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Harmonization of the Land Use and Land Cover datasets in Europe.

GISAT is a member of consortia awarded a research contract within FP7 framework named HLANDATA – Creation of value-added services based on Harmonized Land Use and Land Cover Datasets. Three years contract was awarded under the ICT PSP envelope for Geographic Information and is led by Gobierno de Navarra.

Despite many land monitoring activities are currently in place both on national and European level (including the GMES and INSPIRE ones), European wide land monitoring framework still suffer from lack of harmonization model. The HLANDATA project aims at making a step forward in overcoming this barrier, fostering the use of the Land Use and Land Cover geographic data at a European level, through the creation of value-added European services. The main objective of the project is to demonstrate the feasible European level harmonization of the Land Use and Land Cover datasets taking into account both the data categorization and the data models, for any of their possible uses and users, through the development of user oriented value-added services.

In order to achieve this objective and to validate the results, web services will be used for the implementation of 3 pilot projects in 3 different application areas. GISAT is active in pilot dedicated to ‘Harmonized and Interoperable Land Information Systems’ with focus on land cover / land use based land accounting services. Activities carried out on this pilot implementation under HLANDATA project is also planned to support national actions towards Czech national land monitoring program.

Check the HLANDATA website (www.hlandata.eu) to get more information about the project.

(MAY2010) It is with great pleasure that we announce you a new product in the world of low resolution Earth observation data, the Metop-AVHRR 10-daily composites (MA10).

All information on the MA10 product can be found on the website

The MA10 products are available free of charge for non-commercial use and can be ordered via the on-line catalogue.

We thank all our partners, especially EUMETSAT, the MARS unit of JRC and the Belgian Science Policy, and hope that this new product will make a valuable contribution to your research.

More info VITO
and Metop-AVHRR 10-daily composites

At the 18th Commonwealth Forestry Conference in Edinburgh, a new service specifically tailored to help in the fight to conserve global forests was launched. DMCii’s Global Forest Monitoring service uses satellite imagery to produce easily-understood maps of forest cover change. Uniquely, the service’s wide-area forest surveys can be updated annually, monthly – or more often still for areas judged most at risk – delivering the timely data necessary for operational management.

The world’s forests form a significant stock of carbon, which is being released as CO2 as forests are impacted by human intervention. The tropical rainforests hold 80% of forest carbon and the destruction of these is responsible for around 20% of anthropogenic carbon emissions. Among the subjects under discussion during the Conference is an UN-led initiative called REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), which aims to place a value on intact forests by paying governments to prevent their destruction.

However REDD+ requires reliable and timely information on the state of the forests. Satellite imagery is the only effective way of mapping such vast areas on a regular basis, but it can still take a long while for individual satellites to build up a complete regional picture, especially as tropical rainforests are often covered by clouds. In the past, forest maps could only be updated every five to 10 years, leaving them of limited practical use.

DMCii’s Global Forest Monitoring service is based around a constellation of six satellites known as the Disaster Monitoring Constellation which work together to provide rapid mapping services. Independently owned but collectively coordinated, the satellites have a joint daily repeat imaging capability for anywhere in the world, meaning that even cloudy areas can be imaged frequently enough to achieve full coverage.

Information derived from the satellites is used to provide maps of forest/non-forest regions, clear cut areas, logging roads and forest degradation. The service is also intended as a means of training and building capacity in the use and processing of satellite data, deriving information maps from data and interpretation of forest maps.

“Our new Global Forest Monitoring service is derived from our work partnering with governments and institutions on a number of existing forest initiatives,” said Paul Stephens, DMCii Sales and Marketing Director. “This experience has taught us that high-frequency satellite surveys for operational forest monitoring are required for adequate forest management. With survey gaps of more than six months, forest degradation becomes difficult to detect, and authorities need up-to-date information to target ground surveys. The need for regular information is clearly there – countries without operational forest monitoring programmes will be refused entry to the REDD+ process.”

Deforestation in the Amazon Basin. The Red areas indicate vegetation, and lighter areas show where forest has been systematically cleared. Image from UK-DMC ©SSTL

Forest change map produced from satellite images. The Yellow, Orange and Red areas in the centre image show year-on-year forest loss due to deforestation and degradation

About DMC International Imaging Ltd

DMC International Imaging Ltd (DMCii) is a UK based supplier of remote sensing data products and services for international Earth Observation (EO) markets. DMCii supplies programmed and archived optical satellite imagery provided by the multi-satellite Disaster Monitoring Constellation. DMCii’s data is now used in a wide variety of commercial and government applications including agriculture, forestry and environmental mapping.

In partnership with the British National Space Centre (BNSC) and the other Disaster Monitoring Constellation member nations (Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey and Spain), DMCii works with the International Charter: ‘Space and Major Disasters’ to provide free satellite imagery for humanitarian use in the event of major international disasters such as tsunami, hurricanes, fires and flooding.

DMCii was formed in October 2004 and is a subsidiary of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), the world leader in small satellite technology. SSTL designed and built the Disaster Monitoring Constellation with the support of the BNSC and in conjunction with the Disaster Monitoring Constellation member nations Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey and Spain.
www.dmcii.com

Contact
Paul Stephens
Sales & Marketing Director, DMC International Imaging Ltd.
Email: p.stephens@dmcii.com
Read More DMCii

(June2010)– Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) and Definiens, a Germany-based company specializing in image analysis solutions, today announced Trimble’s acquisition of Definiens’ Earth Sciences business assets and licensing of its software technology platform in an all-cash transaction. Financial terms were not disclosed.

eCognition to Power Trimble’s Image Analysis in Geospatial Industries

Definiens’ Earth Sciences business includes eCognition® software, an advanced image analysis software suite for geospatial applications that facilitates fast and accurate geo-information extraction from remote sensing imagery. The “original” object-based image analysis (OBIA) software has been used by industry leading data providers, remote sensing professionals, and university researchers in urban planning, forestry, agriculture, energy, insurance, and security for nearly a decade. eCognition software is scalable and offers a comprehensive range of tools to create powerful image analysis applications that can handle all common data sources, such as medium- to high-resolution satellite, high-resolution aerial photography, laser scanner, radar, and hyperspectral data.

“eCognition software speeds the creation of answers from geospatial sensor data,” said Ken Spratlin, general manager of Trimble’s GeoSpatial Division. “Timely and accurate answers can empower organizations to operate more efficiently, with less waste and rework, and provide enhanced capabilities for decision making. We see significant potential to realize synergies between eCognition and Trimble’s geospatial technologies as well as other solutions that may include image analysis.”

“Trimble’s acquisition of Definiens’ Earth Sciences business is a perfect fit for both organizations,” said Thomas Heydler, CEO of Definiens. “eCognition offers Trimble world class image analysis capabilities to complement its broad range of geospatial products and solutions, while allowing Definiens to dedicate its focus to image analysis in the healthcare industry.”

The patented Definiens Cognition Network Technology® was developed by 1986 Nobel Laureate Prof. Gerd Binnig and his team. The technology platform emulates human cognitive processes of perception to extract intelligence from images. The power behind the innovative technology is its ability to quickly and easily transform user knowledge and domain expertise into automatic routines. Definiens applies advanced machine learning concepts to train the software and render this knowledge in a production environment, enabling the software to automatically process millions of images.

The operating results of the acquired business will be reported within Trimble’s Engineering and Construction segment.

About eCognition Software

eCognition software enables organizations involved in earth sciences to quickly extract accurate geo-information from any kind of remote sensing data. The software assists data providers, value adders, scientists and end users in integrating earth observation and remote sensing data to generate accurate GIS-ready information. eCognition’s intelligent feature extraction capabilities accelerate mapping, change detection and object recognition–delivering standardized and reproducible image analysis results.

For more information, visit: www.ecognition.com

About Definiens

Definiens is a leading Germany-based firm specializing in Enterprise Image Intelligence® for analyzing and interpreting images on every scale—from microscopic cell structures to full body scans. The Definiens Cognition Network Technology®, developed by Nobel laureate Prof. Gerd Binnig and his team, is an advanced and robust context-based technology designed to fulfill the image analysis requirements of the Medical and Life Science markets. The technology is modeled on the powerful human cognitive perception processes to extract intelligence from images. Definiens provides organizations with faster image analysis results, allowing deeper insights enabling better business decisions. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany and has offices in the U.S.

Further information is available at www.definiens.com

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

For more information, visit: www.trimble.com

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this press release. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, Trimble’s ability to realize synergies between eCognition software and Trimble’s geospatial technologies, and to successfully complement its range of products and solutions as a result of the acquisition. Additional risks and uncertainties include: the risks inherent in integrating acquisitions; unanticipated expenditures, charges or assumed liabilities that may result from the acquisition; and retaining key personnel and commercial relationships. More information about potential factors that could affect Trimble’s business and financial results is set forth in reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Trimble’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its annual report on Form 10-K. Trimble assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this press release.

Press contacts
Trimble: Willa McManmon, Investor Relations,willa_mcmanmon@trimble.com
Trimble: Lea Ann McNabb, Media,leaann_mcnabb@trimble.com
Definiens: Eva Tietz, Media, 49_89_231180_36,etietz@definiens.com

EOSnap is a web portal dedicated to Earth Observation


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Chelys was established in 2002 and its core business focuses on software development and supplying services in the Earth Observation sector as a provider of processing stations for Earth observation satellites.

In the beginning our personnel worked on the development, integration and maintenance of the ESA/Envisat PDS (payload data segment) on behalf of Thales Alenia Space, and then on the development of test tools and integration of the Eumetsat/EPS GS (ground segment).

These experiences allowed us to become specialized in satellite data management and to concentrate on real time satellite (raw) data processing, data quality control, image generation, projection and mosaics (composite satellite images).

Our main product, Satellite Rapid Response System, a multimission real-time data processing and quality control system that is able to simultaneously process data coming from several different missions.
It can be used to process data from the following satellite instruments:
-ALOSAVNIR-2 level 0 (raw data) and level 1
-ENVISATASAR level1
-ENVISATMERIS levels 0 (raw data), level1 and level2
-ENVISATMERIS levels 0 and level1 FAPAR/MGVI Processor for Monitoring Vegetation Cover
-METOP/NOAA – AVHRR
-TERRA and AQUAMODIS
The SRRS system used by ESA, MIRAVI, has been installed in all Envisat satellite acquisition stations and has been delivering thousands of images per month since June 2006, processing the Envisat/MERIS Full Resolution raw data as soon as they are acquired.

Our current areas of activity are:
-software development
-environmental acquisition and processing systems
-direct acquisition systems (ESA/DDS, Eumetsat/EUMETCAST)
-image generation from raw data, orthorectification and mosaics

We also provide services such as:
-a comprehensive maintenance and support program which provides operational support, software and hardware maintenance and enhancements
-technical consultancy
-feasibility, design and pre-phase studies
-system prototyping

Source Chelys

Aratos Technologies News

28th of June 2010: Installation of Aratos Disaster Control in Arcadia
At 28th of June 2010, Aratos Technologies S.A. signed the contract with the Prefecture of Arcadia for the acquisition of Aratos Disaster Control. Moreover, the installation of the system was accomplished successfully.

17th-18th ofJune 2010, Kick-off meeting of the SEOCA project
Aratos Technologies S.A. participated in the kick-off meeting of the SEOCA (GEO Capacity building initiative in Central Asia) project which took place from 17th to 18th of June 2010. You can visit the project’s website here

Aratos Technologies S.A. participated in the 4th GEO European Projects Workshop (http://www.greekgeo.noa.gr/en.4thgeoprojectsworkshop.html), representing FP7 SEOCA project (www.geo-seoca.net). The Workshop took place in Athens from 29th to 30th of April.

Source Aratos

Aerodata International Surveys (Antwerp, Belgium) is pleased to announce FM-International Oy (Finnmap, Helsinki, Finland) has become a majority shareholder in the company.

Through Finnmap, a fully owned subsidiary of the PASCO Corporation, Aerodata joins the PASCO group of companies.

PASCO, a GEO-ICT company based in Japan and quoted on the Tokyo stock exchange, already has many overseas group companies in the USA, Brazil, The Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, China and Finland (2,250 employees). With the acquisition of Aerodata it strengthens and increases the European and worldwide operation in which Finnmap and Aerodata will join forces.

PASCO’s businessmodel is closely related to that of Aerodata and is devoted to the capturing of geospatial information by remote sensing and turning this information into value added products for its international clients. This means of course a perfect fit in joint activities.

At present Aerodata already is a leading supplier of aerial survey services and derived products. The market for geospatial information is ever expanding and Aerodata’s activities can be considered to be in its focal point. The company is proud of its highly educated, experienced and international staff that makes this all possible.

This agreement is a major milestone in the history of Aerodata. It allows the company to continue growth and invest in innovative aerial survey solutions. It also enables Aerodata to extend its level of services by sharing resources with the other group companies. This includes spaceborne, airborne, ground and seabottom technologies. There is a considerable amount of synergies to be expected in the fields of digital imaging, laser altimetry, 3D modeling and GIS.

Momentarily Aerodata operates 6 survey aircraft with digital sensors on many European, African and Middle East projects. The Aerodata Pixel Pipeline, with its extremely high throughput and heavy storage capacity, allows the ever increasing data volumes to be handled in a very efficient way. It adds up to the fit-for-purpose customer-oriented approach.

Aerodata will continue to operate as a distinct company with its current offices in Antwerp (Belgium), Breda (The Netherlands), Lille and Paris (France) and Padova (Italy). It will also continue to be led by the current management team, including both founders of the company.

www.finnmap.com
www.pasco.co.jp/global/english/

Source

Other recent Aerodata news:

-Aerodata captures the Netherlands 10cm in just 2 months leaf-off season – May 12th, 2010 full story
-Aerodata deploys 2 VisionMap A3 large format cameras – Apr 19th, 2010 full story
-Aerodata wins another Dutch nationwide orthophoto tender – Mar 12th, 2010 full story

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, announced today that it has imaged one billion square kilometers of the surface of the Earth since it became commercially operational on February 4, 2009.

All of the data collected over the last 14 months is available in the RapidEye Library which contains multiple datasets including the freshest images imaged just a few minutes or hours earlier. The library is continuously growing as new images are downloaded from RapidEye’s satellite constellation daily. The newest coverage of the Somalian-Ethiopian border was acquired by RapidEye 1 (Tachys) on April 7, 2010 at 8 A.M. UTC and made the collection of one billion square kilometers complete. One billion square kilometers represents approximately seven times the Earth’s landmass. The image of the Somalian-Ethiopian border is available for viewing on RapidEye’s homepage at www.rapideye.de.

Wolfgang G. Biedermann, CEO of RapidEye commented, “This milestone in our history is concrete evidence of one of the key benefits of the RapidEye system. We can collect massive amounts of data very quickly and repetitively image areas of high interest. We have been imaging the Earth for just over a year now and have already covered one billion square kilometers, which is amazing for such a short period of time. We are proud of what our system and team have accomplished over the past months, and have gotten positive feedback from our customers about the quality of our imagery and our ability to quickly deliver very large areas.”

RapidEye continues to image the Earth in unparalleled quantities and will continue to make its satellite imagery available through the RapidEye Library, which can be searched either through a local distributor or directly through RapidEye’s Customer Service department. If you would like to know if you your area of interest is available in the RapidEye Library, or if you would like to inquire about RapidEye data, please send an email to sales@rapideye.de.

To find a distributor in your area, please visit the RapidEye website at www.rapideye.de/distributors. Additionally, a selection of RapidEye products can be searched for, purchased and immediately downloaded through RapidEye quickly expanding Geodata Kiosk at www.geodatakiosk.com.

About RapidEye AG

RapidEye is an ISO-certified geospatial information provider focused on integrating customized and industry specific solutions into the workflow of global customers in agriculture, forestry, energy, infrastructure, government, security and emergency. RapidEye experts and the satellite system – a constellation of five satellites capable of downloading over 4 million km² of high resolution, multi-spectral imagery per day, and a ground segment for processing and archiving data – allow for cost-effective customized services. The unique combination of large area coverage, highspatial resolution and the possibility of daily revisit to an area provide for superior management information solutions. Currently, more than 120 experts from more than 20 countries are employed by RapidEye, with plans to grow the team to 130 in 2010.

RapidEye benefits from a public-private partnership with the Space Agency of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which is supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. RapidEye is also co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the State of Brandenburg in Germany. For more information on ERDF please contact efreinfo@mw.brandenburg.de.

For more information about RapidEye, please visit www.rapideye.de.

RapidEye Contact
RapidEye AG
Molkenmarkt 30
14776 Brandenburg a. d. Havel, Germany
press@rapideye.de

ESA has awarded a contract worth €105 million to Astrium to build the second Sentinel-2 satellite. Once both are operational, this pair of satellites will provide global coverage every five days, delivering high-resolution optical imagery for GMES land and emergency services.

(31 March 2010) Marking another milestone in Europe’s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative, this contract follows hot on the heels of the agreement between ESA and Thales Alenia Space to build the second, or ‘B units’, for Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-3.

These contracts ensure that the first three Sentinel missions will fly as pairs to achieve fast coverage of Earth’s land surface, acquiring the systematic data needed for the GMES services.

Sentinel-2 carries a multispectral imager that uses 13 spectral bands from the visible and near-infrared to the shortwave infrared to reveal different features of the landscape. Together with its swath of 290 km, this mission will realise a new generation of imagery for land monitoring.

The data, for example, will be used to generate land-cover and land-use change maps, as well as to monitor geophysical variables such as the area, chlorophyll and water content of leaves. In addition, Sentinel-2 data will find applications in disaster management and humanitarian relief operations.

The contract to build Sentinel-2B was signed by ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Volker Liebig, and the CEO of Astrium Satellites, Evert Dudok, in the presence of DLR’s Chairman, Johann-Dietrich Wörner, and the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg, Stefan Mappus.

“The Sentinel-2 satellites form an important element of the GMES initiative and will give Europe the ability to monitor environmental changes over an extended period of time,” said Volker Liebig.

GMES is a unique programme and with the Sentinel B units we can ensure global coverage as well as the availability of long-term data, as required by the users.”

The contract follows on from the deal to build Sentinel-2A, which was signed in 2008 with Astrium. Astrium heads a core team and is responsible for the overall design of the satellite, the multispectral instrument, the platform and satellite integration and testing.

This contract demonstrates Europe’s commitment to GMES, which, through the European Commission, will provide a wealth of services and information to understand and protect the environment.

In partnership with the European Commission, ESA’s role is, in part, to realise this dedicated family of Sentinel Earth observation missions to provide the essential data needed for the user services.

The status of the GMES initiative will be presented and discussed at the upcoming Living Planet Symposium, which will be held in Bergen, Norway, on 28 June – 2 July.

For more information click here

Source: ESA and EOportal

SciSys software team celebrates launch of Europe’s CryoSat-2 Ice mission.

(Chippenham, United Kingdom – 8th April 2010). The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched its CryoSat-2 mission from the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan. CryoSat-2 is a 3.5 year long radar mission that will monitor the thickness of land and sea ice and help explain the connection between the melting of the polar ice and the rise in sea levels and how this is contributing to climate change.

The SciSys on-board software will be responsible for monitoring the orbit and controlling the attitude of CryoSat-2 as well as handling all of its communications with the ground segment. SciSys has been involved throughout all the stages of the CryoSat-2 development, from enhancing and refining the original CryoSat software (the first mission was lost owing to a launch failure in October 2005), through integration, verification and validation of the software up to system level with the spacecraft.

Commenting on the launch, Sean McLellan CryoSat-2 Project Manager at SciSys said “We are delighted to see CryoSat-2 in orbit and operating successfully. This has been an important programme for us and a welcome opportunity to reprise our close relationship with the CryoSat teams at EADS Astrium and ESA”.

Along with the successful involvement in the CryoSat-2 programme, SciSys is currently engaged in all of ESA’s on-going Earth Explorer Missions, developing software systems for “ADM-Aeolus” for atmospheric dynamics (2011), “Swarm” to survey the evolution of the magnetic field (2011) and “EarthCARE” to investigate the Earth’s radiative balance (2013)

About ESA

ESA is Europe’s space agency. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA is an international organisation with 18 Member States. Its job is to draw up the European space programme and carry it through. ESA’s programmes are designed to find out more about Earth, its immediate space environment, our Solar System and the Universe, as well as to develop satellite-based technologies and services, and to promote European industries.

About SciSys

The SciSys Group is a leading developer of ICT services, e-Business and advanced technology solutions which operate in a broad spectrum of market sectors including space, utilities, defence, government, communication, business services, media and broadcast and transport. Within these markets, the SciSys group has been involved in significant developments in key technologies that have changed the way people do their jobs. SciSys’ clients are predominantly blue chip and public sector organizations. Customers include the Environment Agency, MOD, Thames Water, Astrium, the European Space Agency, the BBC and Deutsche Welle. The group has offices in Chippenham, Bristol and Reading in the UK and in Bochum, Darmstadt and Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany.

In the UK the group conducts its business through SciSys UK Ltd, in Germany through the wholly owned subsidiary VCS AG which was acquired by SciSys in September 2007.

Additional information about SciSys is available at: http://www.scisys.co.uk/

For more information, please contact:
Roger Ward, SciSys Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 117_916_5116
Email: roger.ward@scisys.co.uk