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(By Sophie Curtis, 28Jun 2014) The ‘open data’ movement in the UK has prompted the creation of a cluster of new businesses

Data is more accessible today than anyone could have imagined 10 or 20 years ago. From corporate databases to social media and embedded sensors, data is exploding, with total worldwide volume expected to reach 6.6 zettabytes by 2020.

Open data is information that is available for anyone to use, for any purpose, at no cost. For example, the Department for Education publishes open data about the performance of schools in England, so that companies can create league tables and citizens can find the best-performing schools in their catchment area.

Governments worldwide are working to open up more of their data. Since January 2010, more than 18,500 UK government data sets have been released via the data.gov.uk web portal, creating new opportunities for organisations to build innovative digital services.

Businesses are also starting to realise the value of making their non-personal data freely available, with open innovation leading to the creation products and services that they can benefit from.

“The whole move in the 21st century to a data-driven economy means that countries need a data infrastructure that’s fit for purpose, and a good part of that data infrastructure is going to be open data,” said Sir Nigel Shadbolt, chairman of the Open Data Institute (ODI), which aims to drive open data culture.

Now a range of UK start-ups are working with the ODI to build businesses using open data, and have already unlocked a total of £2.5 million worth of investments and contracts.

Mastodon C joined the ODI start-up programme at its inception in December 2012. Shortly after joining, the company teamed up with Ben Goldacre and Open Healthcare UK, and embarked on a project investigating the use of branded statins over the far cheaper generic versions.

The data analysis identified potential efficiency savings to the NHS of £200 million. The company is now also working with the Technology Strategy Board and Nesta to help them gain better insight into their data.

Another start-up, CarbonCulture is a community platform designed to help people use resources more efficiently. The company uses high-tech metering to monitor carbon use in the workplace and help clients save money.

Organisations such as 10 Downing Street, Tate, Cardiff Council, the GLA and the UK Parliament are using the company’s digital tools to monitor and improve their energy consumption. CarbonCulture has also helped the Department of Energy and Climate Change reduce its gas use by 10 per cent.

Spend Network’s business is built on collecting the spend statements and tender documents published by government in the UK and Europe and then publishing this data openly so that anyone can use it. The company currently hosts over £1.2 trillion of transactions from the UK and over 1.8 million tenders from across Europe.

One of the company’s major breakthroughs was creating the first national, open spend analysis for central and local government. This was used to uncover a 45 per cent delay in the UK’s tendering process, holding up £22 billion of government funds to the economy.

Meanwhile, TransportAPI uses open data feeds from Traveline, Network Rail and Transport for London to provide nationwide timetables, departure and infrastructure information across all modes of public transport.

TransportAPI currently has 700 developers and organisations signed up to its platform, including individual taxpayers and public sector organisations like universities and local authorities. Travel portals, hyperlocal sites and business analytics are also integrating features, such as the ‘nearest transport’ widget, into their websites.

These are just four examples of how start-ups are using open data to create new digital services. The ODI this week announced seven new open data start-ups joining the programme, covering 3D printed learning materials, helping disabled communities, renewable energy markets, and smart cities.

“We’ve been pushing hard for the government to release non-personal open data across a whole range of stuff, from health to education to transport,” said Sir Shadbolt. “We need to keep convincing Treasury that the creation of these businesses ultimately creates much bigger economic value than a few bob sweated out of monopoly rent.”

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Mobile GIS is exciting. It offers a new ways for field based staff to get their work done more efficiently, and provide more accurate data.

Energy sector regulation and management have many challenges. Field surveys are often done in remote areas outside of mobile communication coverage. Data collection still relies on a disjointed combination of equipment. New mobile GIS technology offers potentially dramatic improvements in how Mineral Exploration Regulation Teams get their work done. We will discuss a new integrated approach in this article.

Mobile GIS and Energy Sector Regulation

Its worth providing some background on a typical scenario for mineral and energy activity regulation.

Mineral Exploration Regulation Teams

Much of the work done by mineral exploration regulation teams is centred on monitoring ground exploration activities. Comparing reported activity and impacts, against what is observed. Field inspections are typically ground based and often done in remote areas. Off-road 4WD vehicles and possibly air support may be needed depending on the activity, urgency of an inspection, the availability of staff and accessibility of sites. There are other dependencies on ground conditions such as weather, agricultural and cultural practices.

Exploration Regulation teams execute regular remote field sorties to inspect, monitor and ensure the risk based approach of regulation and legislative compliance is achieved. Personnel are required to carry a significant amount of detached equipment in the field. This allows both observation, recording and monitoring of site conditions in context to the stage of exploration activity under the conditions of approval. The equipment carried can include hand held GPS (Garmin), digital cameras, pen and paper, and laptops.

A typical workflow involves first finding the exploration locations that may be active, in hibernation, partially rehabilitated or fully rehabilitated. Exploration sites include access tracks, drill pads, laydown areas, field camps, fuels depots, and water points. Currently the identification of these localities and navigation to, is done using maps, GPS (Garmin units), field laptop, maps and diagrams.

Data Collection and Assessment

Field attributes that are assessed by exploration regulation teams include:

· Visual impact during and remaining post exploration.
· Lasting impact on the land surface, eg. erosion, scars, deformation.
· Impact on vegetation, fauna, soil, ground water, eg. destruction, pollution, diversion.
· Removal of foreign material, eg polypipe, stakes, temporary constructions, litter remaining as a consequence of exploration activity.

Assessment often involves comparing company photos and the compliance to licence conditions. The focus is on significant aspects that are critical in the particular area. On site photos are taken by inspectors, and GPS location noted. This data is manually added to a central compliance database upon return to the office

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New NSR Report Forecasts a 150% Increase in the 1-50 kg Satellite Market by 2024

WILMINGTON, DE and LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, Jul 07, 2014 (Marketwired via COMTEX) — NSR’s Nano and Microsatellite Markets report, released today, finds increasing reliability and capabilities driving uptake of 1-50 kg satellites across all applications, operators, and regions. In 2013 this nascent market surged into view with a trebling of total launches compared to 2012, and this higher launch rate will be sustained through the remainder of the decade and beyond. Opportunities exist to use nano/micro satellites both as a complement to existing GEO assets and as independent missions.

“Originally a platform for university and technology development projects, we are now seeing interest from the commercial, government, and military sectors in using 1-50 kg satellites operationally,” explains NSR Analyst and report author Carolyn Belle. “Operators who had been waiting for these platforms to demonstrate reliability and sufficient capabilities are now beginning to build satellites and deliver services in Earth Observation, Science, and Tracking/AIS.” Because they are so cheap and fast to build, 1-50 kg satellites can rapidly address changing needs and new opportunities with little risk to the operator. NSR forecasts that Earth Observation will experience the most growth, largely driven by commercial and military constellations.

The low cost per unit of these satellites facilitates the creation of constellations; operators will use the high revisit rate provided by constellations as compensation for low spatial resolution, less precise measurements, or fewer instruments per satellite. Constellations will be a dominant element in the 1-50 kg market over the next 10 years, a trend that has already begun to manifest.

Despite growing capabilities and demand for nano/micro satellites, NSR finds that the market will continue to be restrained by limited launch opportunities. Whether operators are most impacted by the minimal control regarding orbit, schedule, or risks of a rideshare launch model, more diverse offerings in the launch market are required to address nano/micro satellite operator needs. Fortunately, heightened demand for launch slots and the promise of continued demand due to rapid constellation replacement cycles means that the time is right for one of the many dedicated nano/micro satellite launcher projects to finally reach fruition.

About The Report Nano and Microsatellite Markets provides unique insight into the emerging market for nano and microsatellites across all key applications. The report offers a new assessment with hundreds of data points and 20 unique forecasts to provide an understanding of the market through 5 applications and 4 mass categories over the 2009-2024 period. For additional information on this report, including a full table of contents, list of exhibits and executive summary, please visit www.nsr.com or call NSR at +1-302-295-4981.

About NSR NSR is a leading international market research and consulting firm with a core focus on the satellite sector and related industries. Founded in 2000 and with an experienced group of analysts located in all regions, NSR specializes in analysis of growth opportunities across four core sectors: Satellite Communications, Broadcasting & Digital Media, Hybrid & Emerging Applications and Commercial Space.

SOURCE: NSR
© 2014 Marketwire L.P. All rights reserved.

(Monday, 07 July 2014) The Council approved two contracts for the stations of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) ground segment. The MTG system is currently under development to ensure continuity of observations from the geostationary orbit in the 2019-2040 timeframe.

The Mission Data Acquisition Facility (MDAF) will acquire the mission data from all MTG satellites, while the Telemetry, Tracking and Commanding (TT&C) facility will be used to monitor and safely control the satellites in orbit.

The Council also finalised the Programme Proposal for the EUMETSAT Polar System Second Generation (EPS-SG), thus initiating the approval process of the programme by Member States with the expectation that it can be completed by end of 2014. The Council also approved cooperation agreements with ESA, CNES, DLR and NOAA, as required to implement the programme.

EPS-SG is the mandatory programme required to deliver, between 2021-2042, polar orbit observations that are vital to operational weather forecasting up to 10 days ahead and for environment and climate monitoring.

Finally, the Council thanked Prof Petteri Taalas, the outgoing Chairman, for his leadership, and elected its Vice-Chairman, Prof. Anton Eliassen, President of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, as its new Chairman, and Mr. Ivan Čačić of the Croatian Hydrological and Meteorological Service as its Vice-Chairman

[Via Satellite 06-30-2014] Among the 30-plus small satellites carried into orbit by the most recent Kosmotras Dnepr launch was BugSat 1, the third prototype satellite for Argentinian startup company Satellogic. Emiliano Kargieman, founder and CEO of Satellogic and co-founder of Core Security, is actively planning the build-out of a constellation of hundreds of Earth imaging satellites.


“We are envisioning scaling up the constellation to hundreds of satellites, maybe on the order of 300 satellites; [this] will allow us to provide real-time imaging,” Kargieman told Via Satellite. “By 2015 we’ll have our initial constellation of satellites providing services and, by 2017, I hope to scale that up to the point where we can be near our mission of providing real-time imagery.”

Satellogic joins a growing list of entrepreneurial satellite companies such as Planet Labs, Dauria Aerospace and Skybox Imaging — which is being purchased by Google — that are planning extensive Earth imaging constellations. In 2013 Satellogic launched its first two prototype spacecraft, CubeBug 1 and CubeBug 2. Kargieman said the latest satellite, known as BugSat 1 or “Tita,” will validate the company’s work to both the market and investors.

“We’ve been implementing this incremental development approach toward building our satellite constellation. So, in the first two satellites we tested out part of the components that will be part of the final configuration. In this third satellite, this is the first prototype that is feature-complete, where we can test end-to-end not only the whole satellite platform, but also the payload,” he said.

The final satellites are planned to provide high-resolution imagery as well as video on a real-time basis. Satellogic began working with customers on co-developing applications for the service constellation, which it plans to start launching next year. Kargieman said part of the company’s plan to keep costs down while achieving the scale of hundreds of satellites is through keeping the satellite manufacturing process in-house.

“We are definitely using a lot of different tricks to focus on bringing the costs down so we can scale up. To start with, we are building the satellites based on commercial electronics and off the shelf components a lot of the time. Part of the trick is resorting to smarter software that we can run in the satellite because we have lots more computing power than traditional satellites have, and that allows us to relax a little on the requirements for the hardware,” he said.

The initial service constellation plans for 10 to 15 satellites in orbit and operating by the end of next year. A critical feature of these satellites is a mesh topology where each satellite will stay in constant communication with other members of the constellation. This allows the spacecraft to share the workload and regularly beam down images. Otherwise the rapid Low Earth Orbits (LEO) would limit contact with ground stations, shortcutting the goal of providing a near-constant stream of data.

“We think the ability to be able to monitor the Earth in real-time, to be able to quantify processes that are going on [a] day-to-day or minute-to-minute basis will give us an unprecedented ability to manage the resources that we have available in a much better way … and feedback we’ve been getting from customers we engage is consistent with that,” he said.

According to Kargieman, the latest prototype satellite will reach less than 2-meter resolution. Over time this resolution will increase based on customer input. He added that Satellogic is already working with customers across several different verticals. Common interests are monitoring the production and distribution of food, energy and natural resources. Satellogic expects data collected on these activities from space to become increasingly more valuable over the next 15 to 20 years.

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(April 2014) Hatfield Consultants has launched a new Land Monitoring service for mining, oil and gas and plantation resource developers to mitigate and manage environmental and social risks.

Effective Land Monitoring is a dynamic and continuous process of managing environmental and social risks, ideally supported throughout project development with information derived from satellite remote sensing. Through Land Monitoring, Hatfield supports the development of effective environmental and social management systems and ensures that Land Monitoring systems:

  • Are appropriate to the nature and scale of the project
  • Support sustainable environmental and social performance
  • Improve financial, social, and environmental outcomes
  • Are integrated with on-the-ground biodiversity and social assessments

How it Works

In contrast to conventional land change maps that can take months to be produced, Land Monitoring uses new satellite remote sensing systems to provide more frequent, high resolution satellite images. Our image processing systems use the baseline habitat data of your project area and new satellite images. Our change detection system integrates knowledge of seasonal habitat change to ensure we identify, extract and report information important to your operations. Changes are identified and the baseline habitat information is updated. Maps and data are delivered in a fraction of the time through the Land Monitoring website or data streaming.


Hatfield Land Monitoring Services

To learn more, visit the website

About Hatfield Consultants

Hatfield Consultants is a pioneer in the field of environmental services with a 40-year history of providing innovative solutions to complex environmental challenges. Hatfield conducts environmental and social baseline studies and monitoring around the world, including North and South America, Asia, Europe and Africa. Land Monitoring is an essential component of our activities to support responsible resource development. Our track record includes successful completion of baseline studies, environmental assessment, and ongoing monitoring in a number of resource development sectors.

For more information:
Dr. Andy Dean, PhD.
Partner & Senior Geomatics Specialist
HATFIELD CONSULTANTS PARTNERSHIP
E-mail: hcp@hatfieldgroup.com
Tel.: +1-604-926-3261
Toll-Free: +1-866-926-3261

Newsletter #April has been launched


(3 April 2014) Today’s liftoff of the latest Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft ultimately will lead to more data flowing into NOAA’s weather models that produce life-saving forecasts, according to the agency’s top satellite official.

The DMSP-19 spacecraft launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 7:46 A.M. PDT aboard an Atlas V rocket. The satellite is undergoing a series of early on-orbit systems tests and is expected to be ready for operational use in six weeks.

Since the mid-1960’s, the DMSP’s low earth-orbiting satellites have provided the military and civilian communities with important and reliable environmental information. Each DMSP satellite has a 101-minute orbit, circling between the North and South poles and providing global coverage twice a day. The last DMSP spacecraft was launched in October 2009.

Data from these satellites can help identify, locate and determine the intensity of severe weather, including hurricanes. DMSP spacecraft also can be used to form three-dimensional cloud analyses, which are the basis for computer forecast models to meet unique military requirements.

“For years, NOAA has used DMSP data for operational weather forecasting, which has added to NOAA’s continuous, robust stream of satellite data for a Weather Ready nation,” said Mary Kicza, assistant administrator for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service.

Additionally, DMSP satellites provide imagery of environmental features including clouds, bodies of water, snow, fire, and pollution in the visual and infrared spectra. The scanning radiometric instruments record information which helps determine cloud type and height, land and surface water temperatures, sea surface currents, ocean surface features, ice, and snow. The satellite data collected and downlinked to the ground stations are processed, interpreted by meteorologists, and used in planning and conducting U.S. military operations worldwide.

The primary command and control of the satellite is jointly managed by NOAA and the Air Force 50th Operations Group Detachment 1, both operating out of the Satellite Operations Control Center in Suitland, Md. Operations are also supported by a back-up facility located at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., under the leadership of the 6th Space Operations Squadron.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.

(source: NOAA)

China’s first test satellite for detecting electromagnetic anomalies from space will launch in 2016 in a move that is aimed at improving the country’s earthquake monitoring network and moving its seismological science forward.

Yuan Shigeng, project manager for the satellite, said the polar-orbiting device will carry eight payloads, including a search-oil magnetometer, electric field detector, energetic particle sensors designed by China and Italy, and a Langmiur probe and plasma analyzer.

The satellite will collect and transmit data on electromagnetic signals in the Earth’s ionosphere at altitudes of 507 km.

During its mission life of five years, the satellite will collect and supply data for research on earthquake monitoring, earth science and space science.

The China Earthquake Administration will be the main client for the satellite.

Shen Xuhui, a professor at the institute of earthquake science at the CEA, said the satellite’s detection capabilities include large-scale, highly dynamic, multi-parameter and all-weather features, which will be important for the current ground monitoring network.

Scientists hope any major breakthrough in the research will help them understand earthquakes better so lives can be saved.

“Through these data, we try to understand what natural warnings, such as changes in electromagnetic signals, are indicating prior to earthquakes,” Shen said.

China experienced 43 earthquakes of above magnitude-5.0 last year, twice the annual number over the past three decades, that claimed thousands of lives, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Earthquakes are a sudden release of energy caused by the sliding of the Earth’s crust along fault lines, and changes to fluorescent, infrared and magnetic signals can be detected in advance.

China’s latest project started in 2003 and its test satellite is now in the preliminary design stage. Shen has been involved in the project from the start.

“Among the many signals that nature may provide before earthquakes occur, we’ve chosen magnetic ones because we are technically and economically ready,” Shen said.

Roberto Battiston, a professor at the University of Trento in Italy, said that studying magnetic and electric fields is a wise choice for earthquake science.

Over the last 30 years, various studies have suggested a link between seismic activity and the precipitation of energetic electrons trapped in the Van Allen Belts, Battiston said.

Studies suggest that strong seismic activity often causes electromagnetic anomalies in the Earth’s atmosphere, ionosphere and magnetosphere, aiding the monitoring and prediction of earthquakes.

Battiston said the collaboration between Italy and China is “extremely effective” and he looks forward to the first data from China’s electromagnetic satellite.

Seismologists in China have been working with other countries including France, Italy, Russia and Ukraine that have their own advantages in seismo-electromagnetic research.

Battiston said earthquakes are a global phenomenon, and the development of techniques to mitigate their damage will greatly benefit from international collaboration.

With the successful launch of the satellite, China will join a select group of nations that have their own earthquake monitoring satellites, which could broaden international collaboration in the field.

Dimitar Ouzounov, a professor of earth sciences at Chapman University in California, also spoke highly of China’s project, saying it “provides an excellent opportunity to advance the well-integrated space-ground system in earthquake monitoring in the near future in China”.

China’s satellite mission could become the focal point for future international cooperation among many scientists in space physics, electromagnetic observation and satellite methodologies for earthquake monitoring and warnings, the professor said.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

6 May 2014 (14:00-17:00) Charlemagne Building, 170 rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels

The European Commission is pleased to invite you to the outreach event Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation: Key Messages from IPCC’s 5th Assessment Report and Implications for Policy and Decision Making. During the half day event high level representatives from the IPCC will provide key note speeches and present key messages from the AR5 WG II IPCC Working Group II Report (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability), to be approved at the 38th Session of the IPCC, in Yokohama, Japan, on 25-29 March 2014 and WG III IPCC Working Group III Report (Mitigation of Climate Change), to be approved at the 39th Session of the IPCC in Berlin, Germany, on 7-11 April 2014 Reports.

The event will bring together policy makers, key stakeholders from the private sector, civil society representatives, scientists and advisors to discuss climate change adaptation and mitigation challenges, as well as opportunities for the future.

The Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Ms Máire Geoghegan-Quinn will officially open the event. This will be followed by a high-level panel discussion. Panel members will include Commissioner for Climate Action, Ms Connie Hedegaard, the Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Ms Kristalina Georgieva, and representatives from the business sector and experts from international organisations.

For more information please visit our web announcement

For registration click HERE