SERTIT became ICube-SERTIT, integrating ICube Laboratory end 2015.
ICube Laboratory is a very large University of Strasbourg Laboratory comprised of 600 members.. ICube was created in 2013 bringing together researchers of the University of Strasbourg, the CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research), and engineering schools (ENGEES and the INSA) in the fields of engineering science and computer science, with imaging as the unifying theme. In research ICube is a major driving force concentrating on biomedical engineering and sustainable development.
SERTIT delivers from EO data services in natural resources monitoring, land management, urban planning, environmental survey, plus natural disaster and risk management.
It was founded with the arrival of the SPOT programme working on applied research and service development. SERTIT is both an R&D centre and a service provider accompanying French and ESA satellite development (now Sentinel) programs, being PI for many space agencies. SERTIT’s new position allows it to benefit from an array of research within ICube.
Tuned in to user needs, SERTIT compares user requirements and expectations with EO data potential and processing methods to conceptualise and implement customised products and services. As an independent entity, it uses space for Earth’s benefit and helps spread Europe’s influence.
A pioneer in the rapid mapping of natural disasters, SERTIT’s service has covered close to 180 activations worldwide since 1996, pushing for operational services starting with the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”, helped by ESA Market Development, CNES R&D, and GMES/Copernicus ESA and European Commission programs. Today, SERTIT is a key European Rapid Mapping (RM) actor and is involved in the EC Copernicus Emergency Management Services collaborating within the e-GEOS led consortium.
SERTIT encourages Rapid mapping collaboration and sharing of expertise at an international level and as such is a founding member of the International Working Group on Satellite-based Emergency Mapping (IWG-SEM), being supported by the CNES.
SERTIT was first to bring Rapid Mapping services to the insurance market through ESA EO Market Development programs working with the insurance sector, notably Swiss Re, on developing customised products and delivery mechanisms. Also, in this light it has signed a multi-annual contract with the CCR (Caisse Centrale de Réassurance).
SERTIT’s reliable and expert rapid mapping service always receives top marks. Taking client/user confidence seriously, this service was certified ISO 9001 in August 2011 and is currently integrating the 2015 version of ISO9001.
SERTIT has a very active forestry service being involved in R&D work and providing services to the forestry sector in windfall damage and forest infestation plus logging, clearing and tree-type mapping. Initiated in the 1990s, the collaboration with foresters and policy making institutions at a regional scale is continuously developing through major projects/contracts, for instance in the aftermath of Lothar storm. As a result, forestry managers and decision makers now consider Earth Observation remote sensing as an operational tool, complementary to field work and other sources of information. Combining expertise in forestry and rapid mapping, SERTIT is implementing a high resolution (HR) burnt area mapping service using Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 data.
In the bio-diversity field SERTIT has mapped for many years the cropland habitat of the endangered common hamster and ecological corridors in Alsace.
Systematic water body mapping: With the advent of the Copernicus Sentinel constellation, the systematic mapping of water bodies using radar and optical HR data is currently a major development axis with SERTIT. The work leverages nearly 20 years of water body monitoring within ESA Dragon projects with the R&D work currently being supported by the CNES, targeting the development of a service in the near future.
SERTIT is a consultant in remote sensing generally with some focus on 3D satellite and drone applications. The work involves also being a scientific coordinator in developing a generic photogrammetric processing chain dedicated to drone images and the investigation of satellite/drone synergies for decision support system in the field of security, infrastructure monitoring and environmental studies.
SERTIT delivers customised training programs worldwide. Benefiting from its position within the University, SERTIT delivers workshops and training courses on-site or at the clients’ premises. The training courses are tailored to fit clients’ needs and can cover some of the following subjects: GIS, remote-sensing and image processing, satellite and drone imagery, application of remote-sensing such as emergency mapping, hydrology, forestry management, disaster risk reduction. We have an extensive experience delivering training to private and institutional clients around the world using both open source and proprietary software. Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss together your training needs!
SERTIT is a founding member of the EUGENIUS Association (a European Group of Enterprises for a Network of Information Using Space) which is set-up to provide, through regional hubs, regional institutional and commercial users with operational, sustainable and cost effective geo-information services by maximising benefit from Copernicus data and core services for territory monitoring and management. The deployment of this network of regional services is supported by the H2020-Space-EO1-2016 EUGENIUS project, which started on October 1st, 2016.