EARSC SECRETARY GENERAL (Part time Position)

The EARSC BoD is set to re-launch the process to recruit a Secretary General as was announced at the AGM in June 2009. The results of the Eovox 1 study and the first findings in Eovox 2 will inform the board in its quest to find the right person for the association. Members and stakeholders are invited to promote any candidates of whom they may be aware.

EARSC welcomes a new member!

Following a Membership Campaign, the EARSC Board is glad to welcome a new Company in our Association: SES-ASTRA

eoVox-2: Activities in support of the value-adding sector

Kicked Off!!!

How to publish your articles/events at EOmag?

Content for publication is welcomed and can be submitted at any time for consideration. Let us help you bring your article to the world.

Interview with Mr Vittorio PRODI, Member of the European Parliament

In the next issue of EOMAG, EARSC had the opportunity to discuss with the Member of the European Parliament Mr. Vittorio PRODI some topics relevant for the European Earth Observation Inital Operations programme

4th MFB-GeoConsulting Swiss ERDAS User Forum Schweiz am 28 April 2010

MFB-GeoConsulting is pleased to inform and to invite you to the 4th ERDAS User Forum Switzerland, which will take place on 28 April 2010.

Aerodata Survey News

March News

Aratos Technologies S.A. … Kick-Off of the SEOCA Project

Aratos Technologies S.A. is pleased to announce the kick-off of the European Project SEOCA on 22 April 2010, where Aratos Technologies S.A. participates as the only partner from Greece.

Astrium to build ESA's second Sentinel-2 satellite for GMES

ESA has awarded a contract worth €105 million to Astrium to build the second Sentinel-2 satellite. Once both are operational, this pair of satellites will provide global coverage every five days, delivering high-resolution optical imagery for GMES land and emergency services.

Astrium to build ESA's second Sentinel-2 satellite for GMES

ESA has awarded a contract worth €105 million to Astrium to build the second Sentinel-2 satellite. Once both are operational, this pair of satellites will provide global coverage every five days, delivering high-resolution optical imagery for GMES land and emergency services.

Brockmann Consult news

CHRIS-Box 1.5 Add-on for BEAM 4.7 released.

Critical Software validates critical systems in satellite that studies climate change

CryoSat-2 is set to measure thickness of the ice caps

Definiens Releases Update for eCognition 8

eCognition support for LiDAR and Windows extended in latest release

e-geos news

e-GEOS at Capalbiofotografia 2010, framework contract with the European Union to supply GeoEye-1 and IKONOS very high resolution satellite data…

European Space Imaging unveils first WorldView-2 images collected from its European Direct Access Facility (DAF)

European Space Imaging a leading supplier of high-resolution satellite imagery to customers in Europe and North Africa, today released the first images collected from DigitalGlobe’s advanced high-resolution satellite WorldView-2, through its Direct Access Facility located in Munich, Germany.

EUROSENSE makes damage assessment of critical infrastructures hit by the earthquake in Concepción, Chile.

On 27 February 2010, at 3:40 local time, the earth quaked in Chile with a magnitude of 8.8 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was located at 115 kilometer north from the city of Concepción. The number of victims counted is already more than 800, an estimated two million people are homeless.

FLOREO project: Satellites warn of floods

Gisat and Sprinx Systems with the support of Faculty of Science of Charles University turn the FLOREO services into the first operational phase. The project is making use of satellite Earth Observation that serves for improving hydrological flood forecasts of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI).

GAF AG 25th Anniversary

GAF has been providing a clear view of our planet for a quarter of a century

Grace participates in the GMES Operational Capacity Workshop

Grace Ltd participates in the GMES Operational Capacity Workshop, Sofia, Bulgaria, 25-26 March 2010.

Infoterra News

Inofterra news: Spring, ‘AssetMonitor’ service, Infoterra SGSA acquires Enifosa

PCI Geomatics

PCI News Spring 2010

RapidEye Collects One Billion km² of Satellite Imagery In Just Over A Year Image of Somalian-Ethiopian Border Completes Collection

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, announced today that it has imaged one billion square kilometers of the surface of the Earth since it became commercially operational on February 4, 2009.

RapidEye Now Offers Several U.S. and Brazilian States On Its Geodata Kiosk

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, announced that more than 6.5 Million square kilometers of its satellite imagery taken over North and South America is now available on the RapidEye Geodata Kiosk.

SciSys software supports European “Ice Mission ”

SciSys software team celebrates launch of Europe’s CryoSat-2 Ice mission.

SciSys wins Major Contract for the Environmental Protection Agency in Ireland

SciSys plc (stock code: SSY), the specialist supplier of bespoke software systems, IT based solutions and support services is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a four year framework contract with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ireland to provide design, development and reporting services in the areas of Regulatory Systems and GIS.

SIRAL, a new-generation radar altimeter-interferometer for the CryoSat satellite

Scientists worldwide are impatiently awaiting critical data to be supplied by the Thales Alenia Space-designed SIRAL interferometric radar altimeter, which will help them assess the size and thickness of polar ice and how it changes over time. By more precisely measuring its surface and changes in elevation, scientists will be able to better understand the ice cycle and our changing climate.

Value Added Element (VAE) project EOMark addressing new and evolving opportunities for EO-based information services in the geo-marketing and retail business sector

By means of EO-based information extraction and service provision, GIM will be able to deliver improved information content for the geomarketing business sector. Sophisticated image processing techniques applied on EO imagery allow to extract impartial physico-morphological information, seamless cross-boundary data, improved spatial resolution and a better control of the update frequency.

VITO: EUFAR Training Courses

We are pleased to inform you about the organization of the next EUFAR FP7 Training Courses for promoting airborne research in the European academic community

Assessing the Extent and Severity of Erosion on the Upland Organic Soils of Scotland using Earth Observation

A GIFTSS Implementation Test

China Eyes 20 Percent Slice Of Global Space Market By 2015

China aims to snatch 20 percent of the world’s space business
by 2015, the president of the nation’s sole satellite launch contractor said

China Launches New Remote Sensing Satellite

Yaogan IX successfully in orbit

DigitalGlobe Surpasses One Billion Square Kilometers of Earth Imagery

Company’s Industry-Leading ImageLibrary Offers Timely Access to Highly Accurate, Current Imagery from All Corners of the Earth

DLR conducts ADM-Aeolus pre-launch campaign in Iceland

Scientists from the German Aerospace Center’s (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Institute of Atmospheric Physics (Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre; IPA) travelled to Iceland for the last of a series of DLR-led technology demonstration campaigns for ESA’s meteorological satellite mission, ADM-Aeolus.

ENDELEO provides a web-based tool to monitor vegetation dynamics in Kenya

Natural ecosystems in East-Africa have been changing drastically in the last decades. Drivers of these changes include climate change, population dynamics, market forces and policy changes.

ESA and Thales Alenia Space enter negotiations for MTG

The tendering process that will result in the supply of Europe’s next series of meteorological satellites, Meteosat Third Generation, has reached an advanced stage as ESA invites Thales Alenia Space to enter formal contract negotiations.

ESA oil and gas workshop, 14-15 September 2010

We are now entering an era in earth observation characterised by a new generation of spaceborne sensors.

ESA's ice mission delivers first data

ESA’s CryoSat-2 has delivered its first data just hours after ground controllers switched on the satellite’s sophisticated radar instrument for the first time. CryoSat-2 was launched on 8 April and has been performing exceptionally well during these critical first few days in orbit.

ESA’s TIGER II to support 20 water projects in Africa

ESA’s TIGER II initiative has selected 20 project proposals across Africa to receive support from Earth-observation technology to learn more about the water cycle and to improve water-monitoring resources.

Eurockot to launch 2 ESA Earth observation missions

ESA has awarded a contract to Eurockot for the launch of two of its Earth observation missions. The first will be the next Earth Explorer: Swarm, a constellation of three satellites to study Earth’s magnetic field.

FUSION user workshop

The FUSION user workshop is scheduled on May 19, 2010 in Berlin, Germany.

Geoland Forum

The sixth geoland Forum gathered more than 200 participants from the GMES Land community

GOCE data about to be released

The release of the first data products to the GOCE user community through ESA’s user services is imminent.

Going hyperspectral

After several decades of research and development into hyperspectral imaging, which greatly enhances our ability to characterise the state of Earth, the technique has been embraced by the Earth-observation community and has entered the mainstream of remote sensing.

How Does Satellite Imagery Compare with Aerial Photography?

A comparison of satellite imagery with aerial photogrammetry today must take into account advances in both approaches to the production of useful landscape and earth observation data today. Whereas most debate previously surrounded issues related to resolution and accuracy, the costs of purchasing satellite imagery have dropped substantially and satellites revisit the same location weekly or daily in some cases.

Integration of the Soil Database of Turkey into European Soil Database

In order to extend the Soil Geographical Database to the countries of Mediterranean Basin, the implementation of soil geographical database of Turkey at 1:1 million scale was done.

Lockheed Martin Wins Contract To Build GeoEye-2

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company has been selected by GeoEye, Inc. to build the company’s next-generation, high-resolution Earth imaging satellite system known as GeoEye-2. Financial terms are not being disclosed at this time.

Networking initiative supports interdisciplinary research in Earth Observation

The Terrestrial Biosphere in the Earth System (TERRABITES) research network was created to provide a context that facilitates interdisciplinary cooperation for assessment of the Earth system. TERRABITES is funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) programme, financed by the European Commission and supported by ESA.

New Eduspace website offers schools a clearer window on the world

For the past 12 years, ESA’s Eduspace website has been a window on the world for secondary students and teachers. Now the website has been completely redesigned and updated, so that it provides an even more valuable introduction to Earth observation and its applications.

Notes from the HUMBOLDT Project

The past three years have been very demanding as well as successful ones for the HUMBOLDT project which has now entered its final phase. Much has been achieved and a very good basis has finally been created for integrated development and application work.

OGC announces Earth Observation Profile for Web-based Catalogue Services

The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC®) announces adoption and availability of the OGC Catalogue Services Standard Extension Package for ebRIM Application Profile: Earth Observation Products, and also the related Geography Markup Language (GML) Application Schema for EO Products.

Raytheon Awarded Earth Observing System Engineering Contract by NASA Goddard

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) was awarded a NASA Goddard contract to maintain and manage large volumes of sensing data and imagery from space instruments.

RI maps forests with satellite images

Indonesia is intensifying efforts to map forest areas nationwide using remote-sensing satellite technology, to maximize on their role in absorbing greenhouse gas emissions, a seminar has heard.

Speech of the EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva to the GMES Workshop in Sofia

At the opening of the GMES Workshop in Sofia (Bulgaria) on 25 March 2010, Kristalina Georgieva, the Bulgarian Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, addressed the participants through a videoconference.

Successful launch for ESA’s CryoSat-2 ice satellite

ESA PR 07-2010. Europe’s first mission dedicated to studying the Earth’s ice was launched today from Kazakhstan. From its polar orbit, CryoSat-2 will send back data leading to new insights into how ice is responding to climate change and the role it plays in our ‘Earth system’.

SWIFT E-News n°10 - 7th April 2010

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre, United Nations and the World Bank issue a Comprehensive Building Damage Atlas

A comprehensive atlas of all damage caused in Haiti by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake on 12 January 2010 is now available to help planning recovery and reconstruction measures.

TIROS-1: First weather satellite 50 years ago

Fifty years ago, on April 1, 1960, the first weather satellite was launched from the United States. Called TIROS-1, the Earth observation satellite saw a typhoon forming east of Australia. Today, NASA and NOAA celebrate the milestone in the history of weather observation from space.

UN-SPIDER March 2010 Updates

UN-Spider

Urban Atlas

The GMES Bureau is organising an exhibition from 15th till 30th April 2010 in Brussels.

What is the future for low-cost data?

From 2009 to 2018, emerging space programs are expected to launch 65 satellites, a four-fold increase over the previous decade10 years.

Calls for Sentinel-2 Mission Advisory Group members

On 31 March 2010 ESA launched a call for Mission Advisory Group members for the Sentinel-2 mission. The role of the Mission Advisory Group is to provide advice to ESA during development and implementation of the mission. The deadline for submission is 26 April 2010.

Commission creates two new Directorates-General for Energy and Climate Action

The European Commission has taken a number of decisions to implement the organisational consequences of the allocation of portfolios to Commissioners.

Council of the EU: Conclusions on the protection of the external borders

Council Conclusions on “29 measures for reinforcing the protection of the external borders and combating illegal immigration”

Easy Access to Satellite Weather Data

Whatever the weather in Europe, come rain, storms, snow, sleet or sun, the meteorological satellite, Meteosat-9, will be observing it. Meteosat-9 is in orbit 36,000 km above the equator from where it gets a space-eye view of weather systems as they develop.

EC workprogramme 2010

Please find here attached the EC Work Programme 2010.

Europe 2020: Commission proposes new economic strategy

The European Commission has launched the Europe 2020 Strategy to go out of the crisis and prepare EU economy for the next decade.

First info on EC Communication "on the future involvement of the European Union in Space"

Initial screening and planning of the Impact Assessment Board of the EC regarding the future EC Communication “on the future involvement of the European Union in Space” which should be issued in September this year.

GMES presented at a conference on 'Space and Security'

Under the EU Spanish Presidency, Spain organised a conference on ‘Space and Security’ on 10-11 March 2010 in Madrid, gathering policy makers from different organisations such as ESA Member States, the EU and the European Defence Agency (EDA).

Signature secures future Sentinels for GMES

Marking another significant step in the GMES initiative, ESA and Thales Alenia Space recently signed a contract worth €270 million to build the second Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-3 satellites.

The EU Council invites the Commission to report by end of 2010 on the GMES border surveillance group's conclusions

The 2998th Council of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) met in Brussels on 25-26 February 2010.