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[SatNews] ImageSat International N.V. , the owner and operator of the EROS A and EROS B very high resolution imaging satellites, will reveal the 70 cm resolution EROS B satellite portable end-to-end ground Mini-Terminal (MiniTer) for real time ultra-fast downloading of data from Earth observation satellites at LAAD 2015.

The EROS B MiniTer solution allows direct downloads from the satellite to any location and combines a 1.5m or 2.4m X-band antenna system designed by ORBIT Communication Systems, with a processing unit developed by ImageSat. Specially designed to meet the needs of EROS B customers, this compact, rugged, portable solution can be installed in any environment or weather condition, enabling rapid deployment for any earth observation application.

The lightweight MiniTer receives X-band signals when the EROS-B satellite passes within a 2000-km radius footprint of the MiniTer’s location. Features include X-band signal demodulation, image reconstruction, image display during signal reception (quick look) and image archiving.

According to Mr. Rani Hellerman, Vice President for Business Development, “We will debut our portable ground system at LAAD 2015—the first of its kind in the world—allowing deployment in one hour. The system enables our customers to receive accurate, high quality data in real time – delivering images of large areas in the shortest possible time, from the battlefield or the location of an event. Currently beginning the marketing of the system, we are very happy with the feedback we have received from potential customers, and expect the first orders to be placed in the near future.”

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Filipinos may heave a sigh of relief over news that one of two microsatellites slated for launch into space in 2016 may play a crucial role in improving weather forecasting, managing disasters, and protecting forests, among other benefits. It will also be a boon in terms of the preservation of natural and cultural heritage sites.

It’s a known fact that the Philippines has had its share of super typhoons, landslides, and flash floods attributed to denuded forests. It is geographically situated at the frontline of typhoons coming from the Pacific Ocean. With better scientific devices and updated facilities, the country can alleviate suffering and poverty created by destruction of crops and other natural resources due to natural disasters. It’s a big step forward, then, for the Philippines and neighboring countries.

The Philippines’ first satellite, named Diwata (which means fairy), will showcase the ingenuity of Filipino students taking up masteral studies in Japan. It is an amazing feat not just for the Filipino scientists involved, but for the entire Philippine scientific community. The students who will build the first Philippine satellite have obtained a government scholarship and have been in Japan since the last quarter of 2014. The important project spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research will have state-of-the-art components. There will be a telescope that can assess damage extent from natural disasters. Reports say that once the first Pinoy-made satellite is launched into space, it will hover for about six minutes every time it passes (possibly four times) over the Philippines. The estimated number of images that the satellite can capture each day 3,600. The images will be conveyed to the ground receiving station in Subic.

The University of the Philippines in Diliman, which is where a research laboratory will be set up, has been delegated the responsibility of developing enhancements to the program.

A second satellite is in the works and is timed for a 2017 launch. For now, all eyes & ears are on “Diwata” which is touted as a breakthrough as far as predicting/evaluating environmental changes and counteracting the threatening effects of the changing climate are concerned.

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Satellite technology helps to monitor drought in Kenya providing detailed information about the strength, location, spatial extent and duration of the drought.

The spatial information allows an analysis of the drought situation in the country and in some of the most affected regions such as Wajir, Marsabit, Isiolo and Garissa. This allows for better disaster management and facilitates the request for donor support. In 2011 Kenya had one of the worst droughts in recent times. It was difficult for the country to implement appropriate preparedness measures. The use of satellite technology could improve these processes.

“We used to get conflicting and misleading information from arid and semi-arid areas. Some regions are generally very dry and when rains fail for some time, they say they are in extreme drought. Now we can plan, detect drought early and advise even at policy level on what measures to take,” said Luigi Luminari, a technical advisor at Systems for Drought Management in Kenya.

Read full story Standard Digital

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(March 2015) The Argentinean National Space Activities Commission (CONAE) has been producing information about recent floods based on radar satellite images. In March, the provinces of Santa Fe and Santiago del Estero suffered from intense floods.

Satellite imagery of the affected areas has served as support for the efforts of national institutions and organisms to mitigate the damages. The imagery was obtained from the Italian Cosmo SkyMed mission as well as from Landsat and SPOT5 satellites.

According to the newspaper La Nación, the floods in Santa Fe and Santiago del Estero were caused by an unusual amount of rainfall in the central area of the country that forced more than 5000 to evacuate and killed 10. It also caused a collapse of the vital infrastructures and daily activities. The rural areas are the most affected with more than 500,000 hectares of crops destroyed.

According to an article in La Nación, experts agree that climate change is one of the main explanations for this increasing rainfall, but take also into consideration the lack of strong infrastructures, the effects of monoculture and the inclusion of non autochthonous flora, among other factors.

The satellite-based maps are available on CONAE’s website

CONAE is UN-SPIDER’s Regional Support Office in Argentina

UN-Spider

NEREUS President Nichi Vendola and Senator Günthner (Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Ports Minister of Justice and Constitution) of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen would like to seize the opportunity to invite you (see invitation and draft programme attached) to the regional workshop “Space Applications at the Bremen location” that in collaboration with NEREUS will organize on 21-22 April 2015 in Bremen, Germany.

The workshop aims at presenting the region’s capabilities and expertise in the area of using and developing space based services and products.

The workshop will comprise two main parts:
-On the first day the region showcases its capacities and expertise in the area of using and developing space based services and products. Participants are invited to visit relevant industry sites and research facilities to gain a firsthand insight and will get the opportunity to learn more about the region’s flagship initiatives and activities.
-The second day participating regions (NEREUS-member regions but also new regions interested in the event) as well as associated members are explicitly invited to take the floor and give informational presentations on the profile of the space community in their territory (including major enterprises and research organisations, aerospace district or relevant clusters), main interests and expertise and introduce key activities and regional best practices.
Moreover, in the evening of the 21st of April you are invited to an i2b event where the topic space will be presented in different ways and social networking is provided.

If you are interested please register until April 8th by following this link Password: #Nereusbremen

UK, March 13, 2015: An international research team led by the University of Leicester has mapped the entire African continent south of the Sahara for geographical changes. The researchers observed that areas such as the Congo, Nigeria and Madagascar now receive far less rainfall than they did a decade ago, while other locations such as the Sahel zone have become far greener through increased rainfall.

Together with the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, the Institute of Electromagnetic Sensing of Environment of the National Research Council of Italy, and the Polish Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, the study analysed 10 years of satellite data.

Professor Heiko Balzter, Director of the Centre for Landscape and Climate Research at the University of Leicester and co-author of the study, said: “We looked at the satellite data and discovered a number of surprising hotspots of change. Some parts of the Congo, Nigeria and Madagascar appear to receive much less rainfall now compared to 10 years ago. This is an issue even in the wet tropics of the Congo, where low rainfall means restrictions to ship movements on the rivers there, which are the main transport routes in the dense jungle.

“This means that our maps cannot be regarded as maps of long-term climate change impacts. They merely reflect climatic impacts over the past ten years. We know that this period is too short to relate it to the global warming debate. Future satellite observations will allow us to extend the time-series and observe large-scale changes in Africa.”

Regions where more rainfall led to greener plants were mapped in West Africa, Central African Republic, West Cameroon and north-eastern part of South Africa. Areas of climatic vegetation degradation were located in Southern Madagascar, Nigeria, Kenya and the Garden Route region of South Africa.

The researchers used a rain dataset that is produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Centre and combined the qualities of local rain gauge stations with the satellite data. The system is used by the US for a famine early warning system.

The new concept developed by the research team interprets satellite observations of rainfall and vegetation greenness at the same time. If the plants lost some of their greenness over time, then the researchers checked for climatic changes, meaning reduced rainfall. If reduced rains coincide with browner plants, the chances are that the climatic change causes the changes in the plants.

The results of the research, ‘A conceptual model for assessing rainfall and vegetation trends in sub-Saharan Africa from satellite data,’ were published in International Journal of Climatology. The research was supported by the EU-FP7 funded Geoland-2 project.

Source: University of Leicester and geospatialworld

by By Megan Roden at skytechevent. “Regulation” is the latest buzzword to emerge out of the UAV industry, with concerns over safety, privacy, data protection and liability all calling existing regulation into question. Recent increases in potentially dangerous UAV activity, including illegal flights over football pitches and narrowly avoided collisions with traditional manned aircraft, have also served to bolster concerns over the adequacy of existing UAV regulation. Whilst such debates are dominating the UAV industry at present, is UAV regulation really a cause for concern?

Current UAV regulation requires the following from UAV pilots. Pilots must maintain visual line of sight of their UAV at all times, with regulations limiting UAVs to flying no further than 500m horizontally from their operator’s position. UAVs cannot be flown above 400ft altitude in order to avoid collisions with manned aircraft. It is also illegal to fly a UAV over a congested area; regulations require that UAVs are not flown within 50m of any person or structure. Aside from following these rules hobbyist UAV users do not need to seek specific permissions for UAVs weighing up to 20kg. If you are looking to use a UAV for business or commercial activity, or you are flying a UAV fitted with a camera within congested areas or closer than 50 metres of any person or structure, you must obtain an aerial works permission from the CAA. In order to obtain an aerial works permission you need to gain a remote pilot qualification; pilot qualification courses are currently offered by two organisations, EuroUSC and Resource Group.

There have been increased calls in recent months for more comprehensive regulations than these to be implemented across the UAV sector. However, Joseph Dalby, Director of Flightpath Consulting and a Barrister at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square has commented that it is not a question of whether a more comprehensive system of UAV regulation is needed, but whether existing regulation is fit-for-purpose. Joseph has noted that ‘UAV Regulation is, like the UAV sector, at an early stage of development, and the main motivation is safety, as it should be…The approach is cautious and the intention is, largely, to restrict not enable activity whilst thinking, technology, and user demand evolves. Current regulations have also been relatively effective in the area of air safety. It has been based on segregation of UAV operations from controlled airspace’. He also went on to comment that ‘the basic principles are derived from commercial aviation and air space law. They are likely to remain unchanged. To that extent it [UAV regulation] is fit for current purpose, but a more comprehensive system is needed to facilitate commercial UAV growth. That will come through the issue of individual permissions for dedicated purposes’.

At present it seems fair to conclude that UAV regulation for commercial purposes is fit for purpose, remaining strict for the time being whilst the industry develops. Such regulations will continue to evolve as the industry and the technology do in order to ensure safe and effective integration of UAVs, however for the time being the system is effectively regulating the commercial use of UAVs without impinging too heavily upon their use for a range of applications. The area that needs work, however, and the field which has sparked many concerns amongst the public in recent months, is the hobbyist usage of UAVs.

Hobbyist usage of UAVs does undoubtedly complicate the process of regulating the UAV industry. Separating the hobbyist industry from the commercial UAV industry whilst still maintaining a safe and effective regulatory system is a substantial challenge for the industry. Achieving a balancing act between effectively regulating the hobbyist sector without restricting the growth of the commercial sector is the next step for the industry.

Far greater concern has been raised over the hobbyist use of UAVs in recent months in light of a number of incidents where UAVs have had close calls with traditional manned aircraft. Emeritus Professor David M. Bird of McGill University has highlighted the importance of further educating hobbyist UAV pilots about the risks and requirements of flying, noting that ‘not everybody can fly these planes easily. You need training to fly these UAVs but more importantly you need training to understand the language of pilots to fly the plane safely. How to read a map, what restricted aerospace means etc.’

On the subject of regulating the hobbyist UAV sector, Joseph Dalby has commented that ‘current regulation is commercially focused, and I think a gap exists with respect to non-commercial/hobbyist fliers…Safety regulation does not match risk, as hobbyists are most likely to operate recklessly. I would hate to see achieving a level of stability in the sector, at this embryonic phase of its emergence, being compromised by too many instances where havoc is caused by the recklessness of the unwitting hobbyists, who are ill-equipped or ill-trained’. He has also noted that recent increases in headlines regarding reckless hobbyist pilots ‘suggests there is a gap in respect of the regulation or enforcement of them, in respect to non-commercial drones’.

A newly established initiative, however, is working to change this. The Fly Safe, Fly Legal Campaign, established by Resource Group in partnership with the CAA, hopes to educate hobbyist users of the regulations surrounding UAV usage and the conditions needed to ensure UAVs are used safely. Whilst still in its early stages, if the campaign can replicate the success of a similar initiative introduced in the USA called the ‘Know Before You Fly Campaign’, the UK could see vast improvements in hobbyist knowledge of UAV regulation and the safe & correct practice for using UAVs.

UAVs also pose a number of other legal concerns which remain more of a challenge for the industry and require greater clarity within regulation. Such concerns include liability, risk, privacy, nuisance, trespassing and data protection. UAVs fitted with cameras are increasingly generating legal concerns over privacy and data protection; an issue which is becoming complicated by hobbyist usage of UAVs. Joseph Dalby has weighed in on this matter noting that, ‘clarity is required on what constitutes “commercial” operations, when it is not widely known or entirely certain that posting to social media & YouTube is a commercial activity, not least because it does not tie in with data protection laws. DPA provides an exemption for data captured “by an individual only for purposes of that individual’s personal, family or household affairs (including recreational purposes)”. So it is an important issue to address as UAV’s give hobbyists ability to capture personal data’.

Concerns associated with liability, risk and insurance are particularly complicated in regard to the UAV industry. Liability regulation is likely to incorporate UAV pilots’ duty of care to pedestrians, property owners and other airspace users, however it remains uncertain as to whether inexperienced users will be treated more or less harshly than qualified pilots. The extent to which criminal law will play a role in liability cases for UAVs is also still unclear; in recent months prosecution for improper UAV usage has begun to increase however the process is still at an early stage of development. Joseph has provided insight into the possible future for the role of criminal law within the UAV industry, commenting that ‘the obvious model to look at is motor offences: I can foresee offences of “careless flying” “flying under the influence of alcohol or drugs” and possibly “flying without a licence”…On the other hand, technological advances may shift the burden on to the manufacturer, who will attempt to reduce the incidence of pilot error. It depends on the effectiveness of autonomous navigation technology’. Insurance is also set to become a key element of UAV regulation. With specialised UAV insurance companies already emerging, including Coverdrone and UAV Protect, the industry is likely to move more in-line with motor regulation and enforce compulsory insurance for UAV pilots.

There have also been recent calls to enforce a higher threshold for safeguarding the public from UAVs in congested areas. Yet again, this issue presents a challenge to maintaining a UAV industry balanced between safe & efficient regulation whilst still enabling the commercial sector to develop. Joseph has commented that whilst a higher threshold for safeguarding the public is needed in some areas, this should not be at the expense of the commercial industry, and the ‘commercial use of RPAS within congested areas should be facilitated’. Instead, Joseph believes that greater responsibility should be placed upon UAV operators, noting that ‘operators must be able to commit to certain higher standards, and then they will be given more latitude to carry out operations without needing constant or CAA oversight for each operation. That means putting more responsibility in the hands of the operators, and being held accountable for wrong doings. So that the users self-regulate because of the threat of loss of licence, or punishment. Just like road users do. To that end, more thorough training, licencing should be in place. They will also have to have robust safety procedures in place’.

Legal concerns such as liability, data protection and risk undoubtedly require substantial attention within UAV regulation. However in the face of a newly developing industry, and complicated by increasing hobbyist usage, such matters do present a challenge to effectively regulating the UAV industry and are likely to remain a continually evolving process in the years to come.

A key step in the evolution of UAV regulation will occur with the development of comprehensive sense and avoid technology. Existing regulation enforces safe practice of UAVs by restricting UAV activity, including requiring line of sight operations and restricting the location of UAV flights. Sense and avoid technology would provide a key advance in the safety of UAVs. The technology would enable UAVs to automatically detect other aircraft and objects within their surroundings and permit the UAV to move should a collision appear imminent. As a consequence sense and avoid technology would increase the safety of UAVs, thus allowing regulation to develop and enable greater freedoms for UAV usage, particularly in the commercial sector. Professor Bird has highlighted the importance of such technology to the evolving UAV industry, ‘The thing we’re all looking for is the Holy Grail and that is a system called sense and avoid. That’s a little box that will go into every flying machine in the world including UAVS. As soon as something comes in range of this machine inside the UAV it will go the other way. That’s what we’re all waiting for but it’s not going to happen for another 4-5 years’.

Future UAV regulation is likely to be shaped by technological developments such as the arrival of autonomous UAVs. Joseph Dalby has commented that ‘achieving a regulatory framework in which autonomous UAV’s can operate will be a major milestone. True autonomy removes pilots from the equation, and instead the UAV will operate according to programmed algorithms. Autonomy is therefore very technologically dependent. Autonomous UAV’s must be able to navigate, sense and avoid. Most crashes are due to pilot error. Provided there is effective technology in place, autonomous UAV’s “may” lead to safety improvements. Significant R&D will be needed. Whereas current regulation is based on visual line of sight and constant oversight by the operator. Like with other areas, the regulation will have to walk hand in hand with technology in transitioning to the ultimate objective’.

Regulating the UAV industry is undoubtedly a difficult task. Current UAV regulation is not a cause for concern as is so often suggested. Regulations for commercial UAV usage are fit for purpose and are likely to become more relaxed as UAV technology evolves. Whilst hobbyist UAV usage and the impact UAVs have upon legal concerns such as liability do require greater attention, regulation is increasingly moving in this direction; criminal law for example is becoming more prevalent for improper UAV usage cases. Striking a balance between ensuring safe UAV usage without halting innovation is the challenge that will remain for this emerging industry. It is important to bear in mind, of course, that the UAV industry is still in its infancy and therefore so is the regulatory system that governs it. The coming year is likely to see substantial changes within UAV regulation. Commercial operations are likely to be afforded flexibility for larger projects, tougher enforcement when rules are breached will become more common place, and a more streamlined regulatory approach will develop. Another issue which is becoming increasingly more prevalent, and which could serve as a stumbling block to the development of UAV regulation, is the malicious use of UAVs. Recent episodes in the Paris Eiffel Tower area and Invalides have the potential to radically impact the entire UAV regulation debate. The security issues caused by possible intentionally malicious use of UAVs could result in the implementation of very restrictive regulations upon the industry and is certainly an area to watch over the coming months.

Regulation will continue to evolve as the industry and the technology do; as with other technological innovations an effective regulatory solution will no doubt be achieved. On this matter Joseph Dalby has noted that, ‘if we have done so with cars, aircraft and the internet, I have no reason to suppose it will not be achieved with drones’. To hear more about the latest debates within UAV regulation or for more information about requirements for UAV flights visit SkyTech 2015 taking place 24th April at the Business Design Centre London.

For more details about the Fly Safe, Fly Legal Campaign visit the website at http://flysafeflylegal.co.uk/Welcome
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New maps of global forest cover from the International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA)‘s Geo-Wiki team provide a more accurate view of global forests. The maps were published in the journal Remote Sensing of the Environment, and are freely available for exploration and download on the Geo-Wiki Web site.

While there are many existing sources of data about forests, including satellite imagery, there is broad disagreement between the data products. Knowing the location and extent of forests is vital information for ecology, climate change, and economic modelling, as well as for researchers looking for the best reference information to estimate deforestation and forest degradation.

“The new maps rely on a combination of recent multisensory remote sensing data, statistics, and crowdsourcing,” says Dmitry Schepaschenko, the lead author of the study. “By combining different data sources, and incorporating the input of trained citizen scientists, we were able to produce new maps that are more accurate than any existing data source.”

The study introduces two global forest maps, both at 1-kilometer resolution, which provide a good compromise between the level of detail and global coverage. The first, which the researchers call the “best-guess” map, uses 8 different data sources and relied on a network of citizen scientists to check or validate the classification of land cover, by looking at high-resolution satellite imagery of different locations.

Compared to existing data products, the researchers found, the new hybrid map was more accurate both for forest location and estimation of percentage forest cover.

The second map was further calibrated using regional and country-level forest statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Schepaschenko explains that this makes the map more useful for economic modeling, and notes that such data are also used as inputs to international climate negotiations.

This also represents the first forest map that is consistent with FAO statistics and is freely available. A comparison of the two maps (i.e. the “best guess” and the calibrated one) highlights the countries where there are discrepancies and hence raises questions about reporting.

The new maps were produced for the year 2000 as a base year for modeling. The team also plans to update them with data for 2010 in the near future.

The new maps will be useful not only for research, but also for policymakers who rely on forest data for planning and decision making purposes. For example, past research has shown that estimates of the efforts required to reach the European Union’s biofuel target vary widely depending on which forest map was selected as an input.

The new maps complement another set of global cropland and land cover maps from the Geo-Wiki team and network, which were published earlier this year. “These new maps just go to show that regular people, in their free time, can contribute to top quality research,” says Schepaschenko.

IIASA researcher and study co-author Linda See adds “Geo-Wiki and our network of volunteers continue to help us improve land cover and develop robust products for the modelling and policy communities.”

Schepaschenko D., et al. (2015). Development of a global hybrid forest mask through the synergy of remote sensing, crowdsourcing and FAO statistics. Remote Sensing of Environment 162 (2015) 208-220

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The commercial UAV community from across the globe will gather in London on 24th April to discuss the latest trends, best practice and innovations taking place within the industry.

As the commercial UAV industry becomes increasingly popular, shaping the direction of the sector has never been more important.

SkyTech 2015 will bring together the key players within the industry to facilitate partnerships, deliver knowledge transfer, encourage growth and provide a forum to navigate the most complex debates emerging out of the industry.

Meet with leading manufacturers, component suppliers, software companies, service providers, charities, UAV associations and academics; stay up-to-date with the impact of recent regulatory changes to existing UAV operators; and engage with end users from a range of targeted industries.

SkyTech 2015 is already set to be a must attend event, with all conferences and workshops now fully booked. Last remaining exhibition passes are selling out fast. To register for the free exhibition visit the website www.skytechevent.com

Speakers Include:

  • Gerry Corbett, UAS Programme Lead, Safety and Airspace Regulation Group, Civil Aviation Authority
  • Justin Pringle, Drone Development Manager, Heliguy.com
  • Professor Simon Blackmore, Head of Engineering, Harper Adams University
  • Robert Whitehouse, Business Development Director, TEKEVER
  • Mark Jarman, Operations Manager, URSULA Agriculture
  • Thibaut Miquel, Business Development Manager, Redbird
  • Benjamin Kenobi, UAV Pilot & Director, Rogue State Media
  • Professor Samia Nefti-Meziani, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Salford

Exhibitors Include:

  • TOPCON
  • Coverdrone
  • senseFly
  • Leica Geosystems
  • UAVIONIC
  • Resource Group
  • Rheinmetall
  • DroneFlight

CONTACT DETAILS:
Eric Lewis
Email: enquiries@charlesmaxwell.co.uk
Phone: 0203 131 0048

For the first time, the Mercator Ocean Forecasting Center in Toulouse and the ICE-ARC as well as IICWG projects publish together a special issue of the newsletter dedicated to sea ice modelling and data assimilation.

The EU FP7 ICE-ARC Project and the International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG) held a workshop on Sea-Ice Modelling and Data Assimilation in Toulouse (France) on September 15-16 2014.

It was also a key-event for the MyOcean2 project. This special issue reports on a representative selection of works presented at this workshop. The two-day workshop was hosted by Mercator Ocean, one of the ICE-ARC partners, and 38 people from 9 countries all over Europe and Canada attended. The focus was put on research and development related to numerical sea ice analysis and
prediction.

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