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DLR makes progress with a new radar mission at the World Radiocommunication Conference

Mobile telephones, high-speed Internet, up-to-date meteorological data and navigation programs available anytime, anywhere – all thanks to satellites. Bandwidth and frequencies that are revised every three to four years at the World Radiocommunication Conference play an important role in this. This year’s conference – attended by 3800 delegates from 193 countries – is being held in Geneva and is the largest World Radiocommunication Conference thus far. Ralf Ewald, from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Space Administration, is the Frequency Coordinator and, until 27 November 2015, together with German delegates, will revise the bandwidth and frequency allocations that will be available to, among other things, future satellite missions. Now, an agreement has been reached for a new X-band German radar satellite mission.

Interview by Martin Fleischmann

What is being negotiated at the World Radiocommunication Conference?

Ewald: Here in Geneva, we are negotiating international law. Although use of the radiofrequency spectrum in Germany is subject to national law and is regulated by the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur; BNetzA), radio signals and the use of frequencies are not subject to national borders. We speak of cross-border frequency use as soon as somebody operates a mobile telephone to place a call while abroad. Naturally, this also applies to satellites that constantly pass over other countries. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is responsible when radio signals cross national borders. It deals with all ‘transnational’ issues. These regulations are defined in an international treaty, and then in most cases implemented into national law. The World Radiocommunication Conference is usually held every three to four years to revise this international contract whenever it becomes necessary. Each country sends a delegation to this conference to represent their various national interests. This time there are 70 German delegates in Geneva – the largest group from Germany ever to attend.

That shows the significance of this radio communication summit. Why are these negotiations so important?

Ewald: We have a problem; ongoing technical developments mean that every service – whether it is mobile telephony, science or satellite communications – needs more bandwidth. That is a fact of life. Unfortunately, the frequency spectrum that can be used in this way is limited. This is why our delegation, led by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur; BMVI), and supported by the Bundesnetzagentur, representatives of the industrial sector – for instance, mobile communications providers – and DLR, are negotiating to obtain more bandwidth and ensure its meaningful use. DLR is representing the interests of the German government with regard to satellite radio services used for scientific purposes. My task is to carry forward these issues from a German perspective, to ensure that the contractual text ultimately reflects our interests.

There is also an extremely important topic under negotiation for DLR…

Ewald: Yes, precisely. Politically speaking, item 1.12 on the agenda could have given rise to conflict. Put in simple terms, it is a question of more bandwidth. DLR and Airbus Defence and Space are preparing the next generation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites to conduct Earth observation in X-band – the spectrum in which the twin radar satellites TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X operate. We want to produce images that, in terms of resolution, are comparable with optical images – so essentially, with a resolution better than 25 centimetres per pixel. The highest resolution that TerraSAR-X can offer is approximately one metre. Given that resolution is synonymous with bandwidth, we need a larger frequency allocation to achieve this improvement. So, we have to receive more bandwidth to acquire the resolution we are targeting. Until now, we had agreed on 600 megahertz, which is only approximately half of the necessary bandwidth. Now we have been granted 1.2 gigahertz, twice this amount.

Why was it so difficult to find a solution?

Ewald: We applied for an additional 600 megahertz, so many of the applications currently in use would come under pressure if our attempt to receive a total frequency allocation of 1.2 gigahertz were to be approved. Initially, this prompted several countries to reject our proposal. We wanted to know exactly how big the problem was and whether their concerns were justified. To analyse the issue, we have been conducting studies for the last three years. Now we have attempted to reach a common standpoint. Other countries attempting to secure more bandwidth in this frequency band – and who share our strong interest in radar-supported Earth observation – have helped us. These countries – for instance the oceanic nations – need better Earth observation technology to provide their emergency services with more up-to-date and high-resolution map data when faced with catastrophic flooding. We spent days in innumerable multilateral and bilateral meetings to arrive at a solution. Now we have found a good compromise, which all 193 member states – all resolutions at the World Radiocommunication Conference have to be passed unanimously – have agreed to. The outcome is an additional 600 megahertz of bandwidth and the option for an X-band Earth observation mission in hitherto unseen, almost optical resolution.

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Since late 2008, when Landsat Earth observation images were made available to all users free of charge, nearly 30 million Landsat scenes have been downloaded through the U.S. Geological Survey portal – and the rate of downloads is still increasing.

That’s a lot of free data about the state of the planet. But what is it worth? How valuable can something free possibly be?

The worth of many things is related to scarcity. If there are too many houses or diamonds, bushels of corn or barrels of oil for sale, the price for these items falls. A free market determines the market value of what we might hope is a $500,000 house or a $5,000 diamond.

The concept of market value breaks down for goods and services that society has determined should be freely available to everyone. Free data for Earth observation fits into this category. It is a public good ­- along with public education, public roads, and public parks. While these services are not actually free (they are, of course, funded with public money), we know that the broad use of such services benefits all of society so the cost to each individual user is largely borne by all.

The United States Department of the Interior’s policy of releasing the full Landsat archive at no cost allows researchers around the world in government, in the private sector, and at universities and institutions to generate even more data applications that are good for society. These purpose-driven data applications – known on mobile devices as “data apps” – can serve commercial endeavours in agriculture and forestry; they can enable land managers in and out of government to work more efficiently; they can help us define and address critical climate and environmental issues.

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Source: United States Geological Survey

(by Peter B. de Selding — December 8, 2015)

LE BOURGET, France — The French and German space ministers on Dec. 8 reaffirmed their commitment to launch a methane-measuring satellite to debut what they said should be a globally recognized system to verify government commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Appearing at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21, here, Germany’s federal coordinator for German aerospace policy, Brigitte Zypries, and French Research Minister Thierry Mandon put their governments solidly behind a project that is six years behind schedule.

The Merlin satellite originally was the beneficiary of a rare endorsement by the German and French heads of state in 2010. Despite the high-level backing, the project was submerged by financial issues in both nations and the technology challenge of building the principal lidar instrument.

Lidars have been a headache at the European Space Agency as well, leading to a Future Laser Technology, or Fulas, research project at the 22-nation agency to clear hurdles in its own satellite missions.

But with the funding now cleared in Paris and Berlin, and the lidar technology seen as feasible if still challenging, Merlin earlier this year was given a fresh go-ahead.

The mission is now expected to cost some 250 million euros ($266 million), including the construction and launch of the satellite, three years of operations in low Earth orbit and the associated ground infrastructure.

A 2020 launch on a Europeanized Russian Soyuz rocket or Europe’s Vega small-satellite launcher is scheduled, with the final launcher choice to be made based on what co-passengers can be found to share the costs. Merlin managers have already secured a firm, fixed-price option with launch service provider Arianespace of Evry, France, that will not change whichever of the two vehicles is selected.

Merlin program officials said they had been approached by Spaceflight Industries of Tukwila, Washington, with a proposal to launch Merlin as part of a mission carrying multiple satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

While conceding their interest in the Spaceflight offer, these officials said Merlin, as a European government mission, should launch on a European rocket unless one is not available. To that end, they are making Merlin compatible with India’s PSLV rocket in case there is a problem with Soyuz or Vega.

France will be contributing 100 million euros to the Merlin program, including a new-generation Myriade satellite platform and much of the ground segment. Germany’s 150 million euros in Merlin investment is directed mainly at the lidar instrument, to be built at Airbus Defence and Space’s Ottobrunn, Germany, facility.

Gerd Gruppe, a member of the executive board of the German Aerospace Center, DLR, and the head of DLR’s Space Administration, said DLR would send out a formal request for bids to Airbus before the end of December.

Gruppe said DLR would set a deadline for proposals of late March, with a formal contract for the construction of the Merlin lidar to be signed by July.

Matthias Alpers, Merlin project manager at DLR, said a critical design review of the lidar instrument should be completed in the summer of 2017, with the instrument’s delivery to France for integration into the satellite platform in 2019.

Alpers said elements of the lidar technology have been tested aboard Germany’s Halo — high-altitude, long-range — research aircraft in a series of flights earlier this year.

But he conceded that despite the testing, much of what the Merlin lidar will do to measure methane emissions is new technology and that a three-year construction schedule “is very challenging. Development of the lidar has certainly been more difficult than we had foreseen” when the project was first approved, he said.

Bruno Millet, Merlin project manager at the French space agency, CNES, said the Myriade satellite platform selected for the mission, and the choice of the Soyuz or Vega rockets, imposes constraints on the size of the satellite payload. At launch, Merlin is expected to weigh 400 kilograms.

To further demonstrate its bona fides at the COP21 conference, the French government announced Dec. 8 that it was putting 25 million euros of seed financing into a carbon dioxide measuring satellite called MicroCarb.

If other nations join France, MicroCarb could be launched in 2020 using a similar Myriade platform, which CNES developed. MicroCarb would follow Japan’s Gosat satellite launched in 2009 and NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, OCO-2, launched in 2014.

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Dr. Mohamed Nasser Al Ahbabi, director general of the UAE Space Agency, underlined the importance of satellite data analysis services related to earth observation, and the need to provide a uniform and systematic approach on efforts made by world countries to monitor the land, sea, and air..

This came in a speech delivered by Al Ahbabi at the 5th International Conference on Earth Observation for Global Changes and the 7th International Conference on Geo-information Technologies for Natural Disaster Management organised by United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) in Al Ain, in collaboration with Waterloo Institute for Disaster Management held between December 8-10.

Al Ahbabi said: “Many government and commercial institutions and entities in the state have expressed the need for such services, particularly since they have become a key and indispensable element in geographic information management systems. Space observation data derived from satellite systems are now used routinely, and their use is associated with other sources of data, including aerial photography, laser mapping systems for urban areas, monitoring weather on planet Earth for the production and construction of special and integrated temporal databases, as well as the provision of services that rely on a holistic analysis of these data. “

He added: “These services include risk, vulnerability, and climate change mapping, including the modeling and analysis of the effects of sea level rise as a result of global warming, and predicted poor visibility due to sand storms, cloudy weather, and heavy rains, in order to assess their impact on human life.”

Al Ahbabi said that due to the importance of the geographic information system (GSI) that relies on satellites in disaster management, a number of international initiatives have been launched to assist in the exchange of such data on a global level. He noted that with the establishment of the UAE Space Agency, the United Arab Emirates is now mobilizing efforts and building on participations in various international cooperative activities related to geographic information systems. The Agency as the authority to continue to show the capabilities and obligations of the State, so it would be an active member and contributor to various global activities, such as the “Spider” initiative sponsored by the United Nations, and any other initiatives that are launched to benefit and serve humanity.

The Agency will make use of the successful group of satellites operated by the UAE, including DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2, which will be backed by a third highly advanced satellite, Khalifa Sat. These will provide services based on the systems and applications that contribute to urban planning; monitoring various environmental changes; assessing natural climatic factors, such as sand storms and fog; determining water quality in the region and monitoring the red tide; in addition to supporting aid missions and disaster relief. This will contribute to strengthening the global role and position of the State in this area because of the services that benefit society, the state, and humans.

Al Ahbabi said that it may be an appropriate time to assess the feasibility and benefits of establishing a joint and central database in the UAE to monitor the earth, which can be built based on satellites owned by the state and other commercially available data, thanks to existing space assets and other sources. Thus, this data can be made available to all government agencies in the state, which can enter data and access different layers of this information through a secure data portal.

He added that such a strategy has proven to be effective when it was approved by the government of Abu Dhabi through the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre (ADSIC) in the year 2009 to enable the provision of central services for the geographic information system, especially since such a move is in line with the e-government vision and its aim to make electronic services available for everyone in the public and private sectors.

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(9 December, 2015 © by Massimo Zotti) Open data usually refers to information the public sector makes (or should make) available to ensure transparency and create business opportunities. A long-standing problem for users is the lack of harmonisation and integration of databases. This is an issue with geographical data too; an obstacle that the standardisation process of INSPIRE is slowly trying to solve.

Non-commercial satellite images are the exception. Freely accessible and reusable, they have the characteristics that any data analyst dreams of! Earth observation data is usually available in standard formats, no matter the area covered. It is frequently updated, of great quality and a reliable source of information: the best conditions to build a sustainable business.

Just as the EC was discussing licencing conditions for Copernicus, a 2012 ESA study showed that an open access government policy for satellite data is beneficial in the medium to long term. We are talking about environmental benefits, but also economic, i.e. an estimated €30 billion market and tens of thousands of new jobs by 2030.

The Americans did it first, it must be said. The breakthrough arrived in 2008, when the US Geological Survey (USGS) decided to open its archive of Landsat satellite images collected over forty years.

Today Landsat 8 consistently acquires high quality pictures over the entire globe. The free and open data policy is confirmed for Landsat 9, to be launched in 8 years.

Copernicus, the European EO programme, is much more ambitious than the Landsat programme. Rather than a single satellite, Copernicus comes with several, to be launched over many years. In addition to data from the Sentinels, the programme delivers the so-called Core Services, that is, value-added geo-information products, or thematic maps on soils, seas, atmosphere, climate change, emergency management and security. The European Environment Agency, for instance, manages such a service: land.copernicus.eu. The output of the Core Services is generally available as open data too.

Open data policies when it comes to satellite data have come to be expected and welcome when it comes to public entities. However, a private satellite data provider adopting the same policy will make some noise and raise some eyebrows. Surely the very point of such companies is to make money from selling such data, not giving them away for free. And yet…I jumped from my seat on learning that Will Marshall, CEO of Planet Labs, announced, end September, that the company would open the access to some high resolution satellite data acquired by its constellation of microsatellites.

Marshall made the announcement at the UN Assembly, talking about how the data would contribute to the UN objectives for sustainable development. I naturally thought that the data licenced out by Planet Labs for free would concern poor regions in Africa or India; it would have been pretty generous already. But the cheeky imps took it yet a step further, opening access, on a beta platform, to satellite images of California! With a CC BY SA 4.0 open licence. In other words, Marshall says: you can use my data for free, but whatever you do, you must make it open in the same way. This applies to value-added products as well.

I don’t know for how long the data on California will be available in open access. But it’s certainly an excellent way of promoting the capacities and data characteristics of very high resolution images of Planet Labs.

This is both a major opportunity and the challenge of Copernicus: to generate enough interest in the development of useful, affordable downstream services beyond current capacities, services geared to meet demand.

With the caveat that such services should exploit not only satellite data, but also information and other data available, such as all the data published by governments, local authorities, private companies and even by individuals – just think of OpenStreetMap, the free and openly licensed map of the world created entirely by volunteers.

Twitter by Massimo Zotti

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Aurora CO (SPX) Dec 14, 2015 – Raytheon has been selected by the high-resolution Earth imagery company, DigitalGlobe, Inc., to develop the capability to support a September 2016 launch and mission planning of DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 satellite.

Raytheon’s Constellation Scheduling System (CSS) is the commercial geospatial mission planning system for companies who want cost and resource efficiencies through automation while increasing satellite utilization and imagery yield.

“Raytheon’s CSS has a proven record of maximizing the capture of usable imagery,” said Jane Chappell, vice president of Raytheon’s Global Intelligence Solutions.

“DigitalGlobe’s trust in Raytheon to expand their commercial constellation is confirmation of our reliable ground station automation services valued by satellite operators and commercial data providers.”

DigitalGlobe owns and operates the world’s most agile and sophisticated constellation of commercial Earth imaging satellites.

WorldView-4 – a commercial satellite featuring industry-leading 30 cm resolution imagery – will be the fifth DigitalGlobe satellite to have planning and scheduling support provided by Raytheon’s CSS.

The system runs routine planning and scheduling automatically, yielding more efficient schedules, and allowing DigitalGlobe to focus on fulfilling customer orders for specific imagery.

The new competitively-awarded contract to prepare the ground station for WorldView-4 is part of the first phase in the development of DigitalGlobe’s next generation ground system, Platform 20/20.

The September 2016 launch of WorldView-4, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, will be supported by Raytheon space launch range services.

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CartoConsult has signed a joint venture agreement with Proteus to develop and promote the use of the latest laser scanning technology.

As new systems are launched to market, such as handheld mobile mappers, UAV mounted sensors and even vehicle guidance systems, the partnership will assess their application for real world projects in a diverse range of industry sectors, completing field tests and developing best practice references.

The joint venture between CartoConsult and Proteus will provide a complete solution for clients, initially within the architectural, engineering and property development sectors using a handheld mobile mapping system. By working together, the partnership can offer trained and experienced survey personnel to complete onsite data capture, cloud based data processing of the millions of individual measurements captured and the creation of highly accurate 3D models and visualisations.

“Working with Proteus to explore the power of new laser scanning systems as they come to market, we can undertake projects in complex and challenging environments where more traditional systems may not be suitable, may not even work or may be considered too expensive or resource hungry,” commented Tim Hughes, CEO and founder of CartoConsult.

“Laser scanning has, for some time, been considered a ‘game changer’ for building surveys and other projects, with real world case studies reporting significant reductions in onsite survey times,” commented David Critchley, Proteus CEO. “By working with CartoConsult to deliver an end to end solution utilising the latest technology, we can offer our clients a fast, efficient yet accurate way of recording and modelling complex environments. These onsite benefits, coupled with highly efficient and cost effective cloud based data processing, will revolutionise the service we provide.”

A provider of mapping and geospatial service, Proteus recently announced an exclusive partnership with GeoSLAM, the company behind the handheld mobile mapping system ZEB1, to distribute the laser scanner in the Middle East region and provide laser scanning services globally. An example of the new laser scanning technology being explored by the CartoConsult Proteus partnership, ZEB1 uses robotic technology called Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM). With a range of 30 metres and its ability to self-localise, ZEB1 is ideally suited for use indoors, underground and in other covered environments, where traditional solutions that utilise GPS don’t function.

CartoConsult Limited provides integrated 2D/3D geospatial solutions for the Architectural, Engineering and Construction sectors. Using the world’s most advanced progressive and immersive 3D technology together with a network of approved business partners, CartoConsult offers scalable solutions presenting a cost effective alternative to recruiting additional resources.

Proteus is leading the way in harnessing the step change in availability, accuracy and resolution of satellite derived imagery, coupled with advances in processing technologies to deliver full turnkey mapping solutions at a fraction of the traditional time and cost.

Based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Bristol, UK, Proteus offers full turnkey global mapping solutions produced from very high resolution satellite imagery, providing customers with cutting edge products for environment, agriculture, forestry and marine use.

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A Ministerial Declaration, issued at the Ministerial Summit and twelfth plenary of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in November, made commitments to harness and share critical environmental observations to enable leaders to make better-informed decisions for the benefit of humanity at a time of rapid global change.


“As we near the historic Paris climate talks, it is clear open data and international collaboration are key to countries moving the needle on climate change,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. “We can and should share Earth observation data to help address climate challenges because science and open data are critical to understanding land, water, wildlife and climate change. They must be at the heart of every policy decision – no country can solve it alone.”

The GEO ten-year Strategic Plan (2016–2025) was adopted to build the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). “We have reached a tipping-point where GEO has to move its focus towards successful societal delivery. We should not underestimate this formidable challenge,” said European Commissioner Carlos Moedas. South African Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor reminded delegates of their “responsibility to ensure the targets of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development are met by providing adequate funding for scientific research and global collaboration.”

The GEO launched several initiatives at the plenary, including:
• An initiative to integrate Earth observations into national plans to attain the Global Goals for Sustainable Development;
• A global Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, including an Arctic to Antarctic network linking coastal observing centres in the Americas to measure species distribution and habitat;
• AmeriGEOSS, a regional programme to share Earth observation data for agriculture, disaster risk reduction, water and biodiversity, and ecosystem monitoring; and
• Renewal of GEONETCast, an initiative of China, Europe and the USA to provide critical Earth observation data to developing countries.

The GEO plenary and Ministerial Summit took place in Mexico City from 10 to 13 November. The thirteenth GEO plenary will be held in St Petersburg in November 2016.

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New standards of Earth Observation data paving the way for frequent, very high resolution commercial imaging opportunities

Earth-i (www.earthi.space), the innovative distributor of imaging and data services from the DMC3 / TripleSat constellation, has new detailed sample imagery available for assessment by customers who wish to take advantage of the constellation’s unique combination of optical and temporal resolution. The company is already supplying data to early adopter customers and anticipates a significant ramp up of commercial delivery early in 2016.

Commenting on the rapid and successful commissioning process of the recently launched constellation of three satellites Owen Hawkins, Operations Director at Earth-i, said: “We are delighted with the speed and success of the satellite commissioning carried out by our associates SSTL and 21AT.  The definition, quality and integrity of the data has exceeded our expectations.” He continued: “Even before this wider release of sample data, users on our beta-testing programme have been impressed by the flexibility and quality of the system, wishing to make use of the unique capabilities delivered by the constellation.”

The DMC3 / TripleSat constellation sets new levels of performance in terms of frequency of imaging opportunities and delivers a unique combination of very high spatial and temporal resolution with imaging opportunities even at any point of the equator every day.

Hawkins is part of the highly experienced and expert team that has been assembled at Earth-i, ensuring the successful initiation of imaging services from the constellation and bringing its unique benefits to the earth imaging market. Owen has spent most of his professional career in the space industry, with globally respected satellite manufacturing and imaging companies including Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) and DMC International Imaging. His current responsibilities include the technical development and delivery of Earth-i’s image and data services. Whilst at SSTL, Owen was instrumental in helping to deliver services to customers throughout Africa, South East Asia and to the UK security and defence sectors.

Dr. Steve Mackin, Remote Sensing Specialist and a well-known and highly respected figure in the Earth Observation sector, also commented on Earth-i’s newly released sample data saying: “To ensure quality imagery a rigorous commissioning process must followed.  This is clearly evident in the high standard of the imagery.”

To request a sample data set of DMC3 / TripleSat data visit

About Earth-i Ltd:
Earth-i is a British company dedicated to facilitating the distribution of data from the DMC3 / TripleSat Constellation. As the master distributor appointed by 21AT, Earth-i provides a portal for data users wishing to take advantage of the advanced data and services made possible by this uniquely capable Earth Observation satellite constellation.

Earth-i is co-located on the Surrey Research Park in the UK with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, the manufacturer of the DMC3 / Triplesat constellation. www.earthi.space.

For further information, please contact:
Richard Blain
Chief Executive, Earth-i Ltd
Phone (24hrs): +44 (0)333 433 0015
7 Huxley Road,
Surrey Research Park
Guildford, GU2 7RE
United Kingdom
E-mail: richard.blain@earthi.co.uk

© earth-i
Ref: EAH012/A

Esri and NASA are collaborating to improve access to imagery and raster data stored in the cloud using a combination of two technologies, Meta Raster Format (MRF) and Limited Error Raster Compression (LERC).

MRF is an Open raster format originally designed at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) to optimize web access to rasters. LERC is a highly efficient algorithm that provides fast lossless and controlled lossy compression of image and raster data. LERC is especially suitable for geospatial applications. Esri was recently awarded a US Patent for LERC, and is making the patented LERC technology freely available to the geospatial and earth sciences community.

By sharing MRF and LERC with the community, NASA and Esri will enable organizations to lower storage costs and gain fast access to imagery and data as web services. Speedy and accurate web access to imagery will help improve the way people understand and analyze changes in the Earth.

“We have been working with NASA to improve the MRF format, but want to take this a step further and release our patent on LERC,” said Esri president Jack Dangermond. “By contributing the LERC algorithm to the geospatial community, we hope to inspire innovation and encourage problem solving.”

NASA has had notable success using MRF as an image raster format and is collaborating with Esri on improvements to the format. In addition, Esri has contributed code improvements to the Open Source geospatial data abstraction library (GDAL) implementation of MRF. This work is focused on access to rasters stored in the cloud on object stores.

“We’ve been using MRF to create and distribute imagery for a number of years, but we are only now starting to explore browser access to these datasets,” said NASA Earth Science Data Systems program executive Kevin Murphy. “Our collaboration with Esri and the release of Esri’s patent on LERC ensures that more people can enjoy efficient, accurate transmission of imagery and data over the web.”

LERC is being released as Open Source under an Apache2 License and will also be included in the NASA MRF Open Source project.

Attendees of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in San Francisco, on December 17, can hear more about this as Lucian Plesea, Esri Web GIS developer, presents a talk from 11:20 AM–11:35 AM in Moscone West #2020, titled: Formats and Network Protocols for Browser Access to 2D Raster Data.

For more information on MRF and LERC, please visit the Esri ArcGIS blog at blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis.

About Esri

Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS technology, Esri software is used in more than 350,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world’s mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms.

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