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Friedrichshafen, 06 July 2017 – Airbus Defence and Space has again expanded its WorldDEM portfolio with the launch of WorldDEM4Ortho.

Tailored for orthorectification of high and very high resolution optical and radar satellite data, WorldDEM4Ortho will enable corrections of all distortions induced by the topographical variations of the Earth’s surface and satellite orientation when acquiring an image. Covering the Earth’s entire land surface, WorldDEM4Ortho is the most consistent and accurate elevation model for orthorectification on a global scale.

Without these geometrical corrections, satellite images cannot be used in Geographical Information Systems or for any mapping related applications. With the huge development of new geolocated applications like business analytics, location-based services or tourism, the needs for such a consistent and precise elevation model are exploding.

WorldDEM4Ortho is based on the global WorldDEM dataset. It is produced via a fully automated process and features a vertical accuracy of four metres in a 24 metre raster. Identified disturbing terrain artefacts are removed. Bodies of water like lakes or sea are flattened. Rivers are stepped with a flow that follows the surrounding shorelines. Adaptive smoothing processes are also applied to different landscapes and land-use such as urban areas to avoid distortions in the orthorectified image.

ReSAC is responsible for the development and implementation of GIS Modules to publish and visualize project results of two projects – GRASSLAND and FEMA, which are financed by Program BG03 “Biodiversity and Ecosystems” and co-financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area (EEA FM 2009-2014).

This type of data is first published for the entire territory of an EU Member State outside NATURA 2000 Network. Project results can be used by different users for research, analysis and decision making. Mapping data for grassland and freshwater ecosystems condition and their services in Bulgaria are published in two separate, specialized WebGIS Modules.


Overview of web-GIS interface

GIS Modules realization is based on open source software. The web-based architecture is compliant with the OGC standard. Geographic (spatial) information is provided by GeoServer, which includes outputs such as dynamic geographic data representation (Web-based GIS maps), access to spatial object attributes and search for attribute information. The flexibility of the proposed architecture provides OGC services to access spatial information (WMS and WFS), export to PostgreSQL / PostGIS DB of vector data and metadata to them, export to ESRI Shapefile, GML, GeoJSON and / or raster.

Databases are structured in separate groups in terms of ecosystem types, condition indicators and indicators of ecosystem services.

Users can use different base maps for visualization, such as satellite imagery or different types of maps.

Users can also visualize each indicator individually, to making reference to different attributes for each layer, and check the characteristics of the different types of indicators.

For more specialized users, it is also possible to use data in their desktop software via WMS and WFS services.

GIS modules are available at the following web addresses:

For more information:
Remote Sensing Application Center – ReSAC
61, Tzar Assen Str., fl. 2, 1463, Sofia, Bulgaria. Tel: +35929800731 / Fax: +35929818216.
E-mail: vassil.vassilev@resac-bg.org

Coastal zones are home to half of the world’s population and 60% of all economic activities take place in coastal areas. Any uncontrolled development activity in coastal watersheds, floodplains, wetlands, tidelands, or water basins potentially causes damage to coastal water ecosystems.

Along with climate change impacts, the coastal environment is thus more and more under pressure. As a consequence, it is essential to map and monitor the state of the environment in coastal zones and support coastal management strategies.

Monitoring of coastal zones and water resources requires reliable data and information on the state and change of coastal habitats, wetlands, water supply and water use efficiency. There is a growing awareness that Earth observation data can serve these data needs, especially in the context of European regulations and reporting obligations, as well as supporting international Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

GeoVille’s expertise

GeoVille ’s core expertise is in Earth observation based monitoring services for land and coastal areas. Quality controlled geo-information provides critical input for environmental assessments. This support our customers to better manage coastal zones and water resources, to better understand and mitigate the effects of climate change, safeguard developments and ensure civil security. GeoVille’s products and solutions drive transparency of operations, significantly increase the effectiveness of activities and enhance project implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, GeoVille is highly experienced in the

  • monitoring of the coastline and coastal habitats as well as their changes over time (Goal 14: SDG indicator 14.5.1, Goal 15: SDG indicator 15.3.1)
  • delineation of surface water bodies (Goal 5; SDG indicator 6.3.2)
  • mapping of the spatial extent of wetlands as well as open water surfaces (Goal 6; SDG indicator 6.6.1)
  • inventory of wetlands as a basis for management oriented assessment and monitoring (Goal 6; SDG indicator 6.6.1)
  • mapping of irrigated water use efficiency and water cycle regimes (Goal 6; SDG indicator 6.4.1)
  • assessment of soil erosion potential and vegetation dynamics in coastal areas (Goal 15: SDG indicator 15.3.1)

GeoVille’s relevant recent experiences and capacities

  • Copernicus Pan-European and Local Land Monitoring Services (ongoing): For the Copernicus Land Monitoring Services, under contracts with the European Environment Agency (EEA), GeoVille is currently producing a variety of essential land cover and land use products, including permanent and temporary water bodies and wetness, imperviousness, grasslands, small woody features, as well as change monitoring for Natura2000 sites as well as Riparian zones. These data will have an extensive pan-European coverage and will include large parts of Europe’s coastal areas. More information: http://land.copernicus.eu/

    High-resolution mapping of coastal land use and land cover
  • GlobWetland Africa (ongoing): Within the GlobWetland Africa project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), an open source wetland observing system is developed, implemented and validated for the Ramsar Convention of Wetlands in Africa. The goal is to deliver Earth observation-based products and tools enabling users to better assess the conditions of wetlands and to better monitor their trends over time. GeoVille has successfully produced and presented first products including wetland inventories, water cycle regimes and mangrove extent maps to a large number of African countries. More information: www.globwetland-africa.org
  • Large Scale EO Exploitation Activities in Support of International Development Initiatives (ongoing): The aim of this ESA project, funded under the EO4SD (Earth Observation for Sustainable Development) initiative is to increase the uptake of satellite-based information into regional and global programs of various International Financing Institutions (IFIs) for ODA, such as World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and their Client States. GeoVille implements various Earth observation services targeting a wide range of development projects, programmes and activities of IFIs in areas such as water resources management, coastal management and food security. More information: www.eo4sd.esa.int. Another important activity in this context is TIGER-NET under the ESA TIGER initiative, supporting African water authorities with satellite based assessments and monitoring of water resources for Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). More information: www.tiger-net.org.
  • Coastal erosion and change mapping: Within World Bank funded projects, including for example World Bank’s Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change activity, GeoVille assessed the impact of climate change along West African coasts, including the islands of Sao Tomé and Príncipe. GeoVille produced detailed coastal change, coastal erosion, flood inundation and sea level rise scenario maps and has performed capacity building and training workshops to improve capacities for coastal zone and disaster management and increase resilience of local communities. More information: www.projects.worldbank.org/P111669/sao-tome-adaptation-climate-change

GeoVille recently launched landmonitoring.earth, a new Earth observation based monitoring system for automatic global high-resolution mapping and monitoring of land and coastal zones, fulfilling multi-user application requirements. The paradigm shift from periodical status mapping to continuous monitoring provides cost reductions, near-real time data provision, more detailed insights into historic developments and ongoing processes, situational awareness and robust baseline for decision making and forecasting.

GeoVille is a global leader for land monitoring solutions. We have attained innovation leadership in “end-to-end” geo-spatial land monitoring applications through 19 years of business and our proven capacity to meet today’s and tomorrow’s geo-information requirements. We provide a wide range of high-quality land and coastal monitoring solutions supporting our customers world-wide.
Web // E-mail // Tel:+43 512 562021 // Fax: +43 512 562021-22

We published our annual report for 2016 – covering 2016 and the beginning of 2017 – last June. Read about our activities over the last few months and understand what the Association is doing.

The EARSC Annual Report 2016/2017 describes how we fulfill our mission to foster the development of the European geo-information service industry. The report showcases the year’s accomplishments, detailing our key goals and activities, list of our members, and financial statement.

JUNE 6, 2017. The French company Noveltis has been using SimActive Correlator3D software for precision viticulture. Based on multispectral UAV imagery, mapping products are generated to determine vine health and detect missing plants.

SimActive automates the production process for extracting DSMs, DTMs and orthomosaics, said Florian Jeliazovski, project manager at Noveltis. The company greatly improved the detection of vine rows, and has been able to provide quantitative and qualitative information to its customers.

Noveltis has been building on its expertise in image processing to develop innovative solutions for different applications: earth observation, environment and sustainable development. The company specialises in processing, modelling, simulating of environmental data and has extensive expertise in the fields of land surfaces, oceans and atmosphere.

Correlator3D is a photogrammetry solution for the generation of high-quality geospatial data from satellite and aerial imagery, including UAVs. Correlator3D and UAV technology allow efficient monitoring of high-value crops, said Philippe Simard, president of SimActive. He stated he is proud to support Noveltis in its innovative application of the software.

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NOVELTIS developed unique, reliable and innovative products, called WINEO, for characterizing the vineyard plots by using the latest technologies of aerial and satellite remote-sensing.

The products provide the user with a comprehensive view of its vineyard and helps him/her enhance its production potential and quality.
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WINEO services include:

  • The coverage of the vineyard with high-resolution aerial imagery with centimetre resolution;
  • The digitalisation of each plot boundaries;
  • The characterisation of each plot with unique and reliable indicators:
    • Localisation and percentage of missing plants;
    • Precise vigour mapping (without the artefacts of inter-rows) to inform about the vineyard maturity and help defining the appropriate plot management practices;
    • Inter-row vigour mapping to localize the unwanted grass, target the areas of extensive vegetation and optimize the costs of the weeding processes;
    • Rows characterization (positions, orientation);
    • Mapping of sunshine potential.

WINEO products are provided in several formats, depending on user’s preferences: Online web-mapping, printed maps or GIS layers.

WINEO products were validated in close cooperation with several end-users in Europe (France, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Portugal, etc.). Today WINEO products are operational and commercialized by NOVELTIS at the global scale.

Key benefits:

  • Optimization of the vineyard potential.
  • Selective harvesting and production of homogeneous tanks.
  • Cost reduction by targeting the use of fertilizers and reducing the ground inspections.
  • Modern decision making tools with multi-temporal monitoring.
  • Disease monitoring.

This article was first published in Copernicus observer on July 10th.

The European Commission and ESA are looking for operational use cases to highlight how EO-derived products based on data generated by Sentinel satellites, deliver value to society and the citizens. Do you know of any cases? Would you like to suggest forward-thinking ideas?

As an organisation within the Copernicus ecosystem, EARSC (European Association of Remote Sensing Companies) is leading this activity aimed at showcasing the high inherent value of Sentinel satellites’ data for the benefit of EU society.

Copernicus Observer readers may be familiar with the three cases already studied and published last year which show – in different applications domains – that Copernicus really makes a difference! Under EU and ESA funding, EARSC has been awarded a new contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to analyse more use cases and is starting a second round of research.

Use cases need to be operational (so that a value chain using Sentinel data can be identified) and ideally should involve both public and private actors in the value chain. Furthermore, it is essential to be able to identify a key user (which could be a customer) who would be willing to cooperate in developing the case.

For all selected cases, a specific role is foreseen for the service provider whose service or product will be studied. It will be involved in (a) supporting the analysis of the EO context, (b) helping to establish a contact with the primary user of the EO services/products and © providing any additional information that will help to perform the value chain and benefit analysis. A small budget could be made available to cover any costs.

In return, contributors would benefit from:

  • expert evaluation of the economic benefits of their service or application, that will provide them with a very valuable marketing tool
  • visibility for their activities, thanks to the combined promotion that will be conducted by the European Commission, ESA and EARSC, which will consist of presentations in high profile events, printed material, press and social media promotion, and possibly video animations.

For proposing new use cases, please contact the EARSC secretariat.

Spend the summer playing and learning how you can make even better use of Earth observations. Together with leading experts in Europe, NextGEOSS offers multiple ways of having fun no matter what the weather will be like this summer.

First version of the NextGEOSS data hub

At the 1st NextGEOSS Summit and the European GEO Workshop 19-22 June 2017, the first version of the NextGEOSS data hub was shown and demonstrated. The data hub, a so-called internal alpha release at this stage, was the first of a series of releases. The first public version is scheduled towards the end of 2017. For those who would like to familiarize themselves and play with the NextGEOSS data hub, it is possible to do so through the email nextgeoss@deimos.com.pt

First NextGEOSS Training – The User Feedback Week 11-15 September

The NextGEOSS User Feedback Week will contain a series of online workshops addressing how we can optimize user feedback mechanisms in the Next Generation Earth Observations Data Hub. As part of the User Feedback Week there will be an unique opportunity to get Earth observation training by professionals. The focus of the training will be on applying and making use of a user feedback system for Earth observations. The case of Disaster Risk Reduction with scenarios defined by experts in the field, will animate the face-to-face training that will take place in Reading, UK on 13th September. The training is tailored for users with some experience and knowledge about applying Earth observations. There will also be webinars, interviews with experts such as professor Stefano Salvi from the Geohazards Supersites and Natural Laboratories (GSNL), Sveinung Løkken from ESAs Thematic Exploitation Platform (TEP) and more. Sign up for updates at : http://nextgeoss.eu/first-nextgeoss-training/

The INSPIRE Hackathon – Open Data, Volunteered Geographical Information, Citizens Observatories

The INSPIRE Hack focuses on methods where citizens are able to contribute to different environmental and societal issues through smart phones and other sensors.
More engagement opportunities are offered this summer, leading up to a grand finale at the annual INSPIRE Conference 4. – 9. September 2017. NextGEOSS has teamed up with seasoned hackathon organizers from Plan4ALL, The H2020 projects DataBio, and SKIN who invites you to participate in the 2nd INSPIRE Hackathon.

For more information about NextGEOSS, check out the brochure and website. Or follow NextGEOSS on Twitter (@NextGEOSS) or Facebook (NextGEOSS).

This article was first published on Terrasigna’s website in June 2017.

Reality
Life is about people, nature and the surrounding environment. Nature is defined by rich biodiversity, if taken care of it. April 2017 has marked 25 years of EU supporting nature, environment and climate change through LIFE Programme, while the 5th of every June celebrates the World Environment Day. Each World Environment Day is organized around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern.

The theme for 2017 is connecting people to nature.
Without nature our life is not possible, and sometimes we forget these basic principles. Even more, we don’t recognize all the goods and services natural ecosystems provide us. From food, clean water, and flood protection to cultural heritage and a sense of a place in the world, ecosystems provide essential benefits to us all. Forests, as well as trees in general, and other wooden lands play a significant role in these ecosystem services.

They fulfill multiple functions for society, providing economic, social, and environmental benefits, including serving as a key reservoir of biodiversity, with the greatest assemblage of species found in any terrestrial ecosystem.

However, this valuable natural capital remains under threat, mainly due to human activity. Biodiversity is disappearing rapidly, ecosystems are constantly degrading and their capacity to provide services is compromised. The social and economic costs associated with are often invisible.

The main reason is that the value of natural capital is not measured, and therefore not valued. How can we help?
Land monitoring technologies using data collected through the Sentinels satellite offer valuable information about the nature condition. It provides useful tools for monitoring and assessing the natural resources, and plays an important role in mitigating climate changes impact.

You cannot manage what you don’t measure!

We are pleased to introduce you The Green Lung – an innovative EO service from TERRASIGNA .

“The Green Lung is a wooden vegetation map that measures at national scale the woodlands areas. It identifies and measures forests areas (deciduous and coniferous), but also trees alongside roads or rivers, city park trees, perennial bushes zones, clusters of junipers, orchards of fruit trees etc.”

The service is a novelty in the market, as the woodlands vegetation are measured for the first time from a botanical perspective (as opposed to the administrative one), source of rich and diverse information.

The quantified hectares of woodlands areas are providing valuable data, gathered over one-year period of time. All the phenological stages of vegetation are covered, as well as the complete cycle of seasonal weather changes.

“The Green Lung in action presents above map of Romanian woodland vegetation – total measured of 7,48 millions hectares. The service has identified Caras-Severin, Suceava and Hunedoara counties as the largest wooden areas. Inside detailed measurements can be done at regional, county or other distribution type levels.”

Benefits from monitoring & assessment:

  • provides vital information about the wood mass energy;
  • supports biodiversity conservation in forests and woodlands;
  • contribution to healthy forest ecosystems;
  • management support for forests and woodlands conservation.

The Green Lung service is using Sentinel2 mutispectral optical imagery and big data processing algorithms, developed in-house. The map accuracy was measured to be over 95%, and the production technology benefits from the company’s expertise and its distinctive capabilities in EO data processing.

TERRASIGNA is Romanian rooted company, with locally developed competences, validated and appreciated by reputable international partners – European Space Agency, NASA, World Bank, German Aerospace Center, etc.
Forests ecosystems are part of our cultural and historical heritage, and wooded lands represents a privileged place for outdoors recreation and leisure.
Can we put a monetary value on hearing birds singing or seeing breath-taking landscapes? Probably, not.
But can we measure the natural capital and the impact of actions to limit its loss? Certainly, yes.

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA), the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), the State Space Corporation “Roscosmos” (ROSCOSMOS), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) have today formally joined forces to create the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation.

A Joint Committee Meeting was held in Haikou, China, on 3 July 2017 to review and deliberate on the progress of the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation and to discuss a Draft Agreement to be signed later this year. It was stressed that the BRICS Satellite Constellation is the first substantive project in the field of space cooperation.

There are two Phases proposed for the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation, namely, Phase 1 comprising of a virtual constellation of existing satellites, and Phase 2 to comprise of a new satellite constellation to be discussed and defined in the near future.

The intention of the virtual constellation is to establish the remote sensing data sharing mechanism and avail to the partners, space solutions that meet the challenges faced by humanity, such as global climate change, major natural and technological disasters and environmental protection.

“We remain committed to ensuring the integration of African space-based knowledge and technology in improving the lives of fellow Africans and welcome such esteemed partners in achieving this important objective.’ said Dr Valanathan Munsami, SANSA CEO at the meeting.

There is a consensus that the BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Virtual Constellation is a practical step towards high-tech cooperation between these countries that will assist in attaining the sustainable development goals and challenges pertaining to our respective economies and societies. This will also inject new vitality into the strategic partnership among BRICS States.

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