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DMC International Imaging plans to launch a high-resolution optical imaging satellite named UK DMC-2 in 2008 to provide continuous Continent-level imaging with direct downlink of data to customer‘s ground stations.

At just 120 kg, UK DMC-2 will be a very capable low cost Earth Observation (EO) satellite, carrying a higher-resolution (22 metre) multi-spectral DMC imager with an ultra-wide 660km imaging swath.
The enhanced micro-satellite will be able to image continuously while broadcasting data in real-time to licensed ground stations.
UK DMC-2 will be launched into the existing international Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) with Deimos-1, built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) for Deimos Imaging SL, Spain.
The 2 new generation DMC satellites will be coordinated with the 5 existing DMC satellites to provide data continuity and a new level of imaging output.
The rapid revisit capability of the constellation is especially valuable for remote sensing applications that monitor fast changing phenomena such as fires, floods and crops. It also covers large areas quickly including the Amazon Basin, Australia, and Europe, providing the capability for multi-season coverage of major agriculture.
David Hodgson, Managing Director DMCii, commented: “The next generation of DMC will serve our existing and new customers with higher resolution imagery and allow high frequency continent-wide environmental monitoring. The commercial success of the DMC demonstrates the advantage of the small satellite constellation approach to data supply and is the result of DMCii tailoring services to the individual needs of customers.”
DMCii works with the Members of the DMC to coordinate international commercial imaging campaigns, and coordinates rapid disaster response through the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters.
DMCii‘s extensive calibration and process development programme generates high quality products to meet the demanding requirements of many remote sensing applications from precision agriculture to illegal logging.
DMC International Imaging Ltd.
(DMCii) is a UK company that supplies satellite imagery products and services to a wide range of international customers. DMCii supplies programmed and archived optical satellite imagery from the multi-satellite Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC).
DMCii works with customers to tailor a supply service to meet specific customer and application needs. DMC images are used in a wide variety of commercial and government applications including agriculture, forestry and environmental mapping.
DMC imagery is used extensively by organisations such as the European Commission, Brazilian Space Agency, United Nations, and the US Geological Survey.
The small satellites of the DMC provide daily revisit combined with an unmatched 660km imaging swath width for frequent broad area coverage. Multispectral image products feature a pixel ground sample distance (GSD) of 32-metres today and 22-metres from 2008. DMCii‘s panchromatic image products feature a very high-resolution 4-metre pixel GSD. All DMC images are calibrated and processed to a variety of product levels according to customer requirements.
DMCii provides imagery from satellites it owns and operates, UK-DMC and UK-DMC2 (2008) and also coordinates the commercial activity of the DMC satellite constellation.
The DMC is independently owned and operated by a cooperating consortium of organisations representing member nations:
+ Centre National des Techniques Spatiales. Algeria
+ Beijing Landview Mapping Information Technology Ltd, China
+ National Space Research and Development Agency, Nigeria
+ T?BITAK BILTEN, Turkey
+ Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, UK
+ Deimos Space S.L., Spain
The DMC Consortium members work together through DMCii for commercial sales and for collaborative Earth Observation campaigns.
DMCii coordinates the DMC for humanitarian use in the event of major international disasters. Working in partnership with the UK British National Space Centre (BNSC) DMCii and the DMC Consortium members, DMCii provides services and imagery to the International Charter: “Space and Major Disasters”.
DMCii provides 24-hour emergency on call officer services and, in the event of a major disaster, tasks the global fleet of satellites made available by the world‘s space agencies. DMCii uses its expertise to select appropriate satellites for individual disaster circumstances.
DMC imagery is supplied to organisations such as the United Nations, and the US Geological Survey during disasters such as Tsunami, Forest Fires and Flooding.
DMCii was formed in October 2004 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the world leader in small satellite technology, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. SSTL designed and built the DMC with the support of the BNSC and in conjunction with the DMC member nations Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey and the UK.
(Source DMCii and Spacedaily)

Data quality is a problem we need to address if we in the geospatial industry expect to be a part of the enterprise IT picture. Our most pressing need is a simple, reliable way to answer: “Are these data fit for this purpose?” each time spatial data are merged or shared in an enterprise system.

Here‘s the problem. In the past, users captured individual spatial data sets for specific and often independent uses. Today, the spatial data used in enterprise systems flow in from many sources. Often the origins and capabilities of the data are unknown. Making the problem tougher, data have to be integrated and used quickly while they are still relevant.
The data quality problem is multi-faceted. To understand the issues, it helps to categorize the problem into general domains. Here‘s a rough cut at a few potentially useful categories.
* Geometric domain – topology, proximity, directionality, alignment, co-ordinates, including method of collection GPS or non-GPS. Incompatible topology models, for example, can induce significant errors as data are merged.
* Data domain – geocode/addressing, vector, raster, elevations. Each data type has its own unique characteristics and capabilities.
* Application domain – topography, cartography, transportation, utilities, localized eCommerce. Each application has a unique set of data quality requirements.
* Data management domain – database management; extract, transform, load; data merge, search and Web service. Data quality problems may be resolved or exacerbated within each data management function. Careful design of data management workflows can minimize problems.
* Temporal domain – The time element can make spatial data much more useful. With thoughtful design, spatial and temporal data together have a wide range of powerful capabilities. But, spatiotemporal data carries significant complexity making data management and access tricky.
* Political/cultural domain – Often political and cultural issues are the most difficult to resolve. If the people involved in a system are unwilling or incapable of sharing data, data quality suffers. Changing this kind of problem requires a deep understanding of organizational dynamics and information behaviors.
* Economic/financial domain – Capturing and managing spatial data are generally expensive and labor-intensive. There has to be some kind of economic system that allows the people doing the work to be compensated. However, current intellectual property (IP) models tend to create problems if data with different IP constraints are merged.
There are undoubtedly many other useful categorizations and examples. The point is that each domain has a set of data quality issues that need to be addressed. The logical place to address those issues is within standards bodies and industry groups. OGC is just starting to work on spatial data quality and will likely become a focal point. The Infrastructure for SPatial InfoRmation in Europe (INSPIRE) outlines specific requirements for data that are to be aggregated into central EU systems.
While the spatial data quality problem still needs a lot of work, we are seeing some progress in two areas: geocoding/addressing and vector data. The geocoding area is relatively mature because large enterprises have long needed to optimize mass marketing, billing and other mail-related functions. A number of established vendors address enterprise requirements for converting addresses to explicit locations. Examples: SAS Institute/Dataflux, Pitney Bowes/Group 1, Trillium Software, QAS, SRC and Cquay. These companies generally compete on the basis of their capabilities and processing throughput for address standardization and geocoding.
One new startup, Proxix, is addressing the need for high-precision geocoding by collecting and using parcel geometry and data for the US. Proxix also provides a capability for selecting the best data source for each geocode based on a user-defined set of rules. A long-established company, DMTI Spatial, now offers “Location Hub,” a product that broadly simplifies spatial data quality and management tasks.
Companies like Proxix and DMTI Spatial are addressing needs for high-precision location intelligence and spatial data quality. These new requirements will drive additional innovation from both established vendors and startups.
With a few notable exceptions, spatial data quality in the vector domain is less mature. The basic reason is that, historically, vector data were generally gathered for a specific purpose by a user. That user managed editing and error correction until the data were fit for their particular purpose. In spite of lengthy discussions and arguments about data sharing, users didn‘t have much real incentive to design or manage vector data for external uses.
Today, that is starting to change. Concepts like master spatial data management and location hubs are being implemented within enterprise systems. Spatial information infrastructures like Ordnance Survey‘s Master Map are well established. Whether you call it master data management, location hubs, or spatial information infrastructure, use of vector data across different applications is increasing.
One company, 1Spatial (formerly Laser Scan), has been automating vector data quality management for years. Its main product, Radius Studio, offers automated, rules-based data quality management tools for high-volume processes. Radius Studio also manages the integration of vector data from multiple sources. As enterprises increase their cross-process use of vector data, we will see companies like 1Spatial gain traction and spawn a new wave of innovation.
But our industry is a long way from simple, cheap, standard and versatile data quality solutions that address the many spatial data quality problem domains. Looking forward about 12 to 18 months, expect to see enterprise users focus on spatial data quality. Companies that can address these issues with innovative solutions (rather than cleverly re-packaging existing stuff) will do well. Also, expect to see users demand standardized interfaces and services. OGC and INSPIRE have important roles to play.
To summarize, enterprise users require effective, standard, predictable data quality. Those users increasingly want to use spatial data within their information systems. This situation creates a demand for broadly effective spatial data quality management – a demand that our industry has yet to address. But, there‘s a pony in there somewhere. We need to find it. Soon.
(Source DirectionsMag)

Germany‘s next-generation TerraSAR-X uses sophisticated ground infrastructure to deliver Earth observation data to scientists and commercial customers. Open-source software developed at ESA‘s Operations Centre is helping to make the mission a success

(March 2007) The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is on track to launch TerraSAR-X, an Earth observation mission using synthetic aperture radar in the next few weeks, and is now finalising a sophisticated ‘ground segment’ infrastructure that will support the satellite, or space segment, for mission control and data distribution.
A key part of the ground segment is the Mission Control System, and DLR has adopted SCOS-2000 (Spacecraft Operating System 2000) software, developed at the European Space Operations Centre (ESA/ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany. SCOS-2000 is available to European industrial and agency partners under an open-source licensing scheme and is helping foster profitable business opportunities.
SCOS-2000 was developed by ESA as “open source” software
So-called ‘open-source’ software is gaining wide popularity for Internet and enterprise applications, and requires that the source code be distributed freely so long as the licensee also agrees to make any modifications or improvements freely available to others.
This has the effect of making all subsequent improvements freely available to the entire community of users, who need pay only for support and maintenance provided by industrial contractors; the improved source code itself remains free.

TerraSAR-X radar will have highly accurate 1-metre resolution


High-resolution radar images of planet Earth
Circling the Earth in a polar orbit at an altitude of 514 km, TerraSAR-X will collect high-quality X-band radar data of the entire planet. The satellite will operate independent of weather conditions, cloud coverage and illumination, and will be capable of delivering data at a resolution of up to 1 metre.
Using SCOS-2000, TerraSAR-X will be controlled from the German Space Operations Centre, located at DLR‘s Oberpfaffenhofen facility near Munich.
Open-source model provides business opportunities
Under the open-source licensing scheme, ESA‘s SCOS-2000 software is available to European industry who can offer the product for free in combination with value-added installation, support and maintenance services.
“We hope that other SCOS-2000 users will have as much success as DLR. ESA‘s open-source licensing model provides strong business potential for European system integrators, which benefits everyone in the space community,” says Nestor Peccia, Head of ESOC‘s Data Systems Infrastructure Division.
DLR previously used ESA‘s SCOS software for the center‘s CHAMP (CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload) mission, launched in 2000, which is still in operation.
“We started work on TerraSAR-X with SCOS-2000 in 2003. In 2005, we upgraded to the latest version, which is the version still in use. We are now testing the final upgrades and corrections,” says Michael Schmidhuber, member of the DLR ground segment implementation team in Oberpfaffenhofen.
“A very positive aspect of SCOS-2000 is the possibility to provide feedback to the ESA development team. In this way, several improvements devised by DLR have found their way into the core product,” says Schmidhuber.
For TerraSAR-X, Siemens AG Austria is providing comprehensive support to DLR as the industrial partner for SCOS-2000 maintenance and ongoing support. Under the open-source software model, the industrial partner provides key support for improving and validating software.
“Surprisingly, we found many bugs in the SCOS-2000 software. These were fixed mainly by Siemens Austria. It seems not all features are used – or are used differently – by ESA missions and so many bugs remain undetected. Now, we have a stable version for our mission,” says Martin Wickler, the project implementation manager at DLR.
These improvements will be reflected in future releases of SCOS-2000, thus strengthening the overall product and proving the value of the open-source model.
“ESA‘s open-source licensing model provides strong business potential for European system integrators.”
ESA software supports unique public-private partnership
TerraSAR-X will be launched with joint funding from both the public and private sectors. As contractor, DLR is responsible for management of the entire project and, together with DLR research institutes, will pay 80 percent of the satellite‘s cost; EADS Space, a European private space enterprise, built the satellite and is financing the remaining 20 percent.
Use of the mission‘s data by the science community will be coordinated by DLR‘s German Remote Sensing Data Center, while Infoterra GmbH (Co. Ltd.), a subsidiary of EADS Space, will develop geoinformation products and will market the data commercially. In this way both commercial and scientific users will share access to the available observation time.
More information on SCOS-2000
N. Peccia,
Head of Data Systems Infrastructure Division
ESA/ESOC, Darmstadt
Tel: +49-6151-90-2431
nestor.peccia [@] esa.int
(Source ESA)

If you want to take a glimpse into the future market potential of geospatial technology growth, look toward Asia.

If you want to take a glimpse into the future market potential of geospatial technology growth, look toward Asia. In the 25 years since I was last in India – back when the Survey of India was still doing everything with paper maps and satellite image processing computers were locked behind government doors – the mindset of its leaders has changed. What I saw this time was a market of enormous potential for geospatial software, data and services, provided government policy continues to evolve.
Let‘s be clear. The changing fortunes of India revolve around money and economic development. India can‘t compete in a global economy without a much better developed infrastructure: better roads, better utilities and better schools. Geospatial technology can help the country get there and the top leaders in the Indian government have articulated a vision that supports the country‘s ambitious growth plans. If you listen to my interview with Sibal Kipal, the minister of Science and Technology and Earth Science, you‘ll hear this view first-hand.
InfoTech: The largest GIS services company in the world?

India, and specifically the cities of Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune, have a concentration of software and computer network support companies setting up campuses for their workers. While in Hyderabad, I toured the offices of InfoTech Enterprises Limited at the invitation of Mr. N.J. Joseph, vice president of Marketing. GITA Director Bob Samborski and I (at right) saw first-hand where hundreds of workers (below) were supporting projects including database updates for Tele Atlas and attribution of a digital network for KPN Telecom, a Dutch telecommunications company. InfoTech is ISO 9000 certified and operates two eight-hour shifts, six days a week. InfoTech currently employs 1,900 data management resources and 300 software resources (consulting, application development, implementation services) trained as civil or mechanical engineers, providing GIS support using systems such as Smallworld, Intergraph and MapInfo. And this was only one of InfoTech‘s buildings; the company is looking to expand its facilities soon, as it takes on more work from companies outside of India.
InfoTech is only one Indian company expanding its GIS services. InfoSys Technologies Limited, one of the largest IT outsourcing companies in the world, is also providing GIS services, as are many smaller companies with headquarters in India. Support for our publication, for example, is provided by GISbiz, a Tennessee-based company that maintains a staff of 25 people in Chennai, India.
In his address before the Map World Forum in Hyderabad, InfoTech Chairman B.V.R. Mohan Reddy said, ‘The whole of GIS now centers around an enterprise architecture. We also believe that the value is in data, data accuracy and data completeness as we move forward. Enterprises face a greater need to understand location. GIS is therefore no longer a complex technology of domain specialists. GIS is now demonstrating its value across the enterprise.’ Reddy went on to discuss how Indian telecommunication companies and utilities now use this technology across their enterprises. At New Delhi Power, GIS is a backbone for the ERP and billing systems. Reddy said that GIS is now the front end of the company‘s enterprise.
Indian Transformation
In the past ten years, Hyderabad has been transformed into a ‘high tech town’ which boasts the ‘Cybercity’ and ‘Hitex’ neighborhoods. As enclaves for technology workers spring up among shanty towns, the standard of living is raised among all citizens. Progress has been supported because the labor pool is large and expenses are low, in comparison to pay scales in more developed countries. A larger, better-educated workforce raises taxes for infrastructure projects and thus creates a need for GIS technology to manage the growth. It is a scenario being repeated all over India.
However, there is a problem. The demand for educated GIS professionals will far outstrip the supply. India is actually exporting its brainpower to countries like Malaysia, and the Indian government realizes it has a ‘capacity building’ problem. More training is needed in geospatial technology to support a growing number of projects inside the country. This was a recurring theme of the conference and it‘s a theme being reiterated at conferences I‘ve attended in the U.S., as well.
The enormous growth of GIS in India is the result of some relaxation of government control of its data. Geospatial data, though not necessarily widely available, are more accessible. Several private companies that provide aerial surveying have complained that they cannot obtain permission to fly. The government still controls the acquisition of imagery and other data. That mindset may soon be changing. I spoke with one person in the Indian government‘s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology who is responsible for posting election results on a map of India on a website. Though somewhat fearful that other officials might step in to shut down the site, the department pressed ahead; there were an enormous number of people hitting the site for information. Success stories like that illustrate a demand for more open and accessible digital geospatial data.
Dr. Krishnaswami Kasturirangan, a member of the upper house of the Indian parliament, called GIS a ‘public utility.’ In his address, he articulated a fundamental understanding of using GIS in helping to improve the economic development process in his country. It‘s clear that the vision is being developed from the top down in India. Some government departments are affecting the way in which infrastructure projects are planned and they are looking to democratize data as long as certain security constraints are in place. Though these decision makers are extremely tuned into the needs of the country, they are also keenly aware of the limitations of their capacity to affect change. Still, with such a large part of the country as yet underdeveloped, GIS will play a major roll for years to come in helping this and other countries build an economic foundation through more efficient use of technology.
The Genie is Out of the Bottle
It may be more correct to say that geospatial technology, not just geographic information system software, will capitalize on the need to support a demand for location-based information. We are in transition as a technology sector. We are growing rapidly from one which has been supported by professionals to a broader, more informed user community that will demand greater access to geospatial information through different types of software solutions, Web services and consumer products. And the growth potential for GIS in countries like China and Russia is impossible to measure, given their similar needs for infrastructure development. These countries have yet to fully open their markets and unleash control of geospatial data.
But the genie is already out of the bottle. Satellites orbit the earth collecting more data of higher spatial resolution. Who will use them? How will they be used? We just can‘t measure the potential right now. Even the Russians, through a government supported company like Sovzond, want to market satellite data. The result will be a borderless market for information to a global community. The world will benefit; GIS will benefit.
(Source DirectionsMag)

Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, is bidding as prime contractor and systems integrator for the ground segment of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – Series R (GOES-R) program.

The announcement was made during the 23rd National Space Symposium being held April 9-12 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
The ground segment of the GOES-R program includes receiving and processing satellite data, generation and distribution of products from satellite data, and command and control of orbiting satellites. The ground segment is slated to run through 2029, including development, operations and sustainment phases.
Scheduled for launch in 2014, GOES-R will feature highly advanced sensor technology, and will provide much higher resolution and data frequency than the current GOES spacecraft family. It is the primary tool used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to detect and track hurricanes and other severe weather in the continental United States and western hemisphere. The current GOES system provides imagery, atmospheric measurements, and space environmental monitoring over the western hemisphere every 30 minutes with visual and infrared imagery at 1 and 4 kilometre resolutions. GOES-R will improve the rate of imagery coverage to every 5 minutes.
“The GOES-R series of satellites represents the future of the GOES program and will provide significant advances over the current system,” said Jeremy Wensinger, group president of Integrated Systems and Services, Harris Government Communications Systems Division. “Harris is highly qualified to prime the ground segment based on our proven expertise in data processing and command and control, and we look forward to providing the best-value solution that will support the next generation of geostationary weather satellites for NOAA.”
Harris is a recognised leader in satellite ground data processing and mission command-and-control systems. The company‘s ground data processing systems consist of complex suites of hardware and software that receive sensor data from satellites and process it into useable environmental parameters under stringent timelines – turning the data into useable information. The company‘s command-and-control systems feature commercial-off-the-shelf design and high levels of flexibility. Designed for government and commercial applications, they support single-satellite missions as well as the largest and most complex satellite fleets deployed today.
“Harris is also a leading manufacturer of communications payloads for military, intelligence and commercial satellites,” added Mr. Wensinger. “In addition to competing as a prime contractor for the ground segment, we look forward to working with the space segment primes to propose innovative and cost-effective antenna and electronic solutions for GOES-R satellites.”
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has annual revenue of about US$ 4 billion and more than 14,000 employees – including more than 6,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications products, systems, and services for global markets, including government communications, RF communications, broadcast communications, and wireless transmission network solutions.
(Source: Harris Corporation)

The joint ESA/UNESCO Open Initiative to conserve hundreds of natural and cultural World Heritage sites using Earth observation satellites gets additional backing as the International Astronautical Federation joins the growing number of space entities to pledge support to the project.

The Open Initiative, agreed upon by ESA and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 2001, involves satellites monitoring UNESCO World Heritage sites as unique and varied as the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Wall of China in order to provide early warnings of conditions that could threaten them, such as natural catastrophes, atmospheric contamination and changes in land use.
The signing of the partnership between the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and UNESCO took place today at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. ESA’s Stephen Briggs, Head of Earth Observation Science and Applications Department, opened the ceremony with his thoughts on how Earth-observing satellites have benefited humanity.
Paying tribute to the first man in space in 1961, Briggs quoted Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s first words spoken there: “‘I see Earth. It’s so beautiful.’ Indeed, observing Earth from space has truly revolutionised the way we view our home planet. With their unique global perspective, satellite systems offer incomparable advantages to help us better understand, manage and protect the Earth’s precious environment.”
“The extraordinary cultural and natural diversity of the world is an important source of life and inspiration for humanity. Its preservation should be a responsibility shared by the whole international community,”
he added.
The name Open Initiative was chosen by ESA and UNESCO because they intended to have other space agencies join the partnership, and in 2003, when the initiative was formally launched, they called on others to participate.
To date, several space agencies have progressively established similar arrangements for providing satellite data to protect these sites, including Argentina, Brasil, Canada, India, the Iraq Space Department, Jordan, Morocco, Poland, Turkey and the United States (NASA).
The World Heritage list includes sites, monuments or landscapes that have been deemed of ‘exceptional universal value’ in either cultural or natural terms. There are currently 830 different sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Of these, 644 of them are listed as cultural, 162 as natural and 24 as both. UNESCO considers 31 of them currently listed to be ‘in danger’. The initiative is especially aimed at helping developing nations monitor World Heritage sites on their territories more effectively.
ESA and UNESCO highlighted the potential of the initiative through a two-year pilot project called BEGo (Build Environment for Gorilla) in which satellite imagery and products were provided to conservation groups and authorities monitoring and protecting the habitats of endangered mountain gorillas in national parks located in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These parks are either considered World Heritage sites or candidate sites, and make up the last refuge of the less than 700 mountain gorillas still alive.
Because these habitats totalled more than eight hundred thousand hectares, with long boundaries across extremely inaccessible and seldom-mapped terrain, ground-based observations, if possible, were extremely difficult. Data from ESA satellites helped produce maps, detect changes over time in how the land was used and create three-dimensional digital elevation models of the terrain.
According to Eulalie Bashige, Director General of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the maps were considered helpful in making anti-poaching efforts more effective and planning out gorilla eco-tourism. ESA is determined to continue helping UNESCO and our other partners to promote the use of space technologies for the benefit of our heritage and to support initiatives that serve better the cause of equality around the globe,” Briggs said.
(Source ESA)

New partners support the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”

DigitalGlobe and GeoEye have joined forces with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in support of the global team of space and satellite agencies that constitute the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”. The International Charter works to provide emergency response satellite data free of charge to those affected by disasters anywhere in the world. It currently includes as its members the British National Space Center/Disaster Monitoring Constellation, the French Space Agency Centre National d‘Etudes Spatiales, the Argentine Space Agency Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Indian Space Research Organization, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the USGS.
Each member agency has committed resources to support the provisions of the Charter and, in so doing, is helping to mitigate the effects of disasters worldwide. These resources include imagery collected by a variety of civilian and commercial satellites. Many of these satellites capture images at relatively low resolutions. With the new partnership, Earth-imaging satellites that acquire very high-resolution images will be available for precise analysis of a disaster‘s impact, such as assessing damage to buildings and infrastructure following an earthquake.
For more information: Terradaily
(Source GMES Info)

China will launch another 22 meteorological satellites by 2020 after successfully putting Fengyun-2D (FY-2D), its second geostationary orbit meteorological satellite, into orbit.

The 22 satellites include four more from the Fengyun-2 series, 12 from the Fengyun-3 series and six Fengyun-4 series, according to sources with the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).
Fengyun-2E, Fengyun-2F, Fengyun-2G and Fengyun-2H are scheduled to be launched in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 respectively, said a CMA official.
The first two experimental models in the Fengyun-3 series, a new generation of polar-orbiting satellites, will be launched in 2007 and 2009. The other 10 will go into orbit from 2011 to 2018, the official said.
China will launch two experimental geostationary orbit Fengyun-4 models followed by four Fengyun-4 satellites from 2012 to 2019, he said.
The FY-2D is expected to provide accurate and timely information about weather changes for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, especially the opening and closing ceremony and important contests.
The FY-2D, developed and manufactured by the Shanghai Academy of Space flight Technology affiliated to China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp., is capable of carrying out infrared nephanalysis of the form and structure of clouds and can also an alyse data about visible daytime light.
It will form a twin-star observation system with Fengyun-2C, China‘s first professional geostationary orbit weather satellite which went into orbit on Oct. 19, 2004, according to CMA.
The two satellites have their own observation tasks, but can also replace each other if one of them malfunctions, the CMA said.
Related report
Backgrounder: the history of China‘s Fengyun weather sat
Beijing (XNA) Dec 11, 2006 – China on Friday successfully launched its second professional geostationary orbit meteorological satellite, Fengyun-2D (FY-2D), to provide better weather forecast services for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Fengyun-2D is the eighth meteorological satellite launched in China. The first seven include four Fengyun-1 polar orbit meteorological satellites and three Fengyun-2 series geostationary orbit meteorological satellites.
The launch dates and sites are as follows:
— Fengyun-1A, launched 7 September 1988, in Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, north China‘s Shanxi Province.
— Fengyun-1B, launched 3 September 1990, in Taiyuan.
— Fengyun-2A, launched 10 June 1997, in Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China‘s Sichuan Province.
— Fengyun-1C, launched 10 May 1999, in Taiyuan.
— Fengyun-2B, launched 25 June 2000, in Xichang.
— Fengyun-1D, launched 15 May 2002, in Taiyuan.
— Fengyun-2C, launched 19 October 2004, in Xichang.
Fengyun-2D is a backup satellite for Fengyun-2C, the first professional geostationary orbit weather satellite in China. They can operate together on an enlarged monitoring areas in order to minimize potential losses from very severe weather.
(Source: Spacemart and Xinhua News Agency)

Longmont CO (SPX) Jan 04, 2007
DigitalGlobe has announced that Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation is building WorldView 2. WorldView 2, the third satellite in DigitalGlobe‘s constellation of spacecraft, offers the highest collection capacity of Earth imagery, and is the only next generation system to be built independent of U.S. Government financing.

The WorldView 2 satellite is scheduled to launch in late 2008; work on the satellite sensor is nearing completion at ITT and work on long lead items on the satellite bus has been underway since early 2006. WorldView 2 is the third remote-sensing satellite built by Ball Aerospace for DigitalGlobe, and will contribute to the company‘s already successful high resolution imaging capabilities.
“We have seen significant growth in demand for the use of content-rich geographic applications on the Internet and within the enterprise applications that have ignited the demand for digital satellite imagery in the commercial and government markets. WorldView 2 will enable DigitalGlobe to collect almost five times the imagery of any current commercial system, and is a significant step in our strategic plan to meet increased market demand for geospatial data,” said Jill Smith, DigitalGlobe president and CEO.
“The addition of WorldView 2 will provide DigitalGlobe, with higher collection capabilities, more frequent revisit and refresh, more spectral information and greater imaging flexibility.”
Ball Aerospace previously partnered with DigitalGlobe to build its existing QuickBird satellite and is currently completing the construction of WorldView 1, scheduled to be on-orbit in mid-2007. WorldView 2 will operate at an altitude in excess of 800 kilometers and offer target selection flexibility and increased spectral capabilities.
Its agility, larger on-board storage and greater communication downlink capabilities will provide DigitalGlobe with significantly more imaging capacity, enabling it to collect up to 950,000 square kilometers of world class half-meter imagery daily, and allow direct tasking and downlinking of imagery to customer locations. Additionally WorldView 2 provides eight bands of multi-spectral for life-like true color imagery and greater spectral applications in the mapping and monitoring markets.
“We have been working with DigitalGlobe on two of its current satellites and are happy our technology is contributing to such a successful application of satellite imagery,” said Ball Aerospace President and CEO, David L. Taylor. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with DigitalGlobe in the construction and launch of WorldView 2, providing its wide range of customers with the most comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date imagery available.”
(Source Spacemart)

GEONETCast is a near real time, global network of satellite-based data dissemination systems designed to distribute space-based, air-borne and in situ data, metadata about disease, agriculture, biodiversity, natural disasters, air and water quality, ocean conditions, and ecosystems to decision-makers around the globe.

Introduced during the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Conference in Bonn, Germany, GEONETcast is the outcome of a cooperative effort being organised by EUMETSAT (the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites), the United States, China and the World Meteorological Organisation.
GEONETcast, in which GMES will contribute through the space priority contained in the Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7), will be one of the key data dissemination systems within GEOSS (the Global Earth Observation System of Systems) aimed at developing a global monitoring network.
More information at:
(Source GMES)