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Stevenage UK, 29 September 2012 — British developer of geographic information systems (GIS) software, Cadcorp, has formed a partnership with the Belgrade-based geomatics specialist MapSoft Ltd. The 17 person company which was founded in 2002 by academics from the Institute for Geodesy and Geoinformatics at the University of Belgrade, is a respected supplier of software and services to the GIS market in Serbia and surrounding territories.

MapSoft will promote the Cadcorp Spatial Information System® (Cadcorp SIS®) software as a complement to MapSoft’s own data capture product which is widely deployed in cadastral offices, surveying and mapping agencies, local governments and utilities companies in Serbia, the Republic of Srpska, Macedonia, and Montenegro.

“We realised a number of years ago, that as a provider of geomatic solutions we needed to have available a whole range of geoprocessing capabilities and we set about identifying suitable products and companies” said Željko Cvijetinović , Managing Director of MapSoft. “We narrowed our search down to four suppliers, and Cadcorp was one of those. Cadcorp SIS offers the range of functionality we required and, very importantly for us, it adheres to open standards. Cadcorp employs a dedicated team of knowledgeable specialists and having confidence in the ability of a supplier to support us was critical for our selection.”

“The Serbian market for GIS – especially the municipal GIS market – is characterized by a multiplicity of different software systems and data formats” continued Mr. Cvijetinović . “Cadcorp is well-known for the ability of its products to coexist with other systems. We see Cadcorp SIS fulfilling a role for our customers not just as another GIS, but also as central repository capable of serving multiple systems and applications.”

Mike O’Neil, CEO of Cadcorp said: “In the short time we have been partners, MapSoft has already won significant business in the local government market. We look forward to building on this success with Mr. Cvijetinović and his highly-skilled team.”

MapSoft specialises in aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry, topographic and cadastral surveying and mapping, and in delivering customised GIS solutions customised to their clients’ needs. The company has created digital orthophoto coverage for 35% of the land area of Serbia. Through a sister company, MapSoft is also engaged in vehicle tracking and fleet management.

For more information about Cadcorp and MapSoft visit www.cadcorp.com and www.mapsoft.rs

CONTACTS
Cadcorp, Richard Spooner, Marketing Manager
+44 1438 747996, richard.spooner@cadcorp.com
MapSoft, Željko Cvijetinović, Managing Director, Email Contact

Cadcorp

Cadcorp is a British software development company focused on geographic information system (GIS) and web mapping software. We offer a complete suite of products – the Cadcorp Spatial Information System ® (Cadcorp SIS®) – addressing all phases of spatial information management. Cadcorp SIS is available worldwide through a network of Cadcorp partners and through a direct sales team in the UK and Ireland.

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Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) September 28, 2012 — TerraGo Technologies, an innovative provider of widely adopted geospatial collaboration software solutions, has expanded its global partner network with the addition of a reseller in Russia to meet growing demands and better serve customers in the region.

Hitachi Solutions, a TerraGo joint development partner and distributor in Japan, East Asia, China, Taiwan and Russia, recently partnered with Sibintek to distribute TerraGo® geospatial collaboration software in Russia. Based in Moscow, Sibintek is the largest provider of professional IT services in Russia and provides a full range of services in the field of IT outsourcing and maintenance, system integration, design and development of IT infrastructure, telecom services, and the supply of equipment.

“Sibintek is well-known for its unique, hands-on approach and proven methodology for IT services to leading geographically dispersed corporations, government agencies, and administrative structures,” said Richard McKay, TerraGo senior vice president of Sales. “TerraGo is confident that Sibintek, with its deep understanding of the distinctive needs of Russian customers, will be a valuable partner to meet Russian Federation customer needs and foster TerraGo’s continued global growth.”

TerraGo has an extensive ecosystem of business, technology and market partners. In addition to Sibintek in Russia and Hitachi Solutions in Asia, TerraGo GeoPDF®-based solutions are offered worldwide through its reseller network.

Headquartered in Atlanta, TerraGo has an office in Washington, D.C. dedicated to its federal customers, a Manhattan Beach, CA office from its recent acquisition of Geosemble Technologies to serve West Coast customers, and an office in the United Kingdom to serve customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

About TerraGo Technologies

TerraGo Technologies geospatial collaboration software and GeoPDF maps and imagery are among the most widely adopted solutions to produce, access, update and share geospatial information and applications with anyone, anywhere. TerraGo solutions enable enterprises to extend, exchange and exploit geo-referenced maps, imagery, audio, video and other intelligence in connected or offline environments. Trusted by government agencies and businesses worldwide, TerraGo solutions increase the use of geospatial data throughout and between enterprises and the return on geospatial investment through greater organizational efficiency, productivity and responsiveness. Founded in 2005, TerraGo is privately held and is an In-Q-Tel portfolio company. For more information, visit http://www.terragotech.com.

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29 September 2012 [SatNews] The growth in the equipment side is driven by land-mobile units, but the UAV market will absorb the largest portion of commercial satellite capacity in the coming decade.

According to NSR’s newest market research report Government and Military Satellite Communications, 9th Edition, despite near term uncertainty driven by troop withdrawals and budgetary challenges, government and military demand for commercial satcom services looks solid in the long term. In fact the commercial industry will supply 68 percent more satellite capacity to government and military users over the next decade.

The U.S. and NATO allied nations troop pull-out from the Middle-East, coupled with severe budget situations, is certainly a major preoccupation for satellite services in the coming years. Government and military budget reductions will impact some markets more than others, but the short- to mid-term will see the most effects of these challenges.

However as recent events in Libya and Afghanistan have shown, the war on terrorism is not over and the next hotspot could well be North Africa. With more intelligence, surveillance reconnaissance (ISR) manned and unmanned aircraft to assist in this endeavor, increased mobility requirements and higher overall demand for agile and nimble systems at a lower cost will spur long-term revenues but at a slower rate than the past few years.

“The market performance in the short-term will be overshadowed by the pull-out from Afghanistan, but the bottom will certainly not fall out” stated Claude Rousseau, Senior Analyst for NSR and author of the study. “The total revenues grew by almost 10 percent in 2011 and despite questions today, the market should reach $9.7 billion from 1 million in-service units, while transponder demand is set to increase substantially due to UAVs and ISR missions” continued Rousseau.

While there are continuing needs for narrowband communications, demand for capacity is clearly moving towards broadband services with video and large data files as well as social media being strong drivers for bandwidth usage in all segments. The growth in the equipment side is driven by land-mobile units, but the UAV market will absorb the largest portion of commercial satellite capacity in the coming decade. As the U.S. shifts its military strategy towards Asia, there is an expectation that more satellite units and capacity will move to this region.

The report can be viewed here

(1 October 2012) Earth observation measurements shouldn’t be taken with a pinch of salt. ESA is comparing readings of sea-surface salinity from drifting floats to confirm the SMOS water mission’s measurements.

Since its launch in 2009, ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite has been helping us to understand the water cycle.

As with any Earth observation mission, it is important to validate the readings acquired from space. This involves comparing the satellite data with measurements taken directly in the water.

For SMOS, that means comparing its readings to data from floats or drifters that measure ocean salinity at different depths.

Argo floats

One of the major networks of in-situ drifters is Argo. The network, involving over 50 research and operational agencies in more than 30 countries, uses autonomous floats to collect temperature, salinity and deep current data.

With over 3500 active drifters, the Argo floats acquire in situ data in the upper 2000 m of the ocean.

These measurements are then directly compared to SMOS data, which in turn cover the global ocean and provide measurements of the salinity in the first centimetre of the sea surface.

SMOS provides measurements averaged over a surface of 40×40 sq km, but the difference of the size of the area measured and other influencing factors like background noise lead to differences between SMOS and Argo measurements.

“Since Argo measurements are taken much deeper than SMOS’s, the stratification of the upper layer of the ocean needs to be taken into account when comparing the two salinities in rainy regions,” said Jacqueline Boutin from France’s Laboratory for Oceanography and Climate (LOCEAN).

“For example, rain over the ocean will cause SMOS to pick up lower salinity readings than Argo.”

The advantage that SMOS has over the Argo floats is that the satellite provides a complete view of the global ocean every five days.

Argo measurements, on the other hand, provide punctual salinity data sampled at a lower resolution than SMOS every 10 days.

The higher precision provided by the Argo floats, however, complements the SMOS measurements.

Read full article
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(26 September 2012). Research undertaken by the University of Southampton and its associates in Venice has revealed that the sea surface temperature (SST) in coastal regions is rising as much as ten times faster than the global average of 0.13 degrees per decade.

Researchers believe that this is partly as a result of a process known as the ‘urban heat island effect’; where regions experiencing rapid industrial and urban expansion produce vast amounts of heat, making the area warmer than its surroundings.

Professor Carl Amos of Ocean and Earth Sciences at the University of Southampton, will be making a speech at the Estuarine & Coastal Sciences Association’s Research & Management of Transitional Waters international symposium, in Lithuania on Thursday 27 September. He explains: “The urban heat island effect is a little considered problem with extreme consequences. Take London for example; the air temperature in the capital and the SST of the Thames is always warmer than it is in the rest of the UK. Similarly, in South Korea, an area which has seen rapid industrial expansion, the SST is rising at a rate of 0.26 degrees per decade – significantly higher than the global average. Two thirds of this rise is explained by local air temperature, which is largely driven by the urban heat island effect.”

The world’s coastal zone occupies 18 per cent of the world’s land mass and it is estimated that 1.6 billion people live in these regions world-wide. The coastal population density is three times the global average and this population is expected to increase 30 per cent by 2025, with trade and infrastructure at the coasts also increasing steadily. Research suggests that in coastal regions of high urban development, human activity is directly warming adjacent coastal waters and that this contribution to global warming at the coastal zones is equal to, or greater than, other factors such as greenhouse gasses.

Professor Amos, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS) says: “The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership Report of 2006 stated that the capacity to define and predict long-term coastal changes due to human causes is ‘unknown’ and confidence in results is ‘low’. This is a major barrier to planning for inevitable changes in coastal SST. Most of these changes at coastlines are caused by human activity, but as it is complex to consider these factors accurately, the official International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) figures do not take these coastal ‘anomalies’ into account.”

In Venice, with 22 million visitors annually and tourism a year-round source of income, the economy remains critically dependent on the city maintaining its status as one of the world’s most desirable destinations. Southampton’s research in Venice has highlighted the tension between tourism’s economic benefits and environmental repercussions. Analyses of seawater temperature trends in the Venice Lagoon have suggested an increase during winter months ten times greater than that predicted globally by the IPCC – a result directly linked to tourism.

Thousands of jobs and the Venetian economy rely on the survival of the fishing industry, which is dependent on the temperature of the coastal seawater in the Venice Lagoon. A rise in SST in the coastal zone reduces oxygen levels and displaces marine fish and associated nursery grounds, causing catastrophic fish kill phenomena. This research has helped predict the viability of clam fisheries and aquaculture habitats that serve the restaurant trade that caters for millions of tourists every year.

Professor Amos says: “The findings in Venice are the result of a 15 year partnership with the city, which are of great importance and have worldwide applications. Massive urbanisation of the coastal zones means urban heat islands represent an acute problem, particularly for the fishing industry and also for the maintenance of coastal infrastructure. The Thames, like the Venice Lagoon, is a major contributor to and casualty of the urban heat island effect. The consequences of the urban heat island effect need addressing urgently to secure the future of our coastal habitats.”

Notes for editors

  • The University of Southampton’s associates in the work at the Venice Lagoon are the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, the West Vancouver Marine Laboratory, ISMAR Venice, and the National Water Research Institute of Canada
  • For more information on the Estuarine & Coastal Sciences Association’s Research & Management of Transitional Waters international symposium, visit http://corpi.ku.lt/ecsa2012/?page_id=2
  • Source and gmes.info

California’s agricultural industry will be faced with making major amendments to farming methods and crop plantings as Earth’s climate continues its warming evolution.


“Climate change is stacking the deck,” biologist Stuart Weiss said in an article prepared by the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting and KQED public radio.

It’s not going to happen overnight, according to scientists. But Weiss, chief scientist of the Creekside Center for Earth Observation in Menlo Park, is predicting a gradual temperature rise of nearly two degrees over the next 30 years affecting agriculture from the Napa Valley through the Central Valley to the Imperial Valley.

That doesn’t sound like much, but in critical growing stages it is huge.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in 2010 that climate change poses a major risk to all of the nation’s agriculture, but California appears particularly vulnerable.

This in turn is causing the state’s largest industry to reassess its operation.

Source

[San Francisco Chronicle]

(26 September 2012) Emcore Corporation announced today that it has been awarded a solar panel manufacturing contract by Orbital Sciences Corporation for NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) mission targeted for launch in early 2016.

Solar panels populated with Emcore’s most advanced ZTJ triple-junction solar cells will power the ICESat-2 spacecraft manufactured by Orbital.

ICESat-2 builds on measurements taken by NASA’s original ICESat mission. ICESat was the benchmark Earth Observing System mission for measuring ice sheet mass balance, cloud and aerosol heights, as well as land topography and vegetation characteristics. Data from ICESat, which was in orbit from 2003 to 2010, revealed thinning of the world’s ice sheets. ICESat-2 will use precision laser-ranging techniques to measure the topography of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and the thickness of sea ice.

“This award for ICESat-2 continues the strong partnership between Orbital Sciences Corporation and Emcore,” said Brad Clevenger, General Manager of Emcore’s Photovoltaics Group. “Our proven manufacturing capability, technology leadership and solar panel reliability make Emcore the supplier of choice for demanding spacecraft power systems.”

Emcore is the world’s leading manufacturer of highly-efficient radiation-hard solar cells for space power applications. With a Beginning-Of-Life (BOL) conversion efficiency nearing 30% and the option for a patented, onboard monolithic bypass diode, Emcore’s industry-leading multi-junction solar cells provide the highest available power to interplanetary spacecraft and earth orbiting satellites.

About Emcore

Emcore Corporation offers a broad portfolio of compound semiconductor-based products for the fiber optics and solar power markets. Emcore’s Fiber Optics business segment provides optical components, subsystems and systems for high-speed telecommunications, Cable Television (CATV) and Fiber-To-The-Premise (FTTP) networks, as well as products for satellite communications, video transport and specialty photonics technologies for defense and homeland security applications. Emcore’s Solar Photovoltaics business segment provides products for space power applications including high-efficiency multi-junction solar cells, Covered Interconnect Cells (CICs) and complete satellite solar panels.

About Orbital Sciences Corporation

As the industry leader in small- and medium-class space and rocket systems, Orbital Sciences Corporation provides a complete set of reliable, cost-effective products including satellites for Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), communications and broadcasting, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) spacecraft that perform remote sensing and scientific research, spacecraft used for national security missions, and planetary probes to explore deep space. In addition, Orbital provides full service engineering, production and technical services for NASA, DoD, commercial and academic space programs.

(source: Emcore)

(27 September 2012) Spatial Energy has signed a strategic reseller agreement with Astrium Services in Chantilly, Va. This agreement establishes Spatial Energy as the first global reseller of Astrium products and services to the worldwide oil and gas industry.


“Astrium Services is the only geo-information data provider today with a full spectrum of satellites acquiring multi-resolution optical and radar imagery from which a variety of products and services are derived, including elevation data, global oil seeps, and geologic studies,” said Bud Pope, Spatial Energy President. “A key advantage of Astrium Services is the large capacity of high resolution imaging open to the commercial market, resulting in faster acquisitions and deliveries.”

With the full range of Astrium Services’ products and services catalog added to the Spatial Energy content offerings and available through its Spatial on Demand cloud-based service, the Colorado firm is better positioned to provide oil & gas customers with detailed geospatial information throughout their entire exploration and production workflows, while benefiting from favored pricing and global oil/gas licensing.

“Spatial Energy is a recognized energy industry leader providing geospatial solutions to global oil and gas enterprises,” said Greg Buckman, Head of Astrium Services’ GEO-Information team in North America. “The breadth and scope of Spatial Energy’s services make it an ideal partner for Astrium to work with in serving the global energy industry.”

Astrium Services operates a constellation of Earth observation satellites unparalleled in the commercial market. Astrium Services’ entry into the high-resolution imagery market came in late 2011 with the launch of Pleiades 1A, acquiring 50-cm images. A twin satellite, Pleiades 1B, is scheduled for launch this year. Launched in September 2012, SPOT 6 captures wide-area optical imagery at 1.5-meter resolution and will be joined in orbit by SPOT 7 early 2014.

“Pleiades 1A, Pleiades 1B, SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 will operate in a 90-degree phased orbit allowing for multiple acquisitions of a geographic area within a 24-hour period. The constellation is highly reactive thanks to multiple tasking plans per day and a tasking time of only four hours,” said Spatial Energy’s Pope. “No other satellite constellation offers repeat coverage within the same day on such short notice.”

In addition to the optical SPOT and Pleiades imaging satellites, Astrium Services operates two synthetic aperture radar satellites, TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X. Capable of acquiring highly accurate elevation data of the Earth’s surface, both onshore and offshore, these radar platforms generate derived information for Astrium’s Global Seeps Database, Onshore Geologic Studies, and GEO Elevation products, all now available through Spatial Energy.

About Astrium

Astrium is the number one company in Europe for space technologies and the third in the world. In 2011, Astrium had a turnover close to EUR5 billion and 18,000 employees worldwide, mainly in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.

Astrium is the sole European company that covers the whole range of civil and defense space systems and services.

Its three business units are: Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure; Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment; Astrium Services for comprehensive fixed and mobile end-to-end solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, high security and broadcast satellite communications equipment and systems, and bespoke geo-information services, worldwide.

Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. In 2011, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of EUR 49.1 billion and employed a workforce of over 133,000.

About Spatial Energy

Spatial Energy provides the world’s best collection of energy-specific imagery, imagery analysis and online enterprise imagery and data management services for oil and gas companies operating globally. Over 50 of the Top 100 oil and gas companies worldwide use Spatial Energy to increase speed to drilling, maximize production, lower costs and monitor and protect their assets.

Imagery is available on demand from our data archives, by tasking satellites and aerial providers, by speculative collection and by hosting corporate imagery. Our data is tailored for use within geological and geophysical desktop applications, as well as web applications and geoportals. Our Enterprise Remote Sensing Solutions (ES2) provides one source for a full range of remote sensing services. We offer subscription programs such as the Spatial Energy Partner Program (EPP), BasinWatch and Spatial on Demand to provide simplified, cost effective access to acquiring and managing imagery as a corporate asset.

(source: Spatial Energy) and Astrium Services

Darmstadt/Paris, 28 September 2012 – Four of the instruments on the Metop-B weather satellite (AMSU-A, ASCAT, MHS, GRAS) have been activated this week and are delivering data.

This demonstrates that Metop-B, launched on 17 September, is performing well and is on its way towards replacing the ageing Metop-A as prime operational satellite in polar orbit, after the six-month commissioning phase.

The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) and Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) are innovative European instruments. ASCAT delivers information on near-surface wind speed and direction over the global oceans and soil moisture over land, while the MHS delivers information on atmospheric humidity in all weather conditions.

The Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) is an American heritage instrument already flying on the US NOAA satellites, providing temperature soundings in all weather conditions.

The Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding (GRAS) instrument is delivering data which are used to provide atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles by measuring the bending of GPS signals through the atmosphere. Data from GRAS are also used for precise orbit determination of the Metop-B satellite before and after the nominal stop-drift manoeuvre, in conjunction with traditional ranging and Doppler measurements.

Temperature and humidity soundings, wind at the ocean surface, and soil moisture are essential inputs to Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models, the basis of modern weather forecasting. The all-weather wind measurements provided by ASCAT are used worldwide to track mid-latitude storms and tropical cyclones.

These instruments also contribute to the long-term data sets needed for climate studies and monitoring.

The first data delivered by the European instruments are a joint achievement by ESA, EUMETSAT, and the European space industry. For its mandatory programmes, EUMETSAT relies on ESA for the development of new satellites and the procurement of recurrent satellites like Metop-B. This cooperation model has made Europe a world leader in satellite meteorology by making best use of the respective expertise of the two agencies.

Links to the first data can be found under AMSU
ASCAT
MHS

About Metop

The Metop satellites are Europe’s first operational meteorological satellites in polar orbit. They constitute the space segment of the EUMETSAT Polar System (EPS) delivering data for numerical weather prediction (NWP) – the basis of modern weather forecasting – and climate and environmental monitoring.

Flying at an altitude of 817 km, each Metop satellite carries the same sophisticated suite of instruments providing fine-scale global data, which can only be gathered in the low Earth orbit, such as vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and moisture, wind speed and direction at the ocean surface, and some atmospheric trace gases.

Observations from Metop-A have significantly improved weather forecasts up to 10 days ahead. These forecasts are essential to protect life and limit damage to property, but they also benefit the weather-sensitive sectors of the European economy, especially energy, transportation, construction, agriculture and tourism.

The three Metop satellites, launched sequentially, will provide continuous data until 2020. The first satellite, Metop-A, was launched in 2006, and the third and final satellite, Metop- C, is scheduled for launch at the end of 2017.

ESA is responsible for the development of the three Metop satellites, fulfilling user and system requirements defined by EUMETSAT. ESA also carries out operations for the Launch and Early Orbit Phase to place the satellites in polar orbit, before handing them over to EUMETSAT for commissioning and exploitation. EUMETSAT develops all ground systems required to deliver products and services to users and to respond to their evolving needs, procures launch services and operates the full system for the benefit of users.

The EPS programme is Europe’s contribution to the Initial Joint Polar System (IJPS), with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

About EUMETSAT

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites is an intergovernmental organisation based in Darmstadt, Germany, currently with 26 European Member States (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom) and five Cooperating States (Bulgaria, Estonia, Iceland, Lithuania, and Serbia).

EUMETSAT operates the geostationary satellites Meteosat-8 and -9 over Europe and Africa, and Meteosat-7 over the Indian Ocean. The third Meteosat Second Generation satellite, MSG-3, was launched on 5 July 2012 and will be renamed Meteosat-10 after commissioning is complete.

Metop-A, the first European polar-orbiting meteorological satellite, was launched in October 2006 and has been delivering operational data since 15 May 2007. It will be replaced by Metop-B, which was launched on 17 September 2012.

The Jason-2 ocean altimetry satellite, launched on 20 June 2008, added monitoring of sea state, ocean currents and sea level change to the missions EUMETSAT conducts.

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.

Media Relations
EUMETSAT
Tel: +49 6151 807 7320 Fax: +49 6151 807 7321 press@eumetsat.int www.eumetsat.int

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space.

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 19 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, of whom 17 are Member States of the EU. ESA has Cooperation Agreements with nine other Member States of the EU and is negotiating an Agreement with the one remaining (Bulgaria). Poland is in the process of becoming ESA’s 20th Member State. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.

ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities. Today it launches satellites for Earth observation,
navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space.

For further information, please contact: ESA Media Relations Office Communication Department
Tel: +33 1 53 69 72 99
Fax: +33 1 53 69 76 90

(26 September 2012) Archived radar data from the Envisat mission are playing an important role in mapping landslides in Switzerland. The mission’s vast archives continue to prove useful for mapping ground deformation.

Landslides are a natural hazard of special relevance in Alpine regions. This ground displacement can severely damage human lives and infrastructure.

Earth-observing satellites – specifically those equipped with radars – can help scientists to map and monitor ground movement.

This information can then be used by local authorities in planning safe and durable infrastructure, as well as for mapping risk to existing infrastructure.


The Grison Alps in eastern Switzerland. The colours represent mean yearly displacement rates derived from Envisat data 2002–10. Red dots depict a subsidence of at least 5 mm per year.Credits: ESA / Gamma Remote Sensing


Regional hazard map over an area in western Switzerland showing rock falls in pink and landslides in orange and yellow. Radar data from the Envisat satellite are still being used to support the generation of regional hazard maps.Credits: Canton Bern

From their orbits some 800 km above the ground, satellite radars can detect these ground deformations down to within centimetres.

When two or more radar images of the same area are combined, positional changes are revealed. This technique, called Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar – or DInSAR – has become a useful tool for detecting ground deformation.

The Swiss corporation Gamma Remote Sensing began using DInSAR on Swiss landslides with data from ESA’s ERS missions in 2000.

Following Envisat’s launch in 2002, they continued to detect and monitor alpine land displacement for the next decade.

“The use of Envisat data for landslide monitoring had a difficult start,” said Urs Wegmüller, CEO of Gamma Remote Sensing.


The Swiss village of Grindelwald in the Bernese Alps experienced slope movements on both sides of the valley during 1995–2000. Colours represent the average yearly displacement rates derived using radar data from ESA’s ERS mission.Credits: ESA / Gamma Remote Sensing

“In the early days of the mission, SAR data were acquired in many different modes so that no consistent archives were built.

“When the satellite was systematically programmed to gather dedicated data over the Swiss Alps in the summer, this significantly improved the situation so that we have now very good archives available.”

Using the radar data, Gamma Remote Sensing provides deformation maps that are used by Swiss cantons to generate regional hazard maps.

This process is overseen by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, which is responsible for minimising natural hazards, protecting the environment and reducing risks to human health.


Sentinel-1, the first Earth observation satellite to be built for Europe’s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security program.Credits: ESA/P. Carril

The Envisat mission ended in April after doubling its lifetime, but its radar data are still being used for generating regional hazard maps.

Gamma Remote Sensing will continue to use archived Envisat data for their landslide inventory work, and the commercial alternatives TerraSAR-X, Cosmo-Skymed and Radarsat-2 are now providing complementary data for monitoring.

From 2014, data from the Sentinel-1 mission will be used to build upon the existing archive and provide monitoring.

The Sentinel family of satellites is being developed for Europe’s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme.

Source ESA and SatNews