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RSI, a wholly owned subsidiary of ITT Industries, Inc. (NYSE: ITT) announces the upcoming release of a key imagery analysis tool to the ENVI remote sensing exploitation product line, the ENVI Spatial Feature Extraction Module.

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This new add-on module to ENVI will automate the process of extracting specific features in high resolution panchromatic and multispectral images. The ENVI Spatial Feature Extraction Module reflects RSI’s commitment to provide imagery analysts and GIS users from the defense and intelligence, planning and natural resources communities with easy-to-use tools for exploiting imagery from commonly available sources.
The ENVI Spatial Feature Extraction Module will provide a suite of tools for extracting linear and area-based features from imagery using both spatial and spectral information. Currently analysts who need to identify occurrences of features in images, such as aircraft, roads, and buildings, must find features manually by analyzing an image pixel by pixel, which is both a time consuming and costly process.
“The new ENVI module will provide imagery analysts, regardless of skill level, with semi-automated tools to quickly extract the information from large images needed to make timely strategic and tactical decisions,” said Dr. Peg Shippert, RSI’s ENVI Technical Product Manager. “This functionality is appealing to users in defense and GIS who need to make critical decisions based on their analyses.”
The ENVI Spatial Feature Extraction Module has a host of applications, particularly in defense, intelligence and GIS. Defense and intelligence analysts will use feature extraction capabilities for mission and intelligence operations. Strategic implementations include locating roads, buildings and vehicles, identifying potential aircraft landing strips in forested areas, and locating camp areas.
GIS analysts and imagery scientists will use the module to locate water bodies, wetlands, forests or grasslands for development planning and utility placement, as well as to identify areas of deforestation, updating road maps, creating map lake boundaries and monitoring water level changes.
About RSI
RSI, a wholly owned subsidiary of ITT Industries, provides integrated software solutions that help scientists, engineers, researchers and medical professionals turn complex data into useful information. RSI‘s 150,000 customers from over 80 countries use IDL and ENVI to visualize and analyze data and imagery and to deploy imaging applications. RSI’s solutions are used in a variety of industries, including remote sensing, engineering, earth sciences, aerospace and defense, medical imaging, oil and gas exploration and biotechnology. Combined with a host of support services including training, consulting and technical support, RSI offers the most complete data visualization and image analysis solutions available.
Sierra Atlantic is the sole direct distributor and exclusive business partner in India for the global Industry leaders companies in a range of scientific application software. They offer commercial off-the-shelf solutions, as well as custom application development for the entire suite of RSI products, including ENVI and IDL. The Imaging Solutions Division (ISD) Group offers services in the fields of remote sensing, image processing, spatial analysis and modeling, content based image retrieval, GIS application development and software customization.
Media Contact:
Lori Thompson, RSI 303-402-4664
lthompson@rsinc.com
(Credits RSI)

A satellite-based rapid mapping service developed to support civil defence activities in eastern France is ready and on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The pioneering service has been designed to manage flood events – the world‘s most widespread category of natural disaster.

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Optical satellite view of the Meuse River flooding the town of Sedan
during 4 January 2002. This SPOT image shows urbanised areas in red,
and towns under threat named and indicated. A new ESA-backed service
provides satellite-derived flood maps for civil protection across
France‘s Eastern defence zone, covering 18 departments. This image was
produced by project partner SERTIT. Credits: SERTIT
A satellite-based rapid mapping service developed to support civil defence activities in eastern France is ready and on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The pioneering service has been designed to manage flood events – the world´s most widespread category of natural disaster.

As well as being applied to risk assessment and prevention efforts, the ESA-backed Flood Plain Monitoring Service aims to deliver map products to end users within six hours during times of crisis, giving emergency responders the ability to track the full extent of floods as they occur.

Developed over three years through the ESA Earth Observation Market Development (EOMD) programme, the service was consolidated with the France‘s Eastern Defence Zone (EDZ), which is made up of 18 departments with a total area of 105 000 sq. km and a population of 8.3 million people. It also includes four major hydrological basins potentially vulnerable to flooding. The service provider is Strasbourg–based rapid mapping specialist firm SERTIT, with the EDZ Prefecture as partner end-user.
“We are one of France‘s seven national civil defence zones,” explained Colonel François Maurer on behalf of the French Directorate of Civil Defence and Security (DDSC), Chief of Staff (Chef d‘état-major) of the EDZ.
The ESA-backed Flood Plain Monitoring Service has been designed to manage flood events and deliver map products, based on satellite data, giving emergency responders the ability to track the full extent of floods as they occur. Credits: SERTIT
“Our role is to carry out emergency planning, and, in the event of an incident, coordinate the response activities of the various departments. Department prefects are the main decision makers who activate the emergency services but may not have specialist knowledge in the field, so we advise them as needed.”
The service is based on two types of satellite data. High-resolution imagery from optical satellites is combined with satellite radar imagery which can be acquired even at night or through heavy cloud or rainfall.
The large amount of detail found in optical images is used in advance to create reference land cover maps that can be combined when needed with radar images that are highly sensitive to waterlogged surfaces. These images can also be utilised in conjunction with digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from radar data to help model which areas are most at risk.
“We don‘t mind which satellites are used, we just want the maps,” said Colonel Maurer. “Our key issue is time – but very quickly the satellite maps give us an impression of the flood extent, and the areas that are affected. The maps can support high-level decision making and the best use possible of human and material resources.
The flooding of the Meuse River Credits: SERTIT
“We can interpret them to see the extent to which the water is going to extend, to help steer our teams around and figure out where best to deploy our pumps and sandbags, where to evacuate first. New buildings may not have made it yet onto standard paper maps, but might still need priority evacuation: hospitals, for example, or homes for the elderly. It is better to perform something like that well in advance rather than when feet are already in the water!”
The service was initially designed for flood crisis mapping, but it was soon realised the products would also be relevant for other flood management phases: the post-crisis clean up, prevention and forecasting. Some 80 agencies involved in flood management within the EDZ – such as regional water agencies and flood forecast services – have therefore been briefed on utilising the service.
During the last decade floods have affected approximately 1.5 billion people – more than 75% of the total number of people reported as affected as natural disasters worldwide. They are catastrophic events affecting large areas at once, which can make them difficult to predict and monitor.
Traditional flood forecasting is carried out using river height and rainfall measurements – often only sparsely available – assimilated into hydrological models. Flood extent is often calculated through historical analysis of maps of past events, or model calculations. ‘Real-time’ flood measurements, if made at all, are carried out through expensive and weather-dependent aerial photography campaigns. Post-crisis damage mapping traditionally relies on ground surveys, projections from population statistics and insurance damage claims.
“One of the objectives is to keep detailed satellite-derived maps of past flood events and their evolution, to build an accurate memory of what has happened across our area of interest,” added Colonel Maurer.
The Flood Plain Monitoring Service has yet to be used in a flood situation within the EDZ, although satellite images are regularly acquired for reference mapping and risk analysis. SERTIT has carried out crisis mapping for a number of flood situations further afield, in locations from Germany to China, often in support of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, which prioritises the acquisition of satellite imagery for disaster relief operations.
“The use of satellite imagery has recently been added to the operational Civil Protection procedures,” concluded Colonel Maurer. “This integration represents a big achievement for the three years of our activity, and shows how the demand for this type of data is here to stay.”
This achievement has led to the rapid mapping service continuing its development within the framework of ESA‘s Earthwatch GMES Services Elements (GSE), Risk-EOS and Respond, responding to natural disasters and humanitarian aid situations worldwide providing services to the humanitarian aid community to civil defence agencies.
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This activity has been carried out as part of a Flood Plain Monitoring project within ESA‘s EOMD Programme, aimed at strengthening European and Canadian capacities for the provision of geo-information services based mainly on Earth Observation data. To find out more about using Earth Observation for flood mapping, or further opportunities with EOMD, please contact eomd@esa.int.
(Credits ESA- SERTIT)

Officially opened in early February, the satellite receiving station on CNES-CSG Montabo hill in Cayenne, French Guiana, is now receiving ASAR images from ESA’s Envisat radar satellite and from the CNES‘s SPOT 2, SPOT 4 and SPOT 5 optical satellites.

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Receiving terminals and an image processing centre have been set up at the unit belonging to France’s IRD1 development research institute near the receiving antenna, where a joint IRD-Spot Image team is managing operations.
This receiving station is an exceptional source of data for French Guiana, unique in South America. It will make it possible to build up a large bank of satellite imagery, in particular to enhance understanding and monitoring of the dynamics driving change in the Amazon and Caribbean environments, and to gain closer insights into ecosystems, manage natural resources and support land-planning decisions.
This technology platform set up by IRD was co-funded chiefly by the French Guiana regional council, CNES, the French government and European funds (ERDF2), and is being operated under a close scientific partnership between IRD and Spot Image. The other project partners are the French Guiana general council, the Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, the French Guiana university cluster, ESA and the Guyane Technopole association.
The SEAS3 receiving station in Cayenne has a threefold objective:
• give French Guiana and its universities a technology platform providing local capabilities to exploit satellite imagery and integrate it in all application areas where it is needed
• meet the demand for imagery in a region where frequent cloud cover calls for repeated acquisitions to piece together a clear picture of territories
• launch concrete application projects involving the research community, local authorities and industry
A permanent call for projects will allow the Guianese scientific community, local authorities and government agencies to propose applications using imagery collected in French Guiana and made available by the project partners.
Training and technology exploitation involving public organizations and ground-breaking firms are an important feature of the project. It is hoped that this effort will encourage teams in French Guiana to participate in national and international programmes, spur regional cooperation—particularly with regions in northern Brazil—and create the conditions to nurture value-added firms working on Amazon applications.
1 Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
2 European Regional Development Fund
3 Surveillance de l’Environnement Amazonien par Satellite
(Credits Spot Image)

Validity of the Politecnico di Milano’s European Patent No. 1,183,551 entitled “Process for Radar Measurement of the Movement of City Area and Landsliding Zones”

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March
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Tele-Rilevamento Europa s.r.l., Dr. Alessandro Ferretti, Managing Director of TRE, is pleased to announce to its customers that the validity of the Politecnico di Milano’s European Patent No.
1,183,551 entitled “Process for Radar Measurement of the Movement of
City Area and Landsliding Zones” was upheld by the European Patent Office in Munich, Germany, on 16 March 2006.
TRE is the leading global provider of commercial InSAR processing services. A spin-off company of Polimi, it has the global exclusive license to use PSInSAR™. In its own right, it is developing proprietary software, software systems and hardware to enhance PS analysis. TRE’s services have been used throughout Europe, in North America and in Asia.
(Credits TRE)

Aerodata International Surveys recorded digital aerial photos of the Netherlands on their own initiative.

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The imagery was completely acquired with the company’s 90 megapixel UltraCam-D large format digital frame camera, mounted in their fast Fairchild Merlin survey aircraft.
This project is unprecedented in the Netherlands, since it is the first time aerial photos of the entire country have been acquired completely digitally. The 3 months that followed the aerial data acquisition of the 7000 images have now led to one large (850GB) seamless colour aerial photo mosaic with 40cm resolution. It is now the most recent and most detailed country-wide snapshot of the Netherlands.
The use of UltraCam-D digital camera has led to remarkable improvements of the final product, particularly for image purity, clarity, contrast and visibility of details in shadowed areas.
With this product Aerodata has set a new standard for country-wide digital ortho photo databases.
The complete dataset or parts of it are currently being delivered to customers under the brand name “aeroGRID® NL2005”. Later this year Aerodata will make the dataset available on the internet.

ARGOSS was elected the most innovative company in the province Flevoland in the Netherlands.

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During the “Flevopenningen Business Gala” dinner event the decision had to be made. A jury of prominent people from the industry and government headed by former Minister Dr Jan Terlouw got the opportunity to cross-examine the nominees.
ARGOSS was selected as winner in this category because of its unique range of products and its capability to implement technical and social innovations in its organization. By making use of satellite observations in combination with mathematical models ARGOSS is not only able to provide innovative solutions for the private sector but also contributes significantly to questions of public concern worldwide.
Contact info:
Postal address: p.o.box 61, 8325 ZH Vollenhove, The Netherlands
Tel: +31 527242299
Fax: + 31 527242016
(Credits Argoss)

Since 1994, the highly specialised Portuguese software engineering company EDISOFT has proven itself as the right partner for the development of important Earth Observation–related programmes, such as LSA SAF or Ocean Eye, a initiative framed by ESA’s Earth Observation GMES effort.

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Established in 1988, EDISOFT is a specialised Portuguese software engineering company that leads the national market in military command and control systems, in naval platforms’ information integration and in military logistics systems. EDISOFT also holds unique technical and technological skills for the integration of strategic collective security systems, dedicated to the emergency and civil protection sector, as well as a broad experience in international research and development projects in the Space domain.
Since 1994, EDISOFT has earned a solid reputation in the Space industry, offering software engineering expertise for the Satellite Navigation and Earth Observation fields. Partnering with the world leaders in this area, EDISOFT has thus made significant contributions to Earth Observation related programmes:
LSA SAF
Sponsored by EUMETSAT, project LSA SAF refers to the meteorological satellite applications facility for land surface analysis and the biospheric parameters. Currently at the initial operations phase, the project has the goal to increase the benefits of the Meteosat Second Generation and the EUMETSAT Polar System data gathering of land, land-atmosphere interaction and biosphere applications. EDISOFT has the responsibility of LSA SAF’s Engineering part.
EPS IASI 2 PPF
The EUMETSAT Polar System Infrared Sounding Interferometer Level 2 Product Processing Facility project is one stage in the processing chain converting telemetry data (NOAA and Metop) into products that can be interpreted by end-users. For this project, EDISOFT was responsible for the development of the test tools and the PPF testing and validation activities.
Ocean Eye
Ocean Eye is a feasibility study addressing the development of a multi-purpose oceanic observation, monitoring and surveillance system over the Portuguese Coast, using remote sensing techniques. The study addresses projects and techniques derived from the synergetic use of multi-spectral Envisat data for ocean monitoring and identifies their respective limitations. A thorough analysis highlights algorithms/techniques to be applied in Remote Sensing data processing for ocean monitoring. Similarly, the Ocean Eye’s architecture considers relevant non-Earth Observation systems that may interface with the system. Thus, Ocean Eye encloses a potential contribution to the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative of ESA’s Earth Observation optional programme.
In fact, EDISOFT has dedicated special attention to the GMES effort, namely its Emergency priority guideline, with the development of strategic collective security systems:
CECIS
Under an EC contract, EDISOFT developed an application to reinforce cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions, by ensuring the interconnection of the 25 EU member states’ National Authorities with the responsibility to protect citizens from natural and technological hazards. The network facilitates communication, mutual assistance, and information and experience exchange between those Authorities in emergencies.
SCORE
SCORE offers an operational 112 Emergency Assistance system, using EGNOS and, later on, Galileo, to deliver excellent performance in geo-location accuracy, real-time integrity and availability. This first operational 112 assistance service is a two-folded architecture (emergency call assistance and coordinated search and rescue operations’ management) that serves both the public and the civil protection professionals. EDISOFT’s expertise led to the responsibility in the user needs’ analysis, in the service’s platform and in the implementation of field trials.
OASIS
The OASIS project defines a crisis management system to support response and rescue operations for large-scale disasters. It enables a common and interoperable infrastructure across the EU that provides effective integration and operation of command, control and communications and intelligence and decision support services, supported by a communications middleware interfacing with heterogeneous communication technologies. EDISOFT contributes to this international project implementing GIS services and the operational monitoring and resources management system.
(Credits Edisoft)

Project SCORE – Service Coordinated Operational Emergency Rescue Using EGNOS, developed by an European consortium in which EDISOFT, the Portuguese specialised software engineering company, leads the Portuguese participation, was presented on March 3rd, at the National Firemen and Civil Protection Service headquarters.

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The ceremony was attended by representatives of the European Commission, of the SCORE Consortium, of the Galileo Joint Undertaking, of the National Firemen and Civil Protection Service, of EDISOFT, international companies that were part of the project and other Portuguese institutes.
EDISOFT, considering its wide experience in the application and services’ area, is one of this project’s main actors, being responsible for the conceptualisation of the services’ platform, for the user needs’ analysis and for the definition and implementation of all field trials.
SCORE pioneers 3D geo-location
With SCORE, positionning services include, for the first time, the third dimension – height. Until now, only longitude and latitude were determined, a restriction that severely hampered the capabilities of all geo-location services, namely in what referred to, for example, a person’s position within a building.
Having as an example the New York’ September 11th events, if at the time, this system would have been available, it would have been possible to determine with high accuracy the floors from which the emergency calls were made.
SCORE is thus a huge quality leap that revolutiones the geo-location dominium.
SCORE is the 112 operational Emergency Assistance service, available through the EGNOS Global Navigation Satellite System EGNOS and that, later, shall use the GALILEO satellite constellation to provide an excellent performance in accurate geo-location.
This innovative 112 assistance service has a two-folded architecture: telephone assistance for emergencies and the coordinated search and rescue operations’ management – serving both the public and the professional services involved with the civil protection activities.
SCORE’s public demonstration successfully portraited two scenarios:
1. A person in distress in a forest fire, that calls 112 on its mobile phone. This person’s position is automatically determined by the SCORE system and a warning is sent to the firemen brigades on the ground.
2. An emergency call through a mobile phone in a building located in Lisbon. The person’s location is automatically determined by the SCORE system and transferred to the Emergency Centre Services that sends all the required assistance and significantly reduces the response time.
SCORE allows the geo-location of all 112 calls made by mobile phones in a more precise, reliable and effective manner, enabling services’ continuity, with respect to current solutions. SCORE’s architecture allows the position to be determined within a few seconds, which makes all the difference in emergency calls. This architecture enables a similar integration of different communication networks, including GPRS, TETRA, Wi-Fi and WiMax.
An innovative A-GPS server guarantees better performance accuracy than current commercial solutions. The SCORE solution is based in a detailed user needs’ analysis, performed by EDISOFT and considering the firemen, the police and medical assistance services. The Portuguese Firemen and Civil Protection services operationally tested SCORE during the field trials, under EDISOFT’s supervision.
(Credits Edisoft)

Emergesat, a humanitarian communication container, was showcased on March, 23rd, at the ENSOSP (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Officiers de Sapeurs-Pompiers, the national French school for fire fighting officers).

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Emergesat is a unique humanitarian tool combining space-based telecommunications, earth observation, location and navigation solutions as well as ground-based radio technologies like Wi-Fi and GSM, that enables emergency personnel to aid in the coordination and efficient handling of international humanitarian relief work in all-weather conditions. It also facilitates evaluation of human and logistical needs, coordination and intervention for real-time support, medical assistance, epidemiology analyses, water quality assistance, etc.
The aim of the demonstration was to provide the civil security teams with a hands-on experience of Emergesat‘s benefits during crisis situations when all conventional means of communications are down or overloaded. The container was flown by helicopter to the site and deployed by the civil security team. Less than ten minutes afterwards, all communications and applications were operational, using a broad band bidirectional satellite link (DVB-RCS) and long-distance Wifi.
The national security team then used an IP phone to contact their Headquarters in Paris, before setting up a videoconference, during which both sites were able to share maps of the damaged areas and exchange data (inventory of deployed resources, description of damages, etc.).
The demonstration was held in presence of Nicole Guedj, the former French minister and representing the French President, Christian Delavernée, Director of French Civil Security, Yannick d‘Escatha, President of the French space agency (CNES), Pascale Sourisse, President and CEO of Alcatel Alenia Space and Jean-Pierre Massue, President of REMIFOR.
During her speech, Pascale Sourisse said that Alcatel was proud to contribute to environmental issues through its space and telecom expertise and applications. She also mentioned the importance of a European approach to primary risk prevention and management : “Our role in the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) project is a crucial milestone. Our expertise in Earth observation (both optics and radar based) as well as in telecommunication and navigation today allows us to provide innovative solutions”, Pascale Sourisse concluded.

GAF AG, an internationally active geo-information technology company, announces that phase 2 of the AQUIFER project is close to completion. AQUIFER focuses on the development and demonstration of Earth observation based products and services for supporting national authorities and international institutions in the management of two prominent, internationally shared ground water resources, aquifers in Africa, the SASS and Iullemeden.

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February 2006- Responsibility for project realization is sub-divided across the AQUIFER consortium that includes African as well as European AQUIFER partners under the leadership of GAF AG.
The ongoing implementation of the project consists of three phases. The completion of AQUIFER phase 2 – the prototype phase – foresees now a review by all stakeholders and the subsequent necessary project adjustments before entering into the phase 3, which shall last till May 2007.
AQUIFER project now approaching the completion of its prototype phase can announce the following achievements:
- consolidated list of required AQUIFER products and services as a result of several meetings and intense discussions with the AQUIFER users on requirements and expectations
- prototypes products based on satellite imagery (limited in geographic coverage to the selected prototype areas) are generated and made available on the AQUIFER website. They are currently available for assessment by and feedback from the users.
- training and extensive on-site cooperation has been already performed with Water Management Organizations as well as Remote Sensing Institutes in Algeria, Libya, Mali, Niger and Tunisia.
- ground truth campaigns were performed by our partners in Africa with participation from experts from Europe
- programming and acquisition of optical and radar satellite data for the areas of interest is ongoing and to a considerable extend completed.
- in the frame of AQUIFER an ESA funded airborne campaign “AquiferEx” -performed by the German Aerospace Establishment DLR – has mapped 2 test sites in Tunisia with hyperspectral and radar imagery. This data which will be put to use in the following phase 3 of AQUIFER and will result in a refined land use / cover map.
- The AQUIFER website is established and continuously updated to keep the public informed on the aims of AQUIFER, its status of achievements, latest news and on future planning. In the internal section a forum is provided for information exchange and discussion among the more than 20 AQUIFER project partners.
AQUIFER is one of the demonstrator projects of ESA‘s initiative “Earth Observation for Integrated Water Resources Management in Africa”, known as TIGER. It is funded by ESA‘s Data User Element (DUE) programme. In 2004 the GAF team has been awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to implement AQUIFER.
AQUIFER focuses on the development and demonstration of Earth observation based products and services for supporting national authorities and international institutions in the transboundary management of ground water resources. AQUIFER deals with two prominent, internationally shared aquifers: the SASS basin in the Sahara and Iullemeden basin in the Sahel zone. The AQUIFER project brings together national and international water management entities with remote sensing and GIS service providers from 3 Maghreb, 3 African and 5 European countries.
About GAF AG
GAF AG is an internationally active and renowned company with a lead competence and experience in applied remote sensing and spatial information systems. GAF AG offers a comprehensive portfolio ranging from procurement of geo-data (e.g. satellite and aerial imagery, digital elevation models), image processing, thematic mapping, GIS/DBMS applications and software development. GAF has a proven success record in performing turn-key technical assistance projects in the mineral and oil&gas sector and delivering customized geological information systems. GAF AG´s activities are run by the CEO Dr. Rupert Haydn.
(Credits GAF AG)