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Map of rainfalls during Sandy
TRMM rainfall maps will also be included in the new portal. Here a map showing intensity of rainfalls during Hurricane Sandy
Credits: SSAI/NASA, Hal Pierce

(March 27, 2014) The White House is currently working with NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and different technology companies to create a website and database with information on how climate change affects public health and infrastructure in the United States.

The site will pull data from the 10,000 data sets now available on the official data portal Data.Gov. The Beta version will display data on flooding and coastal flooding.

John Podesta, a senior advisor to the president, according to the website Guardian Liberty Voice, said that this new site will shed better light on the costs of inaction on climate change.

The website data.gov/climate will offer different tools for the end user, for example to calculate the effects of storm surges, rainfalls and floods in different regions in the United States. The Administration hopes not just to inform the citizens but also enable them to be more pro-active.

Read more Guardian Liberty Voice
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(27 March, 2014) In 2003, 2007 and 2013, Sudan was particularly harshly affected by flash floods that displaced hundreds of thousands of people. In order to better prepare and warn farmers of flood events, they need access to real-time information and they need to be able to exchange and apply the information.

To fill this gap, the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) recently completed research on the potential use of satellite data in flood-based farming in Sudan. The project is support by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The target of the project is to provide operational flood mapping services and the development of a flood forecasting system. Via Smart ICT (e.g. cell-phones backed up by the web), farmers and relevant authorities will be better informed on flood data for their respective decision making processes.

The flood forecasting tool will use the Hydrological Modeling System and River Analysis System provided by the US Army’s Hydrologic Engineering Center. Additionally, the tool will use data on soil and land cover, and water flow.

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Within the framework of its collaboration with the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) – host to one of UN-SPIDER’s Regional Support Offices – has mapped potential locust reproduction zones in the South of Algeria and the North-East of Mauritania. The experts analyzed the ecological conditions of the migratory locust for the period between 18 January and 3 February 2014.

This activity was carried out at the request of the National Institute of Protection of Vegetation (INPV), which is in charge of fighting the locust infestation at the national level.

Thirteen satellite images with medium resolution (22 m), supplied by the British Disaster Monitoring Constellation UK-DMC-2, were processed for the maps. These images covered a total area of 935 671 square km in the South of Algeria (Wilayas of Illizi, Tamanrasset, Adrar and Tindouf) and the North-East of Mauritania. The medium resolution images allowed with good accuracy the identification of zones showing high chlorophyll levels. High chlorophyll levels indicate favorable conditions for the locust to reproduce, thus representing a high risk for the insects’ infestation to increase. Locust infestations are a great threat to local and regional agricultural production.

The analysis of the satellite images allowed to identify the following potential reproduction zones:

  • In the North-East of Mauritania (Zone 1), the region of Bir Moghrein shows medium chlorophyll levels, mainly running along the Oueds (riverbeds).
  • In the South of Algeria (Zone 2), particularly the Wilaya of Illizi, the plant cover along the Oueds (riverbeds) shows low to medium chlorophyll activity.

This new analysis of the potential reproduction zones using satellite images is provided by ASAL to INPV as basic document to help them in their prevention activities in the concerned zones of Algeria and their adjacent regions. The INPV’s conclusions will also be shared with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).

Read more Regional Support Office ASAL
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(28 March, 2014) The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Philippines wants to finish up the mapping process of all flood prone zones in the country by 2016.

DOST Secretary Mario Montejo reported that the department’s Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation Project is going well and 18 major river basins have been mapped already. The project aims to produce high-resolution 3D maps of flood prone areas with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology.

The project will help develop better evacuation strategies in case of floods for residents in flood prone areas.

Read more GMA Network
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(Indonesia recently launched InAWARE, an advanced hazard early warning and monitoring system in order to enhance its emergency response capacities.

The system was developed by Indonesia’s national Disaster management agency (BNPB) and supported by the United States Agency for International Development Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.

The website FutureGov elaborates: “InAWARE is based on the Pacific Disaster Centre’s (PDC) DisasterAWARE platform which consolidates hazard information and alerts from various national and international sources. The system also facilitates information sharing within and between Indonesia’s national and provincial disaster management stakeholder agencies to help government authorities arrive at well-informed decisions during times of natural calamities.”

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(April 3, 2014) To compensate the frustration over the endless search for missing the Malaysian airliner, Chinese scientists have doubled efforts to promote their project of a huge satellites network, which will enable Beijing to monitor the whole world.

As the mission to find the passenger jet MH370 which disappeared off the radars on March 8 with 239 people on board, 153 of them Chinese, is yet to yield to any substantial result, the space surveillance net project is gaining strong backing from key government officials in Beijing, the South China Morning Post reports.

China currently has satellites in the orbit but they largely focus on its region and surrounding area. The exact number of them is a state secret.

“If we had a global monitoring network today, we wouldn’t be searching in the dark. We would have a much greater chance to find the plane and trace it to its final position. The plan is being drafted to expand our regional monitoring capability,” Professor Chi Tianhe, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of remote Sensing and Digital Earth, told the SCMP.

After the Malaysian Boeing 777 went missing, the Chinese Academy of Engineering submitted a letter from senior scientists to state leaders advising them to begin building a global satellite-surveillance network.

If the project is given the green light by the Chinese government it could be up and running in as little as two years from now, says Chi. But it won’t be cheap, a satellite costs 400 million Yuan ($64 million) to build, this would mean the project as a whole would need a budget of at least 20 billion Yuan.

According to statistics from the US-based Union of Concerned Scientists there are about 1,000 satellites currently orbiting the earth, but the vast majority of those are for communication and only about 150 are for observation, remote sensing and military-surveillance.

Professor Liu Yu, an expert at Peking’s University’s school of earth and space sciences, believes the project could be game changing for China’s ability to spy from space.

“International earth-observation services today are dominated by the US and European countries, but if China launches more than 50 satellites for this purpose, the whole landscape will be changed,” said Liu.

But the project is by no means set in stone and it faces a number of technological hurdles. One of them is that the existing space centers in Jiuguan, Taiyuan and Xichang are involved in other missions, like manned space flights and plans to explore the Moon.

At the moment China launches about 15 satellites every year, but this would need to be at least doubled.

Space experts believe that with an upgrade at the Wenchang launch center in Hainan, which is now complete, it might be possible to increase China’s rocket capacity and thereby make the project possible.

While the quality of the imaging equipment also needs to be improved, says Liu.

Professor Zhao Chaofang, an oceanographer at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao, also said that China needs to develop more ground stations, to ease and speed up sending data back to earth.

“Many Chinese satellites can only offload their data when they are flying over China, so the data we receive is sometimes only a fraction of the amount collected by the satellites. To build up a global monitoring network as efficient as that of the US, our ground stations overseas must be expanded as well,” he said.

Source Voice of Russia
Spacewar

DALLAS, April 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — The “Global Satellite-based Earth Observation Market 2014-2018” report says one of the major trends witnessed in the market is the formation of the GEOSS. GEOSS is an internet-based platform that allows users of Earth observation data to access, search, and use the data, information, tools, and services for their needs.

GEOSS is mainly used to develop a data-driven system to investigate the Earth’s past, present, and future scenarios and models. In addition, the GEOSS is expected to address societal benefit areas of critical importance, such as disaster, climate, water, weather, ecosystem, agriculture, biodiversity, health, and energy. The GEOSS was developed by the GEO, a voluntary partnership of governments and international organizations, to utilize the growing potential of Earth observation. The GEO has been coordinating efforts to build GEOSS on the basis of a 10-year implementation plan. The GEOSS system is expected to be completed by 2015. Therefore, the formation of GEOSS is an emerging trend that is expected to have a positive influence on the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Analysts forecast the Global Satellite-based Earth Observation market will grow at a CAGR of 11.34 percent over the period 2013-2018. According to the report, one of the main drivers in this market is The “Global Satellite-based Earth Observation Market 2014-2018” report says one of the major trends witnessed in the market is the formation of the GEOSS. the increasing number of Earth observation satellites being launched. Seven Earth observation satellites were launched between January 2013 and October 2013. In addition, almost 30 Earth observation satellite missions are expected to be launched during November 2013-December 2014, and almost 258 Earth observation satellites are expected to be launched during 2014-2029.

Covered in this Report
The revenue from the Global Satellite-based Earth Observation market can be segmented into Data and value added services. The market revenue can also be segmented by vertical into Defense and Intelligence, Government Authorities, Energy and Natural Resources, Navigation and Location-based Services, Industry, and Living Resources.

Key Regions
North America
Europe
APAC
Latin America
MEA

Key Vendors
Astrium N.V.
DigitalGlobe Inc.
DMC International Imaging Ltd.
MacDonald, Dettwiler & Associates Ltd.

Other Prominent Vendors
Deimos Imaging S.l.
eGEOs S.p.A.
GeoOptics Inc.
hisdeSAT Servicios Estratégicos S.A.
ImageSat International NV
PlanetIQ
Rapid Eye A.G.
Skybox Imaging Inc.

Purchase Report Directly.

Key Market Driver
Growing Number Earth Observation Satellite Launches.

Key Market Challenge
Increasing Adoption of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle-based Earth Observation.

Key Market Trend
Increasing Use of Earth Observation Maritime Applications.

Further, the report states that one of the major challenges in the market is the increasing adoption of UAV-based Earth observation. Many defense organizations as well as natural resources and biodiversity researchers, are using UAVs to gather information and imagery, because the UAVs provide more flexibility and hyper-spatial data compared to the satellite-based Earth Observation data.

Other Related Reports:
Global Satellite Market 2014-2018 The report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the Global region; it also covers the Global Satellite market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

Key vendors dominating this space are Boeing, Airbus SAS., Lockheed Martin Corp., Orbital Sciences Corp., and Thales Group.

Other vendors mentioned in the report are APCO Technologies SA, Ariane Space, ATC Inc., China Great Wall Indutry Corp., Comtech Telecommunications Corp. , Encompass Digital Media, Inc., Eutelsat Communications S.A., GenCorp: Aerojet, Globalstar Inc., GlobeComm Systems Inc., Harris Corporation, Huawei, Hughes Satellite Systems Corp., Indian Space Research Organisation, Indian Space Research Organisation: ISRO, Inmarsat Plc., Intelsat Investment S.A., International Launch Services, Iridium Communications Inc., ITT Corporation: Space Systems, Jena-Optronik GmbH, L-3 Communications: Space and Navigation, Loral Space Systems, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, OHB System AG, Orbcomm Inc., Satcom Resources, SES S.A., SKY Perfect JSAT Holdings Inc., Space International Services, SPACEX, Star One S.A., STM Networks Inc., Telesat Holdings Inc., Thaicom Public Company Ltd., Thuraya Satellite Telecommunication Company Inc., United Launch Alliance, ViaSat Inc., and VT iDirect, Inc.

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PRcarbon

Sentinel-1, the first Copernicus Satellite dedicated to environmental monitoring, was successfully launched.

DEIMOS is in charge of the calibration, validation and performance analysis of the radar on board – to assure it takes good ‘pictures’ and fulfils its mission is our responsibility for the coming months!!

(2 April 2014) Simply by breathing, humans have played a small part in the planet-wide balancing act called the carbon cycle throughout our existence.

However, in the last few hundred years, we have taken a larger role. Our activities, such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation, are pushing the cycle out of its natural balance, adding more and more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Natural processes are working hard to keep the carbon cycle in balance by absorbing about half of our carbon emissions, limiting the extent of climate change. There’s a lot we don’t know about these processes, including where they are occurring and how they might change as the climate warms. To understand and prepare for the carbon cycle of the future, we have an urgent need to find out.

In July 2014, NASA will launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) to study the fate of carbon dioxide worldwide. “Right now, the land and the ocean are taking up almost half of the carbon dioxide we add to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, but the future is fundamentally unknown,” said Paul Wennberg, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. “OCO-2 is a key to getting answers.” The mission has been developed and is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Carbon dioxide is both one of the best measured greenhouse gases and one of the least measured. The emissions that remain in the atmosphere become evenly distributed around the globe in a matter of months. As a result, the average atmospheric concentration can be monitored well by existing ground stations (about 160 worldwide). The other half of our emissions — the half that is being absorbed through natural processes into the land or the ocean — is not evenly distributed. To understand where that carbon dioxide is going, we need precise, comprehensive, ongoing data about carbon dioxide absorption and emission by forests, the ocean and many other regions. For some of these regions, we have far too few observations.

“A research ship moves about the speed of a 10-speed bicycle,” said Scott Doney, director of the Ocean and Climate Change Institute at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Mass. “Think about the size of the ocean. There’s only so much research you can do at the speed of a bicycle.” Oceanographers have made up some of the observational deficit by contracting with shipping lines to gather data along commercial routes. But there’s little shipping in the Southern Ocean, and Doney said that’s a region of high concern. “With warming, we expect big changes. The winds are changing there, and carbon dioxide uptake may change too.”

On land, Earth’s great forests might be the least understood areas. In northern Siberia, a region with no permanent settlements and few roads, there are only six year-round monitoring sites across seven time zones. Forests remove carbon from the air during photosynthesis and store it in wood and roots, making these forests what scientists call carbon sinks. But droughts and wildfires can turn forests into carbon sources, releasing the stored carbon back into the atmosphere. We don’t know when and how often forests cross the line from sink to source.

OCO-2 will not be the first satellite to measure carbon dioxide, but it’s the first with the observational strategy, precision, resolution and coverage needed to answer these questions about these little-monitored regions, according to Ralph Basilio, OCO-2 project manager at JPL.

OCO-2’s scientific instrument uses spectrometers, which split sunlight into a spectrum of component colors, or wavelengths. Like all other molecules, carbon dioxide molecules absorb only certain colors of light, producing a unique pattern of dark features in the spectrum. The intensity of the dark features increases as the number of carbon dioxide molecules increases in the air that the spectrometer is looking through.

Carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere are measured in parts per million, the number of molecules of carbon dioxide there are in every million molecules of air. That number is currently around 400. OCO-2’s spectrometers can detect changes of one or two carbon dioxide molecules out of the 400 — an unprecedented level of precision, and one that scientists think will be adequate to detect changes in natural sources and sinks, once enough measurements have been collected.

OCO-2 will collect 24 measurements a second over Earth’s sunlit hemisphere, totaling more than a million measurements each day. Fewer than 20 percent of these measurements will be sufficiently cloud-free to allow an accurate estimate of carbon dioxide, but that number will still yield 100 to 200 times as many measurements as the currently observing Japanese Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) mission. The measurements will be used as input for global atmospheric models. Combined with data on winds and other conditions, the OCO-2 data will allow modelers to better locate carbon sources and sinks at regional scales — areas the size of France or Texas.

“With atmospheric carbon dioxide at unprecedented levels, our sense of urgency has only increased,” said Basilio. “What will happen if we keep emitting carbon dioxide at the same rate? The ultimate goal for OCO-2 is to provide data so that organizations and individuals throughout the world can make better-informed decisions about carbon.”

OCO-2 is one of five new NASA missions launching in 2014. 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 see better 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)
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