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Thales Communications contribution to the GEO ministerial summit

Thales Communications has been invited by EC to contribute to the fourth annual GEO ministerial summit in Cape Town by presenting the OSIRIS project on the EC booth.

The Cape Town Exhibition was the first EC effort to create a “trade show” on Earth observation.

The FP6 OSIRIS project is a GMES project covering the GMES three stage process:

• In-situ observation.
• Information management through modelling and processing of the data generated by the observation systems.
• Service production and delivery through an in-situ portal.

OSIRIS is also a GEOSS project participating to the definition of the GEOSS architecture in the framework of GEO activities.

More information about the OSIRIS project

CONTACT
Agnès MARTY
Business Development Manager – EU
THALES
Tel : +33 1 69 75 33 28

Improving access to ESA Earth Observation Data and Products

You are probably a regular user of EOLI-SA or DESCW or in fact any of ESA’s alternative data ordering and search facilities. Do you find these services work well? If not, why not? A web forum is currently being set up at http://usng.acsys.it and will be available for you to access from 23rd January 2008. This allows you to discuss these issues where your inputs will make a difference, providing a unique opportunity for you as Users to help improve the way these services work for you. All you have to do is sign up and you will have direct access to the discussion forum where you can contribute to the definition of the future service. The web forum covers a wide range of topics including Data Ordering, Delivery, Data Options, User Accessibility and Innovative & Visionary Ideas.

The User Services Next Generation is an ESA project where the User’s needs and requirements are the key driver for improving and redefining the way ESA currently provides its data and services. The improvement of technologies, additional sensors and engaging new user communities are key motivators in defining the new service. ESA aims to increase user visibility of its services and wants to be challenged with a new innovative design that improves the systematic flow and widens the scope of its Earth Observation services.

This project is being undertaken by a consortium lead by ACS (Advanced Computer Systems S.p.A) in which NPA Group are coordinating the “Users” (potential customers) points of view and contribution of ideas. This feedback will culminate in a User Requirements Document which will ensure that the User’s points of view and needs are understood and subsequently fulfilled as far as possible in the new service.

The project team looks forward to your contribution, please leave your feedback.

For more information or any enquiries please contact:


Charlotte Bishop (User Services)
NPA Project Lead EO USNG
Nigel Press Associates Ltd
charlotte.bishop@npagroup.com
tel: +44 1732 865023


USNG Web Admin (Technical Web Access Issues)
Advanced Computer System
usng.webadmin@acsys.it
tel: +39 06 87090901

LogicaCMG is implementing a third-generation calibration and validation facility for ESA, to help ensure information consistency for Europe’s GMES global monitoring programme.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected LogicaCMG to develop a third generation calibration and validation facility for data from its current and future environmental satellites. In a contract valued at about €1.5 million, LogicaCMG will lead a team of specialist companies and scientific institutions from five countries to deliver this advanced system.

The Generic Environment for Calibration/Validation Analysis (GECA), as it is called, will be an important element in ESA’s role in monitoring how the world is changing – from ice-cap degradation and desert expansion, to demographic and weather information. Calibration and validation ensures that the data coming from the sensors on ESA’s satellites match those from other ground-, air- and space-based instruments. This process of calibrating satellite instruments and verifying their accuracy is critical to the delivery of reliable data to the end-user scientific community, and to the accuracy of subsequent research they conduct based on that information.

Josef Aschbacher, Head of the GMES Space Office of ESA said: “European policies supporting sustainable development and environmental protection can only be made effective with the ability to obtain reliable and timely information about the state of our world. European Union Heads of State at the 2001 Summit in Gothenburg requested that the EC and ESA work together to establish an operational European capability for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES). As part of the GMES programme, LogicaCMG is developing a new calibration, validation and quality control facility which builds on experience gained from the first generations of ESA satellites. This is an important step that further enables ESA to fulfil its role as the main partner of the European Union in implementing its policies.”

Stuart Martin, Director for LogicaCMG’s Space and Satcoms business said “Calibration and validation lack some of the glamour associated with other types of space research, however they are absolutely vital if we’re to be able to trust and make decisions based on the data we see from the satellites later on. LogicaCMG has been providing facilities to process environmental data to ESA for more than 30 years, and we are proud to have been selected to deliver this new and critical element of GMES.”

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About LogicaCMG

LogicaCMG is a major international force in IT and business services. It employs around 39,000 people across 41 countries. LogicaCMG’s focus is on enabling its customers to build and maintain leadership positions using LogicaCMG’s deep industry knowledge and its track record for successful delivery. The company provides business consulting, systems integration and IT and business process outsourcing across diverse markets including telecoms and media, financial services, energy and utilities, industry, distribution and transport and the public sector. Headquartered in Europe, LogicaCMG is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and Euronext (Amsterdam) (LSE:LOG; Euronext:LOG) and traded on the Xternal List of the Nordic Exchange in Stockholm. More information is available at www.logicacmg.com/space

Inventory of Italian landslides on the web

Lansdslides in Italy affect about 70% of the municipalities (5600 out of 8101), this and other informations came out from the “Ladslides Report in Italy”officially released in November 2007 by the Italian Agency for Environmental Protection and Technical Services (APAT). These were some of the important findings of the IFFI Project (Inventario dei Fenomeni Franosi in Italia), in which an homogenous and updated inventory of the Italian landslides was successfully accomplished by APAT, in collaboration with the Regions and the Autonomous Provinces.

The IFFI Inventory was published on the Internet with the aim of disseminating information related to landslides to national and local administrations, research institutes, geologists, engineers and citizens. This data infrastructure composed by vector and alphanumeric database, as well as by thematic carthography for hydrogeological/environmental emergencies is now available through Cart@net a WebGIS solution developed by Planetek Italia. This on-line archive is designed for easy access and consultation by stake holders involved in decision making and in the management of territorial planning.

The inventory is available at

Services related to Civil Protection and Risk Management are one of application field in Planetek Italia. The company has been involved in different projects, e.g. SLAM aimed at realizing products derived from the integration of data acquired by traditional and EO methodologies into a GIS environment.

About Planetek Italia

Planetek Italia is one of the leading companies in Italy in the data processing and system development for geographic data management. The company delivers systems for storage, elaboration and distribution of cartographic databases and satellite images. As provider of leading technologies for the European Space Agency (ESA), Italian Space Agency (ASI) and other leader research and development entities in Europe, Planetek Italia assures state of the art products to their customers. To better satisfy market needs, Planetek Italia complements its offerings by reselling premiere geospatial solutions and provides consulting and training services. Sister and spin-off companies of Planetek Italia are: Planetek Hellas EPE in Athens, Greece, and GEO-K in Rome, Italy.

Planetek Italia S.r.l.
Address: Via Massaua 12, I-70123 Bari (Italy)
Phone: +39 080 9644200 – Fax: +39 080 9644299
Contact Person: Paolo Manunta
E-mail: manunta [at] planetek.it

Award confirms Infoterra as a leading supplier of GIS data and services

Infoterra Ltd, a leader in the provision of geospatial products and services, has been awarded a framework agreement under OGCbuying.solutions’ Catalist Geographical Information Services and Solutions framework (GISS), an arrangement that provides a streamlined procurement route for public sector bodies. Under the new Catalist GISS framework, Infoterra has been awarded framework agreements in the GI Mapping Services and GI data supply solutions categories.

The Catalist procurement service is managed by OGCbuying.solutions, an executive agency of the Treasury’s Office of Government Commerce (OGC). Securing accreditation on a Catalist framework agreement confirms Infoterra as one of the leading suppliers of GIS data and services.

“Procurement under Catalist saves time and money for public sector bodies, allowing them to select a supplier without having to go through the process of pre-qualification. Selecting a service provider, such as Infoterra, means they will be working with a risk-free GIS partner that not only meets, but exceeds all the standards for professional GIS services and associated products,” commented Dr Andy Wells, Director of Sales for Infoterra Ltd. “Over the last three years we’ve found that Catalist has been an important route for the Public Sector market to work with Infoterra. Since first being awarded framework agreements under Catalist, our clients have used the framework for almost £10 million worth of procurement.”

About OGCbuying.solutions

OGCbuying.solutions is the trading arm of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), which is itself an office of HM Treasury. The Office of Government Commerce is responsible for improving value for money by driving up standards and capability in procurement, from commodity buying to the delivery of major capital projects, maximising the effective use of 60% of Government spending and a £30 billion property estate.

A new Government strategy launched in January 2007, Transforming Government Procurement, highlighted the central importance of procurement in delivering high-quality public services and best value for money. OGC is tasked with delivering this transformation, and with driving up standards and procurement capability across central Government. The OGC will do this through:

- Setting the right procurement standards and ensuring they are met; – Capitalising on the Government’s collective buying power to achieve value for money; – Developing a cadre of senior procurement professionals across government to drive forward best practice procurement solutions.

OGCbuying.solutions, launched in April 2001, provides public sector procurement professionals with a route to the products and services they need to maximise procurement efficiency and value for money. Its contracts and framework agreements offer substantial savings through significant buying power, economies of scale and strategic partnerships. These savings are counted towards the Efficiency Review target. Rigorous tendering and evaluation processes ensure that products and services are checked for quality, price competitiveness, fitness for purpose and compliance with statutory requirements. These products and services are available through OGCbuying.solutions Catalist framework agreements and Managed Services.

The Catalist brand is designed to unify the framework agreements under one identifiable and recognisable brand name. Catalist incorporates a series of framework agreements which have been developed to offer our customers a broad range of goods and services aligned to their particular needs. Managed Services are predominantly more sophisticated, requiring expertise and additional support from OGCbuying.solutions.

http://online.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk/

About Infoterra Ltd

Infoterra Ltd is a leading provider of geographic information products and services. Its portfolio of geographic information solutions includes airborne and satellite data acquisition, geo-information creation, database management and outsourced hosting. Infoterra provides geospatial knowledge to companies worldwide to help them make informed decisions. The company has major customers in communications, utilities, engineering, agriculture, defence and oil, gas & mineral exploration.

Infoterra Ltd. is part of the Infoterra group, which comprises companies in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Astrium Ltd, an EADS company.

www.infoterra.co.uk

For more information contact

Sarah Haslam, Infoterra Ltd, +44 (0)116 273 2300,
Cheryl Billson, PR for Infoterra, +44 (0)7791 720460, cheryl.billson@commacomms.com

Infoterra is a diverse group, operating in a fast-moving international environment. Our skilled and enthusiastic team is committed to deliver innovative solutions that best serve our customers.

We know that our success depends on the quality and commitment of our people therefore we provide the work environment which gives all team members the best chance to fulfil their potential.

If you have the skills and vision to be part of our team, please contact us today, to start on the road to an exciting and challenging career.

_Current positions within Infoterra

Regional Sales Manager

Infoterra Group (a business division of Astrium Services) is a leading provider of geo-information products and services for managing the development, environment and security of our changing world. Infoterra Group is a federation of fully owned SME companies in France, Germany, Spain, Hungary and the United Kingdom. The group also owns major shareholding in others GIS related companies, including Spot Image. Infoterra Group customers include international companies, national, regional and local governments and authorities throughout Europe, and worldwide.

Infoterra operates across a comprehensive range of markets – communications, environment, security, agriculture, defense, oil & gas exploration and many more. Furthermore, Infoterra holds the exclusive commercial exploitation rights for the German radar satellite TerraSAR-X, and plays a leading role in Geo-Information Services within the European GMES Initiative of EC and ESA.
Infoterra helps our customers to make quicker and more informed decisions through the better use of geospatial information and its innovative technology.

In 2008 Infoterra is implementing an Export Directorate on group level to strengthen our success in regional markets as complement to the vertical market approach of the Infoterra entities.
In this frame Infoterra is looking for

3 Regional Sales Managers

A vacancy is open for each of the 3 regions Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe, with immediate need.

Job
Taking ownership of several geo information related market domains in his region, the successful candidate will identify, prioritise and pursue new and existing opportunities up to order booking.

Roles require ability to quickly understand new technologies and business models and be able to evaluate their relevance to client’s vision.

Likewise, you will be expected to generate own ideas and initiatives that capitalise on existing and prospective strengths (both within Infoterra entities and external partners) to drive substantive, additional benefit to clients. You will play an integral role in the success of the Group and be specifically responsible for:

-Delivering over-target order results
-Managing named key account(s) for new business and mining existing opportunities
-Developing strong relationships with clients leading to deep understanding of their products and long-term business strategies
-Work closely with delivery functions (Infoterra entities) in ensuring successful execution of projects, allowing complete tracking of engagement against business parameters.
-Development and implementation of Infoterra Group’s regional sales strategy
-Analysis and monitoring of the competitive environment and market research
-Representation of Infoterra Group at trade fairs, symposia and regional events
-Building and maintaining a network of public and private customer contacts and partners in the region
-Pro-active cooperation with Infoterra entities vertical market sales and expert team leading to contract signature, and after-sales support
-Optimization of group internal marketing and sales processes
-Office location: initially at one of the EADS/Astrium/Infoterra sites in Europe, in a next step at an appropriate place in the region, preferable attached to EADS International offices.

Required skills
Preferably you will have a strong background in GIS/IT plus Geo-information market domain experience, gained by working on the job, supplemented either by commercial experience, ideally of GIS solutions and services, or a sound knowledge of the application of GIS in a given domain (either of Remote Sensing/Cartography/Cadastre/Agriculture/Risk/Surveillance and Reconnaissance).

You should have solid experience of selling solutions to major clients in your particular sector.

You personal skills include:
-Being self motivated with the ability to work with minimal direct supervision to achieve demanding targets
-Strong communication and team working skills to build partnerships with colleagues in a complex matrix and international organization (and with clients alike).
-Fluent in English and (Spanish for Latin America, Russian for Eastern Europe, French for Africa)
-Social and intercultural competence
-University degree in Business, Engineering, Geography or related science (or equivalent work experience)

Application
In case of interest, please send your application (cover letter and curriculum vitae) to
Lydie Laloum:lydie.laloum@astrium.eads.net

Market Sector Manager

As a business division of Astrium Services, Infoterra Group is a leading provider of geo-information products and services for managing the development, environment and security of our changing world. Infoterra Group is a federation of fully owned SME companies in France, Germany, Spain, Hungary and the United Kingdom. The group also owns major shareholding in others GIS related companies, including Spot Image. Infoterra Group customers include international companies, national, regional and local governments and authorities throughout Europe, and worldwide.

Infoterra operates across a comprehensive range of markets – communications, environment, security, agriculture, defense, oil & gas exploration and many more. Furthermore, Infoterra holds the exclusive commercial exploitation rights for the German radar satellite TerraSAR-X, and plays a leading role in Geo-Information Services within the European GMES Initiative of EC and ESA.
In 2008 Infoterra is implementing an Export Directorate on group level to strengthen our success in regional markets as complement to the vertical market approach of Infoterra entities.
In this frame we are earliest looking for a

Market Sector Manager
for addressing global player companies using Geo-Information to do their core business
(e.g. Infrastructure builders, Oil, Gas & Mining Companies).

Job
Taking ownership of key accounts (private global companies) whose core business require vast need for geo-information (eg; mapping campaign for road construction), the successful candidate will identify, prioritize and pursue new and existing opportunities up to order booking.

Roles require ability to quickly understand new technologies and business models and be able to evaluate their relevance to client’s vision.

Likewise, you will be expected to generate own ideas and initiatives that capitalise on existing and prospective strengths (both within Infoterra entities and external partners) to drive substantive, additional benefit to clients. You will play an integral role in the success of the Group and be specifically responsible for:

-Delivering over-target order results
-Managing named key account(s) for new business and mining existing opportunities
-Developing strong relationships with clients leading to deep understanding of their products and long-term business strategies
-Work closely with delivery functions (Infoterra entities) in ensuring successful execution of projects, allowing complete tracking of engagement against business parameters.
-Development and implementation of Infoterra Group’s sales strategy
-Analysis and monitoring of the competitive environment and market research
-Representation of Infoterra Group at trade fairs, symposia and regional events
-Building and maintaining a network of public and private customer contacts and partners in the region
-Pro-active cooperation with Infoterra entities vertical market sales and expert team leading to contract signature, and after-sales support
-Optimization of group internal marketing and sales processes
-Office location: initially at one of the EADS/Astrium/Infoterra sites in Europe.

Required skills
Preferably you will have a strong background in Geo-information market domain experience, gained by working on the job, supplemented either by commercial experience, ideally of GIS solutions and services, or a sound knowledge of the application of GIS in one of the “global player” domain (either of Oil&Gas/Mining/Infrastructure).

You should have solid experience of selling solutions to major clients in your particular sector.

You personal skills include:
-Being self motivated with the ability to work with minimal direct supervision to achieve demanding targets
-Strong communication and team working skills to build partnerships with colleagues in a complex matrix and international organization (and with clients alike).
-Fluent in English
-Social and intercultural competence
-University degree in Business, Engineering, Geography or related science (or equivalent work experience)

Application
In case of interest, please send your application (cover letter and curriculum vitae ) to
Lydie Laloum:lydie.laloum@astrium.eads.net

Export Back-Office Manager

As a business division of Astrium Services, Infoterra Group is a leading provider of geo-information products and services for managing the development, environment and security of our changing world. Infoterra Group is a federation of fully owned SME companies in France, Germany, Spain, Hungary and the United Kingdom. The group also owns major shareholding in others GIS related companies, including Spot Image. Infoterra Group customers include international companies, national, regional and local governments and authorities throughout Europe, and worldwide.

Infoterra operates across a comprehensive range of markets – communications, environment, security, agriculture, defense, oil & gas exploration and many more. Furthermore, Infoterra holds the exclusive commercial exploitation rights for the German radar satellite TerraSAR-X, and plays a leading role in Geo-Information Services within the European GMES Initiative of EC and ESA.
In 2008 Infoterra is implementing an Export Directorate on group level to strengthen our success in regional markets as complement to the vertical market approach of Infoterra entities.

In this frame we are earliest looking for a

Export Back-Office Manager
for the administration and control of all regional sales and market sector activities of Infoterra Group

Job
-Development and implementation and supervision of all group level export sales processes
(F&C, export internal communication, meetings, reporting)
-Building and maintaining a network of export stakeholders in Infoterra, Astrium and EADS
-Pro-active cooperation with and support of Infoterra regional sales managers, entities sales and expert team during acquisition, proposal preparation, and after-sales
-Editor of Infoterra Group Export Handbook
-Optimization of group internal marketing and sales processes
-Office location will be at Infoterra GmbH site in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Required skills
-Highly motivated team player with emphasis on loyalty
-University degree in Business, Engineering, Geography or related science
-First international business experience appreciated but not required
-Good negotiation and presentation skills
-Fluent in English, German of French appreciated but not required
-Social and intercultural competence

Application
In case of interest, please send your application (cover letter and curriculum vitae ) to
Lydie Laloum:lydie.laloum@astrium.eads.net

GeoVille supports CORINE land cover implementation in the West Balkan countries

GeoVille Group is formed of Austrian and Luxembourg based service companies specialising in geoinformation, earth observation and environmental applications.

Since mid 2007, GeoVille is Europe’s leading “SME” in the field of satellite based land monitoring applications and has been rewarded with the “Definiens-GMES-Award” for innovative land cover mapping applications.

In the second half of 2007 GeoVille Environmental Services Sàrl signed a contract with the European Environment Agency to implement CLC2006 in the West Balkan countries. GeoVille is responsible for project management and implements together with two European Topic Centre partners the training, verification and acceptance of the CLC2006 update for Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

The interpretation of land cover changes in Albania is performed by GeoVille Information Services GmbH in collaboration with local experts.

For the first time ever CORINE will be complemented by a high resolution urban layer based on SPOT-MS and IRS-LISS data covering 38 European countries. In this pan-European land cover mapping project GeoVille is responsible for mapping 12 countries, for training the consortium partners and acts as thematic and scientific advisor to the consortium.

Vista GmbH is a value adding company working in the field of remote sensing applications in geosciences. The main application areas in which Vista is active are yield estimation of agricultural crops, modelling of evapotranspiration, runoff and ground water recharge, advanced land use classifications using GIS-tools, observations of snow cover and water bodies, and precipitation and soil moisture observation for flood modelling and forecast.

Consultancy and special services as well as software development are main parts of Vista’s activities in the field of remote sensing for hydrological and agricultural applications. Dedicated solutions and applications are developed in accordance with the customer’s requirements.

Within national and international projects we concentrate on our main field of expertise: remote sensing. To fully utilize remote sensing data and to gain valuable information from images, process models and GIS-methods are necessary tools. The combined application of these methods is Vista‘s special know-how.

Our concept

Vista was founded in 1995 by Dr. Heike Bach and Prof. Dr. Wolfram Mauser, Director of the Institute for Geography and Head of the Remote Sensing Laboratory at the University of Munich as a private company. Its major aim is to transform the scientific methods developed in geosciences and remote sensing into practical applications. Through this the gap between research results and customer’s needs is bridged. In February 2000 the legal form of the company changed to a GmbH (Limited) to meet the growing demands and facilitate international cooperations.

Source VISTA

A consortium led by VEGA IT GmbH (VEGA), the specialist professional services company, has been selected to undertake one of two parallel studies to perform the Phase A Analysis for the EUMETSAT Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) Ground Segment.

The contract is worth €500k.

The study, which began at the end of October, involves analysing the key issues for the MTG ground segment, and providing initial concepts for the ground segment design. This will include looking at the areas of re-use from other EUMETSAT programmes.

The VEGA-led consortium including SciSys and GMV was selected due to its overall coverage of end-to-end ground segment systems and its full understanding of system level issues.

VEGA has worked with EUMETSAT since its establishment in 1986 providing technical consultancy and engineering support to all their programmes. This includes the current geostationary programme, Meteosat Second Generation (MSG), for climate monitoring and weather research satellites. Support started with the procurement in 1993 and continues today with the operations and maintenance of the satellites and ground segment.

John Auburn, VEGA’s Business Development Director for Aerospace, said: “This contract is strategically important for VEGA as we continue to strengthen our end-to-end ground segment capabilities, especially with respect to Earth Observation programmes. Through our involvement in Phase A, it allows us to use our experience to help define the road map for the remainder of this programme.”

Further information
For further information and images, please contact Karen Rogers by e-mail at karen.rogers@vega.co.uk.

Telespazio is proud to present its Love Planet Earth 2008 calendar

The calendar is dedicated to the North and South Poles

Telespazio is proud to present its Love Planet Earth 2008 calendar, dedicated – in the International Polar Year – to the coldest places on Earth, those where global warming has had the biggest impact.

Through magnificent high-resolution satellite images, the calendar illustrates how Alaska, Siberia and Antarctica are the first regions to show the visible igns of our planet’s suffering. 2008 will be an important year for reflection and action in our efforts to tackle issues such as pollution, changes to ecosystems and the melting ice caps. The Arctic and Antarctic play a key role in regulating the Planet’s temperatures and weather systems. Understanding this mechanism is a great challenge for science, which requires continuous, global and highly detailed imagery data. Satellite images can provide objective information on these phenomena, and help to identify solutions that provide a better future for the Planet.

Download Love Planet Earth 2008 calendar

Love Planet Earth 2008 website