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The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) is a trade association based in Brussels. Whilst remaining a membership focused organisation, EARSC has recently been successfully winning contracts to expand its activities to support the industry which it represents. In consequence we are now seeking an Analyst/Project Manager to join our team.

EARSC is a non-profit trade association working on behalf of the geospatial information services industry in Europe; in particular the EO services sector which comprises companies generating information using satellite imagery. Established 27 years ago, today, EARSC has 100 members from throughout Europe.

The Analyst/Project Manager will work in a small team of people, responsible to the EARSC secretary general and ultimately to the EARSC Board of Directors. The job will involve working with the various stakeholders of Copernicus, of developing a strategic picture of the relationships amongst the key players and of developing relationships with those players.

Download the Analyst job description

If you are interested, please send a letter of motivation (in English) and a CV to info@earsc.org.

Deimos Imaging and its parent company UrtheCast Corp., announced the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement with Beijing Space View Technology Co. Ltd. (“Space View”), a leading provider of remote sensing satellite data and geospatial information services based in China, for the mutual global distribution of their respective product portfolios on December 4, 2017.

Space View and Deimos Imaging’s leadership at the China Siwei Headquarters. From left to right: Xu Lily, CEO at Space View, Zhao Jun, Vice President at China Siwei, Xu Wen, President at China Siwei, Fabrizio Pirondini, CEO at Deimos Imaging, Jamie Ritchie, Business Development Director at Deimos Imaging and UrtheCast.

The space assets of Deimos Imaging and Space View include Deimos-1, Deimos-2 and the satellite SuperView constellation, of which currently 4 satellites have been launched, resulting in a wide portfolio of medium, high and very high-resolution satellites. These assets are complimentary and are expected to provide customers with an exceptional level of decision making data, and to create unique and valuable benefits across a diverse group of sectors while strengthening the positions of both companies in their respective markets.

This collaboration will ensure a daily global imaging capability, with multiple revisit opportunities per day over any target. This is key for a wide range of applications, especially those requiring a frequent monitoring over the same area of interest and a real-time response, such as emergency services, border and maritime surveillance and defence and security.

“We are very excited about the strategic cooperation with UrtheCast to expand our international reach, and for new users to explore the potential of our large multi resolution constellation” said Lily Xu, CEO of Space View. “Together with Urthecast’s Earth Observation company, Deimos Imaging, I fully believe our combined experience, history and future strategic ambitions align to support both our upcoming constellations.”

“We are delighted to join Space View in a collaboration that, we believe, can significantly accelerate strategic decision making for a wide range of end users” said Fabrizio Pirondini, CEO at Deimos Imaging. “This agreement confirms the importance of partnerships and alliances with other stakeholders to provide our customers with fast, ready to use solutions tailored to their needs. Focusing our greatly expanded scale of Earth Observation imagery data on our customers’ needs, will rapidly expand the potential to create unique value-added products for our clients.”

Deimos Imaging, its parent company UrtheCast Corp., and SI Imaging Services (“SIIS”), a leading provider of remote sensing satellite data and exclusive worldwide marketing and sales representative of the KOMPSAT series, announced the signing of an agreement for the mutual global distribution of their respective product portfolios on December 21, 2017.

The space assets of Deimos Imaging and SIIS include Deimos-1, Deimos-2 and the KOMPSAT series KOMPSAT-2, KOMPSAT-3, KOMPSAT-3A and KOMPSAT-5, resulting in a wide portfolio of X-band SAR and optical data in a wide range of resolutions, from 22 m to 0.4 m per pixel.

The combination of radar with very high-resolution optical imagery will allow observation of the Earth day and night, regardless of weather conditions, and is intended to provide a constant asset monitoring service. This is key for a wide range of applications, especially those requiring frequent monitoring over the same area of interest and real-time response, such as emergency services, border and maritime surveillance and defence and security.

Additionally, this collaboration is expected to provide customers with an exceptional level of decision making data, and to create a unique and crucial benefit for users in various sectors while strengthening the positions of both companies in their respective markets.

“We are delighted to be an authorized distributor for Deimos Imaging”, said Mr. Wookhyun Choi, Vice President at SIIS. “This is a great opportunity to broaden our reach and widen our geospatial data distribution options, as we are introducing Deimos Imaging’s imagery to our resellers while presenting KOMPSAT to their networks. This will allow us to provide our customers with more precise answers to their needs.”

“We are very pleased to be partnering with SIIS as this collaboration supports and strengthens our data strategy to meet a growing range of customer needs by providing them with fast, customized and ready-to-use solutions”, said Fabrizio Pirondini, CEO at Deimos Imaging. “This agreement confirms the importance of partnerships and alliances with other stakeholders to significantly accelerate decision making in a great variety of fields. In addition, this joint service increases our portfolio of sensors and our market reach with new geo-intelligence products thanks to the combination of SAR and very high resolution optical data.”

The assets of SIIS now combine with the recent strategic partners aligned with Deimos Imaging, resulting in a multi satellite, multi resolution virtual constellation, to deliver imagery services and geo-analytic applications to customers globally. These strong partnerships are designed as ‘win-win’ to secure the success and sustainability of all the partners involved in the ever developing and growing Earth Observation industry.

Dubai is one of the most rapidly developing cities in the world. This growth has a big impact on the natural environment, natural resources and native habitats.

Satellite Earth Observation (EO) data has long been an important source of information for measuring and monitoring impacts on the natural environment. However, producing geospatial information for large areas from EO data is time consuming and costly.

Now EO data can be analysed at much greater speed with automated processes and intelligent algorithms. Ordnance Survey and Deimos Space UK worked with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai to automate the production of geospatial information from satellite EO, to produce an interoperable data model in which to store this information. The project was supported by the UK Space Agency and BEIS, as part of the Gulf Science, Innovation and Knowledge Economy Programme.

What were the challenges?

  • Measuring and monitoring impacts on resources and the natural environment
  • Tracking the growth and health of important vegetation
  • Providing reliable data to ensure correct subsidy payments to farmers
  • Maximising data production efficiency and value from satellite EO data
  • Creating an interoperable data storage capability and strategy to align with other Dubai data initiatives

What was the solution?
The project automated the production of geospatial information, based on satellite data, which can be used by other government departments to aid planning and monitor change. Palm trees and mangroves were the focus for the project based on their cultural and economic value, their impact on the environment and the ecosystem services they provide.

Ordnance Survey and Deimos Space UK developed a prototype palm tree and mangrove feature extraction and counting algorithm using state of the art deep learning techniques and an interoperable data model to store the data and easily share it with other government departments.
Ordnance Survey also created a Spatial Data Infrastructure Strategy for MBRSC which will ensure the data they produce will meet the requirements of the wider Dubai geospatial sector and align with the latest developments in the Dubai Spatial Data Infrastructure.

What was the outcome?

  • The automatic production of geospatial information with equivalent or greater accuracy compared to current manual processes
  • Efficiency savings in data production (time and cost)
  • Provision of more frequent data updates for better measurement and monitoring
  • A platform independent, interoperable vegetation index data model
  • Greater understanding of stakeholder requirements of MBRSC data and alignment to wider Dubai initiatives such as Smart Dubai

Source Ordonance Survey

URBANFLUXES is a Horizon 2020 funded space research project, coordinated by the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (Greece).

After a three-years period of intensive work towards meeting the ambitious scientific objectives, URBANFLUXES is now concluded. It introduced novel ideas on how the different components of the Urban Energy Budget (UEB) can be observed from space, thereby generating new Earth Observation (EO) opportunities of benefit to climate change mitigation/ adaptation and civil protection.

Read more about the project’s achievements

URBANFLUXES developed methodologies for estimating urban energy fluxes using satellite data notably Copernicus Sentinels data.

Read the Copernicus Sentinels for Urban Energy Fluxes

On April, 19-20, 2018 COMNEWS holds the 10th International Conference SATELLITE RUSSIA & CIS 2018 in Moscow, Russia.

The conference SATELLITE RUSSIA & CIS is the only event in Russia focusing on satellite communications and broadcasting, manufacturing spacecrafts, rockets and space equipment, spacecraft launch services, space funding and insurance. SATELLITE RUSSIA & CIS is annually attended by the representatives of all competitive companies from each market segment: from spacecraft development, manufacturing and launch services to fixed and mobile communication services and Earth remote sensing. For more information please visit http://www.comnews-conferences.ru/en/conference/satellite2018

Topics to be discussed during the conference:

  • Overview of satellite services market in Russia, Europe and the world
  • Satellite communication networks in the era of the new industrial revolution (Industry 4.0)
  • Practical coexistence and cooperation of national and international players in the Russian market
  • Joint manufacturing of space equipment in Russia: aspects of partners’ teamwork
  • National production of spacecrafts, carrier rockets and related devices/components/modules
  • Development of VSAT market and new opportunities for satellite broadband
  • Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite broadcasting: on the way to Ultra HD 4K and 8K
  • Funding for space programs: loans, insurance, legal issues
  • Satellite communications for socially and politically important regions of Russia
  • Internetworking of mobile satellite networks and landline cellular networks
  • Private investment into space: low Earth orbit satellite communication systems, new launch vehicles
  • Practical application of Earth remote sensing systems and geo-information systems in Russia

The conference SATELLITE RUSSIA & CIS 2018 will be joined by regulatory authorities, CEOs of the Russian and foreign satellite operators, television and radio companies, broadcast network operators, satellite and space equipment manufacturers, launch service providers, financial and insurance companies, consultants, industry-specialized and business journalists, as well as corporate customers using satellite communication services.

15 December 2017. South Africa’s first United Nations symposium on small satellite technology attended by some 140 delegates from 33 countries drew to a close this week on the campus of Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Rei Kawashima (UNISEC-Global), Francois Denner (SCS Aerospace Group), Pontsho Maruping (South African Council of Space Affairs), Herman Steyn (Stellenbosch University), Sias Mostert (SCS Aerospace Group)

This first-ever focus on Africa’s satellite industry held over 5 days was hailed by one and all as a great success not only in providing a forum for exchanging ideas between the continent’s leading satellite manufacturers but also to engage with international industry leaders.

The symposium titled ‘Small satellite missions for scientific and technologic advancement’ was sponsored by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, the South African Departments of Science and Technology (DST) and Trade and Industry (the dti), the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA).

It was fittingly hosted by Stellenbosch University where the development of South Africa and Africa’s first home-grown satellite Sunsat was started in 1992 and launched in 1999 with the assistance of NASA. Equally fitting was the fact that Prof Herman Steyn, head of the university’s Satellite Engineering Research Group, and co-ordinator of this symposium also worked on the Sunsat project as a young engineer 25 years ago.

“We were especially pleased to have delegates from all the Africa countries who developed their own satellites to date. Africa now boasts 8 spacefaring nations which are Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia, Kenya, Ghana and of course South Africa,” says Prof. Steyn.

Ms Pontsho Maruping, chairperson of the South African Council of Space Affairs (SACSA) was equally delighted with the outcome of the event: “It is the first time an event of this nature took place on our continent. We appreciate the regional focus on Africa’s space industry. It gave Africa’s small sat space community a platform to collaborate and exchange ideas,” she said. SACSA operates under the Minister of Trade and Industry, exercises regulatory functions in the South African space industry including giving the Minister advice on all space-related matters.

In his wrap-up at the symposium of South Africa’s first 25 years in space, Dr. Sias Mostert, also a member of the original Sunsat team and nowadays Executive Chairman of the SCS Aerospace Group (SCSAG), pointed out that South Africa now has the ability to manufacture up to 80% of small satellite components locally. This was proven by SCSAG’s successfully operating nSight1 satellite recently launched from the International Space Station with 28 other satellites in the QB50 project co-ordinated by the European Space Agency.

Prof Steyn is confident that the symposium will lead to bigger co-operation between the African countries and also expressed the hope that it paves the way for a co-ordinated space program in South Africa ultimately driven by champions at the highest government levels.

This report was compiled by freelance journalist Anthony Penderis.

As part of the ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI), a toolbox has been released for the easy access, visualisation, analysis and processing of ESA climate data. The CCI Toolbox v1.0, which we call Cate, also facilitates the melding together of different climate indicators.

Where does the data come from?

The CCI programme produces the most complete and consistent possible time series of multi-sensor global satellite data products for climate research and modelling. It does this by making full use of the long-term global Earth Observation archives that ESA, together with its member states, have established over the last 40 years, as a contribution to the climate databases required by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The CCI brings together European expertise in Earth Observation with that from the climate research community to address Essential Climate Variables (ECV) that can be generated using satellite observations. The CCI programme has developed data records on 13 ECVs and will start the production of an additional 9 in 2018.

The resulting data products are stored in and made available from the CCI Open Data Portal (cci.esa.int/data) and the CCI Toolbox makes these directly accessible through its interfaces for visualisation, analysis and processing.

“CCI Toolbox – My first choice for a quick start with the CCI data sets” Rainer Hollmann, Champion Users Lead

Is it free?

Entirely free – both data and CCI Toolbox. The toolbox is also Open Source under the MIT License.

Are the toolbox features relevant to the Climate Community?

The CCI Toolbox has been developed and advanced by a specialised team who use an interactive method of working together to adjust Cate’s capabilities to user needs. The Cate team is composed of both professional software scientists and climate users, or “Champion Users” as we call them. This means that the climate users are driving the software development. An Agile development process has been adopted by users and developers, with 3-monthly releases, which allow users to define features to be implemented and to try out, and test, the successful implementation. This incremental approach with short iteration cycles ensures the toolbox is fit-for-purpose, and that we can react to new emerging needs.

“I am used to working with many different users; scientists, managers and students. My ambition is to make Cate the tool of choice when a scientifically sound, and technical reliable analysis software is needed by these users. We have chosen the most popular scientific programming language Python. We have also allowed all the operations to be critically reviewed by champion users as peers. As a result Cate offers a modern, intuitive graphical user interface to achieve this goal.” Carsten Brockmann, Science Lead

How do we decide what goes in releases?

We use climate change ‘use cases’ that are defined by our Champion Users: 22 use cases have been compiled. They cover a wide range of applications from high level scenarios, through to scientific questions, for instance “Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Regarding Topography”, to education in “School Seminar Climate and Weather”. All the use cases can be found at http://cate.readthedocs.io/en/latest/use_cases.html. We’re always happy to hear new use cases for the CCI Toolbox, so do feel free to get in touch.

“ I hope all our users will have as much fun as the team has in developing it” Norman Fomferra, Technical Lead

How does the CCI Toolbox actually work?

The CCI Toolbox, Cate, is a Python package which provides a command-line interface (CLI), an application programming interface (API), and an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI). Cate implements climate data visualisation and processing, and provides a suite of analysis functions. It defines a common climate data model spanning all climate variables and provides a common framework to register, lookup and invoke operations and workflows on data represented in the common data model.

Who is it built by?

The CCI Toolbox project partners comprise Brockmann Consult GmbH (Lead Partner), Telespazio VEGA UK, Science [&] Technology Corporation (S[&]T), Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), University of Reading, University of Zurich, and is supported by ESA.

More information

Download and find out more about the CCI Toolbox at www.climatetoolbox.io or contact Ed Pechorro (ed.pechorro@esa.int).

EO4GEO – Toward an innovative strategy for skills development and capacity building in the space geo-information sector supporting Copernicus User Uptake. EARSC is part of the successful consortia of 26 partners from 16 countries from academia, private and public sector active in the education/training and space/geospatial sectors.

EO4GEO- Towards and innovative strategy for skills development and capacity building in the space geo-information sector supporting Copernicus user uptake is an Erasmus+ Sector Skills Alliance gathering 26 partners (and initially 22 associated partners, looking forward to new adhesions) from 16 countries from academia, private and public sector active in the education/training and space/geospatial sectors. It is coordinated by the Association GISIG and will run over four years, starting from 1st January 2018.

EO4GEO aims to help bridging the skills gap between supply and demand of education and training in the space/geospatial sector by reinforcing the existing ecosystem and fostering the uptake and integration of space/geospatial data and services in end-user applications. EO4GEO will work in an multi- and interdisciplinary way and apply innovative solutions for its education and training actions including: case based and collaborative learning scenarios; learning-while-doing in a living lab environment; on-the-job training; the co-creation of knowledge, skills and competencies; etc.

EO4GEO will define a long-term and sustainable strategy to fill the gap between supply of and demand for space/geospatial education and training taking into account the current and expected technological and non-technological developments in the space/geospatial and related sectors (e.g. ICT). The strategy will be implemented by: creating and maintaining an ontology-based Body of Knowledge for the space/geospatial sector based on previous efforts; developing and integrating a dynamic collaborative platform with associated tools; designing and developing a series of curricula and a rich portfolio of training modules directly usable in the context of Copernicus and other relevant programmes and conducting a series of training actions for a selected set of scenario’s in three sub-sectors – integrated applications, smart cities and climate change to test and validate the approach. Finally, a long-term Action Plan will be developed and endorsed to roll-out and sustain the proposed solutions.

EARSC leads to the Work Package on Sector Skills Strategy. For the time being, you can contact GISIG for more information on the project (please, send an e-mail to m.carbonaro@gisig.it if you want to receive more information). Early 2018 a dedicated website will provide access to information, background documents and other materials.

Toulouse/Daejeon, 20/12/2017 – After four months at the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) test facilities in Daejeon, South Korea, during which intensive testing was performed by a joint team of KARI and Airbus Defence and Space, the GOCI-II ocean colour imaging instrument has been delivered to the customer.

On the left GOCI-II sensor unit, inside on-ground supporting structure, with electronics © Airbus 2017 | On the right: Example of GOCI images for monitoring of turbidity. GOCI-II is planned to be launched in 2019 and will continue GOCI mission © KARI_KIOST

GOCI-II will be mounted on the GK2B satellite and will be launched in 2019 from Kourou on an Ariane 5. From its geostationary orbit, GOCI-II will analyse the colour of the ocean around the Korean peninsula, in order to detect, monitor, quantify and predict short-term variations in the characteristics of the coastal regions, for scientific and industrial purposes.

GOCI-II offers greater functional, geometrical and radiometric performance than its predecessor, launched in 2010 on the COMS satellite. It will acquire images of the Earth in 12 spectral bands between 380 nm and 865 nm, with resolution of about 250 m at Nadir. It will also be able to provide images of the Earth’s entire disk as well as the Moon and stars for calibration.

Source: Airbus Defence and Space