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The deterioration of our environment as well as the increase of natural disasters require the implementation of powerful means which meet the needs of modeling, analysis and prediction.

Spatial technologies allow indispensable contributions in the field of the environment and to return essential services for the citizen well-being. They are global tools by definition whether it is in term of observation, telecommunications or positioning.
They are also indispensable in all the phases of crisis management (prevention, alert, communications of crisis, identification of damages and zones to help, restoring infrastructures, guiding emergency teams)

For more than twenty years, THALES ALENIA SPACE has participated in space systems and applications.

As examples, in the satellite domain, TAS led or participated in the following:
-Meteorology observation satellite (METEOSAT, MSG, MTG), optical instrument VEGETATION for the land observation, MERIS for ocean color, and OLCI the new ocean and land imager on GMES Sentinel 3.
-Radars satellites ERS, COSMO-SKYMED system, and instrument ASAR on ENVISAT as well as CRYOSAT for the observation of ice.
-TOPEX-POSEIDON and JASON for the oceanography;
-Interferometry for atmospheric analysis: IASI on board on METOP
-Development of spatial solutions of navigation (EGNOS and soon GALILEO)
-Communication satellites for civilian and military applications for customers worldwide (Europe, Middle-East, Asia, Africa et America)
-Sentinels GMES S1 (radar) and S3 (oceanography)

THALES ALENIA SPACE is involved in oceanography and marine applications, atmosphere, climate change, risks and security in international or national European programs. In particular TAS is involved in the carbon cycle and water cycle initiatives. TAS works with the users on the implementation of optimized solutions.

TAS is coordinating the project AQUAMAR (organization of services for the quality of coastal waters within the framework of the downstream services of GMES) and leader of the project ESA MARCOAST on similar topics. In addition TAS participates in the CARBON and PASODOBLE projects in the atmosphere domain (Downstream services of GMES) as well as in the projects MARISS and G MOSAIC of GMES.
MARISS aims at consolidating Maritime Security Service chain specification implementation in Mediterranean Critical Areas.


G-MOSAIC services will support the prevention and management of external Regional Crisis and the relevant EU intervention for instance for peace keeping, peace enforcing, crisis prevention, EU citizens rescue.


G-Mosaic services

Within the framework of the project ASTRO + whose mission was to study and demonstrate how space technologies and capabilities can contribute to security operations, in the broadest sense, including humanitarian aid and rescue efforts, TAS has implemented a ground experiment based on land and satellite solutions integrating observation, telecommunication and navigation.


Astro + mission

In the Risk management area, TAS is involved in the European program LINKER to make the link between the services of GMES and the users in member states, in an ESA study of crisis management spatial architecture and supplies solutions of telecommunications and applications for export.

TAS also proposes solutions of management of crisis with the container EMERGESAT, developed with CNES. This heli-transportable container allows satellite connections of the bidirectional broadband type ( DVB-RCS) deployed within ten minutes as well as technologies radio land of type WiFi and GSM. It allows the rescue team to work in coordination, offering an efficient management of international humanitarian aid in any weather, even where national conventional telecommunication means are destroyed or saturated. Thanks to IP-based applications, EMERGESAT allows local and distant participants to share maps of the impacted zones and to exchange data (inventories of the expanded means, description of damages, etc.), EMERGESAT also facilitates the evaluation of the human and logistic needs, the coordination of the interventions, the medical care, etc.

The EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE of Guyana was equipped with an EMERGESAT container which it uses in a operational way (used recently in Haiti).

TAS also works in several projects related to the telemedicine such as the European HEALTHWARE project.

Besides, TAS introduced, with the EUROPOLE of Arbois, the so-called Pole of Competitiveness “ Management of Risks and Vulnerability of Territories “ in the South of France. In this context, TAS is involved with his partners in projects for monitoring the environment. In particular TAS is leading the project RATCOM: network of alert of tsunamis and to the integration of solutions of telecommunication to alert the population. TAS also participates in other Poles of Competitiveness: “SEA”, “Aerospace Valley”, “Secure Communicating Solutions”, “OPTITEC”.

TAS is strongly involved in African projects. Having set up 48 PUMA stations (weather report stations) in the African countries, TAS is leading the consortium in charge of the technical support to the African Union within the framework of the AMESD program (African Monitoring of Environment for Sustainable Development).


EUMETCast reception station of the Mauritius Oceanography Institute Quatre Bornes / Mauritius Inaugurated on 26/06/2009

It is a pillar of future GMES Africa in whom EUMETSAT plays an essential role. This program deploys environmental stations in the same countries and develops value added services to better manage water related aspects (seaworthiness of big rivers, quality of waters, drought and agriculture). TAS is also starting the LEGEND EO project (International cooperation EU) which aims at a better use of the Earth Observation information in Africa.

In addition TAS participates in projects connected to the architecture of systems of distributed information and to the interoperability of these systems, whether it is for the management of the risks (European WIN project) or of the environment (GENESIS: quality of the water and the air).

In this framework, TAS and its partners implemented ground experiments. For example, the WIN project experiment CANTIC, which is a scenario of floods involving all the local users and the state services in the VAR Plain, integrating observation, telecommunication and navigation, or the GENESIS project dealing with water and air quality in various European sites.

TAS is a major space domain actor today, and contributes also to the development of applications and solutions. Today the implementation of long-lasting and optimized solutions results from the permanent dialogue between the actors of the chain, the suppliers of data, the suppliers of services and the users. It is only by pooling efficiently these skills that tomorrow’ services can be successful.

Eomag!23_TAS (France)(Autumn 2010).pdf.pdf

Working in the Space and Earth Observation fields, Critical Software is, and has been, involved in several R&D and operational projects with the aim to deliver innovative Earth Observation products and services to specific user communities. The company has a proven experience in delivering highly dependable mission oriented critical solutions, services and technologies, and has established itself as a reliable and proactive partner for customers, such as ESA, NASA, JAXA, EADS Astrium, Thales Alenia Space, DNV, ScySis, Vega among many others.

Customers trust Critical Software to bring quality and innovation to information systems in a timely and cost effective manner, while developing solutions that simply must not fail. The experience acquired in international consortia with prime contractors has paved the way for Critical Software to provide services ranging from engineering processes definition, solution design and support for the development and integration of Safety Critical Sub-Systems and interfaces, to the development and deployment of best-of-breed software certifiable services and solutions or COTS based systems.

Critical Software’s activities span from the space segment to downstream services, including Earth Observation, Telecommunications and Navigation, such as, flight qualified software, quality & product assurance, operational simulators, data processing and visualization tools, ISVV and RAMS, whilst using best available technologies and modelling methodologies.

Critical Software operates an ISO9001:2000 Tick-IT and CMMI SW/SE Level 5 accredited quality system and applies the ISO/IEC 15504 standard in the area of software process assessment (whose deployment was supported and monitored by the European Space Agency).

Some examples of projects in which Critical Software is or has been involved in the Earth Observation area are:

Premfire – Fire Combat Management and Control System

Critical Software has developed PREMFIRE, whose main objective was to implement a system for fire risk assessment that could easily be used by the civil protection staff or other fire prevention service. PREMFIRE extends the existing RISE system, adding wireless palmtop terminals providing real or near-real time exchange of data with field staff. Relatively static information such as topography, fire history and land use were integrated with meteorological conditions and Earth Observation data from MODIS, ERS, SPOT and Landsat. The possibility of including positional data from EGNOS/Galileo is designed in. Fire risk maps are generated and also automatic alarms when necessary to alert local fire fighting units.

SAFER – Services and Applications for Emergency Response

SAFER aimed at preparing the operational implementation of the Emergency Response Core Service (ERCS). In the scope of SAFER, Critical Software implemented and operated a service chain, allowing the provision of the automatic burn scar mapping service to several Portuguese and Greek authorities.

SMOS – L1PP (SMOS Level 1 Processor Prototype – Up to Phase 5)

Critical Software is involved in the development and maintenance of the SMOS “Level 1 Processor Prototype” (L1PP) (www.smos.com.pt). The objective of the L1PP project is to define the Algorithms Theoretical Baseline and the Detailed Processing Models for the SMOS L1 processing and to implement these algorithms in a prototype that is used as a baseline for the validation of the SMOS L1 Operational Processor and to assess the MIRAS instrument end-to-end performance.

Vessel-X – Maritime Traffic Monitoring with TerraSAR-X images

In the scope of this project, fully developed by Critical Software, a prototype allowing the detection and the classification of vessels was designed and implemented. In order to develop this prototype, several algorithms had to be developed, using radar images obtained by sensors on board of commercial satellites, allowing, for the first time, not only the vessel detection, but also its classification fully supported by satellite imagery.

PREVIEW – Geo-information services for risk management on a European Level

PREVIEW aimed to provide new or enhanced information services for risk management in three thematic domains: Atmospheric, Geophysics and Man-made. Supporting European Civil Protection units (local, regional, national and European authorities) PREVIEW was supported by the most advanced research and technological developments using satellite observation in combination with other data and scientific models that helped better prevent, anticipate and/or manage different types of disasters. In the scope of PREVIEW, Critical Software acted as service provider in Portugal, delivering and validating all forest fire related services.

RBSM – Rapid Burn Scar Mapping

Rapid Burn Scar Mapping, fully developed by Critical Software, aimed to develop a service for the provision of automatic medium-resolution burn scars mapping to the Forest Resources Directorate of the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture. The burn scar maps are based on medium resolution EO data from the sensors AQUA-TERRA/MODIS distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey.

This completely automatic methodology combines EO data with land-cover information to produce daily burn scars maps with a minimum mapping unit of 48 hectares. Data can be exported to various raster and vector formats and can be easily visualized in applications like Google Earth and integrated in other information systems.

This information is very valuable for the daily estimation of the damage caused by forest fires at a national and regional level. The processing chain does not require any interaction with human operators or image interpretation experts. The maps provide an objective assessment of the situation on the ground, even in remote locations. This product represents a very useful complement to the reports of the fire fighters and civil protection authorities who deals with hundreds of fire events at the same time.

Near Operational Demonstration of the use of Satellite Systems for Fire Risk Management

Near Operational Demonstration project was integrated in ESA’s FUEGOSAT Programme, aiming at to demonstrate services based in earth observing data, in order to manage emergencies located in various countries of Southern Europe. This programme was established to meet today’s growing need for forest fire management, thus many services based in satellite data were developed, namely: Prevention, Detection, Fighting and Assessing Damages.

Critical Software, working in partnership with INSA, carried out the development of this project in Portugal. In the frame of this project, many forest fire products were provided through a precursor decision support system to determine fire risk, ignition detection, fires monitoring, damage assessment, among many other products.

More info at CRITICAL SOFTWARE

www-eomag-eu_articles_1241_critical-software-dependable-technologies-fo.pdf

Starlab is a private company that converts science into technologies with a profound positive impact on society and the planet. Our vision is to make science more useful, alive, vibrant, faster. With impact.

We believe that the potential for innovation is greater when we rethink the basics so we focus on scientific research to transform science into disruptive solutions.

Our main areas of work lie in the space and applied neuroscience sectors. We identify social needs and the market opportunities they create. Then we reach to science and engineering to provide technical solutions, products and services for governments, industry and downstream markets.

We are market-aware and market-driving: Space (technology and EO Services) and applied neuroscience R&D will have great impact in and through several key markets, including environment, energy, health and space.

Our energy comes from the mixture of two cultures: a team of scientists able to look at problems from a different perspective and a business team paying attention to the needs of our clients. That is, scientific excellence and business discipline to transform science into solutions. Talent oriented to solving real problems.

Starlab’s team has three features that make it unique:

• Multidisciplinary backgrounds: physics, mathematics, engineering (electronics, telecommunications, computer science), economics, laws, journalism…

• International: professionals coming from 9 different countries (and growing): United Startes, Italy, France, Greece, Japan, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Spain. Starlab’s official language is english.

• Talent and high grade of education: most of Starlab researchers own or are currently earning a PhD.

Earth Observation Services

Satellites offer the capability to observe the Earth in a powerful, global way for improved management and sustainability. Starlab Space develops new and alternative remote sensing applications to monitor the environment and to improve the management of renewal energies and natural resources.

Some sample services that are already operational:

Starwater: provides coastal authorities with maps of various indicators of water quality to support decision making for coastal environmental management in accordance with European directives.

Starsnow: provides satellite-generated snow cover maps through a user-friendly interface. This service is already being used by public bodies and private energy companies to support their decision making.

Starsoil: provides maps of soil moisture through a user-friendly interface to support decision making for water resources management.

Windmapping: a tool that is supporting wind energy industry to decide where to best invest in wind farms on land.

Starlab Space also develops products such as Oceanpal®, an instrument that provides sea level and significant wave height using Global Navigation Satellite Systems signals like GPS and GALILEO.

Oceanpal® is a remote dry system. This means that, unlike buoys, it is capable of extracting sea related information without actually being in contact with water. This feature drastically reduces the costs of deployment, maintenance and keeps it operational regardless of weather conditions. Oceanpal is currently installed in Europe, Latinoamerica and China.

Contact Details
Starlab
Address: Teodor Roviralta 45, 08022 Barcelona (Spain)
Phone: +34 932540366 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +34 932540366      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +34 932540366      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: +34 932126445
Web: www.starlab.es
Contact person: Araceli Pi Figueroa, eoservices@starlab.es

Eomag!21_Starlab (Spain) (Spring 2010).pdf

A flood of new geospatial imagery threatens to drown us. Digital airborne sensors are used in increasing numbers, and hundreds of new EO satellites are forecast over the next decade.

This means that image archives of terabytes and petabytes will become the norm, and many organisations will need a different approach to finding data among their holdings and making it ready to use. Spacemetric has a long-established expertise and experience in providing solutions for large and diverse image data holdings that are well suited to meeting these new challenges.

Spacemetric was founded in 1999 by two employees of the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). The aim of the new company was to commercialise the image production technology they had developed within SSC since the 1980s. Rigorous photogrammetric methods formed the core of the company’s first product, the SIP/Ortho image workstation. Later, in 2003, the European Space Agency leveraged this expertise to provide a web mapping server for satellite browse imagery. Spacemetric’s solution enabled browse images in the ESA catalogue to be seen for the first time in their correct geographical context. The process applied to the browse images a modified form of the physical sensor models that Spacemetric already used so successfully for orthoprocessing of commercial satellite imagery. The browse images were rectified on the fly in large numbers. To guarantee performance, Spacemetric deployed new technologies including application servers to enable parallel processing of multiple browse images. These innovations marked the start of the new, server-oriented business model for the company.


Keystone Console client is an open-source project

In 2004 Spacemetric combined their new server technologies with more of the company’s existing know-how in image production and advanced photogrammetric methods, including the use of ground control to achieve sub-pixel geolocation accuracy in orthoimages. This enabled the automation of orthoimage production by correlation to reference imagery. Customer solutions at the time included DMC International Imaging, where an automated geometrical pre-processing of imagery improved the initial geolocation accuracy of DMC satellite imagery from several kilometres to better than a hundred metres using global Landsat data as a reference. Another customer of note was the National Aerospace Laboratory in the Netherlands, who demonstrated a mobile satellite ground station as part of NATO exercises that received and processed Spot and Eros-A1 imagery. This data was automatically orthoprocessed using Spacemetric’s server that, in the case of the Eros data, used aerial reference imagery to achieve sub-pixel geolocation accuracy.

In late 2005 the first version of the company’s flagship, the Keystone Image Management System, was delivered to DMC International Imaging. This was co-funded by the Swedish National Space Board. The support from DMCii was key to its success and built upon the confidence gained from the simpler geoprocessing server delivered previously by Spacemetric. The Keystone system was a huge leap in capabilities that provided an integrated package incorporating an image archive, catalogue and product generation engine. The Keystone system was the first integrated solution to search and overview very large data holdings and zoom in to full resolution with no need to pre-process the data into an orthoimage map layer.

In 2006 Spacemetric built upon the success of the first Keystone system delivery with a number of contracts that introduced the technology to new customers and applications. A solution for the unit responsible for agricultural subsidy monitoring at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) provided an integrated back-end to the Commission Image Data Portal including cataloguing and orthoprocessing of satellite imagery from multiple commercial satellite sensors. Meanwhile, a system for the Swedish Land Survey (Lantmäteriet) provided a completely new, high-capacity management and production environment for aerial orthoimagery. At this time the Land Survey faced multiple challenges with a new Z/I DMC digital camera generating more data than ever before, the introduction of a new map system in Sweden, and the need for continued support of the old map system. Just having an overview of the available imagery, then locating and making it ready for use, was a significant challenge. The Spacemetric solution addressed all of these issues and was selected over alternatives from better-known suppliers. Subsequent enhancements have included workflow automation and the introduction of multi-threaded parallel processing for very high processing throughput. Meanwhile, applications of the system have been extended to include scanned analogue airphotos and historical maps.

A small but significant feasibility project from 2006 came of age in 2007. This study demonstrated to the defence contractor, SAAB, and the Swedish Air Force that Spacemetric’s Keystone system could manage and process classified imagery from the new SPK39 reconnaissance pod for the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen jet fighter. Orders for several Keystone systems for this application followed. These systems manage rapidly growing archives of imagery and operate in a very time-constrained environment where new and existing data are accessed by an analyst who has less than an hour from the aircraft’s landing to generate completed intelligence reports. Spacemetric’s Keystone solution enables the analyst to quickly search and overview all available data and retrieve only the necessary imagery SPK-39 reconnaissance pod (Courtesy: Gripen International)

Also significant during 2007 was an order to provide the infrastructure for the Swedish national satellite image database Saccess (saccess.lantmateriet.se). This initiative was jointly funded by several Swedish government agencies and managed by the Swedish Land Survey. It offers online access to historical satellite imagery over Sweden stretching back to the 1970s and features a new high-resolution coverage of the entire country every year. Spacemetric provided both the back-end systems to manage the imagery and generate the user products, and the front-end web portal for product ordering. Since its release in summer 2008, over 1,000 users have registered, and several terabytes of image products have been delivered. The Saccess concept is now being extended to Denmark. A final item in 2007 was a Keystone system order from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., well known for their small satellites. This concerned the Deimos-1 satellite, a mission within the Disaster Monitoring Constellation. The satellite is owned and operated by Deimos Imaging, a Spanish company created for the purpose of data commercialisation. It carries a 22-metre, wide-swath multispectral sensor.

The Keystone system provides a custom sensor model, mission catalogue, image archive and product processing functions. The Deimos order from SSTL was followed by another in 2008 for the rather more sophisticated Nigeriasat-2 mission. This satellite has a 2.5 metre sensor and a highly agile platform that enables off-nadir acquisitions and the imaging of overlapping areas on the same pass. The Keystone system for this mission has specific capabilities to allow full exploitation of these data. Nigeriasat-2 has an agile platform with a 2.5 metre sensor (Courtesy: Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd)

Spacemetric entered into a significant cooperative venture during 2008 with ITT Visual Information Solutions. Based in Boulder, Colorado, ITT VIS develops and markets the popular ENVI image processing suite. The cooperation with Spacemetric concerns a rigorous orthorectification module to complement the existing ENVI tools. Spacemetric’s Keystone technology provides the back-end “brains” to provide physical sensor models for satellite and airborne sensors and advanced geometrical processing. ITT VIS provides the user interface and worldwide product marketing. Released in early 2009, the Envi Orthorectification Module has been adopted by a number of organisations including the US Marine Topographic Production Center.

In 2009 the Keystone Image Management System became part of several other new initiatives. For the National Aerospace Laboratory in the Netherlands the Keystone system is now the solution adopted for managing airborne video imagery in the development of UAV capabilities for security applications. For the Disaster Monitoring Constellation it already forms the core of the multi-mission ground segment and is playing a central role in the ongoing integration of these missions within the Heterogeneous Missions Accessibility (HMA) infrastructure of the European Space Agency. And for ESA Keystone is the basis for delivering future advanced browse services within the ESA User Services.

Entering the new decade, Spacemetric is well equipped to help both large and small organisations meet their image management challenges. Now available as version 2.1, the Keystone system is a highly scalable enterprise-class solution for any geospatial imagery. Integration with other systems is through open standards and the Keystone API, while an advanced client, the Keystone Console, provides an effective route to exploit the Keystone system’s capabilities. The Keystone Console uses a plugin architecture based upon Eclipse and NASA’s World Wind SDK, and it is an open source project. Several of Spacemetric’s customers are adapting and extending this client to their specific needs. With 2010 marking the start of Spacemetric’s second decade, it is clear that there will continue to be a growing demand for the image management systems that help keep their customers’ heads above water.

Spacemetric AB
Tingsvägen 17
191 61 Sollentuna
Sweden
Tel. +46 8 594 770 80
Fax +46 8 594 770 89
Web www.spacemetric.com
Email info@spacemetric.com
Spacemetric Ltd
The Hub, Suite 3A
Fowler Avenue
Farnborough GU14 7JP
United Kingdom
Tel. +44 207 100 3606

Eomag!20_Spacemetric (Sweden) (Winter 2009-2010).pdf

TRE has gained a central position within the InSAR community worldwide thanks to its pioneer research in radar remote sensing and Earth observation satellites. The result is proprietary technologies, namely PSInSAR™, DespecKS™ and SqueeSAR™.

Tele-Rilevamento Europa – T.R.E. (TRE) was established in 2000 as the first spin-off company of the Politecnico di Milano _ technical university and is specialised in radar data processing to monitor surface deformation phenomena from space. TRE opened a subsidiary company in 2008, _TRE Canada Inc., in Vancouver (Canada), to service the North American market.

TRE, together with the research group at POLIMI, is now the largest group specialised in InSAR data processing activities worldwide. InSAR, or Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, is a remote sensing technology that retrieves displacement information from radar imagery.

The company has more than 20 years of research in the field of radar remote sensing and Earth observation satellites, as well as a team of over 30 staff combining skills in Radar Signal Processing, GIS, Information Technology and Engineering Geology, all of them dedicated to InSAR.

During the last decade, POLIMI and TRE have developed cutting edge solutions to overcome some limitations inherent in conventional InSAR analyses. PSInSAR™, DespecKS™ and SqueeSAR™ are all proprietary technologies of TRE.

InSAR can provide high-quality, remotely sensed data about surface deformation.

It uses radar signals to generate images of the earth’s surface. Sensors mounted on satellites circumnavigate the globe on a N-S orbit. These sensors emit signals toward the Earth, some of which are scattered back towards the satellite. The returned signals are integrated to form radar scenes reflecting the surface profile of the earth. Specialist software analyses these images to detect and measure changes in the surface profile, such changes represent a deformation of some form. Satellites have been accumulating data since the early 1990s and, as a result, this technology is unique in providing a history of retroactive movement. The recent launch of new SAR sensors( including TerraSAR-X, ALOS PALSAR, Radarsat-2, Cosmo-SkyMed), with shorter revisiting time and an increased ground resolution, will guarantee for the future higher accuracy and faster monitoring of the deformation behaviour.

The use of radar sensors mounted on board Earth-orbiting satellites started about two decades ago. Over time, these early algorithms have been significantly upgraded and are today much more powerful.

One of these algorithms – the Permanent Scatterer (PS) technique (PSInSAR™), developed by the Politecnico di Milano, in 1999, is able to determine milimeter-scale displacements of features on the ground surface. Using the PS technique, it is possible to resolve surface motion of ~0.5 mm/yr on small-scale objects on the landscape, including individual targets or structures such as metallic structures, outcrops or features on buildings not previously recognised in traditional SAR interferometry.

Ten years after the launch of PSInSAR™ algorithm, TRE is ready to introduce a further advancement in InSAR, namely SqueeSAR™, which will provide extraordinary results also in non-urban areas.

Visualisation of displacement measurements is possible using several forms:
-Overlays on a digital orthophoto on a GIS,
-Overlays on an engineering drawing on a GIS,
-Overlays on a GoogleMaps™ platform and
-On-line through a website hosted by the service provider.

InSAR, PSInSAR™ and SqueeSAR™ provide a cost-effective tool for analysing and monitoring the territory with distinctive advantages:
-The analysis of large areas allows the identification and measurement of slow surface deformation phenomena, such as landslides, subsidence and seismic faults, largely used by public administrations to protect communities from the ravages of natural disasters.
-PS measurements can be used by oil&gas companies to monitor deformation occurring near and around drilling and storage areas, to determine environmental impact and for risk prevention. Radar data can highlight surface deformation phenomena remotely, with high precision and create datasets having a potential impact on reservoir operations. For CO2 sequestration, deformation in the material overlying a CO2 injection is related to pressure changes at depth, a key parameter in reservoir management.
-The ability of the technology to take measurements on a point by point basis allows the detection and measurement of individual building displacements. The benefit of this application within the field of civil and infrastructural engineering is in the design and monitoring of small to large areas of residential buildings, as well as the location and prevention of risk hazards in linear structures such as bridges, highways, pipelines and even electrical networks.
-The Insurance Industry can now count on a dependable tool to assess the risks and evaluate the cause-effect relationship in damages, either natural or man-made, over individual properties as well as large areas of the territory.

Nowadays a very promising application of radar data is the tracking of subsurface migration of CO2. Observations of the spatial patterns of vertical displacement can provide insight into the structural geology of a reservoir by highlighting the location of active faults or fractures.

A good example of such capability is given by the Carbon Capture & Storage project at In Salah, Algeria, where measurements of well-head samples and 3-D seismic techniques correlate well with PS data in tracking the CO2 plume(^).
The In Salah field is located in the Algerian central Sahara desert and was developed in July 2004 as a part of a joint venture with BP, Sonatrach and Statoil. Here CO2 is re-injected into the water leg of the In Salah Carboniferous Sandstone gas producing reservoir (about 20 m thick) via three horizontal wells at a depth of 1,900 meters.

An exploration 3D seismic survey was designed to image prospects in the Carboniferous and Devonian sequences rather than in the overburden, where quality is low. However for sequestration monitoring it is also fundamental to understand the structure and characteristics of the overlying section. Hence time lapse satellite images have been collected since the beginning of the injection process and were processed with the PSInSAR™ technique. The analysis has identified uplift around the injectors, while the production area has shown an interesting subsidence pattern. The PS analysis has also confirmed the CO2 is moving in the direction of preferred fracture orientation at reservoir level.

Figure: Ground deformation at Krechba field – 3 years of injection

In summary, integration of the 3D seismic cubes with the satellite image data has revealed some interesting trends and insights into the structures at In Salah: initial observations indicate that deep seated (below reservoir) faults may control the field structure at the Carboniferous injection level. Detailed analyses of the satellite images and their correlation with the seismic cubes has supported the interpretation that the most likely controlling mechanism for the observed displacements is the movement of CO2.

(^) Source: A. Mathieson et al. in SEG Las Vegas 2008 Annual Meeting.
See also: D. W. Vasco, A. Ferretti, and F. Novali. “Estimating permeability from quasi-static deformation: Temporal variations and arrival-time inversion”. GEOPHYSICS, VOL. 73, NO. 6 November-December 2008.

Tele-Rilevamento Europa T.R.E. Srl
Via Vittoria Colonna, 7
20149 Milano – Italy
Tel. +39.02.4343121
www.treuropa.com
TRE Canada Inc.
#550-409 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2 – Canada
Tel. +1.604.331.2513
www.trecanada.com

eomag.eu_articles_986_TRE-20-years-of-interferometry

BMT ARGOSS is a consulting and information services company monitoring, analysing and forecasting environmental conditions with a focus on providing meteorological and oceanographic solutions to the offshore, coastal and harbour sectors, and urban management authorities.

BMT ARGOSS is a consulting and information services company monitoring, analysing and forecasting environmental conditions with a focus on providing meteorological and oceanographic solutions to the offshore, coastal and harbour sectors, and urban management authorities.

Founded by a group of enthusiastic specialists in 1995 and located in the Geomatics Business Park in Marknesse the Netherlands the company under leadership of Han Wensink has grown steadily developing innovative applications. In 2008 ARGOSS joined the BMT Group and started operating as BMT ARGOSS in October 2008. Joining BMT is already proving to be a successful and mutually beneficial step.

From the outset the company has specialised in using earth observation data from satellites in combination with in-situ data and has established true expertise and experience in processing radar, optical and acoustics measurements, numerical modelling, algorithm development, calibration & validation and assimilation of measurements into models.
The company recognised at an early stage the value of making satellite based information available to its customers. For instance, in regions where no reliable wave buoy records are available, wind and wave climate estimates were derived from ship’s observations or from predictions by numerical wave models. Improvement was needed and with the idea to establish global databases and models and make them available through the Internet work started to acquire satellite data and develop models in 1995. With the support of NIVR and ESA alongside own investment the first web portal “waveclimate.com” was launched in 1996.
Today, BMT ARGOSS operates four portals to support customers providing services 24 hours a day 365 days per year. www.waveclimate.com targets the offshore and coastal engineering sector to assess downtime and workability conditions. www.routeclimate.com is used by the insurance sector and shipping industry to support voyage planning and design. www.tidalinfo.com provides information on depth reduction and the planning of operations that are critically dependent on currents and sea level. Lastly, www.coastalwaterquality.com which is mainly used by the governmental, environmental, and coastal engineering sectors to determine allowable limits and warn of impending levels that may be critical to operations. E.g. coastal fisheries.

Alongside the portals BMT ARGOSS performs consultancy work, operates managed services, does R&D work using own funds or studies together with universities and national institutes, and leads/participates in national and European projects. It is this mix of work which attracts and stimulates the BMT staff comprising highly qualified physicists, mathematicians, coastal engineers, meteorologists and information technology engineers.

MetOcean Information and Forecasting Service

BMT ARGOSS is experienced in the assessment of the wave and wind climate for both downtime assessment and extremes. Applying a diverse range of satellite and in-situ data sources and using global and regional atmospheric models, wave models and flow models a fully automated 120 hours forecast for weather, waves, and sea level can be provided for any location in the world. This is the benefit of having more than 20 years of quality checked satellite data and access to real time satellite data which allows BMT ARGOSS to guarantee best quality forecasts for any location in the world.

To meet both an internal and external demand for high resolution data in the North Sea area BMT ARGOSS have set up a new regional model at a fine resolution of approximately 10 by 10 kilometres. The model extends to the Northern North Sea and also covers the Baltic Sea and the Irish Sea. Just like the global wave model and other regional models developed by BMT ARGOSS the continental shelf model is based on the NCEP WaveWatch III code. WaveWatch III is 3rd generation wave model that has proven its accuracy and efficiency over the years. Using validated historic wind data a hindcast simulation was performed, providing a time series that covers the period from 1992 to 2008. To meet the high quality standards we set for the environmental databases in-house satellite measurement databases of wind and wave measurements are used to validate and calibrate the model at every grid point. A final check against buoy measurements at various sites is used as well.

Coastal Water Quality Services

BMT ARGOSS conducts water quality studies to support decision making and reporting.
Areas of specific expertise are:
• Modelling of the atmosphere and atmospheric correction;
• Modelling of suspended matter;
• Consultancy for water quality interpretation, advice, and reporting. E.g. Algae bloom;
• Maps for total suspended matter and chlorophyll showing concentration near the surface, integrated over the water depth, concentration at a given position as a function of season and/or tidal phase.

Coastal Charting

BMT ARGOSS has performed considerable research on the use of radar and optical imagery for charting the depth of shallow tidal seas. The results are several specific services for e.g. sand wave detection, rapid updating of charts, and charting of the inter-tidal zone.
This is complimented by support to analysing and optimising surveys employing acoustic methods. BMT ARGOSS have developed methods to assess the accuracy of the depth charts and an advanced tool for interpolation of sounding data.

Weather and Air Quality Prediction Services

There is an ever-increasing interest in air quality (air pollution) for both monitoring (health and environment warnings) and legislative reasons. The pollutants are principally the products of combustion and may not only prove a problem in the immediate vicinity of these sources but can travel long distances, chemically reacting in the atmosphere to produce secondary pollutants such as acid rain or ozone.

In the ESA PROMOTE project BMT ARGOSS uses the high resolution atmospheric WRF models to support an air quality project carried out for the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands combining WRF with the atmospheric chemistry model Chimere. In addition to this ongoing project, for which both forecast and historic simulation information is required, several other projects have been performed using the WRF model. These projects have been carried out to support for example current modelling studies, wind energy studies and air quality studies. Recently BMT ARGOSS provided a simulation of wind, precipitation and solar radiation for an area situated in Queensland in Australia.

This project follows several other projects where atmospheric data was required. The data is used to drive hydrological models that are developed and operated by a sister company BMT WBM. Data from the WRF model was used for atmospheric information running models at high resolutions as fine as 1 km. The results reap the benefits of a number of years of investment and R&D projects providing accurate and cost efficient simulation and analysis capabilities.

Managed Services

Combining the resources of BMT and leading remote sensing companies BMT ARGOSS is making inroads to providing full solution managed services for remote sensing consultancy and data provision.

Recently a BMT ARGOSS led consortium won a five year framework contract with Agip KCO to build up capacity and capabilities in providing geo-ice-metocean services using satellite data for the Caspian Sea area.

Under the contract BMT ARGOSS will deliver remote sensing data, services and specialists for a wide range of operational aspects including ice charting, oil spill / seepage monitoring and health safety and environmental monitoring and reporting. Additionally, support will be provided to Agip KCO to develop and improve capabilities focusing on applications, infrastructure and data delivery.

For questions or further information please contact Leslie Gale, Business Manager leslie.gale@bmtargoss.com or by phone (+31 (0) 527 242 299).

BMT ARGOSS Summer 2009.pdf

… specialise in extracting useful information from satellite imagery and operate globally in a range of sectors, primarily Oil, Gas and mineral Exploration, Environment, Risk Management and Civil Engineering…


Company profile

Fugro NPA Limited (FNPA) was established in 1972 as Nigel Press Associates and was acquired by the Fugro Group in April 2008.

FNPA has over 35 years of world leading expertise and independent experience in Earth observation, remote sensing and digital cartographic information. Supported by highly skilled staff, FNPA has four specialist teams covering: Imagery and Data services (IDS), InSAR Surveying, Offshore Services and Onshore Exploration. Comprehensive services include satellite data acquisition and image processing, through to interpretation, validation and production of derived maps and reports. FNPA specialise in extracting useful information from satellite imagery and operate globally in a range of sectors, primarily Oil, Gas and mineral Exploration, Environment, Risk Management and Civil Engineering.


Landsat ETM+ Image of Guangzhou, China © USGS

Fugro Group

Fugro has over 13,000 staff permanently stationed in over 50 countries worldwide. Organisationally, Fugro is the world’s pre-eminent group of companies supplying information about the Earth’s near surface. Services are grouped into three major divisions: Geotechnical Services (onshore, nearshore and offshore), Survey Services (offshore and geospatial), and Geoscience Services (development production, marine surveys, and airborne surveys). Fugro gather information on soils and rocks for the oil, mining, survey and construction sectors, using advanced technologies, many of which have been developed in-house. Locations of Fugro operating companies © Fugro

Imagery and Data Services (IDS)

FNPA process, interpret and distribute a wide range of optical and radar imagery from high to medium resolution. Processes such as orthorectification, image filtering, re-projection and seamless colour-balanced mosaicing form the basis of any satellite data processing. IDS also perform further value-adding through the application of image processing techniques including: data corrections & enhancements, manual or automatic classifications, image interpretation, stereo elevation data generation, elevation modelling & analysis, hyperspectral processing. Visualisation 3D of Highland Perthshire, Scotland, UK© Fugro NPA Ltd

InSAR Surveying

FNPA’s InSAR Surveying team has over 15 years experience in the development and practical application of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) techniques for mapping and monitoring ground and structure stability for a range of applications, including: tunnel settlement, groundwater recharge, urban subsidence, slope stability and seismic deformation. InSAR is capable of remotely mapping millimetres to metres of surface deformation spanning months, years and even decades, over 1000s of km2 for sites across the world.
Historical ground motion across Newcastle, UK 1992 to 2002 using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI). Red – subsiding Green -stable Blue – uplift © Fugro NPA Ltd

Offshore Services

Satellite radar image of the Prestige Oil spill off Spain. © ESA> Amongst its services FNPA’s Offshore team has been mapping oil seepage slicks on the sea surface using satellite radar data since 1991. FNPA holds an extensive archive of offshore oil seepage, produced as part of its world leading Global Offshore Seepage Database (GOSD). This has involved the screening of over 500,000 radar acquisitions against global weather databases to identify scenes (primarily from ERS-1 & 2, Envisat and Radarsat-1) that fall within strict weather compliance parameters.

Onshore Exploration

For several decades FNPA’s Onshore Exploration team supplied innovative and bespoke geological mapping solutions mainly to hydrocarbon, mining and extractive industries. FNPA provide exploration companies with structural, stratigraphic and geomorphological analyses where Digital Elevation models (DEMs) are particualrly useful as they can be combined with other ancillary data and aid in the build up of 2D or 3D models of structural and stratigrpahic relationships. In addition the use of very high resolution imagery and more recently hyperspectral analyses provide further advantage to detailed mapping of structure and mineralogy.

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Extract from Kurdistan-wide geological mapping, 2008 Inset: Geological cross section. Structural geological interpretation and derived cross section © Fugro NPA Ltd.

Contact Details
Fugro NPA Limited
Address: Crockham Park, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6SR
Phone: +44 01732 865023
Fax: +44 01732 866521
Web: www.fugro-npa.com
Key contacts: Nigel Press, David Morten
Email: n.press@fugro-npa.com , d.morten@fugro-npa.com

Fugro NPA Limited April 2009.pdf

A profile of the activities of Brockmann Consult, Germany

Founded in 1999, Brockmann Consult (BC) is a private company offering scientific consultancy and environmental informatics services. The company is actively involved in the development of software for Earth Observation data management and its processing. BC is lead by Dr. Carsten Brockmann, a physical oceanographer, who is working for more than 20 years in optical remote sensing and software development. The company at present employs 20 scientists and engineers of various nationalities and whose expertise range from software engineering, including database design, physics and mathematics, biological and environmental sciences.

The activities of BC encompass the entire spectrum of Earth Observation data products and procedures extending from the reception of data, to archiving and to the processing and distribution of value added EO data products. To this end BC has developed customer-specific archiving systems, software systems as well as automated processing chains. The products and services are provided to the customer in a standardised and individualised manner.

Beginning with the low-level data, MERCI has been developed to manage and process MERIS data regardless of the data volume and regardless of the storage media. The specific strength of MERCI is the support of online storage, either partly or for the complete archive to be managed. MERCI provides all functions for data acquisition, product registration quality control, product query, child product generation and dissemination. The web interface of MERCI makes your data accessible from any place in the world.

Of course most customers require a certain added value or processing of EO data and in this regard, one of the most successful activities of Brockmann Consult is the development of BEAM, an Earth Observation data processing and analysis software on behalf of ESA. BEAM is a collection of tools for visualisation, interpretation, conversion and processing of optical and radar EO data. The success of this open source BEAM software is based on the deep involvement of the company itself in the development, verification and validation of the operational MERIS processor.

Several other important applications have emerged which are being facilitated by the BEAM programming interface. A good example of such an application is the development of data processors in BEAM for the generation of synergistic products from MERIS and AATSR data, including aerosol retrieval, cloud cover and atmospheric correction over land. Other examples include the development of data processors for estimating sun glint and oxygen parameters using MERIS and AATSR data. The Globcover and AlbedoMap processor performs land Atmospheric Correction and provides land surface parameters. Data processing systems (e.g. MAPP, Case2Regional, Albedomap, Globcover preprocessing system, Globcolour tools etc.) have all been developed specifically for earth observation data, and includes also algorithm development, implementation and validation. A sound scientific knowledge is also required to assure the accuracy and reliability of such processors and this is also being provided by BC.

BEAM VISAT User Interface for analysing Earth Observation data

The second major cornerstone of BC are the Geoinformation Services which provide value-added products and thematic information derived from Earth Observation data, including also scientific consultancy for environmental matters. Services are provided for operational marine and environmental monitoring serving both the public and private sectors. The products and services provided are and will be applicable to coastal monitoring, weather and ocean state forecasting, shipping (including ballast water), wind-park planning and fish farming. Present activities are driven largely, but not solely, by the requirements of various EU Directives including, for example, the European Maritime Strategy, Bonn Agreement, Water Framework Directive and Natura 2000. BC is also engaged with individual questions and problems arising from the scientific community. Products offered by BC range from mosaics of satellite images to qualitative and quantitative information concerning our environment which have been derived from different data sources. BC also has a very close cooperation with environmental monitoring agencies and research institutes. With the goal of connecting the requirements and expertise of EO data users and EO data experts, BC has established the Working Group on Coastal Remote Sensing in Germany

One of the main service systems developed by BC is the so-called Water Quality Service System (WAQSS), which was partly funded by the GMES MarCoast project. WAQSS is presently providing satellite-derived information for coastal waters and intertidal flats to customers around the North and Baltic Seas. Data management systems for environmental data have been developed by BC including systems for the LOICZ project office, regional environmental agencies and National Park authorities in Germany as well as management systems for nuclear power reactors.

The following provides an overview of some key projects which have been undertaken in the last while by Brockmann Consult.

ESA-BEAM

Earth Observation Product visualisation, conversion, analysis and processing package, developed on behalf of ESA. Including extensions such as, for example, the AlbedoMap processor, the Chris/Proba Toolbox and the Case2Regional Processor as well as the Globcolour tools. (see also: http://www.brockmann-consult.de/beam/ )

MERCI

Catalogue and Inventory software system for managing EO data. MERCI has been developed to manage and process MERIS data regardless of the data volume and regardless of the storage media. The specific strength of MERCI is the support of online storage, either partly or for the complete archive to be managed. MERCI provides all functions for data acquisition, product registration quality control, product query, child product generation and dissemination. The web interface of MERCI makes your data accessible from any place in the world.

GSE-Marcoast

Brockmann Consult acts as Service Provider and is leading the Validation Bureau of the GMES project MarCoast (Marine & Coastal Environmental Information Services) delivers satellite-based services in the field of marine and coastal applications. Services integrate detection and monitoring technologies involved in water quality, oil spill and meteorological information into a durable network. (see also: http://www.gmes-marcoast.com/ and http://www.brockmann-consult.de/waqss/ )

OFEW

Within the OFEW project a standardized classification method for remote sensing data of intertidal flats has been developed. Different surface types such as sediment types, macrophytes and mussel beds can be spectrally differentiated and therefore be classified from optical remote sensing data. First steps have been made to integrate this application into the operational monitoring programmes. The project has been co-funded by the ministries for the Environment of Schleswig Holstein and Lower Saxony. (see also: http://www.brockmann-consult.de/ofew /)

DeMarine

Is the Germany national contribution to marine GMES services. BC is leading the subproject on monitoring of intertidal flats and contributing to the development and service delivery of ocean colour products for the coastal zone. Further, BC is supporting the project coordination, e.g. by implementing and maintaining the DeMarine Web portal.

GlobCover

The objective of the GLOBCOVER / ESA initiative was to develop a service for a global land-cover map for the year 2005-2006, using the fine resolution (300 m) mode data acquired over the full year 2005 by the MERIS sensor on-board the ENVISAT satellite. A regionally-tuned classification and the calibration/validation of the classification by a team of regional experts in land cover characteristics assures the generation of an accurate global land cover map. Our role was to develop the prototype of the pre-processing chain as well as performing the pre-processing to the whole data set. (see also: http://www.brockmann-consult.de/GLOBCOVER/index.htm )

Globcolour

The GlobColour project is demonstrating an EO based service supporting global ocean carbon cycle research and operational oceanography. It has been initiated and funded by the ESA Data User Element. In order to cover the long time span necessary for climate monitoring purposes, the required ocean colour data set can only be built by merging together observations made with different satellite systems. Brockmann Consult has been responsible for the a Software development plan, architecture and detailed design of the processor, coordination of software verification activities as well as for the website design and development. (see also: http://www.globcolour.info/ )

CEOS Cal/Val-Portal

The CEOS/GEO Cal/Val Portal is an initiative by the European Space Agency (ESA) to support the Committee on Earth Observation Systems (CEOS) and the Group on Earth Observation (GEO). ESA has awarded the contract to develop and maintain the portal to Brockmann Consult. The overall objective of the portal is the provision of satellite and correlative data over selected and agreed international sites, used for calibration and validation. This is accompanied by relevant methodological and instrument documentation. The portal comprises infrared and visible optical sensors (IVOS) as well as SAR, microwave and other GEO relevant instruments. The latter group of sensors will be expanded significantly in the near future, e.g. through the ESA SMOS mission. (see also: http://www.brockmann-consult.de/CalValPortal/welcome.do )

MERIS-AATSR

Synergy products processor for cloud identification and aerosol retrieval over land

MERIS and AATSR Quality Working Groups

Since 1995 BC is member of the ESL team defining and developing the MERIS prototype processor and since 2002 member of the MERIS Data Quality Working Group. Carsten Brockmann is consultant to the AATSR QWG since 2006.

GSE Respond

Respond (ESA GSE Project) is an alliance of European and International organisations working with the humanitarian community to improve access to maps, satellite imagery and geographic information. Brockmann Consult is member of the consortium and consultant on medium resolution satellite images. (see also: http://www.respond-int.org/respondlive/ )

Lakes Processor Development

The goal of the project is to develop a software processor as a plug-in module for the BEAM toolbox that can be used by the user community with MERIS data to estimate water quality parameters in inland waters

Case2Regional

Development and implementation of advanced MERIS water quality and atmosperic correction processing.

ICOL

BEAM processor and adjacency effect correction.

Albedo Map

This projects aims at producing global monthly maps of spectral and broadband albedo from MERIS data at a spatial resolution of 0.05 degrees and 1km. (see also: http://www.brockmann-consult.de/albedomap/ )

The Brockmann Consult Team

More information
Desmond Murphy (desmond.murphy@brockmann-consult.de)
www.brockmann-consult.de

GEOSYSTEMS Polska Ltd. is remote sensing/photogrammetry and LIS/GIS consultancy and laboratory involved in various types of geographic data processing, spatial analysis and geovisualisation.


AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Satellite Image Mapping, Thematic Mapping and Rapid Response Mapping (Environmental Applications, Forestry, Agrometeorology, Watershed Management, Spatial Planning, etc.)
• Land Cover/Use Classification (Information Extraction, Interpretation, Terrain Analysis)
• Geographic Information Analysis of Raster and Vector Data (Spatial Analysis/Modeling)
• Creation of Digital Terrain Models (Softcopy Photogrammetry)
• Automatic Digital Map Composition (Hardcopy Map Output)
ARC/INFO Vector Updating (Using Imagery as a Backdrop Information)
• Imaging GIS Application (virtual reality+) and Visualisation of Terrain Information (draping vector and raster data over a terrain height model, accessing atribute information for spatial analysis, real-time 3-dimensional geovisualisation and fly-through of the proposed site, etc.).
PDA Car Navigation and Monitoring Systems

In 1995 GEOSYSTEMS Polska Ltd. was set up as a small private IT enterprise with intension to specialise in geographic imaging and respond to growing demands for up-to-date, highly accurate and reliable spatial information indispensable for planners, developers and decision-makers. It was a sister company of GEOSYSTEMS GmbH (Munich) but used no venture capital, credits nor loans and debts. From the very beginning it acted as an official distributor of ERDAS GIS software in Poland and then as an authorised distributor of satellite imagery from such vendors as:

RADARSAT (Radar imagery)
SPOT Image (SPOT)
EURIMAGE (LANDSAT)
EUROMAP (IRS, LANDSAT)
Infoterra Global (TerraSAR X)
Digital Globe (QuickBird)
KIBERSO (TK-350, KVR-1000)

Good ideas, dedication, hard work, a lot of effort and luck made it possible to survive for almost 10 years on the emerging Polish and international remote sensing and GIS market. Today, GEOSYSTEMS is still a SME with its own Geoinformation Training Centre and regional office in Wrocław. Since 2001 it acts as a partner of LEICA GEOSYSTEMS GIS & Mapping Division and since June 2003 as distributor of eCognition image processing system (DEFINIENS GmbH). Its core business remain unchanged and concerns operational geographic imaging, geodata generation, applied geographic modelling, delivering services and products for e.g. the biggest Polish telecoms, environmental and agricultural institutions. Since 1995 it carried out several international and domestic R&D but mainly production-oriented projects (industry).

One of the first and most challenging project was initiated in1995 within the EU PHARE MERA program and was related to the mapping of land degradation and assessment of the soil erosion risk in Poland. Sucessfully completed in 1996 contributed to built up an extensive expertise and company “know how” used later on for designing and implementation of special-purpose “Integrated Information System for the Polish Agricultural Production Areas” as well as for many other projects related to mapping and imaging of environmentally sensitive areas (e.g. agricultural “hot-spots”, military training areas, inventory of flooding hazard, etc.).

The company continues its work in the field of remote sensing, GIS analysis and geographic imaging in urban and rural areas.

EXPERIENCE

The following GIS applications were developed in our firm since 1995:

• the first Polish operational navigation system AutoMapa
• 3D city models (all biggest Polish cities)
• Iraq 2003 – delivery of satellite imagery and visualisation system for TV broadcast (cooperation with the biggest Polish press agencies)
• K2 Mapping – 2003 (Polish expedition’s mapping support, Quick processing of satellite data, generation of the DTM, Visualisation in the Polish National TV programs)
• Conceptual Design of the Tatra National Park GIS
EKOPOL – selected elements for ecological layer of Polish Digital Map
• Geoinformation Visualising Tools for Military Applications for Polish Army
• Integrated Information System for Agricultural Production Areas in Poland
• Geoinformation Support for Polish Flood-Prevention Commitee (1997)
MARS MERA Land Degradation Mapping
GIS for the Kaliningrad City

GEOSYSTEMS Polska Ltd. has been involved in several international and domestic R&D projects. Some of them are listed below:

• Orthophotomapping and DTM generation for the Polish IACS
• Sub-Alpine Forest Change Detection in Tatra Mts.
• Design of KarnelGuard ™ Vehicle Monitoring System
• Land cover/use mapping for telcommunication applications
• Land cover/use mapping based on Landsat TM and IRS imagery
• Cyber Cities – 3D Visualisation of major Polish urban areas
• Resolution merge as a mean to improve classification results
PHARE MERA project (extension of JRS-ISPRA activities in remote sensing of agriculture, forests and land degradation to central Europe)

The company maintains close professional contacts with major Polish academic (scientific and educational) institutions including National Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Centre (OPOLIS) of the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Science, Institute of Soils, Crops and Fertilisation, Forest Research Institute, State Geological Institute, etc. as well as with all major universities in the country.

Since July 2003 acts as a member and co-founder of the Virtual Institute of the Sustainable Development.

Geographic Imaging in Poland. Examples of the operational applications from a small company perspective

Geographical Imaging. Examples of operational applications in Poland – Security

Geographic imaging in Poland presentation 1

Geographic imaging in Poland presentation 2

CONTACT
GEOSYSTEMS Polska Sp. z o.o.
(Geospatial Laboratory&Consultancy)
ul. Smolna 38, lok. 5
00-375 Warsaw, Poland
tel./fax (+48 22) 851-11-66,
office@geosystems.com.pl
www.geosystems.com.pl

Kongsberg Spacetec is a world leading provider of turnkey satellite ground stations. Our systems include solutions for the most known SAR and optical satellite sensors. We are also providing specialized solutions to the meteorological community.


The main areas of activity are:
-Ground Stations for Polar Orbiting Satellites
-Ground Stations for Geostationary Satellites
-Terminals for Ocean Surveillance
-Data Acquisition Systems: Digital demodulator and Front End Processors
-Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR) systems
-Ground Station Control
-Ground Station networking

Ground Stations for Polar Orbiting Satellites

The MEOS Polar Ground Station is a multi-mission, flexible and modular turnkey system for acquisition, archiving, processing, analysis and distribution of meteorological data

The MEOS Polar Ground Station supports the following satellites, sensors and transmission formats:

Satellites Sensors Transmissions
NOAA AVHRR, TOVS, ATOVS HRPT
SeaStar SeaWIFS HRPT
FY-1 MVISR CHRPT
TERRA and AQUA MODIS, AIRS AMSU-A, HSB Direct Broadcast
METOP AVHRR, ATOVS HRPT

The MEOS Polar Ground Station can be delivered with support for any combination of these missions depending on the customer’s requirements. Other missions are available upon request

MEOS Antenna

A dualband (L- and X-band) antenna with reflector sizes ranging from 2.4 m to 4 m is available for the MEOS Polar system.

Ground Stations for Geostationary Satellites

The MEOS Geostationary Ground Station is a multi-mission, flexible and modular turnkey system for acquisition, archiving, processing, analysis and distribution of meteorological data.

The MEOS Geostationary Ground Station supports the following satellites, sensors and transmission formats:

Satellites Sensors Transmissions
GOES GOES IM Imager GVAR
MTSAT MTSAT Imager HRIT/LRIT
MSG SEVIRI HRIT/LRIT
Figure 1: NOAA HRPT image after processing Figure 2: MTSAT HRIT image after processing

SAR Terminal for Maritime Surveillance

The SAR terminal is a compact system for real time reception and near real time processing of SAR satellite data into maritime surveillance products:

• Ship detection
• Oil Spill detection
• Ocean Surface Wind
• Waves

The terminals are available for Radarsat 1, Radarsat-2 and Envisat.


Figure 3: MEOS SAR Terminal

Satellite Data Acquisition Systems

The MEOS Capture product line consists of high performance data acquisition and management systems for the most demanding professional users, developed to bring all the user’s data safely home, always. This mission statement translates into the key properties of all MEOS Capture products: Performance, Reliability and Flexibility.

MEOS Capture systems are designed to acquire all data, right from the start of every satellite contact session. This, combined with the ability to make acquired data available to end users as fast as possible, makes MEOS Capture a good choice when timeliness is important.

MEOS Capture systems are designed for “lights-out” operations – once installed and configured it will do its job. This is achieved by incorporating mechanisms for automatic storage management, automatic recovery in case of network problems, data driven or scheduled operations, and use of well-proven, state of the art, hardware solutions.

Live with your MEOS Capture system! Updates are provided as software file, and systems may be upgraded from one model to another by adding additional modules.


Figure 4: All MEOS Capture products are multi-mission by nature, supporting current and future satellites

The following MEOS Capture products are available:

  • MEOS Capture HRD – High Rate Demodulator
  • MEOS Capture HRFEP – High Rate Front End Processor
  • MEOS Capture HRDFEP – High Rate Demodulator and Front End Processor. All in one box

MEOS Capture systems are used in many mission critical environments, where “every bit counts”. Current users of MEOS Capture (and its predecessors) includes NASA EDOS, ESA ERS/Envisat, Eumetsat EPS and Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT).

Ground Station Control

MEOS Control is a flexible and scalable system, providing one interface, for both local and remote monitoring and control of standalone units at a Ground Station.

A typical Ground Station often consists of a number of specialized units, e.g. demodulators, modulators, antenna control units (ACU), converters, switch matrices, etc. (These units normal have their own Graphical User Interface (GUI), but also a well-defined interface (API)). Instead of handling these units as stand alone units, MEOS Control integrates them into one seamless system, with a common GUI and a common API for remote operations.

All units integrated into MEOS Control can be scheduled as one system, thus, being setup automatically prior to activities. MEOS Control supports both immediate and time-based scheduling. This implies that ACU, demodulators, switch matrices, etc. can be scheduled in one operation to handle the mission in question.

During operation, MEOS Control collects all available status information from the connected units. This status information can be provided in real-time through the MEOS Control’s external interface and through the embedded GUI, and summarized as post-pass quality reports.


Figure 5: MEOS Control Context

When combined with MEOS Connect, the Ground Station units become an integrated part of an overall Ground Station network

Ground Station Networking

MEOS Connect is a basic building block for implementing efficient Monitoring & Control infrastructures in distributed Ground Station environments

Masking the complexity and implementation of control systems is critical for providing interface flexibility and a consistent Monitoring and Control architecture. The individual system components must be accessible for commanding and component status retrieval, through a unified, well defined interface. In addition flexible mechanisms allowing efficient access to system configuration, historical status, events, alarms and scheduled activities are needed.

The primary mode of operation is to have MEOS Connect reside locally on each physical system node hosting the sub-systems. In this mode it is accessed directly from the central control system or operator MMI, with no intermediate links. This is suitable for ground station infrastructures having few physical nodes.

In system architectures with a larger number of nodes, centralized access to all subsystems may yield an un-necessarily complex architecture. MEOS Connect concept allows MEOS Connect instances to be inserted as intermediate links, creating a single access point to sets of nodes. E.g. one MEOS Connect box per acquisition site. The resulting monitoring and control hierarchy inherently allows virtually limitless system scalability and flexibility. The databases hosted by central nodes of the hierarchy are automatically populated and synchronised with those at lower levels.


Figure 6: MEOS Connect Overview Layout as Implemented for ESA ENVISAT GS

Contact

Kongsberg Spacetec AS
bq. Address: P.O.B. 6244, NO-9292 TROMSO, Norway
Phone: +47 77 66 08 00
E-mail: marketing@spacetec.no
Website