Skip to content

(04April2014) the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), through its Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT), released a global report on maritime piracy.

Following a five year engagement by UNITAR to conduct applied research and geospatial analysis on piracy activities, this report constitutes the first global geospatial analysis on the issue. What started with identifying captured ships delivering humanitarian assistance and other goods using satellite imagery later expanded to regional geospatial analyses for the western Indian Ocean. The current report assesses piracy at the global level. This research includes detailed geo-spatial analyses, while relating findings to complementary factors, including references to specific examples illustrating the complexity of the piracy issue.

For an executive summary, link to full report and media-package, please go to https://www.unitar.org/unosat/piracy
bq. This research and present report have been made possible thanks to financial support of the Government of Sweden.
Source

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 2, 2014—Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today it has acquired the assets of privately-held GeoDesy and GeoDesy Free Space Optics (FSO) of Budapest, Hungary. GeoDesy is a European engineering and development company focused on delivering accessories for the geomatics, surveying, mapping and construction industries. Financial terms were not disclosed.

GeoDesy designs, manufactures and distributes accessories for surveying instruments, lasers, robotics, mapping and Global Satellite Navigation System (GNSS) systems, which includes products such as tripods, prism poles, tribaches, brackets and adapters. Along with offering company-branded accessories, GeoDesy also offers regional custom-made solutions.

GeoDesy FSO designs, manufactures and distributes laser-based free space optical communication devices. FSO is a line-of-sight technology that uses invisible beams of infrared light to provide very-high optical bandwidth connections that can send and receive voice, video, and data information for outdoor communications. This technology is typically deployed where traditional communication technologies may be challenging such as large construction sites, remote oil fields, dense urban environments, railways and mining locations. FSO is a technology of choice when high-speed data rates, integrity and data security are essential to success.

GeoDesy complements Trimble’s current portfolio of products acquired from SECO and Crain Enterprises in 2008. The purchase of GeoDesy allows Trimble to provide the necessary products and support services that can be offered as part of its positioning solutions in the engineering and construction markets. GeoDesy offers a unique perspective in the professional surveying market with over 130 years of continued innovation. In addition, GeoDesy will be able to leverage established distribution channels throughout the world.

“With the acquisition of GeoDesy, we have strengthened our ability to serve our customers in the European, Middle Eastern and African regions,” said Henry Munoz, business area director of Trimble Interconnect Solutions. “Our strategy is to combine our global design capabilities with regional innovation and deliver these solutions through localized manufacturing and distribution centers.”

“We have worked closely with Trimble for over 13 years and we believe the acquisition is an ideal strategic fit. The acquisition strengthens our industry leadership position in Europe and gives us access to further opportunities by leveraging Trimble’s worldwide distribution network,” said Peter Szabo, managing director of GeoDesy.

GeoDesy will be part of Trimble’s Engineering and Construction segment.

About GeoDesy and GeoDesy FSO

Established in 1876 and located in Budapest Hungary, GeoDesy is a market leader in the design, production and distribution of surveying instruments, precision mechanic optical components and accessories. GeoDesy FSO designs and produces laser-based free space optical communication devices. For more information, visit: http://geodesy.hu/en.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the business operations and prospects of Trimble, including the impact of the GeoDesy asset acquisition on Trimble’s ability to better serve its positioning solutions customers in the engineering and construction markets. These forward-looking statements are subject to change, and actual results may materially differ due to certain risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause or contribute to changes in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to (i) realizing the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, (ii) Trimble’s ability to strengthen serving its customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa through the acquisition, and (iii) the risks and uncertainties associated with unexpected expenditures or assumed liabilities that may be incurred as a result of the acquisitions. More information about potential factors which could affect Trimble’s business and financial results is set forth in reports filed with the SEC, including Trimble’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its annual report on Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Trimble as of the date hereof, and Trimble assumes no obligation to update such statements.

Media Contact: LeaAnn McNabb of Trimble: 408-481-7808

DigitalGlobe, Inc. (NYSE: DGI), a leading provider of commercial high-resolution earth observation and advanced geospatial solutions, today announced that it has acquired Spatial Energy, a leading source for digital imagery and related services to the energy industry. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Spatial Energy helps energy companies reduce the cost, time and effort associated with acquiring and analyzing complex geospatial information. Spatial Energy’s robust geospatial solutions enable its customers, which include 12 of the top 20 largest oil and gas companies, to more effectively manage their workflows throughout the exploration and production lifecycle. The company provides more than 50 different geospatial data sets, allowing its customers to tailor information solutions to best meet their needs. Its cloud-based spatial data management and delivery platform — Spatial on Demand® — integrates vast archives of geospatial data into a centralized online database that can be accessed anywhere and procured through a subscription service. Founded in 2005, Spatial Energy is a privately-held company based in Boulder, Colorado.

“The acquisition of Spatial Energy advances our position as the leading source of geospatial information and insight,” said Jeffrey R. Tarr, Chief Executive Officer. “Spatial Energy’s powerful cloud-based solution streamlines the process of acquiring and analyzing complex geospatial information and aligns with our goal of delivering insight that answers vital questions for our customers. In addition, Spatial Energy provides DigitalGlobe with a talented, global sales force in the oil and gas vertical, positioning us closer to end customers in this dynamic industry.”

Kenneth “Bud” Pope, co-founder and President of Spatial Energy, added, “Spatial Energy has been trusted as a leading provider of geospatial solutions to the oil and gas industry, helping companies turn imagery from a time-consuming task into a corporate asset. We’re excited to join the DigitalGlobe team to deliver more value and scale to our customers.”

Mike Bahorich, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Apache Corporation, said, “We find the Spatial on Demand platform helpful for making exploration and environmental decisions. We’re excited about the combined organization’s ability to offer us more access to the highest quality commercial imagery in the world, which will save time and resources throughout the exploration and production lifecycles.”

About DigitalGlobe

DigitalGlobe is a leading provider of commercial high-resolution earth observation and advanced geospatial solutions that help decision makers better understand our changing planet in order to save lives, resources and time. Sourced from the world’s leading constellation, our imagery solutions deliver unmatched coverage and capacity to meet our customers’ most demanding mission requirements. Each day customers in defense and intelligence, public safety, civil agencies, map making and analysis, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, infrastructure management, navigation technology, and providers of location-based services depend on DigitalGlobe data, information, technology and expertise to gain actionable insight.

Source

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), thundered into space at 10:37 a.m. PST Thursday, Feb. 27 (3:37 a.m. JST Friday, Feb. 28) from Japan.

The four-ton spacecraft launched aboard a Japanese H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center on Tanegashima Island in southern Japan. The GPM spacecraft separated from the rocket 16 minutes after launch, at an altitude of 247 miles (398 kilometers). The solar arrays deployed 10 minutes after spacecraft separation, to power the spacecraft.

“With this launch, we have taken another giant leap in providing the world with an unprecedented picture of our planet’s rain and snow,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “GPM will help us better understand our ever-changing climate, improve forecasts of extreme weather events like floods, and assist decision makers around the world to better manage water resources.”

The GPM Core Observatory will take a major step in improving upon the capabilities of the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM), a joint NASA-JAXA mission launched in 1997 and still in operation.

While TRMM measured precipitation in the tropics, the GPM Core Observatory expands the coverage area from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle. GPM will also be able to detect light rain and snowfall, a major source of available fresh water in some regions.

To better understand Earth’s weather and climate cycles, the GPM Core Observatory will collect information that unifies and improves data from an international constellation of existing and future satellites by mapping global precipitation every three hours.

“It is incredibly exciting to see this spacecraft launch,” said GPM Project Manager Art Azarbarzin of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “This is the moment that the GPM team has been working toward since 2006.

“The GPM Core Observatory is the product of a dedicated team at Goddard, JAXA and others worldwide. Soon, as GPM begins to collect precipitation observations, we’ll see these instruments at work providing real-time information for the scientists about the intensification of storms, rainfall in remote areas and so much more.”

The GPM Core Observatory was assembled at Goddard and is the largest spacecraft ever built at the center. It carries two instruments to measure rain and snowfall. The GPM Microwave Imager, provided by NASA, will estimate precipitation intensities from heavy to light rain, and snowfall by carefully measuring the minute amounts of energy naturally emitted by precipitation.

The Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR), developed by JAXA with the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Tokyo, will use emitted radar pulses to make detailed measurements of three-dimensional rainfall structure and intensity, allowing scientists to improve estimates of how much water the precipitation holds. Mission operations and data processing will be managed from Goddard.

“We still have a lot to learn about how rain and snow systems behave in the bigger Earth system,” said GPM Project Scientist Gail Skofronick-Jackson of Goddard. “With the advanced instruments on the GPM Core Observatory, we will have for the first time frequent unified global observations of all types of precipitation, everything from the rain in your backyard to storms forming over the oceans to the falling snow contributing to water resources.”

“We have spent more than a decade developing DPR using Japanese technology, the first radar of its kind in space,” said Masahiro Kojima, JAXA GPM/DPR project manager. “I expect GPM to produce important new results for our society by improving weather forecasts and prediction of extreme events such as typhoons and flooding.”

A half-dozen scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., participate on the GPM science team, contributing to the mission’s precipitation science, developing step-by-step procedures for calculating precipitation data, and calibrating observatory sensors. JPL’s Airborne 2-frequency Precipitation Radar is the airborne simulator for the GPM Core Observatory’s DPR and is contributing to GPM ground validation activities.

“The JPL team has a long history of developing precipitation radar systems and processing techniques and assisted in defining the initial GPM mission concept,” said GPM science team member Joe Turk of JPL.

“Our team is also helping define the concept and advanced precipitation/cloud radar instrument for GPM’s planned follow-on mission. We look forward to the more complete and accurate picture of global precipitation that GPM will enable.”

The GPM Core Observatory is the first of NASA’s five Earth science missions launching this year. With a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns, NASA monitors Earth’s vital signs from land, air and space.

NASA also 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 freely 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

(Spacenews, By Peter B. de Selding, PARIS) — China’s push into high-resolution optical Earth observation through its seven-satellite CHEOS system is slightly delayed but will see the launch of a second satellite this year and three more satellites by 2016, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.

The China High-Resolution Earth Observation System, whose first satellite, Gaofen-1, was launched in April 2013 aboard a Chinese Long March 2D rocket, includes airborne instruments and what CNSA calls a “near-space airship,” apparently a high-altitude balloon, equipped with optical, laser and synthetic-aperture radar payloads, CNSA said.

In a presentation to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, whose Scientific and Technical Subcommittee met Feb. 10-21 in Vienna, CNSA said the satellite component of CHEOS has a 1-meter ground resolution at nadir. A similar presentation of the system in October said the system could provide 80-centimeter resolution.

The Gaofen satellites, using the CAST-2000 platform built by the Chinese Academy of Space Technology, operate at between 600 and 700 kilometers in orbit and have a design life of between five and eight years.

“The in-orbit test demonstrates that the performance of GF-1 meets the design requirements completely,” CNSA said in its presentation. GF-1 imagery was sent to Pakistan to help that nation’s disaster-response system after an earthquake.

Chinese officials have said their slow but steady progress in optical Earth observation, where they concede they remain behind other nations’ developments, ultimately will help them reduce their imports of higher-resolution imagery.

Source

A record release of 33 CubeSats from the International Space Station ended Friday after a methodical series of deployments of miniature Earth imaging satellites for San Francisco-based Planet Labs Inc.

The CubeSat constellation, released in pairs over a 17-day period, included 28 satellites for Planet Labs and five spacecraft for private engineering research firms and institutions in Lithuania and Peru.

The deployments began Feb. 11 as the CubeSats sprang out of pods mounted on the end of the space station’s Japanese robotic arm.

The CubeSats were launched to the orbiting complex in January inside an Orbital Sciences Corp. Cygnus cargo craft. Astronauts transferred the payloads, sealed inside more than a dozen NanoRacks deployers, to the space station’s Kibo laboratory and through an airlock to the vacuum of space.

NanoRacks LLC, a Houston-based company providing commercial research opportunities on the space station, sponsored the CubeSat deployments for Planet Labs and other customers. Spaceflight Inc., a firm specializing in launch services for small satellites, partnered with NanoRacks to provide the CubeSat launch opportunities.

“This is the beginning of a new era in space commerce,” said Jeff Manber, NanoRacks CEO, in a press release. “We’re helping our customers get a two year head start in space. They don’t have to wait around for a dedicated launch to space but can instead catch the next rocket to space station. We want to thank NASA and JAXA for being wonderful partners, as well as Spaceflight Inc., for their help with customers. Without these organizations, this couldn’t have happened.”

The 28 CubeSats for Planet Labs will return imagery of Earth with a resolution between 3 and 5 meters, or between 10 and 16 feet. Planet Labs constructed the satellites, each about the size of a loaf of bread, at the company’s San Francisco headquarters.

The Planet Labs constellation, known as Flock 1, will monitor natural disasters, deforestation, agricultural yields and other environmental changes. The company says the satellites will allow scientists and the public to track changes to Earth’s surface at an unprecedented frequency.

It is the largest fleet Earth observation satellites ever launched.

Because the satellites were deployed from the International Space Station, the Flock 1 constellation is limited to observing Earth between 52 degrees of the equator.

The company was founded in 2010 by former NASA scientists and venture capital investors.

Officials plan to upload imagery from the Flock 1 satellites for free access by commercial and humanitarian users.

Source

VANCOUVER, April 3, 2014 /CNW/ – UrtheCast Corp. (TSX:UR) (“UrtheCast” or the “Company”) is extremely pleased to announce its first release of Earth imagery, captured by UrtheCast’s medium-resolution camera (MRC) onboard the International Space Station (ISS).


“This is a pivotal moment for the company and for everyone who’s been a part of the vision that we set in motion in 2010,” stated UrtheCast Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Scott Larson. “Our team has been working extremely hard to make certain that we reach this goal of democratizing a very powerful perspective on the world. We couldn’t be more grateful to the incredibly determined engineering teams at UrtheCast, RSC Energia, and Rutherford Appleton Laboratories.”

Captured on March 28, 2014, at 1pm GMT, this image is centered around the city of Moneague, Jamaica, and has a 6-meter GSD (Ground Sampling Distance). The photo is approximately 3200 × 8000 pixels, and covers approximately 300 square kilometers. The MRC is a multispectral, nadir-pointing imager that captures 6-meter class, 50-km wide swaths of still imagery, which will be made commercially available on the UrtheCast platform. While the images will be made available on an individual basis, they will also be processed and constantly streamed to the UrtheCast platform. This will be realized on the interactive platform as a near realtime flyover view of the planet directly below the ISS as it orbits the globe 16 times every day.

In preparation for the unveiling of its full color, Ultra HD Earth video from space, UrtheCast remains focused on the commissioning and calibration of its cameras, in addition to ground system testing and the continuation of its business plan.

To view additional UrtheCast images as they are released, visit www.urthecast.com/firstlight.

(3 March 2014) MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) announced today that it has received an order to provide Radarsat-2 information to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) as part of EMSA’s CleanSeaNet program.

This order is the first issued under a four-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) agreement MDA has with EMSA. The IDIQ has a ceiling of CA$7.5 million.

MDA will provide EMSA with Radarsat-2 information covering all European sea areas, for use in detecting possible oil spills on the sea surface, and providing information for maritime surveillance projects, such as vessel detection.

The Radarsat-2 satellite has global high-resolution surveillance capabilities that include a large collection capacity and high accuracy. The satellite acquires data regardless of light or weather condition, provides frequent re-visit imaging options, and is supported by ground receiving stations that provide near real-time information delivery services. This versatility makes Radarsat-2 a reliable source of information in multi-faceted intelligence surveying and monitoring programs.

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. In addition, the Company conducts a significant amount of advanced technology development.

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

(source: MDA) and Spacenewsfeed

(10 March 2014) On 5-7 March, Eumetsat hosted the first meeting of the joint Working Group on Climate of the Committee for Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and the Coordination Group for meteorological Satellites (CGMS).

The goals of this working group are to establish an inventory of existing records of Essential Climate Variables derived from observations from space, to plan the production of more Climate Data Records and to optimise planning of future satellites to expand records and avoid data gaps.

This meeting followed a workshop of the SCOPE-CM (Sustained, Co-Ordinated Processing of Environmental Satellite Data for Climate Monitoring) international initiative supported by the World Meteorological Organisation and a network of operators of environmental satellite systems, where work plans for cooperative Climate Data Record generation projects were established.

Eumetsat’s climate monitoring activities encompass re-calibration and inter-satellite calibration, production of homogeneous series of basic observations by reprocessing and downstream production of Climate Data Records for Essential Climate Variables. The activities involve the distributed network of Satellite Application Facilities, in particular the Climate Monitoring SAF led by DWD, and contributions to selected cooperative projects with international partners.

On 10-12 March, Eumetsat will support a workshop in Grainau, Germany, gathering the users of its Climate Monitoring Satellite Application Facility, led by the Deutsche Wetterdienst, to discuss the usage and development of satellite-based climate monitoring products and services in response to user needs.

The engagement in global climate services in 2014 will culminate in the Climate Symposium that Eumetsat is organising with the World Climate Research Programme in Darmstadt on 13-17 October. Bringing together international climate scientists, experts from space agencies as well as high-level representatives from other stakeholders, the symposium will discuss how satellite operators could jointly address the scientific challenges identified in the 5th IPCC Assessment Report.

About Eumetsat

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites is an intergovernmental organisation based in Darmstadt, Germany, currently with 29 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom) and two Cooperating States (Bulgaria and Serbia).

Eumetsat operates the geostationary satellites Meteosat-8, -9 and -10 over Europe and Africa, and Meteosat-7 over the Indian Ocean.

Eumetsat also operates two Metop polar-orbiting satellites as part of the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS) shared with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Metop-B polar-orbiting meteorological satellite, launched on 17 September 2012, became prime operational satellite on 24 April 2013. It replaced Metop-A, the first European polar-orbiting meteorological satellite, which was launched in October 2006. Metop-A will continue operations as long as its available capacities bring benefits to users.

The Jason-2 ocean altimetry satellite, launched on 20 June 2008 and exploited jointly with NOAA, NASA and CNES, added monitoring of sea state, ocean currents and sea level change to the Eumetsat product portfolio.

The data and products from Eumetsat’s satellites are vital to weather forecasting and make a significant contribution to the monitoring of environment and the global climate.

(source: Eumetsat) and spacenewsfeed

(Feb 2014) The World Bank would launch a US$1bn fund in July 2014 to map mineral resources of Africa, using satellites and airborne surveys, according to a report

The bank has reportedly committed US$200mn to the five-year fund, and has been meeting with mining companies and governments from sub-Saharan Africa, Reuters reported.

Paulo de Sa, senior manager, World Bank mining unit, said, “Times are tough, so the mining companies are counting their pennies, but there is a lot of interest because it is exactly when commodity prices are low and the companies are reducing their investment budgets. Having the information to guide their priorities right now is valuable.”

The mapping fund hopes to unearth up to US$1 trillion worth of new mineral resources on the continent.

De Sa met with 10 mining companies, including Rio Tinto and Ivanhoe Mines. Initially targeting southern and eastern Africa, the fund would aim to collate existing data onto a single, digital platform that would be accessible to the public, the report added.

Besides helping to guide exploration investment, African governments could reportedly benefit by being able to negotiate better deals when handing concessions to mining companies.

“If they know what they have in their territory, they are in a better position to fine-tune and calibrate the fiscal regime and mining laws,” he added.

The bank, which has received expressions of interest from Malawi and Mozambique to assist with geological mapping, also wants to identify copper prospectivity in Zambia, Africa’s top producer of the metal.

Source