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NOAA has extended the MSG SEVIRI US Re-Transmission System using a VCS 2met! application based EUMETCast reception, processing and dissemination system.

Before NOAA relied upon the provision of SEVIRI data via WAN line between EUMETSAT and NOAA Wallops CDA. Now they have extended their data reception to the new EUMETCast service provided to South America and parts of North America.
The reception system has been delivered by VCS. It includes a hot-standby system between the FTP based data collection and the EUMETCast system to allow for highest data availability to the American users for SEVIRI HRIT data.
contact Dr. Peter Scheidgen

(Credits VCS)

Space technology contributes to improving the efficiency and safety of fire fighting services: positioning and communications via satellite make it possible to know the location and status of the mobile brigades and vehicles taking part in fire extinguishing at all times; observation systems from space furnish very valuable information on the risk of fire, its evolution, flame front and damages sustained.

INSA, leader of the FUEGO programme, a space system for the early detection and monitoring of fires, participates in several R+D projects within the scope of the GMES programme and, fruit of these efforts, has developed the REMFIRESAT system, currently being successfully operated by regional and national institutions and users. Furthermore, INSA has started working on a promising R&D line, “SANCHO”, related to the use of aerostatic platforms for observation and communications in emergency management applications
INSA, Ingeniería y Servicios Aeroespaciales S.A., is a leader company in Space services and Aerospace Engineering, with a solid experience based on more than 40 years managing, operating and maintaining NASA, ESA and INTA space stations, being the largest Spanish company in this field.
Due to the relevance and impact of the Mediterranean forest fires in Spain, INSA is specially committed in the use of Earth Observation and other satellite technologies in the benefit of emergency management, especially in fire fighting applications.
Space technology contributes to improving the efficiency and safety of fire fighting services: remote sensing, positioning and communications via satellite make it possible to know the location and status of the mobile brigades and vehicles taking part in fire extinguishing at all times; observation systems from space furnish very valuable information on the risk of fire, its evolution, flame front and damages sustained.
INSA, leader of the FUEGO programme, a space system for the early detection and monitoring of fires, participates in several R+D projects within the scope of the GMES programme and, fruit of these efforts, has developed the REMFIRESAT system, currently being successfully operated by regional and national institutions and users. Furthermore, INSA has started working on a promising R&D line, “SANCHO”, related to the use of aerostatic platforms for observation and communications in emergency management applications.

INSA led and managed the programme for forest fire satellite detection, FUEGO
, performed with the financial and technical support of the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Thanks to the FUEGO Programme (started in 1995) and specifically thanks to the leadership experience and competences acquired in this Programme, INSA is managing other projects in the framework of applications for environment and risk management based on existing satellites.
The main initiatives and projects tackled by INSA in this field are:
EMERGENCIES AND RISK MANAGEMENT: INSA has been cooperating with ESA during the last years in the design and deployment of a near-real time system for forest fire risk management which integrates the three main applications of space technologies: Communications, Navigation, and Earth Observation. As a continuation of this effort, the system (or parts of it) has been running in near-operational conditions in the Spanish regions of Galicia, Castilla y León, and in the General Directorate for Biodiversity (Central Administration).
Burnt area mapping with MODIS, integrated at user’s premises thanks to INSA’s REMFIRESAT Tool
GMES and EURORISK: INSA takes part, within the framework of ESA and EC GMES initiative, in the RISK-EOS project. The first phase of RISK-EOS ended in 2004 and was devoted to set-up a service portfolio for Civil Protection organisms based on Earth Observation data. In September 2005, the next phase of the project has started pursuing the implementation of operational services. In the same line, July 2005 saw the start of the European Commission R&D project called UE PREVIEW, aimed at developing new applications. In both projects, INSA is responsible for the forest fire package as well as for the coordination activities among the Consortium and the Spanish and Portuguese authorities.
UAV-SIVA: SIVA is a real-time surveillance tactical system based on Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV). The vehicles, developed by INTA, carry an infrared/electro optic sensor which transmits images to the GCS (Ground Control Segment) along a radiolink. The UAV follows a pre-programmed mission which is designed and validated in the GCS. During the mission itself, the GCS controls the on-board sensor as well as the vehicle when its working mode is transferred to manual or semiautomatic. INSA has implemented INSA has implemented the Ground Control System (GCS) of SIVA as main contractor of INTA (Spanish Aerospace Institute) after completing the analysis, design, production and validation of the system.
Currently, the GCS has been used to operate SIVA in more than 80 test flights. INSA is likewise collaborating with INTA on feasibility studies for the incorporation of UAVs under air traffic regulations, modifying the station to establish communications with ACC (Air Control Center) .These and other upgrades, in addition to improve SIVA’s system performance, open the door to its utilisation in a larger range of civil applications. In particular, in the framework of GMES initiative, SIVA can complement space systems as an in-situ element, and can also contribute significantly to programmes.
SIVA-UAV: VIS image over a forest fire in Sanabria during a flight test
SANCHO (Aerostatic Platforms): The SANCHO Project (Aerostatic System for Navigation, Communications and Observation Tools) seeks to acquire the technologies to enable the development of stratospheric aerostatic vehicles for emergency management, security and telecommunications applications. The fields of research include aeronautical, power control, telecommunications and Earth observation technologies.
Aerostatic Platform from the Astrobiology Center (CAB), one of the forerunners of SANCHO, during a test lift-off
(Credits INSA)

Infoterra achieves 20 per cent growth in 2005
and secures further investment from EADS Astrium.

Infoterra Ltd., a leader in the provision of geographic information products and services, today announces that it achieved 20 per cent growth in 2005. This represents the company’s third consecutive year of growth, during which time it has doubled turnover to become a £19 million business.
Infoterra’s continuing success is based on its geographical information systems (GIS) products, services, consultancy and technology leadership. Infoterra is particularly active in the utilities, telecommunications and engineering marketplaces as well as the public sector.
During 2005, Infoterra secured a number of significant contracts including multiple projects on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA); comprising GIS consultancy and development services, airborne photography provision and digital map creation.
Additional flagship projects for Infoterra includes the management and hosting of geographical data for the European Space Agency (ESA), a four year framework agreement with the Highways Agency and the extension of the European Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) humanitarian relief project, Respond. 2005 also saw the signing of a multi-million pound partnership for the delivery of a national aerial photo layer with BlueSky International Ltd. and Infoterra’s launch of its market leading online service, GeoStore.com.
The ongoing success of Infoterra also prompted its parent company, EADS Astrium, to provide additional investment for the purchase of an ADS40 system (the latest in airborne digital camera technology).
Dave Fox, CEO, Infoterra Ltd. comments: “These figures confirm Infoterra’s strengthening position in the GIS market. Throughout the past year Infoterra has won both new contracts, across a number of sectors, as well as contract extensions from existing customers. In line with our strategy to extend Infoterra across the GIS value chain we have achieved growth across every facet of the business – from data provision to data hosting.”
About Infoterra Ltd.
Infoterra Ltd. is a leading provider of geographic information products and services. Its portfolio of geographic information solutions includes airborne and satellite data acquisition, geo-information creation, database management and outsourced hosting. Infoterra provides geospatial knowledge to companies worldwide to help them make informed decisions. The company has major customers in communications, utilities, engineering, agriculture, defence and oil, gas & mineral exploration.
Infoterra Ltd. is part of the Infoterra group which comprises companies in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS Astrium Ltd.
For more information contact
- Simon Corbett,
Edelman,
+44 (0) 20 7344 1349,
simon.corbett@edelman.com
ellen.harrison@edelman.com
- Sarah Haslam,
Infoterra Ltd.,
+44 (0)116 273 2300,
sarah.haslam@infoterra-global.com
(Credits Infoterra Ltd)

PCI Geomatics announced the release of Geomatica 10 for Linux and Solaris users.

The latest version of the company’s revolutionary image-centric geospatial software emphasizes automation, productivity, and support for more than 100 geospatial data formats. Geomatica 10 offers solutions for various geomatics processing requirements, while maintaining interoperability with outside software packages. Geomatica 10 offers significant new features and enhancements, including enhanced charting and new atmospheric correction algorithms for hyperspectral data. In particular, our strong alliance with Oracle® has enabled Geomatica 10 to take full advantage of Oracle 10g and make uploading and downloading multiple-formatted and large quantities of data effortless. As part of our commitment to continually improving our products, Geomatica 10 offers better performance, even more supported formats, and new satellite sensor support. Advancements in photogrammetry include automatic ground control point collection, automated orthomosaic workflows, and enhanced exterior orientation reporting and editing functionality for even greater accuracy and efficiency.
(Credits PCI)

In response to a growing demand for sharpened census data, GeoVille Information Systems has developed ‘real-world population’ maps based on Earth observation, under a contract named EO-STAT awarded by ESA, which can assist the private and public sector in fields such as geomarketing, market research, business location analysis, risk assessment and transport and urban planning.

GeoVille, an Austrian company specialising in geo-information, and Tele Atlas, a leading provider of road networks worldwide, are providing detailed models of areas based on road network information, statistical population data – supplied by the German-based market research institute GfK – and Earth observation (EO) images from ESA’s Envisat, NASA’s LANDSAT and the French Space Agency’s SPOT satellites.
Results are then integrated into Tele Atlas’ digital geographic database, MultiNet, and can – among other applications – be used to spot the target groups for geomarketing campaigns.
Envisat artist‘s impression
Envisat
Geomarketing determines consumer profiles according to geographical zones based on market-specific data by using geographical information along with population and economic statistics. Companies can use this information to visualize the geographic location of potential target groups before implementing costly marketing campaigns and to envision future growth on a local or national scale. For instance, this information can be used to strategically choose a heavily-populated area in which to place a business in another country without ever placing a foot in the region.
Population data from zip codes has been used for decades to help companies reach their target audience, but that data has drawbacks because it standardises the information, conveying the erroneous impression of homogeneous population densities leading to misleading results. Data provided by EO-STAT (EO derived information for sharpening socio-economic STATistics) makes the transition from the current population statistics to the ‘real-world’ population situation.
“Models based on zip code data, for example, make areas look uniform, but in reality within a community you will have, for instance, some high rise buildings, single family homes, some green areas, lakes and parks,” Christian Hoffman of GeoVille said. “Our service is like a pencil sharpener because it sharpens the data already available by using a model that compiles three layers of information.”
Data development
Data development for density maps
Information on ‘real-world population’ distribution is already available through EO-STAT for all of Austria with extensions in Germany, but the largest potential of the project is in regions and countries where limited information on population distribution is available. Thus, EO-STAT is currently working to provide models for Eastern European countries, where the statistical data are sometimes fragmented not homogeneous. In light of the European Union’s expansion to the east, there is an increasing demand for geoinformation from this region to allow local and national businesses to make better informed decisions. GeoVille is also currently providing maps over the province of Shanghai in China.
GeoVille first employed this technique in Vienna, Austria, with a population of roughly 1.5 million, and illustrated a complex and heterogeneous settlement structure from low density single family neighbourhoods to modern high-rise buildings and large industrial and commercial areas.
The model produced was validated with aerial photographs and independent reference data and showed an accuracy of more than 95 percent. The EO data used provided recognition of urban features and separation of urban from non-urban features, as well as discrimination of urban site density based on the presence of vegetation.
Companies currently using this model expect to improve their existing data sets in regards of accuracy by a factor of 100 or more.
The EO-STAT service is organised in partnership with German-based Infoterra GmbH and Brockmann Consult. The EO-STAT contract was awarded by ESA within the framework of the Earth Observation Market Development (EOMD) programme. More information about EO-STAT activities is available from the EOMD website or can be obtained by contacting eomd@esa.int.
(Credits ESA and Geoville)

GeoID becomes distributor for Skyline products via an agreement with Skyline France.

Skyline software is the leading solution for streaming the 3D digital earth over the internet or an intranet. GeoID is an official reseller for Skyline FranceTM.
Skyline products are composed of three main product lines:
• TerraBuilder fuses large volumes of imagery, elevation and vector data, to create a terrain database with an accurate 3D model of a landscape.
• TerraExplorer is a desktop application that allows users to view and analyze the spatial data, and edit it, adding 2D and 3D information, routes, locations and GIS files. TerraExplorer connects to the terrain database generated by TerraBuilder, and accesses GIS layers directly over a network.
• TerraGate is a server that allows users to access the terrain database over the Internet. TerraGate streams spatial data in real-time, as the user flies over the landscape.
(Credits GeoID)

GeoEye, the world’s largest satellite remote-sensing imaging company through its partner European Space Imaging (EUSI) has received an additional contract from the European Commission to supply OrbView-3 high-resolution map-accurate imagery.

The contract was awarded on April 5, 2006 and is valued at $2.15 million (EUR 1.8 million) over the next four years. The imagery will be collected by the company’s OrbView-3 high-resolution earth-imaging satellite.
Together with its recently renewed three-year contract to supply imagery from GeoEye’s IKONOS high-resolution satellite, EUSI continues to be one of the largest suppliers of commercial satellite imagery to the European Commission.
The imagery will be processed and delivered to the European Commission by EUSI located in Munich, Germany. The contract requires GeoEye to begin imagery collections over 24 specific European sites to support the European Commission’s agricultural subsidy controls.
The European Union is using satellite imagery as a tool to verify farmer’s declarations and claims for subsidies. In addition, the European Commission will use OrbView-3 imagery in support of national security related projects.
“The European Commission has been an excellent customer, and we are committed to continuing to meet all of their expectations,” said Adrian Zevenbergen, general manager for European Space Imaging.
“For the past three years the European Commission has ranked GeoEye’s IKONOS satellite with a 98-100% performance success rate, so we are confident the OrbView-3 satellite will maintain this contract’s same demanding schedule and performance requirements.”
“We are delighted that the European Commission has chosen to use imagery from the OrbView-3 satellite in support of agricultural subsidy controls as well as for security related projects. OrbView-3 has been used by several Asian countries as well as by the US Government’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for similar purposes.
“This contract will now give us an opportunity to demonstrate this satellite’s capability and value to the European community,” said Timothy J. Puckorius, GeoEye’s senior vice president of International Sales.
GeoEye is currently building its next-generation commercial satellite imaging system, GeoEye-1, which will have a ground resolution of .41-meter panchromatic and 1.65-meter multispectral. When launched in early 2007, this satellite will greatly increase our capacity to collect a large amount of data within a short timeframe, which is ideal for monitoring crop subsidy programs.
Related Links:
(Article Credits: Staff Writers (SPX), April)

GAF AG, an internationally active geo-information technology company, announces that phase 2 of the AQUIFER project is close to completion. AQUIFER focuses on the development and demonstration of Earth observation based products and services for supporting national authorities and international institutions in the management of two prominent, internationally shared ground water resources, aquifers in Africa, the SASS and Iullemeden.

February 2006- Responsibility for project realization is sub-divided across the AQUIFER consortium that includes African as well as European AQUIFER partners under the leadership of GAF AG.
The ongoing implementation of the project consists of three phases. The completion of AQUIFER phase 2 – the prototype phase – foresees now a review by all stakeholders and the subsequent necessary project adjustments before entering into the phase 3, which shall last till May 2007.
AQUIFER project now approaching the completion of its prototype phase can announce the following achievements:
- consolidated list of required AQUIFER products and services as a result of several meetings and intense discussions with the AQUIFER users on requirements and expectations
- prototypes products based on satellite imagery (limited in geographic coverage to the selected prototype areas) are generated and made available on the AQUIFER website. They are currently available for assessment by and feedback from the users.
- training and extensive on-site cooperation has been already performed with Water Management Organizations as well as Remote Sensing Institutes in Algeria, Libya, Mali, Niger and Tunisia.
- ground truth campaigns were performed by our partners in Africa with participation from experts from Europe
- programming and acquisition of optical and radar satellite data for the areas of interest is ongoing and to a considerable extend completed.
- in the frame of AQUIFER an ESA funded airborne campaign “AquiferEx” -performed by the German Aerospace Establishment DLR – has mapped 2 test sites in Tunisia with hyperspectral and radar imagery. This data which will be put to use in the following phase 3 of AQUIFER and will result in a refined land use / cover map.
- The AQUIFER website is established and continuously updated to keep the public informed on the aims of AQUIFER, its status of achievements, latest news and on future planning. In the internal section a forum is provided for information exchange and discussion among the more than 20 AQUIFER project partners.
AQUIFER is one of the demonstrator projects of ESA‘s initiative “Earth Observation for Integrated Water Resources Management in Africa”, known as TIGER. It is funded by ESA‘s Data User Element (DUE) programme. In 2004 the GAF team has been awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to implement AQUIFER.
AQUIFER focuses on the development and demonstration of Earth observation based products and services for supporting national authorities and international institutions in the transboundary management of ground water resources. AQUIFER deals with two prominent, internationally shared aquifers: the SASS basin in the Sahara and Iullemeden basin in the Sahel zone. The AQUIFER project brings together national and international water management entities with remote sensing and GIS service providers from 3 Maghreb, 3 African and 5 European countries.
About GAF AG
GAF AG is an internationally active and renowned company with a lead competence and experience in applied remote sensing and spatial information systems. GAF AG offers a comprehensive portfolio ranging from procurement of geo-data (e.g. satellite and aerial imagery, digital elevation models), image processing, thematic mapping, GIS/DBMS applications and software development. GAF has a proven success record in performing turn-key technical assistance projects in the mineral and oil&gas sector and delivering customized geological information systems. GAF AG´s activities are run by the CEO Dr. Rupert Haydn.
(Credits GAF AG)

Emergesat, a humanitarian communication container, was showcased on March, 23rd, at the ENSOSP (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Officiers de Sapeurs-Pompiers, the national French school for fire fighting officers).

Emergesat is a unique humanitarian tool combining space-based telecommunications, earth observation, location and navigation solutions as well as ground-based radio technologies like Wi-Fi and GSM, that enables emergency personnel to aid in the coordination and efficient handling of international humanitarian relief work in all-weather conditions. It also facilitates evaluation of human and logistical needs, coordination and intervention for real-time support, medical assistance, epidemiology analyses, water quality assistance, etc.
The aim of the demonstration was to provide the civil security teams with a hands-on experience of Emergesat‘s benefits during crisis situations when all conventional means of communications are down or overloaded. The container was flown by helicopter to the site and deployed by the civil security team. Less than ten minutes afterwards, all communications and applications were operational, using a broad band bidirectional satellite link (DVB-RCS) and long-distance Wifi.
The national security team then used an IP phone to contact their Headquarters in Paris, before setting up a videoconference, during which both sites were able to share maps of the damaged areas and exchange data (inventory of deployed resources, description of damages, etc.).
The demonstration was held in presence of Nicole Guedj, the former French minister and representing the French President, Christian Delavernée, Director of French Civil Security, Yannick d‘Escatha, President of the French space agency (CNES), Pascale Sourisse, President and CEO of Alcatel Alenia Space and Jean-Pierre Massue, President of REMIFOR.
During her speech, Pascale Sourisse said that Alcatel was proud to contribute to environmental issues through its space and telecom expertise and applications. She also mentioned the importance of a European approach to primary risk prevention and management : “Our role in the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) project is a crucial milestone. Our expertise in Earth observation (both optics and radar based) as well as in telecommunication and navigation today allows us to provide innovative solutions”, Pascale Sourisse concluded.

Project SCORE – Service Coordinated Operational Emergency Rescue Using EGNOS, developed by an European consortium in which EDISOFT, the Portuguese specialised software engineering company, leads the Portuguese participation, was presented on March 3rd, at the National Firemen and Civil Protection Service headquarters.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the European Commission, of the SCORE Consortium, of the Galileo Joint Undertaking, of the National Firemen and Civil Protection Service, of EDISOFT, international companies that were part of the project and other Portuguese institutes.
EDISOFT, considering its wide experience in the application and services’ area, is one of this project’s main actors, being responsible for the conceptualisation of the services’ platform, for the user needs’ analysis and for the definition and implementation of all field trials.
SCORE pioneers 3D geo-location
With SCORE, positionning services include, for the first time, the third dimension – height. Until now, only longitude and latitude were determined, a restriction that severely hampered the capabilities of all geo-location services, namely in what referred to, for example, a person’s position within a building.
Having as an example the New York’ September 11th events, if at the time, this system would have been available, it would have been possible to determine with high accuracy the floors from which the emergency calls were made.
SCORE is thus a huge quality leap that revolutiones the geo-location dominium.
SCORE is the 112 operational Emergency Assistance service, available through the EGNOS Global Navigation Satellite System EGNOS and that, later, shall use the GALILEO satellite constellation to provide an excellent performance in accurate geo-location.
This innovative 112 assistance service has a two-folded architecture: telephone assistance for emergencies and the coordinated search and rescue operations’ management – serving both the public and the professional services involved with the civil protection activities.
SCORE’s public demonstration successfully portraited two scenarios:
1. A person in distress in a forest fire, that calls 112 on its mobile phone. This person’s position is automatically determined by the SCORE system and a warning is sent to the firemen brigades on the ground.
2. An emergency call through a mobile phone in a building located in Lisbon. The person’s location is automatically determined by the SCORE system and transferred to the Emergency Centre Services that sends all the required assistance and significantly reduces the response time.
SCORE allows the geo-location of all 112 calls made by mobile phones in a more precise, reliable and effective manner, enabling services’ continuity, with respect to current solutions. SCORE’s architecture allows the position to be determined within a few seconds, which makes all the difference in emergency calls. This architecture enables a similar integration of different communication networks, including GPRS, TETRA, Wi-Fi and WiMax.
An innovative A-GPS server guarantees better performance accuracy than current commercial solutions. The SCORE solution is based in a detailed user needs’ analysis, performed by EDISOFT and considering the firemen, the police and medical assistance services. The Portuguese Firemen and Civil Protection services operationally tested SCORE during the field trials, under EDISOFT’s supervision.
(Credits Edisoft)