its purchase of Jena-Optronik GmbH of Germany, the space division of Jenoptik; and a majority share in German ground hardware manufacturer ND Satcom.

In what Auque said is proof of EADS’s faith in Astrium’s future, the company has agreed to permit Astrium to spend 10 million euros in 2011, as it did in 2010, continuing to perfect the design and identify customers for a suborbital space plane for wealthy adventurers.

Astrium and EADS have not yet closed their 2010 financial accounts but Auque said Astrium will report 2010 revenue of about 5 billion euros, up 4 percent from 2009. New orders totaled some 6 billion euros, up 43 percent over 2009 once a 4.1 billion-euro order for Ariane 5 rockets is removed from the 2009 figures.

Total Astrium backlog at the end of 2010 stood at about 15.8 billion euros, up 7 percent over where it was in 2009.

Auque said 2010 was a better year for Astrium than he had expected, but that 2011, with government space spending in Europe likely to come under heavy pressure, will be a difficult year.

One possible major 2011 contract, for which Astrium will be competing against its French-Italian rival, Thales Alenia Space, will be the French government’s long-discussed plan to sell its Syracuse 3 military satellite telecommunications system, including the Syracuse satellites in orbit, to a private operator. The government then would purchase telecommunications services from the operator in a multiyear agreement similar to what the British Defence Ministry has done with Astrium’s Paradigm division.

Source

University of Leicester is hub of new €3.5m research centre using satellite technologies to tackle environmental issues.

The University of Leicester is to launch a new €3.5m research centre that will train a new breed of hi-tech environmental researchers for the future – skilled in using the latest satellite technologies to tackle pressing environmental issues.

The new centre will also lead to development of new methods for research and addressing disaster relief following landslides and floods as well as for climate change monitoring, protection of tropical rainforests, lake water quality measuring and coastal erosion.

The University of Leicester was chosen to lead the project as it is a world leader for space research and satellite monitoring and is internationally recognised for its cutting edge research training in remote sensing.

The new European Centre of Excellence in Earth Observation Research Training, GIONET, will develop better methods for monitoring climate change, environmental disasters and land cover change.

With the changes in the planet and its climate, reliable, thorough and up-to-date environmental information is essential for understanding these changes, the impact they have on people’s lives and how to handle them.

Coordinator of the project, Professor Heiko Balzter, Head of the Department of Geography, commented:

“GIONET will lead to better satellite monitoring methods to control tropical deforestation, help people affected by natural disasters and adapt to climate change.”

GIONET will also satisfy the demand for more researchers and provide skilled personnel for the European Earth observation programme Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) land monitoring and emergency services.

Professor Balzter, who has contributed to the development of the European land monitoring from space since the very inception of GMES, commented:

“GIONET is training 14 young researchers in satellite remote sensing over the next 4 years. These young scientists will become the research leaders of tomorrow.

“They will be placed in industry and Universities and experience working abroad, as well as getting the best technical training and scientific education.

“At the same time each student will work on a research project and make a practical impact on our ability to monitor the planet from satellite.”

“Each full GIONET partner organisation is looking to recruit the brightest research students out there, who can really make a big impact on our future satellite monitoring capability,” added Professor Balzter.

Funded by European Commission, Framework Programme 7 and Marie Curie Programme, GIONET is collaboration between international partners from the private and public sector:

  • University of Leicester (Coordinator)
  • Infoterra UK Ltd.
  • Gamma Remote Sensing AG, Switzerland
  • Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, Warsaw, Poland
  • Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
  • Balaton Limnological Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
  • German Aerospace Research Establishment
  • DEFiNiENS AG, Germany
  • Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Ispra, Italy
  • ITT Visual Information Solutions Ltd., UK
  • SpectoNatura, UK

The consortium coordinator is Prof. Balzter (Geography), and contributions to the training programme are made by the G-STEP project (GMES Space Technology Exchange Partnership; Director Prof. Paul Monks, Chemistry, Deputy Director Prof. John Remedios, Physics and Astronomy).

Source

After a cross-country road trip, NASA’s Glory climate monitoring satellite arrived at a California military base Tuesday in preparation for a Feb. 23 launch on a Taurus rocket.


The $424 million mission will study the link between climate, the sun and atmospheric aerosols. Launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a Taurus XL rocket will propel Glory into polar orbit to join the “A-train” formation of Earth observation satellites at an altitude of 438 miles.

Next month’s mission is the first flight of the Taurus rocket since a launch mishap brought down another NASA climate satellite in February 2009. The launcher’s nose cone did not jettison as planned in that flight, weighing down the rocket as it soared into space and preventing it from reaching the required speed for orbit.

NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory spacecraft was lost in the failure.

A NASA board of inquiry could not identify a specific reason for the anomaly, but officials noted four possible issues that could have caused the fairing separation failure. The board also recommended corrective actions.

Glory will use an identical version of the Taurus as OCO.

Officials have cleared the Taurus rocket to launch Glory, according to Sarah DeWitt, a spokesperson at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, which manages the mission.

The launch vehicle readiness review was held Dec. 6, DeWitt told Spaceflight Now.

Glory’s launch was delayed more than a year after the Taurus launch failure. A problem with one of the spacecraft’s solar array drive assemblies forced another schedule slip from last fall.

The satellite was shipped to California by truck over the weekend from Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va. Orbital built the spacecraft and is Glory’s launch provider.

Preparations are on track for liftoff Feb. 23 at 1009 GMT (5:09 a.m. EST; 2:09 a.m. local time).

Crews will move the first segment of the four-stage Taurus rocket to the launch pad Jan. 18. The upper three stages will go to the pad Jan. 25, according to NASA.

Technicians will do final testing on the Glory payload and fill the spacecraft with hydrazine propellant later this month. The satellite will be enclosed inside the rocket’s clamshell-like payload fairing and transported to the launch pad in the first week of February.

Engineers working inside a tent will attach the nose cone to the Taurus upper stage, then a crane will lift the top segment of the rocket atop the first stage booster Feb. 15, a NASA press release said.

Glory’s mission is expected to last at least three years, collecting data on the sun’s influence on the climate and microscopic particles in the atmosphere.

“The scientific knowledge gained from Glory will have a significant impact on our understanding of natural and human influences on climate,” said Hal Maring, Glory program scientist at NASA Headquarters.

Source

An early warning system could increase our capacity to manage natural disasters.

We now know that, as flash floods devastated southern Queensland, tens of thousands of people had no warning that the waters were on their way until it was too late – in the case of Toowoomba, some six hours after the floods had hit.

This is unnecessary. Australia should have an early warning system that would allow authorities to predict flash floods and give a timely warning to people in the path of danger.
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One of the great challenges in dealing with flooding over vast areas is knowing what the big picture looks like. Another is getting that information quickly enough to make it useful to people working on the front lines of disaster response.

The best way to get the information is from space, yet Australia is one of the few developed nations not to have its own Earth-observation satellite or weather satellite.

The most recent Defence white paper identified the need for such a satellite. This is a big investment, but starting with a relatively small investment of about $5 million in a purpose-built satellite ground receiving station would give us the capacity that Australia urgently needs to effectively deal with natural disasters.

Since late December, my colleagues and I have been supplying Queensland emergency authorities with high-resolution satellite radar imagery of the flood zones. We have had to rely on radar images taken by Earth-observation satellites owned by the Italian space agency.

This has meant delays of up to six hours while our researchers wait for the satellites that have imaged the Australian disaster zone to pass over European ground stations to download their data. They then have to wait for the large volume of data, in the order of one to five gigabytes, to be decoded at the overseas facility and be delivered back to Australia via the internet so we can process the data into usable intelligence for our emergency authorities.

If we had our own receiving station we could obtain the data almost instantly. With our current capacity the overall delay could be comfortably reduced to less than three hours and, with some further work on the automation of data processing, it could be cut to less than 30 minutes.

Satellite radar can do what our weather satellites, equipped with only optical cameras, cannot – penetrate cloud, smoke and haze and take images day and night to track how quickly water is moving. For researchers it’s also a vital tool to benchmark and verify flood-prediction models.

The benefits of being able to provide these near real-time maps are enormous, not only for flood monitoring but for other natural disasters such as bushfires and earthquakes.

The University of New South Wales has been called upon by various agencies in recent years to assist in emergency responses to a number of major natural disasters because of its cutting-edge research into mapping disaster zones. For example, after the Sichuan earthquakes we assisted Chinese authorities by rapidly developing ground deformation maps of the quake zone with data obtained from Japanese and European satellites.

A state-of-the-art ground station would elevate Australia to super user status, allowing our researchers to enjoy high-priority programming of overseas satellites.

Emergency management agencies now rely heavily on aerial surveillance for intelligence of disasters such as floods, bushfires and oil spills. Timely intelligence from space will keep the aerial surveillance flights to a minimum, not only sparing more air space for aircraft used for firefighting (in the case of bushfires) and evacuation and resupply to isolated communities (in the case of floods), but also bringing significant cost savings.

Australia has been left far behind in terms of Earth observation from space in comparison to the US, Europe, Japan, China and Canada. The government has already made the right decision to invest in the Australian Space Research Program – and, yes, we urgently need our own high-resolution radar satellite – but in the meantime why not make the small investment that could make such a difference to our capacity to manage natural disasters.

Linlin Ge is an associate professor in the UNSW School of Surveying and Spatial Information Systems.

Source

As we enter 2011, it looks to me to be an exciting year in prospect certainly for me and I hope for EARSC and its members too. I really look forward to the challenge to help this young and dynamic industry grow. As you will have read, I have a long association with Earth Observation from designing satellites to creating programmes (GMES). I also have a long association with EARSC being an early chairman when it was just getting going and a director up until last year.

I think therefore I have a good knowledge of this industry and the market and I am very excited to become the Secretary General at this important time. I have many ideas to take the industry forward – because it cannot be my objective just to develop the Association. This would be to put the cart before the horse since it is clear that EARSC exists to serve its members. If there is a strong EO industry then there can be a strong EARSC. But we need to present the arguments for the industry in the strongest possible way and this is where EARSC must act. We need to develop together and this will be my goal.

With the Board of Directors I have agreed a work plan and targets for 2011 which includes raising the awareness of the industry, developing links to other industries so opening new business opportunities, and to continue to focus the Eovox 2 study to support EO industry goals. During the year I hope to review the longer term goals and strategy for the Association and for this I should like your input.

This industry is like no other. It has a lot of very small and young companies operating in specialised fields alongside a few larger companies. Both are essential for a healthy sector. The small companies start from a clever idea, most likely in a very narrow and specialised domain. If the idea is successful, the company will grow to become a bigger operator or to be taken over by one of the bigger ones. This cycle can only refresh if the larger companies exist alongside the small ones. If there are no large companies then this would indicate that the market was no longer interesting. Meanwhile, new companies are constantly appearing.

Therefore it seems to me that the industry structure in EO shows a healthy sector, dynamic and looking to grow. EARSC can help that process. As I say, I have many ideas but I would welcome your ideas as well. I believe that we should focus as much on a commercial market as an institutional one. We cannot deny that governments are important to our industry – as they are important for the whole space industry – but recognise also that our industry is important to governments. Not only do we provide critical information to help policy development but we can also provide significant economic benefits.

One of the first things I should like is to hear what you want from me. If I haven’t called or talked with you already then I shall be doing so. But there is no need to wait! If you have specific ideas for where EARSC can add value for your company, then let me know. Please call or write as you prefer and I shall welcome the exchange. This message is not just for EARSC members. As I said a few lines up the page, the EO and geo-information industry is important for governments so I would welcome suggestions from other stakeholders if there are topics you believe that EARSC should address.

Monica and I shall seek to give a significant boost to EARSC in 2011. For the longer term we shall set out our plans and priorities for review and agreement with the Board. This has already started when the EARSC Board held a joint meeting with ESA just before Xmas where it was already clear that there are many initiatives to develop. But there are surely others that are missing and I really want to hear your ideas.

Have a healthy and successful new year,
Geoff

Geoff Sawyer
EARSC Secretary General

Eomag_Editorial, Issue 24_Winter 20102011.pdf