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In this issue of EOMAG, EARSC will have the opportunity to feature an interview with Mr. JOSE ACHACHE, Director of GEO Secretariat. First of all, thank you very much for taking some time from your busy agenda and giving us the occasion to talk about some aspects relevant for the European and International Earth Observation sector.


GEO AND YOUR EXPERIENCE

As Director of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Secretariat, Mr. Achache is responsible for managing programmatic and administrative support to GEO, coordinating the development and implementation of Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), and maintaining effective working relationships with the broader GEO community…. but please let us know few personal words on the GEO´s office daily running and the interactions with GEOSS?
Last year the world faced a major global food crisis. Last week, the World Water Forum failed to agree on a coordinated approach to water resources management. Forest carbon monitoring will be one of the key issues of the post-Kyoto agreement on carbon emissions reduction. Having to work every day to build an information system to provide answers and support decision-making on such important issues is a privilege and a challenge. It requires jumping from one subject to another 20 times a day, interacting with many different communities and traveling the world over. Exhausting yes, but who would complain…?

Are GEO’s objectives being translated in a concrete manner into Earth observation activities at national, regional level global levels?
Yes they are. While GEO of necessity involves itself with process and procedures – the meetings and documents and phone calls that are needed for coordination and information sharing – we are also changing reality on the ground (and in the air, the oceans and space). New and better observation systems and services are steadily becoming a reality. The disaster-response system SERVIR in Central America and, soon Africa; the China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program; and the Argo fleet of ocean-monitoring buoys are just a few examples. One ongoing initiative that I trust will be realized in the near future is the creation of a global carbon monitoring system. Another practical recent achievement was the decision by the United States to open up the full Landsat archive – which contains the largest collection of satellite imagery in the world – to all users free of charge. Dick Kempthorne, the previous US Secretary of Interior who made this decision, was directly inspired to do so by his participation in the 2007 GEO Ministerial Summit. In less than a month this decision led to a 30-fold increase in the demand for space imagery; this is a great demonstration of the value of the data policy being advocated by GEO.

How GEO is coordinating the network all existing and future observing systems? and how relevant is GEO to sustainable development?
The coordination required for constructing GEOSS is driven by an agreed three-year work plan for 2009 to 2011, which in turn is based on the ten-year implementation running from 2005 to 2015. But new ideas and opportunities for coordination continue to emerge organically from within the community. The coordination of observation networks is taking place on a voluntary, best-efforts basis, and it is really bottom up rather than top down. First the representatives of governments and organizations share ideas and information, they see where the gaps and the opportunities are, and then they coalesce into partnerships for coordinating work on a particular theme or issue. Their progress is reported back to the rest of the GEO community through what we call Task Sheets as well as reports at meetings, and this in turn inspires new ideas and new partnerships.

What are the most significant achievements at GEO Secretariat? How was born the GEONETCast concept and how is it working?
The GEO Secretariat plays a key role in guiding the overall process and bringing people together. We contribute our own ideas, a number of which have had an important influence, and we stimulate new connections between various people and organizations that may not have occurred otherwise. We also encourage more governments to join GEO, we promote GEOSS amongst key groups such as scientists, donors and the media, and provide other general coordination and support.

As for GEONETCast, it was born from the recognition by NOAA and CMA that EUMETCast could easily be extended to provide a global service and one which addresses all GEO societal issues. Currently, this facility can broadcast information and key data sets over 90% of the continents.

From your dedicated experience and know-how, how has the concept of Earth Observation developed over the years? And what about the lessons learnt?
The world’s capacity for and interest in Earth observation has increased geometrically over the past two or three decades. Certainly the first photographs of the Earth from space changed the way people saw their home, expanding their perspective from their village or country to encompass the entire planet. At the same time science has continued to demonstrate the interconnectedness of all aspects of the Earth system – the geosphere, atmosphere, biosphere and so on. New technologies such as SAR, growing national investments in satellites and other monitoring instruments, and of course the planet-wide challenges of sustainable development, the depletion of the ozone layer, the loss of biodiversity and perhaps most importantly climate change have also contributed to the growing interest in environmental monitoring. All of these elements have combined to make earth observation an essential tool for the modern world.

Today, services based on Earth observation are blooming. Google is determined to increase its provision of information. Cisco has come up with “Planetary Skin”, which is directly inspired by the concept of GEOSS. I have the feeling that this is only the beginning, that we are close to an explosion of demand and that growth in the near future will be exponential.

GEOSS AND GMES

Could you briefly comment on the GEOSS Governance models?
When GEO was launched in 2005, governments easily recognized the benefits of collaborating on GEOSS, but they had to decide what form it should take. The answer they hit upon was to rely on the extremely flexible form of governance embodied by GEO. As suggested by the informal nature of a “Group,” GEO has a limited legal identity based on a multilaterally agreed 10-Year Implementation Plan. GEO has established a small secretariat to facilitate collaboration, and contributions to the secretariat’s budget are strictly voluntary. The staff consists largely of experts seconded from governments and organizations for two or three years, and overhead is reduced by working in English only and limiting the amount of documentation for meetings. Collaboration on networking the world’s Earth observation systems takes place through specific “Tasks”, which are informal arrangements led and implemented by all governments and organizations willing to participate. Governments and organizations also “contribute” their national systems, instruments, services and tools – known as “components” – to GEOSS. This flexible and completely voluntary approach is working well.

GEO will need to mobilize financial resources, especially with regard to enhancing observation capacities. How do you view this challenge?
The current financial crisis, of course, does not make our efforts to mobilize resources any easier for the immediate future. But building GEOSS is a long-term enterprise, and government investments in satellites and other instruments involve multi-year programmes. Given the growing importance of Earth observations, natural resource management and global environmental degradation, and the fact that collaboration through GEO means that each government is getting more bang for its investment buck, I am confident that public investments in Earth observation will continue and even expand. Perhaps the biggest challenge will be channelling more resources to developing countries and to users who need to strengthen their capacity for using Earth observation information and services. The European Commission through its 7th Framework Programme has been a very generous provider of resources for both producing and using Earth observations. But clearly resource mobilization is a vital issue that we need to continue working on.

How do you see the role of GEOSS in multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs)?
GEOSS can make an essential contribution to support environmental conventions, which after all are the centrepieces for global cooperation and decision making on a number of key issues. Last year’s meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a decision explicitly recognizing the potential of GEOSS in supporting the implementation of the Convention. I have also signed an MOU with the Executive Secretary of the CBD setting out the various ways that GEO and the Convention can collaborate, and the emerging GEO Biodiversity Observation Network is already interacting directly with the Convention. I am hopeful that our work on a global carbon monitoring system, including an innovative component on forests, will be seen as useful by the Parties to the Climate Change Convention.

Moving towards a global scene, GMES and GEOSS should work in concert to determine the plan for ensuring the proper system(s) components and the proper architecture are in place to meet user requirements, how is this management taking place?. Full and open sharing of data between systems is essential, How is being built the architecture for the technical operation of the system of systems (features as data capture, data collection, processing, dissemination, storage/archiving, exchange, products and services, etc)?
Officially, GMES is the European contribution to GEOSS, together with many other FP7-funded projects. As such, the European Commission, ESA and Member states will define how GMES will fit in the global picture of GEOSS. Architecture is not the issue since the approach we have taken for GEOSS is not to enforce a common architecture but to recommend simple interoperability requirements. The development and availability of services will be more important and, on this one, we have continued exchanges of information between the GEO Secretariat, the Commission and ESA. The other critical issue will be the data policy of GMES. As you know, GEO is strongly advocating for data sharing principles which will guarantee free and open access to data and information. The sudden boost in requests for Landsat data, following the shift in data policy at the US Geological Survey that I mentioned earlier, is a striking demonstration that there is great demand on the part of users for involvement in GEO, including in developing countries. The success of CBERS for Africa and GEONETCast are two other examples where GEO has been instrumental in improving access and generating an increased use of Earth observations.

How do you see the future steps for GEOSS and GMES?
GEO is only five years old, which is very young for an intergovernmental body. Despite that, we have already achieved a great deal, with a number of what we call “early achievements”, a growing network of contributors, growing support and commitment by key players, and an ambitious and targeted work plan. At our next ministerial summit, to be held in November 2010, I am optimistic that we will be able to demonstrate that we are now moving beyond the start-up phase to the phase of real, concrete implementation. New systems, new information resources, truly effective internet portals, and integrated data sets will be starting to come on line. We need to prove that GEO is not a mere chat shop but is a factory for producing real and tangible systems and services that would not otherwise exist.

DIALOGUE WITH EO INDUSTRY

What will cooperative efforts between GEO and Industry will bring? and what type of dialogue mechanism could take place with the service industry?
Engaging the private sector is critical for the success of GEOSS. Companies have a great deal of expertise, and they are key investors in new technologies. Just as collaboration amongst governments can help to leverage public investments, bringing in the private sector can help to spread the burden and the work. The challenge is getting the incentive structure right. How do we meet the needs of the private sector for profitability while also ensuring that GEOSS remains a global public good? We have started to explore this issue from different angles and to engage with different industry sectors. Our engagement with Iridium is a good example. We invited them to a meeting with a number of space agencies to present their case for piggybacking public-sector monitoring instruments on the Iridium communications satellites, which have some spare capacity. Recently the oceanography community has started to explore how to engage the shipping industry in hosting ocean monitoring instruments. There have been other openings as well, and this remains a major priority for us. We are completely open to dialogue with the private sector.

How can your organization help our industry and how can we help you?
As with the Iridium example, we have the power of convening, of bringing public and private sector interests together to discuss this issue freely. Because we are active with different industry sectors, we can facilitate the flow of ideas and potential models for cooperation. I invite industry to help us by thinking through possible frameworks for combining public and private interests and to share their insights and proposals with us.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges the commercial earth observation industry is facing in the years to come? What kind of downstream service industry would Europe benefit from? Is the European Earth Observation on the right track?
The same as yesterday and the day before: shifting the emphasis from data to end-to-end services. I have been constantly advocating for this shift over the last 10 years. And it is becoming urgent for Europe to put its act together since the other big players are now moving in this direction. If Google Earth and Google Ocean are merely attractive displays supporting commercials, future developments like Google Forest may deliver real services, and not just to the citizen but even to the public sector. After Microsoft, with Virtual Earth, we now have Cisco Systems announcing Planetary Skin, an ambitious project for a global information system of systems “closely inspired” by GEOSS.

FUTURE AND SOCIETY

What are your comments on the latest developments in the earth observation arena for the service of the citizen? How will GMES and GEOSS be innovative in the coming years meeting the expectations of the citizen?
For the average citizen, Earth observation probably brings to mind weather forecasts and Google Earth, and perhaps not much beyond that. But as I just mentioned, things are changing. The concerns of the citizen include climate change and a need to understand better the world they live in.

GEOSS, itself a system of systems, will change the way people view our shared planet. They will increasingly see the Earth as a system of interlinked systems. This emerging paradigm is well understood by scientists and many policymakers, but less perhaps by much of the general public. The integrated data sets and information services available through GEOSS will make it easier for people to recognize how climate affects the water they drink, how rain patterns affect the energy supplies, how extreme weather events such as droughts affect their health, and so forth. As advances are made in the interface between data generation and information delivery via internet portals, GEOSS will increasingly serve as a powerful educational tool. People will be able to track changes in the Earth system, model it on their home computers and explore various future scenarios. Just as photographs of Earth and then the internet resulted in a paradigm shift in the way people perceive the world, GEOSS will one day soon also contribute to a paradigm shift.

Dr. Achahe, thank you for your time, and for sharing your thoughts and comments with the EOmag readers.

The goal of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (or GEO) is to integrate today’s fragmented earth observation measurement systems to create a comprehensive Global Earth Observation System of Systems (or GEOSS) for monitoring and forecasting changes in the global environment. It is a bold idea requiring an unprecedented level of cooperation and coordination between national agencies with diverging interests, as well as the emerging commercial interests building business models around the sale of climate data.

José Achache – [photo: Joerg Reichardt] – source http://www.earthobservations.org/press_room.shtml

Eomag! 17_ Interview with Jose Achache, Director of GEO Secretariat.pdf

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate their own constellation of Earth observation satellites, announced today their partnership with the Moscow based company Sovzond.

They will be the only distributor of RapidEye satellite imagery for markets in Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uszbekistan, Kyrgystan, and Turkmenistan. The agreement was signed this week between Mr. Vladimir I.

Mikhaylov, Sovzond’s Director General, and RapidEye’s CEO, Wolfgang G. Biedermann. “We are happy to work with RapidEye,” said Mr. Mikhaylov. “We see huge revenue potential as we have customers from different markets such as agriculture, forestry, water resources, topographic mapping, emergency and local government. They are waiting for the data and we are looking forward to expedite the business for RapidEye in our markets. The role of remote sensing and geospatial solutions in the countries we are serving is growing every year. People want to know more about the world they live in, governmental projects on spatial data infrastructures are underway and the need for more information, quicker and of higher quality is expanding and growing.”

John Ahlrichs, Vice President of RapidEye, comments: “Sovzond is a perfect match for us to reach out to this region that covers both Europe and Asia. There is an enormous demand for satellite imagery in these markets and we are happy to team up with Sovzond to leverage their expertise in selling satellite data and reaching out to our potential customers. Their team is also well experienced and RapidEye as well as our customers will benefit from their motivated team.”

RapidEye will mark the start of its commercial operation in Russia at the III International Conference Remote Sensing – the Synergy of High Technologies. The conference will be held on April 15 – 17, 2009 in Moscow and RapidEye will give a presentation, show imagery samples and demonstrate how RapidEye imagery and services can be combined with projects.

Currently, RapidEye is working on completing its worldwide network of distributors in order to facilitate their customers easy access to RapidEye products in their own language and region. For a full list of RapidEye’s distributors, please visit www.rapideye.de/home/about-us/distributors-partners/.

About SOVZOND

SOVZOND JSC, a private sector enterprise founded in 1992, began its activities by providing services centering around digital remote sensing data processing and mapping. These services were soon combined with information system technologies. Today, SOVZOND offers a broad range of applications, ranging from geodata procurement (satellite data, DEM, land use and land cover data), value adding processing, data processing and software development to the provision of turn-key technical assistance projects and customized spatial land management and monitoring systems.
For more information about Sovzond please visit http://www.sovzond.ru/en

About RapidEye AG

RapidEye is an ISO 9001:2000 certified geospatial information provider focused on integrating customized and industry specific solutions into the workflow of global customers in agriculture, forestry, energy, infrastructure, government, security, and emergency. RapidEye experts and the satellite system – a constellation of five satellites capable of downloading over 4 million km² of high resolution, multi-spectral imagery per day, and a ground segment for processing and archiving data – allow for cost-effective customized services. The unique combination of large area coverage, high spatial resolution and the possibility of daily revisit to an area provide for superior management information solutions. Currently, more than 100 experts from more than 20 countries are employed by RapidEye, with plans to grow the team to 140 by early 2009.
RapidEye benefits from a public-private partnership with the Space Agency of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which is supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. RapidEye is also cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). For more information on ERDF please contact efreinfo@mw.brandenburg.de
For more information about RapidEye, please visit www.rapideye.de

RapidEye Contact
RapidEye AG / Molkenmarkt 30 /
14776 Brandenburg a. d. Havel, Germany /
Toll Free (US): +1 800 940 3617
Phone: +49 3381 8904-0 |
Fax: +49 3381 8904-101 |
press@rapideye.de
www.rapideye.de

RapidEye is a “Selected Landmark in the Land of Ideas” and therefore part of the event series “365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas”. This program is run by the initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas” and Deutsche Bank. Being a “Selected Landmark” RapidEye will stand for Germany being a “Land of Ideas” in 2009 and will demonstrate Germany’s spirit of innovation. The initiative is under the patronage of Germany’s federal president Horst Köhler. www.land-of-ideas.org

(Feb 2009)Following word from Eurockot that launch of the Earth Explorer SMOS satellite can take place between July and October this year, ESA, CNES and the prime contractor Thales Alenia Space are now making detailed preparations for the last crucial steps before ESA’s water mission is placed in orbit.

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite has been in storage at Thales Alenia Space’s facilities in Cannes, France since May last year awaiting for a third stage of the Rockot launcher to be assigned to the mission and a slot given for launch from the Russian Plesetsk Cosmodrome 800 km north of Moscow. All being well, SMOS will be the second of ESA’s Earth Explorer missions to launch after the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), which is planned for launch on 16 March 2009.

Following news from Eurockot Launch Services that launch will be this summer, a team of SMOS managers and engineers from ESA, CNES and Thales Alenia Space has just returned from Moscow after meeting with their Russian counterparts to discuss aspects of the launch.

Now on track for launch, the SMOS team is preparing for the final milestone prior to the satellite being shipped to Plesetsk – the Flight Acceptance Review. The review will take place in May and involves the design, analysis, manufacture and testing being presented to external reviewers, which ensures that nothing critical has been overlooked. The expected outcome is ‘consent to ship’ – giving the green light to pack up the SMOS satellite and transport it to Russia for launch in the summer.

SMOS is the first mission dedicated to measuring both the moisture in soil and salt in the surface waters of the oceans. Mapping soil moisture and ocean salinity, ESA’s water mission will further our understanding of the water cycle – key to advancing research into global and regional climate change as well as weather and extreme-event forecasting.

Also demonstrating technical innovation, SMOS will carry a completely new type of instrument in space – a microwave imaging radiometer that operates between 1400 – 1427 MHz (L-band). The Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) instrument comprises a central structure and three arms that are deployed shortly after launch. There are 69 antenna-receivers distributed equally over the three arms and central hub which work by measuring microwave radiation emitted from the surface of the Earth. Developed by EADS-CASA in Spain, the MIRAS instrument takes advantage of the fact that moisture in the soil and salt in seawater affect the amount of radiation emitted.

The MIRAS instrument is carried on a standard spacecraft platform called Proteus developed by the French space agency CNES.

Source ESA

(Feb 2009) the European Parliament adopted a resolution on climate change. The ’2050 Report’ aims at pursuing coordinated negotiations on a post-2012 international climate change policy framework.

It underlines detailed measures to be taken in key areas of society, such as CO² Capture and Storage (CCS), agriculture, forestry, emission trading scheme, fisheries, and health etc. It also calls for climate change issues to be incorporated in other policies and areas, e.g. international trade. Importantly, the report acknowledges that long-term education efforts as well as technology development and transfer are crucial and that research and development focused on more environmental-friendly methods should be reinforced.

On 4 February 2009, the European Parliament passed a resolution on climate change policies setting out measures covering diverse areas of society: emission trading scheme, CCS, agriculture, forestry, soil protection, fisheries, and health, to name but a few.

For instance, it recommends the EU to set up satellite-based monitoring systems and the necessary infrastructure to guarantee early detection and long-term survival, in particular of tropical and rainforests as well as boreal forests. Besides, the care and reforestation of the European forests are planned to be supported by monitoring programmes. Therefore, global monitoring systems require the establishment of a global fund as well as necessary institutional support and administrative bodies.

Furthermore, the European Emission Trading Scheme is considered a vital instrument for achieving emission reduction with maximum efficiency. The report also proposes criteria to be set for the approval of Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation. It highly stresses the application of CCS, considering this as a bridging technology on the way to the decarbonisation of the energy system that, additionally, could serve to complement renewable technologies.

Research and development focused on more environmental-friendly methods of cultivation and optimised farm management should be enhanced as well as funding for research into innovative technologies for the desalination of sea water, new irrigation systems and agricultural and urban water consumption. Additionally, pilot projects to reduce damage from drought or flooding should be made available. Regarding the coordinating role of the EU in the health sector, the report stresses the importance of early warning systems, improved preparedness for disasters and emergency planning.

The “2050 Report” further demonstrates the European Parliament’s clear commitment both to an ambitious EU climate policy and to contributing actively to its development. It is stated that a commonality of views between the institutions is essential to maintain Europe’s leadership in the international negotiations on a new global climate deal.

More information

Source GMES.Info

The objective of the eSDI-NET+ project is to establish a network for communication and knowledge exchange of best practices on European Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI), which will enhance the use of geographic information provided by the GMES.

Recently, a call for submission of best practices on SDI’s has been launched, focusing on sub national level, for the purpose of a board assessment campaign. After all the applicants have been evaluated through interviews and local workshops, successful ones will be awarded during an international conference planned for the end of 2009.

The eSDI-NET+ project (Network for promotion of cross-border dialogue and exchange of best practices on Spatial Data Infrastructures throughout Europe) is co-funded by the European Community programme eContentplus (within DG Information Society and Media) for a period of 3 years (2007-2010). The project targets users and aims at gathering European Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) stakeholders in a platform for communication and knowledge exchange at all levels, with an emphasis on the user benefits. The purpose of this network is to raise awareness of the important role SDIs play and to promote cross border dialogue resulting in the creation of synthesised SDI guidelines and standards. By establishing communication mechanisms between European and local levels, this initiative will support better use of geographic information provided by European initiatives such as INSPIRE, GMES and GALILEO.

Recently, the eSDI-Net+ project has launched a broad assessment campaign consisting of identification and analysis of SDI’s best practices at sub national level. This process will end up by the SDI Best Practice Award at the end of this year, during an international conference gathering the European communities involved in geo-information issues.

All types and sizes of stakeholders in charge of SDI developments from any region of Europe and at any level can apply before 22 September 2009. Applications should be submitted by organisations facilitating access to geographical content or providing geo-information services to end users. Afterwards, selected applicants will to present themselves to Spatial Data Experts and local SDI stakeholders during personal interviews and local workshops.

Each interviewed applicant will be evaluated by the national representative of the eSDI-NET+ project, taking diverse criteria into account among which:

  • Technological, innovative level and originality of the project;
  • Implementation and/or readiness for INSPIRE principles;
  • Level of fostering cooperation between different users (proof of visibility and/or user feedback);
  • Possibility of extension to other countries and regions.

More information at: http://www.esdinetplus.eu/get_involved/award_2009.html

SOURCE GMES.Info

PCI news onOGC, image processing, …


April

PCI Geomatics Named to Branham300 List of Top ICT Companies

March

PCI Geomatics Becomes OGC Strategic Member

High Performance Image Processing – PCI Geomatics Releases ProLines GeoImaging Server

February

Intermap Technologies Partners with PCI Geomatics to Provide High-resolution Map Data Worldwide

PCI Geomatics Unveils Latest Version of Geo-Imaging Software

Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) selects geospatial web conferencing technology from PCI Geomatics

Dr. Robert Moses elected as Chairman of the Global Advisory Council for OGC

PCI Geomatics Extends Market Reach in China with Beijing Space Eye Innovation Technology Co. Ltd.

Heinz Zourek, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry in the European Commission, met the EUMETSAT Director-General, Dr. Lars Prahm, on 24 March at the headquarters of the European Meteorological Satellite Organisation in Darmstadt, Germany.

It was Mr. Zourek’s first visit to EUMETSAT.

The two Directors-General discussed cooperation between EUMETSAT and the European Commission, notably on Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES/Kopernikus). They also discussed their priorities for 2009. Dr. Prahm briefed Mr. Zourek on operational applications in meteorology, oceanography, atmosphere and climate. Mr. Zourek’s visit took place in the framework of activities covered by an exchange of letters between EUMETSAT and the European Commission in 2005. Discussions are currently underway on establishing a GMES/Kopernikus Operational Programme, in which EUMETSAT will have an important role to play.

During its 64th Council meeting on 1-2 July 2008, EUMETSAT agreed to provide its data and products for GMES/Kopernikus.

The agreement covers GMES/Kopernikus pre-operational services from 2008-2010, during which all EUMETSAT data and products, including real-time data, will be made available free of charge to the five GMES Core Services (three fast-track and two pilot services). The three fast track services are the Land Core Service, Marine Core Service, Emergency Response Support Service, and the two pilot services are Security and Atmosphere monitoring.

For more information click here

Source: EUMETSAT and EOportal

A world first covering over 75% of global land surfaces

Toulouse, 1st April 2009 – Spot Image and Infoterra, subsidiaries of EADS Astrium, are launching the World’s first online service at www.express-maps.com to deliver detailed basemaps covering over three quarters of the Earth’s land surfaces. This unique service creates basemaps at a scale of 1:50 000, which can be delivered electronically to users in the space of just 6 hours.

This service is principally aimed at first responders — civil protection agencies, as well as military and humanitarian aid teams — in crisis management situations. EXPRESSMaps supplies detailed and precise maps of an area of interest derived from recent, very-high-resolution archive satellite imagery. The ability to obtain such maps quickly and easily is also vital to meet the critical logistics requirements of prospecting, exploration and operations teams working in remote regions. EXPRESSMaps includes a special multi-licence for NGOs offering the same delivery times, making it easier for them to pool resources and rendering operations more effective on the ground.

Accurate and detailed maps are one of the first things that are called for in the event of a disaster or for military operations. To meet this requirement, and to offer a service that is as universal as possible, Spot Image and Infoterra have combined their expertise to conceive, develop, test and market the EXPRESSMaps service. From the moment the user selects the map area via a dedicated web portal to delivery of files, which in turn can be printed out or loaded into GIS software, every step in the process has been designed with speed and simplicity in mind.

As of mid-2009, EXPRESSMaps’ coverage zone spans 100 million sq.km., including more than 75% of land surfaces (outside the USA and Canada, for which very accurate, recent maps are available). This is made possible using SPOT 5 satellite data.

An innovative feature of the service is that the entire map production process is patented. Each step is optimised and timed to ensure prompt delivery in all circumstances, whatever the area of interest, all year round.

The 1:50 000 scale was chosen to match the inherent accuracy of the source data and the current accuracy of GPS receivers. This universal scale means maps can be used reliably on the ground and have a footprint of roughly 600 sq.km.

Map content is easily interpreted thanks to a legend designed to fit production constraints. The theme and technical specifications are dictated to a large extent by how the map will be used in the field. The information highlighted on each map is chosen to help people and teams on the ground to navigate as easily as possible.

The ground transportation network is therefore the first layer of information entered. This is one of the map elements that gets the most attention during the data extraction process. Populated areas also get special attention. The population layer comprises five classes, with three for types of housing.

Land occupancy in other areas is rendered by 10 additional classes. Many point features like bridges, dams, airports and ports are also mapped to facilitate operational use on the ground. Lastly, relief is represented by contours with a spacing of 50 metres and by shading. High and low points (roughly 80 on each map) extracted from a digital elevation model are also shown.

EXPRESSMaps is the only service of its kind on the market today. Its ability to supply users with 1:50 000 maps of any point on the globe in under a day marks a revolution in map provision.

This has been made possible by the efforts of Spot Image and Infoterra to establish a set of specifications and production procedures applicable to all kinds of landscapes around the globe. Specific resources for communicating with customers shorten the process and smooth the workflow to ensure map production in record time; a dedicated website lets users open their account in a few clicks, pre-pay for maps with a one-year MapPass and select maps to meet their needs through a specially designed interface.

One Click, one Day, one Map… with EXPRESSMaps, mapping has never been easier.

Contact:

Spot Image
Anne-Marie Bernard
33 (0)5 62 19 40 10
anne-marie.bernard@spotimage.fr

Infoterra
Fabienne Grazzini
33 (0)5 62 19 63 26
fabienne.grazzini@infoterra-global.com

About Spot Image

Spot Image is a world-leading provider of high-added-value satellite imagery and geospatial services. As the commercial operator of the SPOT satellites and a supplier of imagery from a range of other optical and radar Earth-imaging satellites, Spot Image has perfected the ability to harness space- and ground-based systems to meet users’ needs. It has developed a far-reaching global network of receiving stations, partners and distributors to bring geospatial information products and services to public -and private-sector decision-makers worldwide.

Spot Image is 81% owned by Astrium Services, an EADS affiliate.

About Infoterra

Infoterra, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astrium, is a leading provider of geo-information products and services for managing the development, environment and security of our changing world. With entities in France, Germany, Hungary, Spain and the United Kingdom, its customers include international corporations, governments and authorities around the globe, and organizations such as the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Infoterra operates across a comprehensive range of markets spanning telecommunications, environment, security, agriculture, defence, energy and many other sectors besides.

Furthermore, Infoterra holds the exclusive commercial exploitation rights for the high-resolution TerraSAR-X radar satellite and is playing a leading role supplying geo-information services for the European GMES initiative led by the EC and ESA.

Infoterra and Spot Image together form the Earth Observation Division of Astrium Services.Es posible que tu navegador no permita visualizar esta imagen.

ESA starts implementing the second phase of the GMES Space Component Programme

The first phase of the GMES Space Component covers the period 2006-2013. It focuses on the development of the first Sentinel-1 (all-weather day and night radar imager for land and ocean services), Sentinel-2 (high-resolution optical images for land services) and Sentinel-3 (instruments for ocean and global land monitoring services) satellites.

The second phase of the programme is now about to start and will run through until 2018. It will cover the development of the ground infrastructure, the completion of the Sentinel-1, -2 and -3 pairs and the development of the first two atmospheric payloads Sentinel -4 and -5 precursors.

More information on ESA website

Source GMES.info

China is going to set up its own three-dimensional (3D) Internet mapping system to provide high resolution photos to domestic online users, Changjiang Daily reported last February.

The program, launched by the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, is equivalent to “Google Earth”, a global mapping server with a database storing numerous geographic images.

Engineers from the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping discussed the technology in a conference held in Shanghai at the end of last November.

Assistant Professor Chen Jing from State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, said:

“In view of market demand, Google Earth only provides high resolution pictures taken from North America and Europe.”

According to Chen, compared with Google Earth, the pictures provided by the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping feature higher resolution and cover a wider range of national territory. As long as the place is not subject to significant security restrictions, online users can search wherever they want in the country, said Chen.

“We have the edge on building a domestic geographic database by collecting the pictures drawn with global position system (GPS) or taken from the sky,” she explained.

China used to operate tight restrictions on geographic photos with resolution higher than 30 meters. But the launch of Google Earth, featuring pictures with best resolution of 0.6 meters, acted as an inspiration on domestic researchers, Chen said. “We can provide pictures not involving confidential information to the public to meet market demand.”

Google Earth’s reports of its US$1-billion advertising revenue and India’s eager involvement in online mapping technology have motivated China to speed up its development in the mapping server program. To date, a research group led by Li Deren, an academician from the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, has designed a soft-ware called “Geo Globle” with the capability of dealing with the data involved, including 3-D pictures, aerial photos and information concerning borders, railways and aircraft routes.

According to Chen, although the soft-ware, having taken 10 years to complete, still needs to be tested, the technology will become the backbone of a domestically-designed mapping server program. The researchers do not want to take any risk with national security by using overseas software. So far, Geo Globle has been applied in the Heilongjiang Geographic Information System, the Fujian Electric Power System and the national defense system. The technology is now awaiting approval from the State Council.

(China.org.cn by Wu Jin, February 12, 2009)

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