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The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has placed a contract for a second year with DMC International Imaging to acquire high-resolution satellite images of the entire 5 million square kilometres of the Amazon rainforest.

In 2005 DMC rapidly acquired images of the whole Amazon Basin in 6 weeks to provide Brazil with vital information for the annual programme to monitor deforestation and combat illegal logging. The programme is now repeated in 2006.
Imagery is provided by the five-satellite international Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). The Earth Observation micro-satellites use wide area cameras to capture the high-resolution images. The latest satellite, built for China, was launched into the DMC on 27 October 2005.
Dr. Joao Vianei Soares, Director of Earth Observation at INPE said, “The DMC has achieved a significant new step in remote sensing through coordination of five nations in space. The unique constellation of low cost micro-satellites enables rapid imaging of large areas at high resolution. This opens up many new possibilities in remote sensing, especially in cloudy areas, because of the ability to re-image an area almost daily if needed.”
Paul Stephens, Marketing Director, DMCii said, “We are proud to supply DMC data to INPE for the important DETER programme monitoring the vital resources of the Amazon rainforest. The recent drought in Brazil highlights the need to collect good information to help understand changes in the environment and their consequences for both the local people and the global climate.”
The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) INPE‘s mission is to make it possible for Brazilian society to benefit from new developments in space science and technology, mainly focusing on:
+ Increasing Brazil‘s autonomy in a number of strategic areas;
+ Providing the means for Brazilian industry to participate and become competitive in the space area;
+ Encouraging the development and dissemination of space technology;
Deforestation rates in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America have remained constant or have increased over the past two decades, altering global carbon emissions and climate while elevating the need for frequent and accurate assessment of forest loss. In the Brazilian Amazon alone, where the growth of cattle ranching and cropland agriculture are the primary causes of forest clearing, about 20,000 square kilometres of forest are clear-cut and burned each year.
INPE has developed a near or almost real time monitoring application for deforestation detection known as the Real Time Deforestation Monitoring System (DETER) system. High-resolution imagery is needed when estimating the total area of deforestation and when identifying small clearings.
DMC International Imaging Ltd. (DMCii) is a UK supplier of remote sensing data products and services for international Earth Observation (EO) markets. DMCii supplies programmed and archived optical satellite imagery provided by the multi-satellite Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). DMC data is now used in a wide variety of commercial and government applications including agriculture, forestry and environmental mapping.
The small satellites of the DMC provide daily revisit in combination with an unmatched 600km imaging swath width at 32 metre ground sample distance (GSD) for frequent broad area coverage. DMC data products are calibrated and processed to a variety of levels according to customer requirements.
In partnership with the British National Space Centre (BNSC) and the other DMC member nations (Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey) DMCii uses the commercial exploitation of the DMC small satellite constellation to fund co-ordination of the DMC for humanitarian use in the event of major international disasters. DMCii works with the UN, the European Space Agency and The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters during disasters such as Tsunami, Fire, Flooding and Hurricanes.
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Chinese scientists plan to put into orbit the Haiyang 1-B (Ocean 1-B), an advanced version of the Haiyang 1-A oceanic satellite, by the end of this year to monitor marine environment and disasters.

The Haiyang 1-B Satellite was still undergoing testing, said Sun Laiyan, vice director of the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense.
Sun told a national conference on oceanic science and technology that the technical flaws of the Haiyang 1-A had been removed from the upgraded satellite, and the data quality to be collected would be improved.
Bai Zhaoguang, chief scientist on the Haiyang 1-B project, said the main function of the Haiyang 1-B would be to observe sea surface height, waves, currents and temperatures.
The satellite‘s operational life was expected to reach three years, one year more than that of Haiyang 1-A, Bai said.
The Haiyang 1-A, China‘s first experimental satellite to use ocean color detecting, was successfully launched in May 2002 and had a designed lifespan of two years.
The “color” of the ocean is determined by the interactions of light with the water. The satellite can measure a wide array of shades to determine levels of phytoplankton, sediments, and dissolved organic chemicals, which most affect the color.
The oceanic satellite would be China‘s most important satellites together with a series of weather and resources satellites, said Sun Zhihui, director of the State Oceanic Administration.
The administration would actively participate in the country‘s space plan and develop satellite projects to realize three-dimensional monitoring of the ocean, Sun added.
(Source: Xinhua News Agency & Spacedaily)

On the heels of one of the clean technology sector’s biggest success stories—the reduction of ozone-depleting gases in the atmosphere—the Alliance for Earth Observations is bringing leaders from the environmental monitoring and information technology sectors together today to examine the potential contribution of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to the growing clean tech industry.

GEOSS could not only provide unprecedented data for measuring the performance of clean technologies, but also aid in spurring new entrepreneurial opportunities in related areas such as climate change.
“Just last month, we acknowledged an improvement in the ozone hole. Observation technologies enabled us to identify, visualize and monitor this critical environmental problem, while government cooperation and industry innovation allowed us to solve the problem,” said Nancy Colleton, executive director of the Alliance for Earth Observations, an industry group devoted to promoting the benefits of observations. “We can apply a similar model to climate change and other areas closely connected with clean tech.”
Like Colleton, Craig Cuddeback, senior vice president of Cleantech Venture Network LLC, sees a clear link between Earth observations and clean technology. “It’s exciting to explore the role of Earth observations in clean tech. The investment possibilities are strong,” he said.
Bill Gail, director for strategic development for Microsoft’s Virtual Earth, notes the importance of both the observations themselves and the ability to visualize them.
“Platforms like Virtual Earth will enable governments, businesses and even consumers to visualize and address a host of environmental issues. It is the visualization of these topics that will catalyze action,” Gail said. “The more observational data that is available, the more applications we will see being built using Virtual Earth and Google Earth. It will impact all segments of the clean tech sector—energy, agriculture, water and transportation. The possibilities are endless.”
One area in which experts see a high-impact opportunity to apply observation systems is in the emerging ecosystem services sector. The carbon market, for example, is one that is evolving quickly and could benefit greatly from improved availability of, and access to, space-based remote sensing technology.
“Satellite observations of the Earth are going to be a primary method of measuring, monitoring and verifying carbon credits generated from changes in land use,” said David Skole, chief technology officer for the Climate Investment Network for Carbon Sequestration. “We need imagery from space and other sources to continually monitor carbon resources. Using satellites, we can do large-scale, global monitoring and ensure credibility to the markets.”
The use of space-based satellites in other vertical markets such as homeland security, marine and ocean transportation, and agriculture is nothing new. However, the introduction of tools including Virtual Earth and Google Earth in parallel with more than 60 countries agreeing to share Earth and environmental information through GEOSS opens up new possibilities, according to NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr.
“GEOSS will enable applications in areas we’ve never even considered,” Lautenbacher said. “On the government side, we are working very hard for improved prediction of natural hazards like tsunami and hurricane forecasting, and utilization of the data for better resource management. But, on the private sector side, we know GEOSS information will enhance the activities of existing companies in every industry and will help support new entrepreneurial ventures. The underlying, critical piece in all of this is the observations. We need the data and information from satellites, buoys, balloons, ships and aircraft available and easy to integrate.”
********************
For the first time, leaders from the environmental monitoring and information technology sectors come together today to examine the potential of GEOSS to not only provide unprecedented data for measuring the performance of clean technologies, but also generate new entrepreneurial opportunities for the clean tech sector.
Moderated by Dan Dubno, producer and technologist for CBS News in New York, the session is part of the Cleantech Venture Forum XI being held at New York’s Marriott Marquis, Midtown. Joining Dubno will be Bill Gail, director of strategic development for Microsoft’s Virtual Earth; Chikai Ohazama, senior product manger for Google Earth; David Skole, chief technology officer for the Climate Investment Network for Carbon Sequestration; and Carla Sullivan, senior policy advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
Science Applications International Corporation and Northrop Grumman are sponsoring the session, which is organized by the Alliance for Earth Observations.
CONTACT
Dan Stillman
Alliance for Earth Observations
(703) 312-7138 (Phone)
(703) 312-8657 (FAX)
E-mail: dan_stillman@strategies.org

VCS’ Remote Sensing Technology Division has successfully updated their multi mission receiver 2met!© DSR II for direct reception of the new METOP AHRPT mission.

The receiver has been designed in 2001 with a scope of the CCSDS based missions like MSG, GOES and MTSAT LRIT/HRIT as well as for NOAA and FY HRPT. The receiver was also prepared for METOP using ¾ punctured Viterbi coding. Accordingly VCS is able to update new and existing receivers to the coming METOP mission just by a firmware update.
The last test before the launch of METOP has been performed at EUMETSAT HQ in Darmstadt on 13 June 2006. VCS has connected a receiver to EUMETSAT’s RF Recorder transmitting a RF signal recorded from the METOP satellite on ground. The signal contains “real” data. Accordingly the test allows checking the demodulation, bit-synchronisation, Viterbi Decoding of the receiver as well as the frame synchronisation, Reed-Solomon decoding and CCSDS decoding to level 0 data of the acquisition software. The test was successfully completed.
VCS is now prepared for the first tests with the coming METOP satellite. For this purpose EUMETSAT’s EARS station on Gran Canaria and VCS’ own reference system will be used.
Oliver Harrmann
Director Remote Sensing Technology
VCS Aktiengesellschaft
(Source VCS)

PCI Geomatics®, a world-leading developer of image-centric software and solutions for the geospatial industry, is pleased to announce the signing of a technology partnership with UltraSpectral Inc.

PCI is working with UltraSpectral to develop its advanced SpectralObjeX™ image analysis software. SpectralObjeX™ brings new object-oriented processing capabilities to multispectral and hyperspectral analysts by integrating Spectral Geographic Information System (SGIS) technology with the proven components of PCI’s Geomatica X platform.
Through the agreement, image analysts can benefit from UltraSpectral’s newly licensed SGIS technology and the powerful GIS and image management tools of Geomatica. The software is intended for advanced users who require superior analysis and data organization for spectral, polarimetric and active remote sensing data. SpectralObjeX™ will use Oracle 10g Spatial in conjunction with PCI’s GeoRaster ETL, an extract, transform, and loading tool that is used to populate an Oracle database.
“The integration of SpectralObjeX™ with Geomatica will bring to the marketplace a mature database management system that enables object-oriented analysis of hyperspectral and multispectral sensor data”, said Fred Portigal, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President at UltraSpectral.
“By leveraging over 20 years of PCI Geomatics experience and extensive channel outreach, SpectralObjeX™ can offer market-leading image processing solutions”, said David Stanley, Chief Technology Officer at PCI Geomatics.
About UltraSpectral
UltraSpectral is a small, privately held corporation, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico founded in 2005 to provide sophisticated spectral data analysis software and solutions. In addition to fielding its commercial SpectralObjeX™ software, UltraSpectral intends to apply the SGIS technology to the processing needs of advanced remote sensing systems. UltraSpectral’s CEO, Mike Hollis indicates that UltraSpectral is obtaining office space in Albuquerque and Honolulu to support SpectralObjeX™ beta testing and services contracts. For more information, visit www.ultraspectral.com.
About PCI Geomatics
PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of geospatial software, specializing in remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, spatial analysis, cartographic production, and, more recently, automated production systems. Today, with our trusted Geomatica® brand, PCI Geomatics provides all the image-centric solutions necessary to meet the expectations of a large and expanding industry. Since 1982, the company and its reputation have continued to grow as a result of innovative leadership, strong technology partnerships, active geomatics community involvement, and a dedication to earn the trust of customers who use PCI Geomatics technology.
For more information, visit www.pcigeomatics.com.
Press Contact
Alysia Vetter
Marketing Communications Specialist
Tel: 819-770-0022, Ext. 233
Fax: 819-770-0098
Email: vetter@pcigeomatics.com
Web: www.pcigeomatics.com
(Source PCIGeomatics)

People can now see the clearest and most detailed aerial imagery of The Netherlands yet.

Last February Aerodata announced the finalisation of its new digital orthophoto mosaic of The Netherlands.
This dataset is now on display at Google Earth.
The imagery was acquired entirely with the company’s 90 megapixel UltraCam-D large format digital frame camera, mounted in their fast Fairchild Merlin survey aircraft.
The 7000 images have been assembled to one large (850GB) seamless colour aerial photo mosaic at 40cm resolution.
With this product Aerodata has set a new standard for country-wide digital orthophoto databases.
Offline professional use of the complete,original dataset “aeroGRID®NL2005”, or parts of it, is possible by purchasing a license from Aerodata.
Shortly the dataset will be available to the public for purchasing areas on the internet at www.aeroGRID.nl

TerraSAR-X, the German Earth observation satellite, has successfully demonstrated its suitability for space.

• German satellite passes the endurance test with flying colours
• Mission opens up new perspective to Earth observation
• Radar can image one million square kilometres per day
These days ends a three-month test campaign at IABG in Ottobrunn, in which the Earth observation satellite has been thoroughly examined under space conditions. In addition to proving its performance and vacuum durability under hot and cold weather conditions, the satellite ? developed and built by EADS Space ? had to endure extreme vibrations and acoustic loads similar to those encountered during a rocket launch.
“The successful completion of the test series marks an important milestone for this mission”, gladly stated Uwe Minne, Director for Earth Observation and Science of EADS SPACE in Friedrichshafen. “Following the test results we are fully justified in saying that TerraSAR-X will be the best and most powerful ever built space radar sent into space.” Thus, for example, the satellite could image one million square kilometres of the Earth’s surface ? with a resolution of three metres ? regardless of light or cloud conditions. Minne added that it is planned to launch TerraSAR-X from the Baikonur Cosmodrome this very year.
The satellite will circle the Earth at an altitude of approximately 514 kilometres and will scan the surface of our planet with a radar beam day and night regardless of weather and cloud conditions. It will quickly and reliably deliver data for a wide range of applications, thus opening up completely new opportunities for commercial, public and scientific users. TerraSAR-X is the first national remote sensing satellite built in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). On behalf of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), EADS SPACE, Friedrichshafen, developed and constructed the satellite by contributing substantial company funds. Infoterra, a subsidiary of EADS SPACE, will be responsible for the marketing of data and products. TerraSAR-X is due to operate for five years, and its successor TerraSAR-X2 is already in preparation. Furthermore, it is planned to build a partner satellite, called TanDEM-X, which is to orbit the Earth together with TerraSAR-X. This tandem is planned to produce a spatial elevation model of the whole Earth with unprecedented resolution.
Commercial use requires high-quality data
The need for high-quality images of our planet has greatly increased in recent years. Whilst initially, Earth observation was primarily focussed on scientific aspects, commercial interest is becoming more and more important.
This development from pure scientific aspects to commercial and public applications has called for awarding the acquisition of Earth observation data to the private sector. In the future, it is intended to create a sustainable business area which is of benefit to all concerned. Successful commercial use is based on the availability of high-quality data – they must feature a high level of detail and allow rapid and reliable delivery.
The starting signal for TerraSAR-X was the signing of the cooperation contract on 25 March 2002. This contract, with a total volume of €102 million, was awarded by DLR to EADS SPACE to develop, build and launch the satellite. The space company contributed company funds amounting to €28 million and, in addition, financed the development of the geo-information products and their marketing. Since then, DLR has set up the ground segment for data reception and satellite commanding. Furthermore, it will perform data processing, archiving and distribution. EADS has built and tested the satellite; its subsidiary Infoterra has already won companies as marketing partners for data products and concluded initial contracts with future customers. All this indicates a successful project.
Active radar with zoom function
Following its launch on board a Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr-1 launch vehicle (former SS18 long-range rocket), TerraSAR-X will orbit the Earth in approximately 95 minutes at an altitude of about 514 kilometres. During that period, the Earth continues rotating so that the radar can access any spot on Earth within maximally four days (even within two days in 95 per cent of the cases).
The spacecraft will scan the Earth by means of the so-called “Synthetic Aperture Radar” (SAR) method. Compared to images in the visible range, the radar has the following major advantages: Firstly, the radar beam always produces its own exactly defined illumination. This is quite different for optical satellite images where the respective position of the Sun considerably influences the appearance of a landscape. Secondly, the radar operates day and night and, thirdly, it can also peer through clouds. “This is decisive, especially in regions near the equator which are often clouded”, explains Wolfgang Pitz, project manager of TerraSAR-X at EADS SPACE in Friedrichshafen.
Another special feature is the technical variant of an active radar. Active in this context means that the beam can be aligned in a slewing range of 20 to 60 degrees. This is not done by mechanically moving the antenna or the complete satellite, but by superimposing many individual radar beams. Thus, the range which can be covered by the instrument is expanded. “With a passive radar we can take a maximum of two images during a fly-over from Munich to Berlin, whilst now we can take up to twenty”, states Wolfgang Pitz.
A broad spectrum of applications is offered by the possibility of selecting three degrees of resolution and image size. In ScanSAR mode, at an image swath of 100km, this zoom function allows the observation of details down to a resolution of 16m. The resolution in Stripmap mode (30 km image swath) is 3 metres and even 1 metre in Spotlight mode (5km by 10 km).
This extremely high image resolution was only possible because EADS SPACE‘s engineers and technicians operated the radar in the so-called X-band spectrum. The radio signals emitted in this spectrum have a frequency of 9.65 Gigahertz, which corresponds to a wavelength of about 3 centimetres. Many of the former satellites operated in the C- or L-band spectrum at larger wavelengths of 5.7 or 24 centimetres respectively; thus, they delivered images with a lower resolution.
However, the requirements to be met by X-band technology concerning the properties of materials used and the processing accuracy are more demanding. In this field, EADS SPACE can look back on many years of experience which it has proven in scientific predecessor projects, such as the SIR-C/X-SAR mission in 1994 and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) in 2000. “X-band technology has always been a German specialty”, states Pitz. “In this field, we are at the leading edge worldwide”.
The features mentioned above also explain the satellite‘s name: Earth observation (Terra) with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in X-band (X).
A variety of applications
Radar data contain a lot of information tailored to meet the needs of every potential user. Commercial areas as well as authorities and scientific institutions will benefit from TerraSAR-X. Infoterra GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE, is responsible for commercial data marketing. DLR, as the Federal government‘s representative, remains the owner of the data and coordinates their scientific use.
Future users may choose one of two variants: Direct Access Partner (DAP) and Direct Access Customer (DAC). They conclude a contract with Infoterra under which they may receive data with their own station. Other commercial users buy the processed data from Infoterra via a secure Internet portal or via telephone. Scientists can obtain data records for selected research projects from DLR.
TerraSAR-X opens up a broad range of applications. Thus, the cloud-independent operation enables rapid and current mapping of large areas, in particular, of extensive wooded and mountain regions. There is a great demand in many countries, also for determining the forest stands and the forestry biomass. Furthermore, the TerraSAR-X data can be used as a national contribution to “Global Monitoring for Environment and Security” (GMES). This is a European action plan combining the data of terrestrial, maritime and space-based measuring systems.
Reconnaissance is one of the fields of application for TerraSAR-X data: Intelligence services, reconnaissance aircraft and emergency relief organisations benefit from systems offering not only an extremely high resolution but also on-time data acquisition. Today, these organisations generally draw on data of optical sensors. This may require longer waiting times. The near real-time data acquisition enabled by TerraSAR-X provides these organisations with unprecedented possibilities of using satellite data in time-critical situations.
Authorities will also benefit from TerraSAR-X data in the future. Surveyor‘s offices, for example, will regularly be able to record constructional or other changes in their municipalities or, after a storm, to capture wind throw areas in a rapid and cost-efficient way. In addition, following natural disasters, precise and current maps facilitate the coordination of humanitarian aid projects and reconstruction measures at any place on Earth. Finally, radar maps can also be used for strategic reconnaissance and deployment of soldiers in crisis areas. “In the first year of operation, we will gain a lot of experience and encounter applications we do not even consider at the moment”, says Jörg Herrmann, CEO of Infoterra GmbH. New commercial applications will presumably develop from scientific projects which are supported by DLR.
Novel applications are enabled by another specialty of TerraSAR-X: the “Dual Receive Antenna Mode”. In this mode, two parts of the antenna are operated like two eyes. This allows the detection of motion on the ground. This feature will be used for measuring the speed of cars on motorways. The long-term objective of such a technology could be a space-based multi-satellite system for the monitoring and guidance of traffic flows.
In addition to the radar instrument onboard of TerraSAR-X a technology demonstrator will make it into orbit. LCT will be used for in-orbit verification of rapid optical data transfer in space. With the instrument, financed by DLR and built by the EADS SPACE subsidiary Tesat Spacecom, a link is to be established between TerraSAR-X and a ground station. Later on, by means of this new type of laser system large quantities of data can be transferred to the ground. A corresponding station on a second satellite would allow a satellite-to-satellite link, enabling a rapid data exchange via relay stations around the world.
The future has already begun: TerraSAR-X2 and TanDEM-X
Sustainability is the avowed objective of the TerraSAR-X project. It is not based on a single Earth exploration but on continuous monitoring. The radar in space shall become a regular, operational system similar to the weather satellites that have been operating in space for many years. Thus, the course is set for the successor TerraSAR-X2 which is to be financed from the gain achieved by Infoterra with the TerraSAR-X images. Its launch is scheduled for 2011.
But the development does not stop and TerraSAR-X technology can be used for further applications. Therefore, EADS SPACE will implement the TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) project on behalf of DLR. It consists of a further satellite, which is similar to TerraSAR-X and is to fly at a distance of between 500 metres and two kilometres from TerraSAR-X. Similar to the human eyes’ spatial view, TanDEM-X could capture a three-dimensional elevation model of the Earth. Motions, such as ocean currents, could also be detected. TanDEM-X will also be funded in a PPP model. It could be launched in March 2009.
About EADS SPACE
EADS SPACE is Europe‘s leading satellite specialist. Its activities cover complete civil and military telecommunications and Earth observation systems, science and navigation programmes, and all spacecraft avionics and equipment. In 2005, EADS SPACE had a turnover of 2.7 billion euros and about 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of approximately 34.2 billion euros and employed a workforce of more than 113,000.
About Infoterra
Infoterra GmbH was launched in 2001 for the purpose of exclusively pursuing the commercial exploitation of TerraSAR-X data and derived geo-information products and services. Infoterra GmbH has a workforce of 30 employees in Friedrichshafen and is part of the European Infoterra Group with a total workforce of 300 employees in Germany, the U.K. and France.
Press contact:
EADS SPACE
Mathias Pikelj : +49 (0) 7545 8 91 23
Infoterra GmbH:
Mareike Doepke: +49 (0) 7545 8 39 24
TerraSAR-X at a glance
Height: 4,88 m
Diameter: 2.4m
Launch mass: 1,230kg
of which payload: approx. 472kg
Resolution: 1m, 3m, 16m (depending on image size)
Launcher: Dnepr-1 (former SS18)
Orbit height: 514km on the equator
Tilt angle towards equator: 97.4° (Sun-synchronous)
Life time: 5 years
(Source Infoterra GmbH)

Telespazio took part in the 10th International Architecture Exhibition, dedicated to “Cities. Architecture and Society”, which took place as part of the 2006 Biennale exhibition from 10 September to 19 November.

Telespazio has made a fundamental contribution to the exhibition by providing satellite pictures of 16 large cities – including Caracas, Cairo, Los Angeles, London, Milan and Tokyo – chosen to represent the megalopolises of our time in a new light.
These images of the Earth, taken by a satellite 450 km away, offer an increasingly higher resolution, now at less than a metre, and are an indispensable tool for town planning and land monitoring.
Seen from space, cities take on a whole new dimension, one that is extremely useful for those studying environmental, town planning, demographic and economic problems in depth.
(Source Telespazio)

In the framework of IDRC Symposium (International Disaster Reduction Conference, August 27 – September 1, 2006) in Davos which was organized by the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, a Tajik-Uzbek delegation visited several institutions in Switzerland, among them MFB-GeoConsulting.

“Long-lasting relationships between Switzerland and Central Asia”
Thus, a long-lasting relationship between Central Asia and Switzerland in the water sector could be renewed. The visit was a continuation of several visits in the context of the UN “Year of the Water” (2003). A Swiss delegation (including MFB-Geo) visited Tajikistan last November.
MFB-Geo presented the delegation the most innovative technologies in image processing, photogrammetry and 3-D measurements in stereo satellite imagery including real-time constructions via the internet.
The delegation included the following participants:
Tajikistan : Sirodjidin Aslov, Tajik Embassador to the UN in New York ; Sulton Rahimov, Acting Charimen EC-IFAS (Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea ); Khayrullo Ibodzoda, EC-IFAS.
Uzbekistan : Ludmilla Borovikova, UZ-HMS (Uzbek Hydro-Meteorological Survey); Irina Maslowskaja, UZ-HMS
Switzerland: Remo Galli, Alt Nationalrat; Manfred Spreafico, BAFU; Roland Meister, SLF; Res Pärli, Elektricity / Water Bern (ewb); Andreas Bauder, ETHZ; Christel Oelser, GIUB.
MFB-Geo is involved in water-related projects in Central Asia since 1996. For more information on the Central Asian projects, goto www.mfb-geo.com (ProjectConsulting)
(Source MFB-Geo)

Even though Big Companies dedicate a big part of their resources to R&D most of it is done by smaller companies and research institutions.

Spacedat is a research based company with the ability to link science with business. Providing innovation to private and public institutions, developing new technologies, refining existing technologies or developing new applications.
Spacedat relies on the dynamic R&D network created with national and international research institutions to complement its activities on Earth Observation thus providing value added products and services.
As a result important collaborations agreements have recently been signed in order to cover different areas related to EO:
GRID ComputingCONSORZIO SPACI (Southern Partnership for Advanced Computing Infrastructures), Nanotechnology (National Research Council / National Institute for the Physics of the Matter), Radar (Politecnico of Bari).
Some examples of applied research projects for environmental management are:
SENTINEL–Italy a web G.I.S application that localizes forest fires in near real time and creates a perimeter of burned areas, developed in collaborations with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) – Australia.
Tools for the Integrated Management of Coastal Areas (eomag summer 2006) work carry out in the framework of the SIMON COSTA project (Lecce Province) and the IMCA project (financed by the Italian Ministry of Research (MIUR) Art.5 del DM 593/2000 developed by a consortium conformed by Spacedat, Planetek Italia, Coastal Consulting and Exploration, Politecnico of Bari – Departments of Physics, Civil and Architectural Engineering, Water and Chemistry (Laboratory of research and experimentation for the protections of the coasts), Bari University Zoology Department.
Spacedat looks forward to establish further links with private companies, agencies and research institutions, promoting agreements and business partnerships.
Contact:
Viia Duca degllii Abruzzii 57
Lecce 73100
Tel//Fax: (0039) 0832..30..85..05 info@spacedatt.com