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Generic news from last weeks


Astrium signs new Pléiades contract with Eastdawn (05/10/2011)

Paris, 5 October 2011 – Astrium Services and Chinese provider of satellite data and value-added services, Beijing Eastdawn Information Technology (Eastdawn), have signed a partnership agreement to give Eastdawn access to Pléiades solutions and technologies.

This three year contract (with the possibility to extend for an extra two years) will enable Eastdawn to distribute 50-cm resolution products from the Pléiades constellation, as well as innovative services. These products will support near-real-time applications to five key accounts in China (Ministry of Land Resources; National Administration for Surveying, Mapping & Geoinformation; China Geological Survey; Ministry of Agriculture; and Ministry of Housing & Urban-rural Development) on an exclusive basis.

This new partnership agreement demonstrates Eastdawn’s commitment to Pléiades. The company, investing in reception infrastructure, will operate three receiving stations to meet the needs of clients over the vast Chinese territory….

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Astrium signs new GMES contract with ESA (19/09/2011)

Paris, 19 September 2011 – Astrium Services has signed a three-year contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the delivery of satellite images under the terms of the European GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment & Security) programme. This contract, initially worth 17 million euros, is being funded by the European Commission.

The contract covers the provision of optical data from the SPOT 4/5 and FORMOSAT-2 satellites and radar images from the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites, plus additional data from the Pleiades constellation and the SPOT 6/7 satellites. This data will help improve the quality of the geo-information services with which the European governments aim to implement their environmental and crisis-management policies. The data and services will be available to all public users on a European, national and regional level.

According to Patrick Le Roch, Head of GEO-Information at Astrium Services, “This contract adds to the importance of Astrium’s place in the GMES programme. As well as confirming our role as suppliers of satellite-based data, it will also enable us to develop and enhance the services we provide to civil emergency response groups (SAFER) and environmental protection agencies (GEOLAND) in Europe. SAFER has been activated more than a hundred times in the past two years, and GEOLAND has helped to improve environmental protection in Europe by providing more accurate land-usage data.”…..

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Astrium at INTERGEO 2011 (12/09/2011)

Astrium GEO-Information Services presented its new, expanded portfolio at INTERGEO, the World’s largest event for geodesy, geo-information and land management.

27-29 September in Nuremberg, Germany
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New! Pléaides (11/09/2011)

Download Pleiades sample imagery data

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Astrium signs first Pléiades contract with PASCO (09/09/2011)

Paris, 09 September 2011 – Astrium Services and Japanese geospatial solutions provider PASCO have signed a partnership agreement – the first for the Pléiades constellation for very-high-resolution satellite imagery.

The partnership agreement between PASCO CORPORATION and Astrium Services gives the company access to Pléiades solutions and technologies. The agreement reflects PASCO’s confidence in the growth of the very-high-resolution market, with imagery acquired by highly agile and responsive satellites. In Japan, PASCO will distribute 50-cm resolution products from the Pléiades constellation as well as innovative services to support near-real-time applications.

As a subscriber to Pléiades Direct Access Services, PASCO will offer its customers preferential access to Pléiades data. The satellite’s extreme agility coupled with multiple acquisition modes makes the Pléiades system very responsive to specific user requirements. Local production units will be able to deliver ortho-rectified products within 30 minutes. In addition, the image acquisition and production interface ensures the highest levels of efficiency and confidentiality.

« Adding Pléiades to our portfolio of satellite products enables us to guarantee to our customers the best optical solutions. And the combination of Pléiades and TerraSAR-X data will contribute gathering detailed information of the nation’s natural disasters such as earthquake and floods, and will mean we can develop new and advanced solutions to further fulfil the information requirements of our valued customers,» said Mr Yoichi Sugimoto, President & CEO of PASCO CORPORATION…..

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More than 180 000 km² of Astrium satellite imagery collected for Irene relief efforts (01/09/2011)

August 30, 2011 – Toulouse – Astrium GEO-Information Services tasked its satellites to collect data over the USA in anticipation of hurricane Irene’s arrival to the east coast. Over 100,000 km2 of cloud-free SPOT optical imagery and more than 85,000 km² of TerraSAR-X radar data were collected as of Monday, Aug. 29 covering portions of the U.S. east coast from Charleston, SC to Maine and Vermont. Astrium will continue to collect imagery for disaster relief efforts over the next few days.

The images were received at the time of acquisition via satellite transmission to direct receiving stations (DRS) in multiple U.S. Government agencies and Astrium personnel worked together to define the collection plan prior to the event. An U.S. Disaster Relief license was issued for the validated scenes. Validated scenes were processed and provided to government relief organizations and emergency management agencies on Sunday.

As operators of the SPOT satellites, exclusive commercial marketers of TerraSAR-X & TanDEM-X, and with unique access to a broad range of other spaceborne and airborne acquisition capabilities, Astrium Services’ GEO-Information division can provide customers with an unrivalled combination of Earth imagery – both optical and radar – as well as value-added expertise in a variety of vertical markets such as oil and gas exploration, emergency response, and forest monitoring….

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In emergency situations it is necessary to provide a response as quickly as possible. When the type of emergency depends on the use of satellite data, it then becomes necessary to plan their acquisition, processing and distribution, having teams ready 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, to respond to this type of situation.

The Satellite Rapid Response System was created by CHELYS precisely with the intent of making satellite data available as quickly as possible, as images and value-added products.

The constellation of satellites known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) that will be launched starting in 2013, thanks to low revisiting times and the planning of the whole mission already present on board the satellite, will allow monitoring of our planet as never seen before.

SRRS has participated in the GMES Masters Competition and was awarded the Best Service Challenge 2011 prize from an audience of web users asked to express their preferences on most innovative and useful GMES services and applications.
SRRS is a system able to perform real-time processing of most satellite data from ESA and NASA missions in order to make the data received from Earth immediately available (two minutes after acquisition), transforming them into products that can be analyzed instantly.
The strength of SRRS lies in its ability to process raw data without having to wait for them to become higher level products. This means that the system does not have to rely on the processing time for the data in the reception centers, and provides images and data that are ready to be studied to users and researchers.

The portal in which the products are brought together is made to be capable of functioning on any type of client (mobile, PC, tablet, etc.) and takes advantage of the latest web technologies (AJAX, Google Earth, Flash), giving the user the impression of utilizing a standalone application instead of a webpage.

GMES represents an important milestone in terms of availability and product quality. This, along with very low revisiting times, will make it possible to have coverage of the Earth in a way never possible before. SRRS will thus allow us to have a “truly” real-time vision of our planet. All of this, along with the system’s capacity to generate value-added products, such as FAPAR, Ship Detection and Mosaics, will make it possible for a high number of users to have access to a quantity and quality of images never before seen.

European citizens in particular (thanks to the greater number of acquisition stations present in Europe), but also users from other parts of the planet, will be able to access the portal in order to download the latest meteorological images, a high resolution photograph of a particular zone on Earth acquired just a few minutes prior. It will be possible to monitor in real-time the evolution of phytoplankton in the North Sea, observe the latest Etna eruption or monitor the vegetation absorption index (FAPAR). The ship detection realized in every Radar image will allow the port authorities to continuously monitor not only coastal areas but also ships in mid ocean. The quantity of data processed will make it possible to generate up-to-date mosaics of almost any type (high resolution optics, multi-spectral, radar, etc.).

SRRS service will remain publicly available until end of October. After this date you will be requested to register to access the service.

You can visit SRRS at the following link Chelys
More information about Satellite Rapid Response System
An overview of the SRRS usage
More about GMES Masters

(Valladolid, 20 September 2011) The satellite Deimos 1 has orbited the Earth 10,700 times and has recorded 7,800 images during the first two years since its launch.


  • DEIMOS 1 was launched in July 2009 and was the first European Earth-observation satellite to be funded exclusively by private capital
  • The satellite’s operations are controlled from the Boecillo Technology Park in Valladolid
  • DEIMOS 1’s unique achievements include a full inventory of the world’s tropical rainforests, carried out for the European Space Agency

Elecnor, through its technological division Elecnor Deimos, has presented a report on the first two years in orbit of the DEMIOS 1 Earth-observation satellite. The presentation was attended by the current councilor for Economy and Employment in the Government of Castilla-León, Tomás Villanueva.

Launched on 29 July 2009 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, over the last two years DEIMOS 1 has orbited the Earth over 10,700 times and has travelled around 450 million kilometres, which is three times greater than the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Since its launch, the satellite has recorded 7,800 images of the Earth, creating a data archive that would cover an area of over 690 million km2 (nearly five times larger than the Earth’s total land mass).

After the launch, and following an initial test period to check that all its systems were functioning correctly, the first image was obtained at the beginning of August 2009. The calibration stage then began, in which all the satellite’s cameras were calibrated in order to ensure the images it recorded were of the very highest quality. This process was then followed by a manoeuvring period to place the satellite in an optimum position. The final result of all these complex technical processes was the declaration, in early 2010, that the system was fully operational.

In the words of Javier Martínez de Irujo, CEO of Elecnor Deimos, “although the launch into orbit and optimisation of such a complex satellite system is certainly remarkable, what has been truly important during these two years of operation is the great number of applications for the data gathered by DEIMOS 1, applications which range from agriculture to the environment by way of defence, climate change, deforestation, the fight against natural disasters and the control of water resources”.

Unique Achievements

In 2010, DEIMOS 1 carried out a full inventory of the Earth’s tropical rainforests on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) and throughout 2011 it has continued to work for the European Union and the ESA as part of the GMES programme, providing complete coverage of Africa.

This year, DEIMOS 1 was also chosen by the US Department of Agriculture to provide complete monthly coverage of the United States, thereby enabling monitoring via satellite of the country’s agriculture industry.

The subsidiary company Elecnor Deimos Imaging is directly responsible for the development, operation and commercial exploitation of the satellite. Its CEO, Pedro Duque, stated that “we have been gaining more clients and have achieved sales in countries in five different continents, to organisations that have expressed on numerous occasions their great satisfaction with, and recognition of, the exceptional quality of the images we have provided”.

Among DEIMOS 1’s most outstanding achievements during its first two years of operation is the distinction of being the first satellite to provide United Nations relief agencies with images of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on 4 March, thus assisting the agencies in their rescue efforts. DEIMOS 1 has played an important role in helping to deal with a number of natural disasters, including the flooding in Jerez and Asturias in 2010, the forest fire in Benicolet, Valencia, in April 2011, the recent fires in Arizona and the floods caused by the Mississippi River in the United States.

The Role of Boecillo

DEIMOS 1 has turned Elecnor Deimos into the foremost operator of observation satellites in Spain and one of the global leaders in the field. The efforts of the team at Ground Control, Process and Applications at the Boecillo Technology Park in Valladolid have been key to achieving this success: in the words of Pedro Duque, the team “has shown that they are highly prepared and capable of adapting to any circumstances”.

The satellite is controlled from Boecillo, which is also where potential problems with the satellite or its monitoring stations are solved and where downloaded images are processed and then converted into real applications of interest to the company’s clients.

As stated by the CEO of Elecnor Deimos, “the experience accumulated at Boecillo by the operations and image-processing teams and the developers of added-value products is unmatched anywhere in the world, and allows us to look to the future with optimism. The infrastructure created here at the technology park will also be key to the success of our second satellite, DEIMOS 2, a project that is now being implemented and which will pose a new technological challenge”.

Source Traders

(19 september 2011) Astrium Services has signed a three-year contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the delivery of satellite images under the terms of the European GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment & Security) programme.

This contract, initially worth 17 million Euro, is being funded by the European Commission.

The contract covers the provision of optical data from the SPOT 4/5 and FORMOSAT-2 satellites and radar images from the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites, plus additional data from the Pleiades constellation and the SPOT 6/7 satellites. This data will help improve the quality of the geo-information services with which the European governments aim to implement their environmental and crisis-management policies. The data and services will be available to all public users on a European, national and regional level.

According to Patrick Le Roch, Head of GEO-Information at Astrium Services, “This contract adds to the importance of Astrium’s place in the GMES programme. As well as confirming our role as suppliers of satellite-based data, it will also enable us to develop and enhance the services we provide to civil emergency response groups (SAFER) and environmental protection agencies (GEOLAND) in Europe. SAFER has been activated more than a hundred times in the past two years, and GEOLAND has helped to improve environmental protection in Europe by providing more accurate land-usage data.”

Astrium Services is recognized as one of the leaders in the geo-information market, not least thanks to the skills and resources of its now fully integrated, former subsidiaries Spot Image and Infoterra. The company provides decision-makers with multiservice solutions permitting them to increase security, protect the environment, or improve their management of natural resources. It enjoys exclusive access to data from the SPOT and TerraSAR-X satellites, coupled with a complete range of space-based data sources and airborne acquisition capability enabling it to offer an unrivalled portfolio of Earth observation services and products. This portfolio covers the entire geo-information supply chain, from the generation of images to their exploitation by the end user.

By making use of the synergies and expertise of Astrium Services, GEO-Information is also capable of developing competitive, innovative solutions based on the combination and integration of Earth observation, navigation and telecommunication applications.

About GMES

The GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment & Security) programme was created by the European Commission with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA). It aims to supply geo-information products and services based on the use of images from space that will help European institutions and public authorities to fulfil their mission of safeguarding the civil population, managing risks, and protecting the environment.

About Astrium

Astrium is the number one company in Europe for space technologies and a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services.

In 2010, Astrium had a turnover of €5 billion and more than 15,000 employees worldwide, mainly in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment, and Astrium Services for comprehensive end-to-end solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, high security satellite communications equipment, bespoke geo-information and navigation services worldwide.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2010, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of € 45.8 billion and employed a workforce of nearly 122,000.

(source: Astrium)

PanGeo is a 3-year FP7 GMES Downstream Services Collaborative project that started 1st February 2011 with the objective of enabling free and open access to geohazard information in support of GMES. This will be achieved by providing an INSPIRE-compliant, free, online geohazard information service for the two largest towns in each EU country (Cyprus and Luxembourg only one) = 52 towns in total (~13% of EU population).

The PanGeo project

Geohazards in the built environment can be dangerous and costly, yet information about these phenomena and their effects can be difficult if not impossible to obtain. PanGeo is about generating information on urban geohazards and then making this information freely available and accessible to all, online.

Geohazards in PanGeo are natural and man-made phenomena that have the potential to make the ground unstable. These geohazards include: earthquakes, landslides, mineral workings, groundwater abstraction and recharge, shrink and swell clays, soluble rocks, compressible ground, collapsible deposits and landfill (many of these geohazards manifest as subsidence).

PanGeo is a 3-year Collaborative project that started 1st February 2011 with the objective of enabling free and open access to geohazard information in support of GMES. This will be achieved by providing an INSPIRE-compliant, free, online geohazard information service for the two largest towns in each EU country (Cyprus and Luxembourg only one) – 52 towns in total (~13% of EU population).

The geohazard information will be served in a standard format by the 27 EU national Geological Surveys via a modified version of the ‘shared access’ infrastructure as devised for the DG ISM project One-Geology Europe. The information to be served (a new geohazard data-layer and accompanying interpretation) will be made by each Survey, and be compiled from integrations of:

  • Satellite Persistent Scatterer InSAR processing, providing measurements of terrain-motion.
  • Geological and geohazard information already held by national Geological Surveys.
  • The landcover and landuse data contained within the GMES Land Theme’s Urban Atlas.

Upon user enquiry, a PanGeo web-portal will automatically integrate the geohazard data with the Urban Atlas to highlight the landcover polygons influenced. Mousing over polygons will hyperlink to interpretative text. User input to design will be facilitated by the Surveys contracted into the project and initiation of a ‘Local Authority Feedback Group’.

It is trusted that sustainability of PanGeo will be achieved by attracting a proportion of the remaining 253 Urban Atlas towns to procure the PanGeo service for their towns. The service that will already be provided in their country will form the basis of the required promotional activity.

Target users of the PanGeo service

PanGeo is quite specifically targeted at four key user groups:

  • Government Local Authority planners and regulators who are concerned with managing development control and risk;
  • National Geological Surveys and Geoscience Institutes who collect and disseminate geohazard data for public benefit;
  • Policy-makers concerned with assessing and comparing pan-European geological risk;
  • The public, for general empowerment.

Service mechanics

In PanGeo, all 27 EU National Geological Surveys are producing two key products: A ‘Ground Stability Layer’ and a ‘Geohazard Summary’. The graphic above depicts conceptually how these products are made: Four InSAR providers are providing the Geological Surveys with terrain-motion data for each of the 52 towns involved in the service.

The Surveys use these data, in conjunction with their own geological data and expertise, plus an amount of validation, to produce the new Ground Stability Layer. This 2D vector layer comprises polygons surrounding discrete areas of common geohazard. Each polygon then relates to interpretative text within a newly-compiled Geohazard Summary document.

User Access

Users will access the information provided by PanGeo through a ‘PanGeo Portal’ – a derivative of the One-Geology Europe geoportal upon which the PanGeo service is built.

Upon user-enquiry for a given town, the Portal will automatically coincide the Ground Stability Layer described above with corresponding data from the EU’s Urban Atlas which comprises 27 landcover classes at 2.5m resolution (~1:10,000). Urban Atlas polygons that intersect with the Ground Stability Layer polygons will be highlighted indicating that they are influenced by a geohazard(s).

Mousing over these areas will pop-up a brief description of the hazard. A mouse-click will link the user directly to a full interpretation within the Geohazard Summary document.
Topographic maps for user-orientation will be facilitated by a user-option of either Google Earth or Open Source Mapping.

All PanGeo products (geocoded Urban Atlas, Ground Stability Layer and the Geohazard Summary as a standalone PDF) will be downloadable to enable use within a users’ own Geographic Information System.

The 52 towns currently included in the service

The following table shows the 52 towns currently included within the PanGeo service. Note that Cyprus and Luxembourg only have one town each as these countries only have one Urban Atlas dataset available as the threshold for inclusion in the Urban Atlas is a minimum population of 100,000. In most cases the towns chosen are simply the two largest, however, the final decision was made by the National Geological Survey.
Contribution to policy implementation and development
The provision of an open-access, standardised information service on geohazards will enable policy-makers and regulators to:

  • Systematically assess geohazards in each of the 52 towns involved.
  • Gain understanding of the geohazards themselves.
  • Know who to talk to for more information.
  • Statistically analyse and cross-compare geohazard phenomena across EU countries.
  • Gain a better understanding of the socio-economic costs involved.
  • Make more informed decisions.
  • Have confidence that the information provided is robust and reliable.
  • Also, EU citizens will be empowered with access to knowledge previously known only to a few.

Contribution to policy implementation and development
The provision of an open-access, standardised information service on geohazards will enable policy-makers and regulators to:

  • Systematically assess geohazards in each of the 52 towns involved.
  • Gain understanding of the geohazards themselves.
  • Know who to talk to for more information.
  • Statistically analyse and cross-compare geohazard phenomena across EU countries.
  • Gain a better understanding of the socio-economic costs involved.
  • Make more informed decisions.
  • Have confidence that the information provided is robust and reliable.
  • Also, EU citizens will be empowered with access to knowledge previously known only to a few.

Relevant policy

Local policy: Following the EU subsidiarity principle, terrain-motion and associated geohazard policy is generally enacted at the local level. Some examples of local policies suggested by the Geological Surveys include: monitoring the impacts of dissolution and sinkholes in Hamburg city centre (Germany); monitoring of nuclear power plant stability (Lithuania); monitoring flood plain subsidence in urban areas (Luxembourg).

National policy: There are many national policies of EU member states that mandate the collection of geohazard data. Examples cited include: ‘Map of active faults’ project (Slovenia); Monitoring of hydroelectric power plants and the burial of nuclear and hazardous waste (Latvia); Mitigation of Climate Change impacts (Estonia, Denmark national programs).

European Union policies: PanGeo is relevant to several EU strategies and Directives:

­* The EC Directive on Landfill (1999) requires that a landfill site must meet certain conditions relating to the risk of flooding, subsidence, and landslides.

­* The EC Flood Directive (2007) requires Member States to assess the flood risk of all water courses and coast lines; map assets and humans at risk; and to take adequate measures to reduce this flood risk.

­* The European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (ECPIP, 2006) was introduced for the identification and designation of European critical infrastructure and the assessment of the need to improve their protection. Related to this, Eurocode 8 (of the European Structural Design codes) is concerned with making buildings and civil engineering structures resistant to earthquakes.

­* Future EC directives relevant to PanGeo are The Prevention of Natural and Man-Made Disasters, and The EU Strategy for Supporting Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Developing Countries. Both these strategies require disaster mitigation by obtaining detailed information on areas most at risk from geohazards and their indirect impacts.

Project Partners

There are 37 partners in PanGeo in total. These are divided into a Core Team of 13 and a Survey Team of 24 (3 Surveys are in the Core Team).

What is GMES?

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security is a joint programme of the European Commission and the European Space Agency, designed to establish a European capacity for the provision and use of operational information for monitoring and management of the environment and for civil security. GMES is intended to support Europe’s goals in relation to sustainable development, environmental protection and the capacity to respond to global crises, by facilitating and fostering the timely provision of data, information and knowledge to the standards needed to implement the environmental and civil security policies of the EU. For more information visit: www.gmes.info/.

Article by Ren Capes (PanGeo Project Coordinator)
Fugro NPA Ltd, UK

Thales Alenia Space España is awarded contracts worth more than €11 million for the MUSIS program

15:22 GMT, June 7, 2011 Thales Alenia Space España has been awarded important contracts summing up to a value of more than 7.5 million Euros. These contracts are for the MUSIS program for Earth observation. The company will be entrusted with the design, development, manufacturing, qualification, supply of electronics for the focal plane of the optical instrument (FPPB), and the service module (MSI) for the two first high optical resolution CSO satellites of the European MUSIS program, while having the option of a third one.

The CSO (Optical Space Component) is the French government contribution to the future MUSIS (Multinational Space-based Imaging System) constellation, that will include optical and radar space components. The CSO satellites realization contract has been awarded end 2010 to Astrium by CNES, who was acting as delegate contracting authority on behalf the DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement). These satellites will replace the current Helios 2 observational system.. Thales Alenia Space France is responsible for the Optical Payload (Instrument) and also will deliver to Astrium, the Solar Arrays, the X-band downlink sub-system and the Encryption Unit.”

The Multinational Space-Based Imaging System (MUSIS) is a multinational program carried out by various European countries. The objective is to construct a common space infrastructure by combining national and/or bilateral programs, allowing the collaboration of these nations and providing them with the next-generation of European satellite intelligence systems, substituting their current national platforms. Through this, the contributing countries will reinforce their capacities and autonomy in the issue of surveillance, observation and reconnaissance.

Within the Thales Group, Thales Alenia Space España is considered to be a competence centre with regard to optical payloads of medium resolution (between 5 and 10 meters) used for scientific and Earth observation. The company uses a pioneer optical detection laboratory for the design, development and integration of subsystems for optical detection, allowing precise characterization of image sensor, integration and detection systems tests. Similarly, Thales Alenia Space España is extremely active in various projects, such as the national (Spanish) program of Earth observation INGENIO, the SENTINEL satellites for Europe’s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme, and is currently working on a civil and military satellite for a member state of the NATO, developing the high resolution electronic proximity for optical observation; all adding up to contracts worth more than 30 million Euros.

Juan Garcés de Marcilla, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space España said: “I am extremely satisfied with the awarding of this contract, it recognizes our ability and leadership in payloads for optical observation, as well as showing the trust which our clients have in our company.” Garcés de Marcilla also said to “feel proud of the excellent competitive development in the exterior market, as it is the competition which allows us to strengthen our collaboration with the largest European space companies, consolidating and placing us at the forefront of the Spanish market in terms of technology for missions of observation and science.”

Thales is a global technology leader for the defence & security and the aerospace & transport markets. In 2010 the company generated revenues of £11.2 billion (€13.1 billion), with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 22,500 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners.

Source

The open house inauguration of TRE’s new headquarters was held on Monday 13th at Ripa di Porta Ticinese 79, in the ‘Navigli area’ – a very typical and attractive suburb of Milan.

During the event, all TRE staff and the Board of Directors greeted over 50 guests, including some clients and data providers, and the Politecnico di Milano University’s delegation headed by the Rector Professor Giovanni Azzone.

Alessandro Ferretti was pleased to show the guests around the new 1000m2 offices, which now offer significantly more space for TRE’s sales & marketing, software development and post-production departments. The computer processing centre has also been upgraded, which has an increased storage capacity and processing power.

The new offices are evidence of TRE’s continued investment in technology, knowledge and R&D activities, in order to be able to offer pioneering services and products to our clients, while always looking after all other stakeholders: staff, consultants and providers. As many of the guests commented during the event, the new offices present a far better working environment for its staff.

Founded in 2000, TRE is the first spin-off company from Politecnico di Milano University, with the patenting of its first proprietary algorithm, PSInSAR™, now developed into its second generation algorithm SqueeSAR™ TRE has expanded from a small group of SAR experts to employ over 40 professionals from diverse disciplines.

TRE offers its clients maps of surface deformation to millimeter accuracy by analyzing SAR (Synthetic Aperture radar) satellite images with SqueeSAR™, thus providing a quantitative understanding of ground response to both natural and anthropogenic activities. TRE has two offices: Milan and Vancouver

Source

The NGI project for the European Space Agency kicked off recently with the aim to demonstrate next-generation, near real-time satellite imagery delivery services. The target is to provide rapidly access to GIS-ready imagery within 10 minutes of transmission to ground.

Leading the NGI project, Spacemetric is coordinating an experienced team from Sweden and the UK that will develop and demonstrate the new technologies during the 18-month project. Partners SSC and Metria bring a wealth of experience from ground station operations and satellite image value-adding respectively. At the same time, Magellium Ltd brings in-depth experience from satellite mapping systems developed by its parent for French Government agencies. The project is financed within ESA’s GSTP programme and is expected to provide service solutions of high interest in a range of application areas including rapid mapping and media.

Use of open service standards, such as OGC, is an important element of the project strategy along with the use of Spacemetric’s Keystone Image Management System as a COTS to jump-start the technical development work.

Source

ScanEX news from last months


GeoEye and Russian Partner ScanEx Sign Multi-year, Multi-million-dollar Imagery Agreement
(2011-07-07)

Detecting small-size fire blazes from space: new methods of peat bogs status control
(2011-07-06)

An extensive slick is detected in the Black Sea
(2011-07-04)

Departmental Internet portals: satellite data as a primary spatial background
(2011-07-01)

SCANEX ADPS: new software system of automatic RS data processing developed
(2011-07-01)

Under the law of an information society
(2011-06-30)

Gigabytes of SPOT 5 data for search and selection: on-line access to catalog of images
(2011-06-27)

Over 20 experts from 9 world countries joined the Program Committee of the 5th International Conference “Earth from Space…”
(2011-06-23)

Optimizing fishery and improving ecology: space imaging possibilities discussed at APEC conference
(2011-06-22)

5th International Conference “Earth from Space – the Most Effective Solutions”: early-bird registration ends on June 30
(2011-06-20)

SSTL Company Head Professor Sir Martin Sweeting will take part in “Earth from Space…” international conference
(2011-06-17)

Small-size satellites manufacturing to be discussed at the “Earth from Space…” conference
(2011-06-14)

Sustainable fishery in APEC countries: space imaging possibilities at Indonesian conference
(2011-06-09)

Join the contest “Studying Fires Dynamics Based on RS Data”
(2011-06-09)

Personal account of the 5th Conference “Earth from Space…” is now open
(2011-06-08)

June 7: fire situation from space
(2011-06-07)

Satellites detected natural petroleum springs in Black Sea
(2011-06-07)

Detailed satellite images for Russian economy development: expansion policy
(2011-06-03)

Russian space technology presented at the 16th World Meteorological Congress in Geneva
(2011-06-02)

MDA to help Russia to enhance maritime safety
(2011-06-01)

Source

…RapidEye Satellites Image Two Billionth Square Kilometer of Earth…EyeFind…Cambodia and Laos’ Aruna Technology, ImageSat Partnership Agreement…new website…

RapidEye Satellites Image Two Billionth Square Kilometer of Earth (June 22, 2011)

Brandenburg / Havel, Germany, June 22, 2011 – RapidEye, a leader in wide area, repetitive coverage of Earth through its constellation of satellites and advanced remote sensing-based services announced today that it has imaged and holds more than two billion square kilometers of satellite imagery in its archive…. more

RapidEye Reveals Full Archive Through EyeFind (June 14, 2011)

Brandenburg/Havel, Germany, June 14, 2011 – RapidEye, a leader in wide area, repetitive coverage of Earth through its constellation of satellites and a leading provider of advanced remote sensing based information products and services announced today that EyeFind, a tool that allows users to browse its entire archive, is now online…more

Cambodia and Laos’ Aruna Technology Joins RapidEye’s Distribution Network (May 31, 2011)

Brandenburg/Havel, Germany, May 31, 2011 – RapidEye, a leader in wide-area repetitive coverage of Earth through its constellation of satellites announced today that Cambodia and Laos-based Aruna Technology is now part of its growing distribution network. As part of the agreement, Aruna’s territory will be Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar…. more

ImageSat and RapidEye Construct Partnership Agreement (May 24, 2011)

Brandenburg/Havel, Germany, May 24, 2011 – RapidEye, a leader in wide area, repetitive coverage of Earth through its constellation of satellites announced today that a partnership agreement has been signed between RapidEye and the ImageSat International…more

RapidEye Unveils A New Corporate Look And Website (May 16, 2011)

Brandenburg/Havel, Germany, May 16, 2011 – RapidEye, a leader in wide area, repetitive coverage of Earth through its constellation of satellites announced today that it has chosen a fresh new look for the company.

The branding initiative involves a new visual identity across all communications including relevant changes in all marketing and support materials including a new website. Featuring a more inviting and user-friendly environment, information is easier to obtain within the new website and menus are more intuitive. In addition, the ‘star’ of every page is RapidEye’s satellite imagery, which is a key component in their products and services…more

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