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VisioTerra gives advice to companies in their use of Google Earth and develops the tools that can enable them to share geolocalised data within the company, with their partners and with the World.

VisioTerra expertise
VisioTerra was set up in May 2004 and has specialized in Science Consulting for Earth Observation. This encompasses expert support for EO programs, remote sensing training and communication, scientific documentation publishing, quality control assessment of instruments and EO products, new products and instruments specification and prototyping, audits as well as the production of GIS-aimed cartographic products .
Google Earth helps to carry out the synergy of Visioterra skills by providing a shared geolocalised data tool.
VisioTerra assists companies in:
* Google Earth use,
* Definition of the Google Earth integration scheme within their organisation
* Development of business data conversion tools,
* geographic quality control,
* connection to their intranet system,
* supply and treatment of satellite or aerial high resolution data,
* maps geocoding and GPS transfer.
Use cases
Share company’s data
Centralize work sites’ data
« At the beginning of any exploration project, we examine all accessible data about the area of interest. Google Earth can help us to visualize at once all the layers and to list the missing we have to obtain ».
Jean-Paul Xavier, Geomatic service Manager for TOTAL.
VisioTerra advises TOTAL about what Google Earth can offer for Total business: work sites preparation, internal and external communication of results, 3D visualization, importing ArcGis data, crisis management.
Capitalize the company expertise
« We have activities all around the World (Soudan, Afghanistan, Liberia, Irak…) and experts on permanent assignment . For each project, we buy satellite images, we take ground samples, hundreds of photos… we want to use Google Earth as an internal exchange platform. For example,very soon, each expert back from mission will be able to provide the team with his GPS points and associated photos on a dedicated intranet space.»
Muralee Thummarukudy, UN, UNEP Post Conflict Branch, Operations Manager.
VisioTerra has given UN experts a GPS and Google Earth training as well as the development of a methodology adapted to the information sharing needs of the service.
Coordinate partners’ activities
Convene an « emergency think tank »
VisioTerra can convene in less than 3 hours an emergency think tank by finding all needed documents from the company database and accessible informations anywhere in the World in a precise geographic zone.
Visio Terra works with GAEL Consultant to get access to satellite images within the 3 hours following their purchase.
GPS monitoring of work sites progression
« I need to anticipate work sites incidents, for example, I want to follow up the real-time progression of my work sites from my office. »
Nabil RIZK, Quality, Environment and Security service Manager, TSO.
VisioTerra proposes to visualize on Google Earth the movements of all GPS-equipped people and vehicles. By catching data from the control room and importing them into Google Earth, we can follow the progression of different sites at the same time.
Capture diversity
Analyze environmental impact
« We want to quickly identify all the sensitive sites which could be disturbed by our industrial activities. With Google Earth we can confront our GIS data with the available database within the Google Earth users community such as, for example, the UNESCO World Heritage List.»
Magali CLERC, GIS HSE service Manager (Hygiene Security Environment) for TOTAL.
Prepare work sites
« Before beginning a work site project, I would like to gather all the environment data such as schools, administrative boundaries, hospitals, old people’s homes… »
Nabil RIZK, Quality and Environment service Manager, TSO
VisioTerra proposes to set up a qualified database for the clients’ zone of interest.
Manage traceability and expertise
“Play-back” work site progression

« I need to report the progression of the work sites to my managers . It would be interesting. to “playback” a work site progression »
Nabil RIZK, Quality and Environment service Director, TSO.
VisioTerra proposes on top of the archiving work sites data, to create “Playbacks” of projects, which could be played on meetings.
Show and control observation features of satellite images

« When delivering SPOT scene to users we could join together an associated Google Earth file showing how the scene has been observed. »

Didier JACOBBO, SPOT IMAGE.
The DIMAP format provides with the auxiliary data from which the scene centre time, the corners coordinates and ephemeris are extracted. The kmz file that has been produced shows the location of the satellite, the viewing vectors and the quick look that has been mapped on-ground.
Communicate with the World
Google Earth links from your web site
« We have set up projects all around the World. I want to show our clients the diversity of their geographic distribution. »
Philippe MOREAU, Architect, LAPIDEM.
VisioTerra has developed HTML pages that supply Google Earth links. The projects are presented in the Google Earth windows with a link to the project description on the web site.
www.lapidem.fr
Google Earth links from your web site

« I want my clients and suppliers to get an easy access to my offices. »
Serge RIAZANOFF, Director, VisioTerra.
VisioTerra has edited a Google Earth link on its web site in order to locate all its offices.
www.visioterra.fr/contact
(Source VisoTerra)

Even though Big Companies dedicate a big part of their resources to R&D most of it is done by smaller companies and research institutions.

Spacedat is a research based company with the ability to link science with business. Providing innovation to private and public institutions, developing new technologies, refining existing technologies or developing new applications.
Spacedat relies on the dynamic R&D network created with national and international research institutions to complement its activities on Earth Observation thus providing value added products and services.
As a result important collaborations agreements have recently been signed in order to cover different areas related to EO:
GRID ComputingCONSORZIO SPACI (Southern Partnership for Advanced Computing Infrastructures), Nanotechnology (National Research Council / National Institute for the Physics of the Matter), Radar (Politecnico of Bari).
Some examples of applied research projects for environmental management are:
SENTINEL–Italy a web G.I.S application that localizes forest fires in near real time and creates a perimeter of burned areas, developed in collaborations with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) – Australia.
Tools for the Integrated Management of Coastal Areas (eomag summer 2006) work carry out in the framework of the SIMON COSTA project (Lecce Province) and the IMCA project (financed by the Italian Ministry of Research (MIUR) Art.5 del DM 593/2000 developed by a consortium conformed by Spacedat, Planetek Italia, Coastal Consulting and Exploration, Politecnico of Bari – Departments of Physics, Civil and Architectural Engineering, Water and Chemistry (Laboratory of research and experimentation for the protections of the coasts), Bari University Zoology Department.
Spacedat looks forward to establish further links with private companies, agencies and research institutions, promoting agreements and business partnerships.
Contact:
Viia Duca degllii Abruzzii 57
Lecce 73100
Tel//Fax: (0039) 0832..30..85..05 info@spacedatt.com

In the framework of IDRC Symposium (International Disaster Reduction Conference, August 27 – September 1, 2006) in Davos which was organized by the Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, a Tajik-Uzbek delegation visited several institutions in Switzerland, among them MFB-GeoConsulting.

“Long-lasting relationships between Switzerland and Central Asia”
Thus, a long-lasting relationship between Central Asia and Switzerland in the water sector could be renewed. The visit was a continuation of several visits in the context of the UN “Year of the Water” (2003). A Swiss delegation (including MFB-Geo) visited Tajikistan last November.
MFB-Geo presented the delegation the most innovative technologies in image processing, photogrammetry and 3-D measurements in stereo satellite imagery including real-time constructions via the internet.
The delegation included the following participants:
Tajikistan : Sirodjidin Aslov, Tajik Embassador to the UN in New York ; Sulton Rahimov, Acting Charimen EC-IFAS (Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea ); Khayrullo Ibodzoda, EC-IFAS.
Uzbekistan : Ludmilla Borovikova, UZ-HMS (Uzbek Hydro-Meteorological Survey); Irina Maslowskaja, UZ-HMS
Switzerland: Remo Galli, Alt Nationalrat; Manfred Spreafico, BAFU; Roland Meister, SLF; Res Pärli, Elektricity / Water Bern (ewb); Andreas Bauder, ETHZ; Christel Oelser, GIUB.
MFB-Geo is involved in water-related projects in Central Asia since 1996. For more information on the Central Asian projects, goto www.mfb-geo.com (ProjectConsulting)
(Source MFB-Geo)

Telespazio took part in the 10th International Architecture Exhibition, dedicated to “Cities. Architecture and Society”, which took place as part of the 2006 Biennale exhibition from 10 September to 19 November.

Telespazio has made a fundamental contribution to the exhibition by providing satellite pictures of 16 large cities – including Caracas, Cairo, Los Angeles, London, Milan and Tokyo – chosen to represent the megalopolises of our time in a new light.
These images of the Earth, taken by a satellite 450 km away, offer an increasingly higher resolution, now at less than a metre, and are an indispensable tool for town planning and land monitoring.
Seen from space, cities take on a whole new dimension, one that is extremely useful for those studying environmental, town planning, demographic and economic problems in depth.
(Source Telespazio)

TerraSAR-X, the German Earth observation satellite, has successfully demonstrated its suitability for space.

• German satellite passes the endurance test with flying colours
• Mission opens up new perspective to Earth observation
• Radar can image one million square kilometres per day
These days ends a three-month test campaign at IABG in Ottobrunn, in which the Earth observation satellite has been thoroughly examined under space conditions. In addition to proving its performance and vacuum durability under hot and cold weather conditions, the satellite ? developed and built by EADS Space ? had to endure extreme vibrations and acoustic loads similar to those encountered during a rocket launch.
“The successful completion of the test series marks an important milestone for this mission”, gladly stated Uwe Minne, Director for Earth Observation and Science of EADS SPACE in Friedrichshafen. “Following the test results we are fully justified in saying that TerraSAR-X will be the best and most powerful ever built space radar sent into space.” Thus, for example, the satellite could image one million square kilometres of the Earth’s surface ? with a resolution of three metres ? regardless of light or cloud conditions. Minne added that it is planned to launch TerraSAR-X from the Baikonur Cosmodrome this very year.
The satellite will circle the Earth at an altitude of approximately 514 kilometres and will scan the surface of our planet with a radar beam day and night regardless of weather and cloud conditions. It will quickly and reliably deliver data for a wide range of applications, thus opening up completely new opportunities for commercial, public and scientific users. TerraSAR-X is the first national remote sensing satellite built in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). On behalf of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), EADS SPACE, Friedrichshafen, developed and constructed the satellite by contributing substantial company funds. Infoterra, a subsidiary of EADS SPACE, will be responsible for the marketing of data and products. TerraSAR-X is due to operate for five years, and its successor TerraSAR-X2 is already in preparation. Furthermore, it is planned to build a partner satellite, called TanDEM-X, which is to orbit the Earth together with TerraSAR-X. This tandem is planned to produce a spatial elevation model of the whole Earth with unprecedented resolution.
Commercial use requires high-quality data
The need for high-quality images of our planet has greatly increased in recent years. Whilst initially, Earth observation was primarily focussed on scientific aspects, commercial interest is becoming more and more important.
This development from pure scientific aspects to commercial and public applications has called for awarding the acquisition of Earth observation data to the private sector. In the future, it is intended to create a sustainable business area which is of benefit to all concerned. Successful commercial use is based on the availability of high-quality data – they must feature a high level of detail and allow rapid and reliable delivery.
The starting signal for TerraSAR-X was the signing of the cooperation contract on 25 March 2002. This contract, with a total volume of €102 million, was awarded by DLR to EADS SPACE to develop, build and launch the satellite. The space company contributed company funds amounting to €28 million and, in addition, financed the development of the geo-information products and their marketing. Since then, DLR has set up the ground segment for data reception and satellite commanding. Furthermore, it will perform data processing, archiving and distribution. EADS has built and tested the satellite; its subsidiary Infoterra has already won companies as marketing partners for data products and concluded initial contracts with future customers. All this indicates a successful project.
Active radar with zoom function
Following its launch on board a Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr-1 launch vehicle (former SS18 long-range rocket), TerraSAR-X will orbit the Earth in approximately 95 minutes at an altitude of about 514 kilometres. During that period, the Earth continues rotating so that the radar can access any spot on Earth within maximally four days (even within two days in 95 per cent of the cases).
The spacecraft will scan the Earth by means of the so-called “Synthetic Aperture Radar” (SAR) method. Compared to images in the visible range, the radar has the following major advantages: Firstly, the radar beam always produces its own exactly defined illumination. This is quite different for optical satellite images where the respective position of the Sun considerably influences the appearance of a landscape. Secondly, the radar operates day and night and, thirdly, it can also peer through clouds. “This is decisive, especially in regions near the equator which are often clouded”, explains Wolfgang Pitz, project manager of TerraSAR-X at EADS SPACE in Friedrichshafen.
Another special feature is the technical variant of an active radar. Active in this context means that the beam can be aligned in a slewing range of 20 to 60 degrees. This is not done by mechanically moving the antenna or the complete satellite, but by superimposing many individual radar beams. Thus, the range which can be covered by the instrument is expanded. “With a passive radar we can take a maximum of two images during a fly-over from Munich to Berlin, whilst now we can take up to twenty”, states Wolfgang Pitz.
A broad spectrum of applications is offered by the possibility of selecting three degrees of resolution and image size. In ScanSAR mode, at an image swath of 100km, this zoom function allows the observation of details down to a resolution of 16m. The resolution in Stripmap mode (30 km image swath) is 3 metres and even 1 metre in Spotlight mode (5km by 10 km).
This extremely high image resolution was only possible because EADS SPACE‘s engineers and technicians operated the radar in the so-called X-band spectrum. The radio signals emitted in this spectrum have a frequency of 9.65 Gigahertz, which corresponds to a wavelength of about 3 centimetres. Many of the former satellites operated in the C- or L-band spectrum at larger wavelengths of 5.7 or 24 centimetres respectively; thus, they delivered images with a lower resolution.
However, the requirements to be met by X-band technology concerning the properties of materials used and the processing accuracy are more demanding. In this field, EADS SPACE can look back on many years of experience which it has proven in scientific predecessor projects, such as the SIR-C/X-SAR mission in 1994 and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) in 2000. “X-band technology has always been a German specialty”, states Pitz. “In this field, we are at the leading edge worldwide”.
The features mentioned above also explain the satellite‘s name: Earth observation (Terra) with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in X-band (X).
A variety of applications
Radar data contain a lot of information tailored to meet the needs of every potential user. Commercial areas as well as authorities and scientific institutions will benefit from TerraSAR-X. Infoterra GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE, is responsible for commercial data marketing. DLR, as the Federal government‘s representative, remains the owner of the data and coordinates their scientific use.
Future users may choose one of two variants: Direct Access Partner (DAP) and Direct Access Customer (DAC). They conclude a contract with Infoterra under which they may receive data with their own station. Other commercial users buy the processed data from Infoterra via a secure Internet portal or via telephone. Scientists can obtain data records for selected research projects from DLR.
TerraSAR-X opens up a broad range of applications. Thus, the cloud-independent operation enables rapid and current mapping of large areas, in particular, of extensive wooded and mountain regions. There is a great demand in many countries, also for determining the forest stands and the forestry biomass. Furthermore, the TerraSAR-X data can be used as a national contribution to “Global Monitoring for Environment and Security” (GMES). This is a European action plan combining the data of terrestrial, maritime and space-based measuring systems.
Reconnaissance is one of the fields of application for TerraSAR-X data: Intelligence services, reconnaissance aircraft and emergency relief organisations benefit from systems offering not only an extremely high resolution but also on-time data acquisition. Today, these organisations generally draw on data of optical sensors. This may require longer waiting times. The near real-time data acquisition enabled by TerraSAR-X provides these organisations with unprecedented possibilities of using satellite data in time-critical situations.
Authorities will also benefit from TerraSAR-X data in the future. Surveyor‘s offices, for example, will regularly be able to record constructional or other changes in their municipalities or, after a storm, to capture wind throw areas in a rapid and cost-efficient way. In addition, following natural disasters, precise and current maps facilitate the coordination of humanitarian aid projects and reconstruction measures at any place on Earth. Finally, radar maps can also be used for strategic reconnaissance and deployment of soldiers in crisis areas. “In the first year of operation, we will gain a lot of experience and encounter applications we do not even consider at the moment”, says Jörg Herrmann, CEO of Infoterra GmbH. New commercial applications will presumably develop from scientific projects which are supported by DLR.
Novel applications are enabled by another specialty of TerraSAR-X: the “Dual Receive Antenna Mode”. In this mode, two parts of the antenna are operated like two eyes. This allows the detection of motion on the ground. This feature will be used for measuring the speed of cars on motorways. The long-term objective of such a technology could be a space-based multi-satellite system for the monitoring and guidance of traffic flows.
In addition to the radar instrument onboard of TerraSAR-X a technology demonstrator will make it into orbit. LCT will be used for in-orbit verification of rapid optical data transfer in space. With the instrument, financed by DLR and built by the EADS SPACE subsidiary Tesat Spacecom, a link is to be established between TerraSAR-X and a ground station. Later on, by means of this new type of laser system large quantities of data can be transferred to the ground. A corresponding station on a second satellite would allow a satellite-to-satellite link, enabling a rapid data exchange via relay stations around the world.
The future has already begun: TerraSAR-X2 and TanDEM-X
Sustainability is the avowed objective of the TerraSAR-X project. It is not based on a single Earth exploration but on continuous monitoring. The radar in space shall become a regular, operational system similar to the weather satellites that have been operating in space for many years. Thus, the course is set for the successor TerraSAR-X2 which is to be financed from the gain achieved by Infoterra with the TerraSAR-X images. Its launch is scheduled for 2011.
But the development does not stop and TerraSAR-X technology can be used for further applications. Therefore, EADS SPACE will implement the TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) project on behalf of DLR. It consists of a further satellite, which is similar to TerraSAR-X and is to fly at a distance of between 500 metres and two kilometres from TerraSAR-X. Similar to the human eyes’ spatial view, TanDEM-X could capture a three-dimensional elevation model of the Earth. Motions, such as ocean currents, could also be detected. TanDEM-X will also be funded in a PPP model. It could be launched in March 2009.
About EADS SPACE
EADS SPACE is Europe‘s leading satellite specialist. Its activities cover complete civil and military telecommunications and Earth observation systems, science and navigation programmes, and all spacecraft avionics and equipment. In 2005, EADS SPACE had a turnover of 2.7 billion euros and about 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of approximately 34.2 billion euros and employed a workforce of more than 113,000.
About Infoterra
Infoterra GmbH was launched in 2001 for the purpose of exclusively pursuing the commercial exploitation of TerraSAR-X data and derived geo-information products and services. Infoterra GmbH has a workforce of 30 employees in Friedrichshafen and is part of the European Infoterra Group with a total workforce of 300 employees in Germany, the U.K. and France.
Press contact:
EADS SPACE
Mathias Pikelj : +49 (0) 7545 8 91 23
Infoterra GmbH:
Mareike Doepke: +49 (0) 7545 8 39 24
TerraSAR-X at a glance
Height: 4,88 m
Diameter: 2.4m
Launch mass: 1,230kg
of which payload: approx. 472kg
Resolution: 1m, 3m, 16m (depending on image size)
Launcher: Dnepr-1 (former SS18)
Orbit height: 514km on the equator
Tilt angle towards equator: 97.4° (Sun-synchronous)
Life time: 5 years
(Source Infoterra GmbH)

People can now see the clearest and most detailed aerial imagery of The Netherlands yet.

Last February Aerodata announced the finalisation of its new digital orthophoto mosaic of The Netherlands.
This dataset is now on display at Google Earth.
The imagery was acquired entirely with the company’s 90 megapixel UltraCam-D large format digital frame camera, mounted in their fast Fairchild Merlin survey aircraft.
The 7000 images have been assembled to one large (850GB) seamless colour aerial photo mosaic at 40cm resolution.
With this product Aerodata has set a new standard for country-wide digital orthophoto databases.
Offline professional use of the complete,original dataset “aeroGRID®NL2005”, or parts of it, is possible by purchasing a license from Aerodata.
Shortly the dataset will be available to the public for purchasing areas on the internet at www.aeroGRID.nl

PCI Geomatics®, a world-leading developer of image-centric software and solutions for the geospatial industry, is pleased to announce the signing of a technology partnership with UltraSpectral Inc.

PCI is working with UltraSpectral to develop its advanced SpectralObjeX™ image analysis software. SpectralObjeX™ brings new object-oriented processing capabilities to multispectral and hyperspectral analysts by integrating Spectral Geographic Information System (SGIS) technology with the proven components of PCI’s Geomatica X platform.
Through the agreement, image analysts can benefit from UltraSpectral’s newly licensed SGIS technology and the powerful GIS and image management tools of Geomatica. The software is intended for advanced users who require superior analysis and data organization for spectral, polarimetric and active remote sensing data. SpectralObjeX™ will use Oracle 10g Spatial in conjunction with PCI’s GeoRaster ETL, an extract, transform, and loading tool that is used to populate an Oracle database.
“The integration of SpectralObjeX™ with Geomatica will bring to the marketplace a mature database management system that enables object-oriented analysis of hyperspectral and multispectral sensor data”, said Fred Portigal, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President at UltraSpectral.
“By leveraging over 20 years of PCI Geomatics experience and extensive channel outreach, SpectralObjeX™ can offer market-leading image processing solutions”, said David Stanley, Chief Technology Officer at PCI Geomatics.
About UltraSpectral
UltraSpectral is a small, privately held corporation, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico founded in 2005 to provide sophisticated spectral data analysis software and solutions. In addition to fielding its commercial SpectralObjeX™ software, UltraSpectral intends to apply the SGIS technology to the processing needs of advanced remote sensing systems. UltraSpectral’s CEO, Mike Hollis indicates that UltraSpectral is obtaining office space in Albuquerque and Honolulu to support SpectralObjeX™ beta testing and services contracts. For more information, visit www.ultraspectral.com.
About PCI Geomatics
PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of geospatial software, specializing in remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, spatial analysis, cartographic production, and, more recently, automated production systems. Today, with our trusted Geomatica® brand, PCI Geomatics provides all the image-centric solutions necessary to meet the expectations of a large and expanding industry. Since 1982, the company and its reputation have continued to grow as a result of innovative leadership, strong technology partnerships, active geomatics community involvement, and a dedication to earn the trust of customers who use PCI Geomatics technology.
For more information, visit www.pcigeomatics.com.
Press Contact
Alysia Vetter
Marketing Communications Specialist
Tel: 819-770-0022, Ext. 233
Fax: 819-770-0098
Email: vetter@pcigeomatics.com
Web: www.pcigeomatics.com
(Source PCIGeomatics)

VCS’ Remote Sensing Technology Division has successfully updated their multi mission receiver 2met!© DSR II for direct reception of the new METOP AHRPT mission.

The receiver has been designed in 2001 with a scope of the CCSDS based missions like MSG, GOES and MTSAT LRIT/HRIT as well as for NOAA and FY HRPT. The receiver was also prepared for METOP using ¾ punctured Viterbi coding. Accordingly VCS is able to update new and existing receivers to the coming METOP mission just by a firmware update.
The last test before the launch of METOP has been performed at EUMETSAT HQ in Darmstadt on 13 June 2006. VCS has connected a receiver to EUMETSAT’s RF Recorder transmitting a RF signal recorded from the METOP satellite on ground. The signal contains “real” data. Accordingly the test allows checking the demodulation, bit-synchronisation, Viterbi Decoding of the receiver as well as the frame synchronisation, Reed-Solomon decoding and CCSDS decoding to level 0 data of the acquisition software. The test was successfully completed.
VCS is now prepared for the first tests with the coming METOP satellite. For this purpose EUMETSAT’s EARS station on Gran Canaria and VCS’ own reference system will be used.
Oliver Harrmann
Director Remote Sensing Technology
VCS Aktiengesellschaft
(Source VCS)

GeoID takes part in the New Service Integration project launched by ESA.

GeoID will implement a shoreline extractor service into ESA‘s service support environment.
GeoID is a young innovative company which provides and further develops geographic information products and services about the environment.
GeoID delivers information about land, marine and coastal environments. Our current range of services is suitable for land and coastal management, for support to civil engineering projects and environmental impact assessments.
We strive to deliver all this geo-information in an efficient and understandable way.
GeoID recommends you go 3D with Skyline software.
GeoID bvba
Interleuvenlaan 62,
Zone 2
B-3001 Leuven, Belgium
telephone +32 (0)16 39 47 19
facsimile +32 (0)16 39 47 01
e-mail info@geoid.be
(Source GeoID)