News
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Oklahoma Tornado: Satellites see Storm from Space Thu May 23 2013On May 20, 2013 central Oklahoma, USA, was hit by a supercell thunderstorm resulting in a destructive tornado passing over the state. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image of the storm system at 2:40 p.m. Central Daylight Time (19:40 Universal Time), just minutes before the devastating twister began. The NASA...
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WMO: 2012 Survey on the Use of Satellite data published Thu May 23 2013The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published the results of their 2012 Survey on the Use of Satellite Data. The publication is available online. 95 Member countries provided 227 responses on their status of satellite use, current and planned utilization of satellite data and products for weather, climate, water and related environmental applications. The report informs on key challenges...
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Tsunamis: GPS could improve early warnings says new study Tue May 21 2013BBC reported on a new German study (Natural Hazards and Earth Systems Sciences) that found that GPS satellite-based positioning could offer detailed information about Tsunami events within minutes of an earthquake occurring. The scientists believe that alerts improved by GPS data could have greatly improved early warnings of the 2011 Tsunami in Japan. BBC reported: "Existing early warning...
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Ecuador: First images transmitted from Pegaso satellite Tue May 21 2013On 16 May, 2013, the first Ecuadorian Earth Observation satellite, Pegaso, transmitted its first live video signals with images of Earth. The images were broadcast from the Headquarters of the Integrated Security Service in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Pegaso is a nanosatellite weighing 1.2 kilograms, 75 cm long and 10 cm high. Pegasus orbits at an altitude of 650 kilometers above the Earth, with an...
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International Charter activated for Cyclone Mahasen in Bangladesh and Myanmar Fri May 17 2013On 15 May, 2013, UNITAR/UNOSAT, on behalf of UNOCHA, activated the International Charter Space and Major Disasters to obtain satellite-derived image-products for the impact of tropical cyclone Mahasen. Cyclone Mahasen struck the southern coast of Bangladesh, on 16 May 2013, and is expected to affect as much as 8.2 million people in the area. Hundreds of thousands of people have been ordered to...
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Sea Level Rise: NASA satellites help reveal glaciers' role Fri May 17 2013In a news release from 16 May 2013, NASA points out how two of its Earth Observation satellites - ICESat and GRACE - helped pinpoint the role of glaciers in global sea level rise: "A new study of glaciers worldwide using observations from two NASA satellites has helped resolve differences in estimates of how fast glaciers are disappearing and contributing to sea level rise. The new research found...
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Ban Ki-Moon: Economic losses from disaster out of control Thu May 16 2013In a recent press release, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction cited UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who warned about economic losses from disasters. "The United Nations today issued a stark warning to the world’s business community that economic losses linked to disasters are “out of control” and will continue to escalate unless disaster risk management...
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Nepal: Remote Sensing Forest Fire Detection Wed May 15 2013In early April 2013, an operational remote sensing forest fire detection and monitoring system for Nepal was officially launched in Kathmandu, Nepal, as the Himalayan reported. The system, which is first of its type of system in the region, is installed on the rooftop of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), one of UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Office. The...
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Cloudless Atlas: Building a perfect map of the world Wed May 15 2013The mapping startup MapBox is a platform that offers users to make custom maps based on open data like OpenStreetMap - free of charge for the standard and paid for premium options. With Cloudless Atlas, on 14 May 2013, they announced the release of "the World's Most Beautiful Map". Until recently, MapBox’s maps were drawings made from OpenStreetMap vector data. In 2012, they...
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ESA Study: The economic benefits of free satellite data Tue May 14 2013A recent study commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) brings forward the idea that data from the upcoming Sentinel series of satellites should be regarded as Public Sector Information, increasing their value for money. The study "About GMES and data: Geese and golden eggs - A study on the Economic Benefits of a Free and Open Data Policy for Sentinel Satellite data" the...
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Iraq: UN-SPIDER network acquires satellite imagery for floods Mon May 13 2013The Iraqi government on Tuesday 7 May 2013 declared a state of maximum alert in all its service agencies to deal with the floods that have affected several cities in southern Iraq since Sunday. After UN-SPIDER received a request from Iraq to facilitate the acquisition of satellite imagery to assess the extent of the flood and the damages caused, UN-SPIDER activated its network. The Indian Space...
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USGS topographic data now available on mobile devices Fri May 10 2013Users of Android and iPhone mobile devices can now access USGS digital topographic maps on the go. Using GPS, they can zoom in on their precise location allowing for precise navigation. The type of data that are available includes USGS imagery and topographic maps from The National Map, as well as road and contour layers. Even where cell phone services are unavailable, users can navigate using...
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ESA: Next Earth Observation Satellite selected Thu May 9 2013"Biomass" will be ESA's next Earth Explorer satellite mission, as ESA has announced in a recent press release: "ESA’s Earth Observation Programme Board has selected ‘Biomass’ to become the seventh Earth Explorer mission. The innovative satellite aims to map and monitor one of Earth’s most precious resources. Following the review of three candidate concepts...
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Iraq: Plans for satellite for environmental monitoring Wed May 8 2013Iraq is planning the launch of a satellite at the end of the year to better manage water crises, as the newspaper Almonitor reported. The launch is part of a scientific project to monitor desertification and water shortages in the country. Deputy Minister of Communications Amir al-Bayati said, “Members of the high commission for the satellite project, which consists of seven ministries,...
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Official inauguration: UN-SPIDER Algeria Regional Support Office Wed May 8 2013On 6 May 2013, Mazlan Othman, director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, together with Mustapha Lahbiri, General Direction of Civilian Protection (DGPC), and Oussedik Azzedine, Director General of the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) official inaugurated the UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office hosted by ASAL. DGPC and ASAL work closely together regarding satellite-based remote...
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Sudan: UN-SPIDER training on space-based technologies for disaster risk management Tue May 7 2013A workshop and training course on space-based technologies for disaster risk management are being held from 5 to 9 May 2013 in Khartoum, Sudan. Both events are organized jointly by UN-SPIDER and their partners the Remote Sensing Authority (RSA), the National Center for Research (NCR) of Sudan and the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD). The activities are supported by...
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NOAA launches bi-annual newsletter "The Downlink" Mon May 6 2013The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched a newsletter "The Downlink". The Downlink will provide international and interagency experts working with space-based information with short updates on all of NOAA's current and future satellite programs, and also current information on the budget cycle. Published twice per year, The Downlink will also...
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NASA satellites capture California wildfires Mon May 6 2013In early May 20103, dry Santa Ana winds started several wildfires in Southern California, USA. NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites captured images of the fires with their Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The red lines on the picture indicate where MODIS detected unusually warm surface temperatures indicating fires about 50 miles north of Los Angeles. NASA reported: "According...
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ESA: Live stream for Vega's second launch Fri May 3 2013Tomorrow, on Saturday, 4 May 2013 at 03:45 CEST, ESA will launch its new small satellite launcher, Vega, from the Kourou spaceport. Vega is carrying Proba-V satellite, which will collect data from space on land cover and vegetation changes over the entire globe every couple of days. The two other satellites on board the rocket is an Earth Observation satellite for Vietnam (VNREDSat-1) as well as...
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UAE announce DubaiSat-3 satellite mission Thu May 2 2013The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) has announced the launch of its new DubaiSat-3 project – the first satellite build to be completed in the UAE, as the Arabian Aerospace Online News Service reported. The website furthermore reported: "A core team of 45 UAE experts and engineers will lead the development of DubaiSat-3, the third satellite program to be undertaken...
