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KSAT supporting the vessel Tor Viking through Northern Sea Route
IUU Fisheries monitoring project with World Bank and ESA
KSAT joins in Arctic Frontiers partner program

KSAT supporting the vessel Tor Viking through Northern Sea Route

On their transit from Pacific to Norwegian port, Tor Viking chose the Northern Sea Route (NSR) saving 12 days compared to sailing through Panama. NSR is at this time of the year challenging due to the increasing difficult ice situation and the crew found leads in the ice by using satellite images.

IUU Fisheries monitoring project with World Bank and ESA

KSAT joins in Arctic Frontiers partner program
KSAT has decided to join Arctic Frontiers as an associated partner for a period of three years.

The Geocento archive contains over 30 million individual satellite footprints – spanning the last 33 years. The maps below show the frequency of commercial acquisitions in 2015 alone (1.5 million in total), from more than 22 satellites.

High density sampling areas (dark green) from commercial satellites include busy maritime regions (for example areas of military exercises and the Grand Banks where there are iceberg hazards) and areas of conflict (notably east Ukraine), and areas of higher population density in the west.

National programmes are also reflected in different densities of sampling noticeable between neighbouring countries, for example Portugal vs. Spain and Brazil vs. its neighbours.

High sampling in the western Arctic reflects demand for imagery to support regular ice charting by the Canadian and US governments, but the density of sampling is in part a reflection of the convergence of satellite orbits.

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GAF AG attended the historic UN Climate Conference COP21 in Paris and supported the European Space Agency (ESA) in organising a Side Event on 3rd December 2015.

The objectives of the Side Event was to share experiences on “Supporting National Forest Monitoring with Earth Observation” in the context of the Global Forest Global Forest Observations Initiative (GFOI). The Side Event was chaired by Dr. Stephen Briggs (ESA) and the Opening Note was presented by the Hon. Greg Hunt, Australian Minister for Environment. Two Users from Malawi and Cameroon presented the following service cases which were developed by GAF within the ESA funded Project GSE FM REDD+:

  • Cameroon and REDD+, Dr. Joseph Armathée Amougou (Director General of the National Climate Change Observatory, Cameroon)
  • REDD+ in Malawi: Application of Earth Observation for Dry Forest Mapping, Dr. Clement Chilima (Director, Department of Forestry of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Malawi)

Both countries presented the status of their national REDD+ programmes as well as the role of EO in the deforestation/degradation assessments, referring to the work undertaken by GAF AG and the Consortium both in the GSE FM and REDDAF Projects. The role of Sentinel-2 data for the REDD+ in the Africa countries was well noted. Participants at the Side Event provided an overall positive feedback about the session.

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Key trends and indicators on supply & demand of the world commercial satellite industry

Paris, Washington D.C., Montreal, Yokohama, November 12, 2015 – Euroconsult’s latest report, Satellite Value Chain: The Snapshot 2015, brings together a selection of key trends and indicators on supply and demand from Euroconsult’s 2015 reports complemented by additional dedicated research on the commercial satellite business to give a snapshot of the commercial satellite value chain. Along with the introductory/overview section, the report includes sections on satellite manufacturing & launch services, satellite communications, Earth observation, and satellite navigation.

Download an extract of the complete report.

Designed as a customized executive presentation of nearly 40 PowerPoint slides, each including multiple graphs with explanatory text, the report proposes a selection of Euroconsult’s 2015 key graphs and data complemented by additional dedicated research on the commercial satellite business. The report covers each segment of the value chain, from upstream to downstream, and commercial satellite applications.


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Rich of 25 plus years of experience, we felt it was time for a makeover

Our corporate visual identity has been refreshed to reflect who we are today and to accompany our future developments.

It highlights our commitment to deepen our activities in:

  • Consultancy and Management,
  • Research and Development,
  • Space Programmes and their Applications,

while staying at the cutting edge of Technology and Security.

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(7. December 2015) The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) published its first nautical chart with EOMAP’s Satellite Derived Bathymetry in Oct. 2015: BA 2066 of Southern Antigua. Prior to this mapping a competitive evaluation of different SDB methods was performed by the UKHO in which EOMAPs data performed best.

The BA 2066 chart and the mapping was presented at this years High Resolution Shallow Survey Conference.

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Organisations such as the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) or the Red Cross are in the front line and need the most efficient way of deploying emergency resources.

NOVACOM SERVICES, a CLS subsidiary, geolocates the vehicles of organisations working in the front line to save lives. Jean Muller, in charge of humanitarian applications at NOVACOM SERVICES explains: «The trust which these organisations have placed in NOVACOM SERVICES enables close cooperation in the field through the Humanav Next project that is consolidating and legitimising our involvement in the humanitarian world.»

By helping the victims of these disasters through its solutions, CLS and its subsidiary are indispensable players wherever extreme climate situations occur. NOVACOM SERVICES, equips more than 1500 humanitarian vehicles in the world.

Humanav solution by NOVACOM Services

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Since 2013, CLS and its subsidiary ALTAMIRA INFORMATION, have been mapping and delimiting flood zones of the Adour river in Dax, using their expertise in satellites and radar imaging.

According to the IPCC report, “The proportion of the world population facing water shortages or affected by major flooding will increase with the level of global warming in the 21st century.” The scarcity of fresh water resources will be most strongly felt in countries in the Southern hemisphere, whereas countries in the Northern hemisphere are expected to experience more regular and devastating episodes of flooding.

CLS, a world leader in altimetry, is putting its 30 years’ experience of ocean monitoring at the service of sustainable management of water resources. Satellites can provide solutions for managing water resources, water stress or extreme weather events. The Toulouse-based company is willing and able to combine different types of satellite, in-situ or numerical modelling data. These solutions should prove indispensable for the comprehensive and fair management of water resources.

They will make it possible to predict and monitor river networks, and to control the state of resources at a regional level. With satellite tools, the authorities will be in a position to monitor the intrusion of saltwater into estuaries, providing vital ammunition in the fight against salinisation of coastal farmland.

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French West Indies beach invaded by Sargassum seaweed. CLS maps the seaweed ahead of time so it can be collected before reaching the shore.

Since 2011, brown Sargassum seaweed has been amassing on the Caribbean and South American shoreline. As it decomposes, it emits hydrogen sulphide gas, harmful to humans in high doses, and a foul smell similar to that of a rotten egg. To combat this problem, CNES has given CLS the task of implementing an operational satellite surveillance system. The latter is based on multi-satellite detection using radar and optical instruments, in addition to a drift model. Radar technology is a key advantage in this area because it is unaffected by cloud cover and can operate both day and night.

CLS scientists such as Romain Husson have pinpointed the signature of Sargassum seaweed in radar images. Today, CLS maps the seaweed offshore. This information is crucial for supporting collection operations and for other players affected. The phenomenon could well be related to global warming because it is likely that the rise in water temperature is one of the factors accounting for the seaweed’s proliferation.

Demo « Highlight of the Copernicus Sentinel-1A products http://eoda.cls.fr

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It has been released after a public beta test phase with many helpful feedback from enthusiastic users.

It provides users a comprehensive set of tools for using data products from the Sentinel platforms.

SNAP is a powerful EO application on its own and provides the platform for plugging in other sensor- or domain-specific toolboxes. Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 Toolboxes and also the SMOS-Box and Radarsat-2 Toolbox can be optionally installed, either by the installer, or later from within the SNAP plugin manager.

SNAP is the successor of the well known BEAM software and will replace it in the long term. BEAM will remain under maintenance until at least mid of 2016 where we will continuing our user support. The further development of new features will take place within SNAP and the toolboxes.

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