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The new made in Puglia satellite for Environment and Surveillance

In the framework of the POR FESR 2007-2013 (Regional Operational Programme of the European Regional Development Fund 2007-2013) Puglia Region has approved SHIRA Program Agreement. SHIRA Program is focused on the study of a high-resolution thermal infrared Earth Observation satellite and the design of a Data Fusion Centre located in Puglia.

The project is entirely managed and realized by a Consortium of Apulian Companies with a consolidated experience in Earth Observation fields: Mel Systems Srl, MerMec SpA, Planetek Italia Srl, Sitael Aerospace Srl, VVN Srl, and IMT srl.

SHIRA High-resolution InfraRed Satellite Application, the name of the space mission, will operate in the thermal infrared frequencies, a bandwidth not very used by the current satellite missions.

The thermal infrared band, sensitive to temperature and humidity, is useful for applications related to environmental monitoring, agricultural monitoring, urban planning, analysis of heat waves and climate change, monitoring of natural disasters (volcanoes, forest fires, coastal flooding) and in the field of maritime and border surveillance.

The second strong element of SHIRA project is the design of a Data Fusion Center (DFC). The DFC is a centre that integrates multiple Earth Observation data acquired by satellite and aerial platforms and ground sensors. The operative goal of the DFC is the provision of value-added services and products able to support all public and private companies and regional administration involved in the environmental monitoring and security.

According to the directives of Apulian Aerospace District Development Plan, the Data Fusion Center will be one of the main regional instruments that will integrate the highest scientific and industrial local excellences, becoming the major regional infrastructure for aerospace research and development.

The implementation of a Data Fusion Centre located in Puglia is compliant with the actions indicated in the Programmatic Agreement between the Puglia Region and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) that prompt the realization of a local centre for the integration and interpretation of remote sensing data collected by satellite and in situ sensors.

According to the European Directives focused on safety and environmental monitoring (eg. Europe 2020, the Water Framework Directive, etc.) both the new mission SHIRA and the innovative services provided by the Data Fusion Center will contribute to the periodic operational monitoring activities which all EU Member States are bound. SHIRA program, therefore perfectly meets the European technological and political trends in the space and environmental fields.

Contact: Planetek Italia s.r.l.
Via Massaua 12, I-70132 Bari
Tel.: +39 0809644200 Fax: +39 0809644299
buonavoglia@planetek.it – http://www.planetek.it