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France, September 24, 2014: Sofradir, the leading French developer of infra red (IR) detectors, has introduced the the Next Generation Panchromatic detector (NGP), a 1024×1024 visible to short wavelength infrared (SWIR) Focal Plane Assembly.

NGP is the first European-made space-oriented megapixel array that space agencies can now consider for earth observation, earth monitoring, agriculture surveillance and even deep space studies.s

NGP’s 1k x 1k format is four times larger than existing Sofradir SATURN starring array IR product currently installed on observation satellites or spacecrafts.

Philippe Chorier, space department manager at Sofradir said, ““Sofradir is extremely proud to make the large format NGP 1024×1024 visible to SWIR detector available to our customers focusing on space applications.”

The new IR detector has also been selected for the SENTINEL-5 Earth observation mission.

Source Sofradir
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(6 October 2014) NASA’s newest Earth observing mission, the International Space Station-Rapid Scatterometer, or ISS-RapidScat, is collecting its first science data on ocean wind speeds and direction following its successful installation and activation on the exterior of the station’s Columbus module.

Ground controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston robotically assembled the RapidScat instrument and its nadir adapter, which orients the instrument to point at Earth, on Sept. 29 to 30. On Oct. 1, the instrument was powered on, its antenna began spinning and it started transmitting and receiving its first winds data. The team then began checking out the instrument, a process expected to take about two weeks. Checkout activities to date are proceeding nominally. Following instrument checkout, the team will perform two weeks of preliminary calibration and validation of science data. RapidScat will then be ready to begin its two-year science mission.

On Oct. 3, mission scientists processed their first winds data and produced their first uncalibrated images: a partial global map of wind speeds and a close-up image of what was then Tropical Storm Simon, brewing off the west coast of Mexico, showing its wind speeds and wind directions at approximately 7 p.m. local time.

“Most satellite missions require weeks or even months to produce data of the quality that we seem to be getting from the first few days of RapidScat,” said RapidScat Project Scientist Ernesto Rodriguez of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, which built and manages the mission. “We have been very lucky that within the first days of operations we have already been able to observe a developing tropical cyclone.

“The quality of these data reflect the level of testing and preparation that the team has put in prior to launch,” Rodriguez said. “It also reflects the quality of the spare QuikScat hardware from which RapidScat was partially assembled.”

RapidScat is the first science payload to be robotically assembled in space since the space station itself. Launched Sept. 21 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle, RapidScat rode to orbit in the “trunk” of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. The Dragon reached the station on Sept. 23, was captured by the station’s robotic arm and was then berthed at the station’s Node 2 Nadir, or Earth-facing, port.

Following inspections of RapidScat from cameras installed in the Dragon’s trunk and on the station’s robotic arm, ground controllers at Johnson Space Center used the DEXTRE manipulator on the station’s robotic arm to pluck RapidScat’s nadir adapter from the Dragon trunk on Sept. 29. An intricate set of maneuvers by the robotic arm then followed, leading to the adapter’s successful mechanical and electrical connection to the Columbus module’s External Payload Facility SDX site five hours later. The robotic arm was then released from the adapter.

About 15 hours later, the RapidScat team was back at work again, using the robotic arm to remove the RapidScat instrument itself from the Dragon’s trunk and install it onto the nadir adapter. The installation went so well that a process expected to take five hours was completed in just two hours and 20 minutes. Following this first payload-to-payload mate in the history of the space station program, RapidScat then began drawing its power from the space station for the first time. RapidScat is an autonomous payload that requires no interaction from space station astronauts.

RapidScat will boost global monitoring of ocean winds for improved weather and marine forecasting, including hurricane monitoring, as well as climate studies. From the unique vantage point of the space station, this space-based scatterometer instrument will use radar pulses reflected from the ocean’s surface from different angles to calculate ocean surface wind speeds and directions.

The ISS-RapidScat instrument is a speedy and cost-effective replacement for NASA’s former QuikScat Earth satellite, which monitored ocean winds to provide essential measurements used in weather predictions, including hurricane monitoring.

ISS-RapidScat is a partnership between JPL and the International Space Station Program Office at JSC, with support from the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Other mission partners include the Kennedy Space Center, Florida; NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama; the European Space Agency; and SpaceX.

ISS-RapidScat is the third of five NASA Earth science missions scheduled to launch into space within 12 months, the most new Earth-observing mission launches in one year in more than a decade. NASA monitors Earth’s vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth’s interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.

(source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

According to Euroconsult’s newly published report, Satellite-Based Earth Observation: Market Prospects to 2023, 353 Earth observation (EO) satellites are expected to be launched over the next decade compared to 162 over 2004-2013.

This will result in $36 billion in manufacturing revenues over the period, an 85 percent increase over the previous decade. Organizations from 41 countries are expected to launch EO satellite capacity by 2023, compared to 33 over the previous decade. Government supply continues to grow strongly as more countries expand their portfolios of EO satellites to meet various policy needs. In addition, newcomers are launching EO satellite capacity to develop a local industrial base, create the building blocks for a space program, obtain greater autonomy in data acquisition, and/or meet local demand for data and services. As a result, investment in EO and meteorology programs reached a high in 2013 at $8.7 billion, a 13 percent increase over 2012. This represents the 8th year of continued investment growth, with EO remaining a primary concern for government space expenditures.

Commercial supply is also expected to go through a significant expansion, both from private sector initiatives (the expansion of fleets, and new entrants) and government commercialization of proprietary systems. New entrants such as Skybox Imaging have launched their first satellites, and others, particularly in the domain of commercial meteorology and environment monitoring solutions, could follow suit in the next decade. “With this expansion in commercial supply, differentiating positions of the operators will come to the fore, with trade-offs in ground resolution, revisit, geolocation accuracy, and data prices,” said Adam Keith, Director of Space & Earth Observation at Euroconsult and editor of the report. “Nevertheless, competition is increasing and with new entrants possibly pricing data and solutions very competitively, there is the potential for disruption in the market.”

COMMERCIAL DATA MARKET GROWTH STAGNATION DISGUISES OPPORTUNITIES

Supply of EO solutions continues to expand and diversify despite an overall slowing of commercial data demand; this slowing is a result of reduced U.S. government defense spending on commercial data compared to previous years. The commercial data market totaled $1.5 billion in 2013; this represents stagnant (0 percent) growth from 2012 as the impact of reduced U.S. government spending takes effect.

The level of the U.S. defense outlay however disguises growth elsewhere in the market, in particular in sales to non-U.S. defense users. The commercial data market to non-U.S. defense organizations totaled $560 million in 2013 and has grown at a 14 percent CAGR over the last five years. In order to meet this demand, commercial operators are successfully providing direct-access satellite contracts to defense users. Emerging enterprise markets are also expected to further develop, particularly location-based services and support to engineering and infrastructure projects.

In 2023 the market for commercial EO data is expected to reach $3.6 billion (8 percent CAGR over 2014-2023). Regionally, the Asian markets, Latin America and Africa are expected to have strong growth profiles with expected growth at over 10% CAGR to 2023. Natural resources management, engineering & infrastructure, and again defense are expected to be the main application areas supporting growth.

MANUFACTURING EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE, POSES DILEMMA TO THE INDUSTRY

Satellites launched from emerging programs will account for a growing part of the manufacturing market. Between 2004 and 2013, $1.9 billion of the total EO manufacturing revenues were derived from these programs; this is expected to increase to $4.4 billion between 2014 and 2023. Such programs, which may lack proprietary manufacturing solutions, are expected to be a key driver for the upstream industry looking to export solutions.

The majority of export activities to date have focused on lower-cost technology transfer missions to help develop a national industry and/or space program. Partnerships have been a successful mechanism to build up emerging manufacturers’ expertise. However, further countries have chosen to procure high-cost EO systems to meet more immediate national requirements, particularly for defense. For countries lacking a national manufacturing infrastructure, more direct procurement is required from existing “high-end” solutions. In this case, capacity building is dropped in favor of obtaining a high-performing satellite delivered in a shorter timeframe. The dilemma for the established manufacturers capable of designing “high-end” systems is whether they expand into the development of lower-cost solutions, or remain with high-end provision, despite the more limited number of export opportunities.

There is however already strong competition to address these opportunities as most major prime manufacturers look to expand their business. In addition, by 2023, 26 countries are expected to have full manufacturing capabilities (acting as a prime and/or integrator); this will add further competition in the longer term for the developing EO satellite export market.

For additional information, please visit http://www.euroconsult-ec.com/shop/

An unexpectedly high amount of the climate-changing gas methane, the main component of natural gas, is escaping from the Four Corners region in the U.S. Southwest, according to a new study by the University of Michigan and NASA.

The researchers mapped satellite data to uncover the nation’s largest methane signal seen from space. They measured levels of the gas emitted from all sources, and found more than half a teragram per year coming from the area where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet. That’s about as much methane as the entire coal, oil, and gas industries of the United Kingdom give off each year.

Four Corners sits on North America’s most productive coalbed methane basin. Coalbed methane is a variety of the gas that’s stuck to the surface of coal. It is dangerous to miners (not to mention canaries), but in recent decades, it’s been tapped as a resource.

“There’s so much coalbed methane in the Four Corners area, it doesn’t need to be that crazy of a leak rate to produce the emissions that we see. A lot of the infrastructure is likely contributing,” said Eric Kort, assistant professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences at the U-M College of Engineering.

Kort, first author of a paper on the findings published in Geophysical Research Letters, says the controversial natural gas extraction technique of hydraulic fracturing is not the main culprit.

“We see this large signal and it’s persistent since 2003,” Kort said. “That’s a pre- fracking timeframe in this region. While fracking has become a focal point in conversations about methane emissions, it certainly appears from this and other studies that in the U.S., fossil fuel extraction activities across the board likely emit higher than inventory estimates.”

While the signal represents the highest concentration of methane seen from space, the researchers caution that Four Corners isn’t necessarily the highest emitting region.

“One has to be somewhat careful in equating abundances with emissions,” said study contributor Christian Frankenberg at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “The Four Corners methane source is in a relatively isolated area with little other methane emissions, hence causing a well distinguishable hot-spot in methane abundances. Local or more diffuse emissions in other areas, such as the eastern U.S., may be convoluted with other nearby sources.”

Natural gas is often touted as more sustainable than coal and oil because it releases fewer pollutants when it burns. But when it leaks into the air before it gets to the pilot light, methane has 30 times the short-term heat-trapping effects of carbon dioxide.

Policymakers, energy companies and environmentalists alike are aiming to reduce methane emissions as a way to curb climate change. But pinpointing plumes-a first step to stopping them-has been a difficult task with today’s tools.

The research team demonstrated a new approach to finding leaks. They used a satellite instrument-the European Space Agency’s SCIAMACHY-to get regional methane measurements over the entire United States.

They ran the data through a mathematical model to account for mountains and valleys, which can trap methane. That’s how they identified the anomaly at Four Corners. Then they zoomed in on that region and ran another mathematical model to control for wind, to make sure that didn’t negate the original signal. It didn’t.

“We didn’t know this was a region we should look at. We found it from space,” Kort said. “We’ve demonstrated that satellite measurements can help identify, locate and quantify anomalous methane emissions in regions that are unexpected.”

Methane gets into the atmosphere from both natural and human-made sources. Wetlands and landfills release it, as do certain bacteria. Agriculture is a big contributor. So are gas and oil drilling and distribution. Inventories such as those the EPA compiles make estimates based on measurements from a sampling of these sources.

In previous work, air measurements from planes and a sparse network of monitoring towers have revealed that the inventory-based numbers are coming in low-roughly 50 percent low. But towers and planes can’t see everywhere to figure out exactly where all the methane is coming from. With limited observations there can be blind spots, the researchers say.

This study used satellite data from 2003 to 2009. In later years, they were able to validate the satellite measurements with a year of ground-based data.

SCIAMACHY is no longer operating, so there aren’t equivalent satellites to provide this information for other parts of the world. For the Four Corners region, Kort will be taking readings from an airplane next year, to get even closer to identifying the leaks.

“Source:“http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Space_based_methane_maps_find_largest_US_signal_in_Southwest_999.html

Satellite and drone images are increasingly being used as evidence in court. Now two experts in the field have started a specialist agency

IN THE middle of a boundary squabble with your neighbour? Want to find out who is dumping waste near your house? You need to call the space detectives.

Satellite imaging specialist Raymond Harris and space lawyer Raymond Purdy – both at University College London – have just launched Air & Space Evidence Ltd of London, the world’s first space detective agency.

The pair intend to use their combined experience of space-based photographic databases and Earth observation privacy law to ensure that people can wield authentic imagery that stands up in court.

They want everyone to have the chance to use space imagery to settle legal disputes, from homeowners disputing garden boundaries to businesses fighting vehicle theft. Insurers might find it useful in investigating fraud and councils in tackling environmental assaults such as waste incineration or illegal logging and quarrying. And it won’t cost much more than having your house surveyed, Harris says.

It might seem a simple matter for someone to use Google Earth, say, or Microsoft’s Bing images to obtain evidence to support their case. Why would they need space detectives? But it is not so simple. Finding the right pictures means trawling through huge databases of historical satellite data, and lawsuits involving such approaches frequently fail.

“Trials have been collapsing because courts cannot be convinced of the authenticity of image data,” says Purdy. For instance, people cannot be sure a given satellite was working on the day in question, or that the area of land imaged is actually the land at issue.

The space detectives will use their expertise in commissioning space images to order, and their familiarity with the databases of space image suppliers like Digital Globe of Longmont, Colorado. “We can make a difference by ensuring space images have audit trails that stand up,” says Purdy.

“Because it is always possible to modify a digital image, you need strong archiving procedures plus information on when it was captured and what happened to it subsequently,” says Harris. “We know how to do that.”

The pair have a track record as expert witnesses in satellite imaging cases. Purdy, for instance, advised on a case in which illegal waste incineration had ruined a large chunk of pristine land. “When I showed space imagery to the judge and they saw the extent of the damage it gave them a new perspective. That led to a harsher sentence,” he says.

In cases where images with greater resolution are needed, the pair plan to use aerial imagery from drones, provided local aviation and privacy laws permit. Such cases might include a suspicious spouse checking licence plates to see if a car belongs to their partner, or an insurer checking a car is parked off-road as claimed.

But most of the work will involve images taken by orbiting satellites, especially as recent earth observation start-ups like Planet Labs and Skybox Imaging make inexpensive space imagery more widely available.

Paul Champion, a private investigator based in Cardiff, UK, and a governor of the Association of British Investigators, says the notion of space-based detection is fascinating. “It’s an innovative idea. Investigators will really welcome the ability to identify when an incident occurred using before and after satellite or aerial images.”

“There is a need for space detectives,” says Joanne Wheeler, a space lawyer at Bird & Bird in London, because finding the right pictures takes a lot of work. “If you are looking for imagery in the past it is difficult to find exactly what you are looking for,” she says.

Wheeler has sought satellite imagery as evidence in three cases – a murder, assessing the progress of a bridge build, and checking on the completion of a mine. For the murder case it was impossible to find images that covered the few hours she needed. Her team had similar problems on the bridge case, but Wheeler says someone with more specialised knowledge might have done better. “If you know what you might want, a space detective agency would be a great service.”

This article appeared in print under the headline “The space detectives”

Source

[SatNews] Coming this month from NSR is the analysis firm’s Satellite-Based Earth Observation (EO), 6th Edition, report.

The dynamic market for satellite-based imagery has been driven to new heights with more constellations and powerhouses such as Google acquiring small satellite operator SkyBox. To say that the Earth Observation market is an accelerated path to growth is an understatement as major changes are taking place across the value chain. The 6th Edition of Satellite-Based Earth Observation (EO) continues NSR’s industry-leading analysis of future growth in this industry globally. From data to information products through to value-added services, EO6 offers a comprehensive analysis of this rapidly developing market and the unique context of each vertical and region.

This new edition includes analysis of six different vertical markets across five regions for three different instrument resolutions for both optical and SAR imagery. The study takes an in-depth look at Defense and Intelligence, Managed Living Resources, Energy and Natural Resources, Industrial, Services and Public Authorities segments to offer a complete assessment and forecast of revenues for all regions over the next ten years. The report answers critical questions regarding Satellite-Based EO:

  • What will be EO market size in the next 10 years?
  • How will each vertical market evolve?
  • What are the effects of budget cuts on satellite imagery?
  • What is the impact of satellite constellations with hundreds of small and nano satellites planned?
  • What is the impact on distribution of cloud-based delivery?
  • What will be the revenues from data, processing and information products?
  • What will be the impact on the market and take-up of very-high resolution optical imagery?
  • How will free data affect market for EO products?
  • What are EO satellite operators’ market share by vertical and by region?
  • What will be the evolution of imagery pricing?
  • Which demand will grow the most across regions?
  • What will it take to thrive as an EO satellite operator?
  • What will drive evolution of information products and value added services?

Satellite-Based Earth Observation (EO), 6th Edition includes completely updated assessment and hundreds of graphs and thousands of data points on this evolving market to help readers evaluate demand trends by region and globally in the coming decade.

RICHMOND, BC, Oct. 9, 2014 /CNW/ – MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (“MDA” or the “Company”) (TSX:MDA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) today announced that the first use of a digital processor to reconstruct an image from Seasat, the first civilian spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, has been recognized as an IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing.

This groundbreaking image, produced in November 1978 by engineers from MDA, depicts the St. Lawrence River, near Trois-Rivierès, Quebec, as seen from space. The IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing program recognizes technological innovation and excellence that have had significant long-term impact and benefits to society.

Virtually all of MDA’s current and planned capabilities in ground, airborne, and space radar systems can be traced back to the Company’s early achievements in SAR. MDA’s leadership in these areas include an installed base of commercial Earth observation ground stations in more than 25 different countries that process data from more than 20 satellites. The Canadian government’s early and enduring commitment to domestic Earth observation programs using space‐based SAR placed Canada at the forefront of SAR technology and made Canada a world leader in remote sensing.

MDA is also acknowledged for its ongoing contributions to Earth observation via the design, construction, and operation of the most capable space-based SAR systems in the world. From RADARSAT-1 in 1995 to RADARSAT-2 in 2007, the planned RADARSAT Constellation Mission in 2018, and advanced imaging SAR for aircraft platforms serving defence, security, and surveillance applications, MDA is recognized globally for its advanced technical capabilities, robust systems, and sensor engineering.

Don Osborne, MDA’s group vice president of Information Systems said, “MDA has played a leadership role in advancing space technology since the Company’s inception, and have many notable achievements, including the processing of the Seasat image. We commend all our employees for their innovation and valuable contributions to extending Canada’s leadership in the space industry worldwide, and appreciate this prestigious recognition by the IEEE.”

Prof. Amir G. Aghdam, president of IEEE Canada said, “This reminds us that the efforts of a small group of talented engineers can have significant long-term impact. It is a tremendous achievement that perfectly reflects the contribution of Canadian engineers to the industry, as well as the importance of this contribution to the IEEE, the largest professional organization in the world advancing technology for humanity.”

About MDA

MDA is a global communications and information company providing operational solutions to commercial and government organizations worldwide.

MDA’s business is focused on markets and customers with strong repeat business potential, primarily in the Communications sector and the Surveillance and Intelligence sector. In addition, the Company conducts a significant amount of advanced technology development.

MDA’s established global customer base is served by more than 4,800 employees operating from 11 locations in the United States, Canada, and internationally.

The Company’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “MDA.”

About IEEE

IEEE, a large, global technical professional organization, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more at http://www.ieee.org

The IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing program recognizes technological innovation and excellence that have had significant long-term impact and benefits to society. The IEEE History Committee administers it on behalf of the IEEE Board of Directors.

Related Websites
www.mdacorporation.com
www.ieee.org
SOURCE MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.
For further information:
Wendy Keyzer
MDA External Relations
(604) 231-2743
wendy@mdacorporation.com
Prof. David G. Michelson
IEEE History Committee
(604) 822-3544
dmichelson@ieee.org

UC Santa Barbara’s NCEAS is participates in an environmental science data project funded by the National Science Foundation – See more at: http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2014/014434/data-intensive-science-single-click#sthash.x20XxVyy.dpuf

As with the proverbial canary in a coal mine, birds are often a strong indicator of environmental health. However, over the past 40 years, many species have experienced their own environmental crisis due to habitat loss and climate change, among other factors. To fully understand bird distribution relative to environment requires extensive data beyond those amassed by a single institution.

Enter DataONE: the Data Observation Network for Earth, a collaboration of distributed organizations with data centers and science networks, including the Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity (KNB) administered by UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS).

Combining bird occurrence data collected by citizen scientists with land-use data, DataONE enabled researchers to map more than 300 bird species against important environmental factors. Armed with this information, they could more accurately assess the degree of protection required for each species.

To continue such efforts and build upon its achievements, DataONE has recently been awarded $15 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of an accomplishment-based renewal. NCEAS, a DataONE partner organization, will use its portion to expand its available data to DataOne users, add key services to support researchers and repositories, improve core cyberinfrastructure and enhance operational cybersecurity.

“How does one find the data that are the best available, the most current, most appropriate for the work that one does?” asked Frank Davis, director NCEAS. “Finding the right data can take a lot of time. The best solution would be to have a service or set of services that would make that kind of data discovery and appropriate reuse as easy as possible.”

“NSF has an ambitious vision for advancing scientific frontiers through an enabling and collaborative data infrastructure,” said Irene Qualters, director of NSF’s advanced cyberinfrastructure division. “This award recognizes the accomplishments and future plans of DataONE, which, with its growing list of partners, has formed a distributed framework for earth observation data.”

Funded in 2009 as one of the initial NSF DataNet projects, DataONE has enhanced the efficiency of synthetic research, enabling scientists, policymakers and others to more easily address complex questions about the environment. In its second phase, DataONE will target goals that enable scientific innovation and discovery while massively increasing the scope, interoperability and accessibility of data.

DataONE has more than 260,000 publicly available data and metadata objects accessible through the network. It has published over 74 papers, reached more than 2,000 individuals via direct training events and workshops and connects with over 60,000 visitors annually via its website. During this second phase, DataONE will continue to engage, educate and grow its community, seek user input to ensure intuitive, user-friendly products and services and work to ensure the long-term sustainability of DataONE services as they evolve to meet the needs of researchers and other stakeholders for decades to come.

DataONE has more than 260,000 publicly available data and metadata objects accessible through the network. It has published 74 papers, reached more than 2,000 individuals via direct training events and workshops and connected with over 60,000 visitors annually via its website. During this second phase, DataONE will continue to engage, educate and grow its community, seek user input to ensure intuitive, user-friendly products and services and work to ensure the long-term sustainability of DataONE services as they evolve to meet the needs of researchers and other stakeholders for decades to come.
Contact Info:

Julie Cohen
julie.cohen@ucsb.edu
(805) 893-7220
See more at

Exprodat, the oil and gas GIS services, software and training supplier, understands that providing an environment where the best industry talent wants to work takes more than just concentrating on what happens during the working day. Staff will have outside interests and commitments that are important to them and of benefit to others.

A perfect example of this is when Exprodat staff volunteer to work in some of the most dangerous and volatile regions in the world for the charity, MapAction. Since their first deployment in 2004 following the Indian tsunami, volunteers have traveled at a moment’s notice to disasters sites all over the globe and worked to provide crucial information to emergency services and aid agencies.

As their name suggests, MapAction collates and delivers all available information in map form. This unique service provides a common operational picture that can be shared with everyone who needs information, it aids decision making and will provide a platform for managing and monitoring operations.

This remarkable work was recognised at the recent 10th Annual Third Sector Awards, where MapAction was awarded a Commendation in the Small Charity, Big Achiever category. These awards are designed to be a showcase for the talent, innovation and success of the not-for-profit organisations that do so much valuable work and MapAction’s success was a just reward for their efforts over the years.

Commenting on why Exprodat believes that releasing staff to work on MapAction projects is important to the company, Sales Director Jules Cullen remarked; “MapAction volunteers take managed risk, pursue innovation and rely on their passion to provide solutions in order to succeed; similar to the behaviours we encourage in our people here at Exprodat. Releasing staff that can leverage their skills and understanding of real-time situational awareness in support of others, who are in need of help, is a privilege and we are very proud of their achievements.”

For more information about MapAction please visit the Charity’s website at www.mapaction.org and for more about working for Exprodat, www.exprodat.com

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — OHB Group, Germany’s major space system company, has selected Intergraph® to provide long-term storage and cataloging of earth observation data as part of a satellite system.

Utilizing Hexagon Geospatial’s server architecture, including ERDAS APOLLO, Intergraph’s solution will provide services for management, retrieval and ingestion of the data. In addition to long-term storage of processed images, the archive will also store raw image data and provide a catalogue of all filed data for investigation or research purposes.

Solution to support satellite-based radar reconnaissance system.

“Intergraph offered the most robust solution to meet our need for archiving multiple petabytes of data and offering 24×7 availability for a continuous feed,” said Maik Plenter, head of procurement, OHB System AG.

OHB is specialized in low-orbit and geostationary small satellites for navigation, communications, Earth observation and scientific research, as well as reconnaissance satellites and instruments for broadband wireless transmission of reconnaissance image data for greater security and reconnaissance.

About Intergraph

Intergraph helps the world work smarter. The company’s software and solutions improve the lives of millions of people through better facilities, safer communities and more reliable operations.

Intergraph Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) is the world’s leading provider of enterprise engineering software enabling smarter design and operation of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I) is the leader in smart solutions for emergency response, utilities, transportation and other global challenges. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.

Intergraph is part of Hexagon (Nordic exchange: HEXA B; www.hexagon.com), a leading global provider of design, measurement, and visualization technologies that enable customers to design, measure and position objects, and process and present data.

© 2014 Intergraph Corporation. All rights reserved. Intergraph is part of Hexagon. Intergraph and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081211/DECLOGO

SOURCE Intergraph