News
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Nigeria: Project Managers Training for the International Charter Mon Apr 29 2013The UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office (RSO) in Nigeria participated in a Project Managers Training for the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters in Abuja, Nigeria. The project managers’ training was conducted from 8th to 10th April 2013. The training was facilitated by Miss Adina Gillespie from DMC International Imaging (DMCii) Limited of the UK with support from the National...
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China: Successful launch of Earth Observation satellite Gaofen-1 Mon Apr 29 2013On Friday, 26 April 2013, China's latest high-definition Earth Observation satellite Gaofen-1 was successfully launched into space on a Long March-2D carrier rocket. Gaofen-1 was launched alongside three other satellites from Ecuador, Argentina and Turkey at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province. Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, Gaofen...
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New Zealand: Satellite sees worst droughts in decades Fri Apr 26 2013Much of New Zealand had reached drought status when in mid-April 2013 it finally stated to rain. By early April, climate and weather experts had started calling it the worst drought on North Island in 70 years. The area around Wellington, for instance, saw no rainfall at all between February 13 and March 17. NASA's Terra satellite with its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)...
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ODI Report: Disaster Risk Management and Development Thu Apr 25 2013The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has published a new report entitled "Disaster Risk Management in Post-2015 Development Goals". The report analyzes different measures currently taken for disaster risk management (DRM) and the effects of disasters on various sectors in order to assess how DRM could be included in the post-2015 agenda. This report is divided into eight chapters: (...
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China: Military satellite technologies for earthquake relief Wed Apr 24 2013After the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which shook southwest China's Sichuan Province on Saturday morning, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Chengdu Military Area Command (MAC) set up for quake rescue and relief. The disaster managers were able to make timely and effective decisions in their relief efforts due to modern military technologies such as satellite navigation, as China's official...
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International Charter: Satellite imagery for China earthquake Wed Apr 24 2013On Saturday, 20 April 2013, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Lushan County of Sichuan province, South-West China, at 08:02am (UTC). Multiple aftershocks were felt in the area increasing fears of landslides. On the same day, the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" was activated to provide up to date satellite imagery and maps for the area affected by the earthquake. Some...
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IGAC: Using Remote Sensing to map land degradation Tue Apr 23 2013UN-SPIDER's Regional Support Office in Colombia IGAC (Agustin Codazzi Geographic Institute) is currently working on elaborating approaches of using remote sensing and GIS for monitoring soil erosion. Reducing land degradation is a major issue for the environment and sustainable development in the XXI century. Erosion is the main cause for the degradation of soils and rock in Colombia. Experts...
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Celebrating Earth Day 2013 - with images from space Tue Apr 23 2013For over 40 years, Earth Day has been celebrated every year on April 22. It was first observed on April 22, 1970, when 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment On the occasion of Earth Day, the US Space Agency NASA put together the video "Earth from Orbit in 2012" showing the best views of our planet from space...
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India: Launch of indigenous satellite navigation system in June Tue Apr 23 2013India will soon establish its own GPS-like satellite navigation system. According to the newspaper Times of India the first of seven satellites of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) will be launched in June 2013. This system will provide India with its own data for location and time in all weather conditions. Times of India cites K Radhakrishnan, chief of the Indian Space...
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Proba-V: Minisatellite to map land cover vegetation Mon Apr 22 2013On 2 May 2013, ESA's minisatellite Proba-V will be launched into space on a Vega launcher. The vegetation mapping minisatellite has been apted to the payload adapter. Proba-V, which has less than a cubic metre in volume, is a miniaturised ESA satellite tasked with a full-scale mission: to map land cover vegetation growth the entire planet every two days. Two other satellites will be launched...
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USA: New strategy for civil earth observation Mon Apr 22 2013On 19 April 2013, the US government's National Science and Technology Council released a National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations—a framework for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of using earth observation data for civil use. A press release by the White House points out: "Currently, 11 Federal departments and agencies engage in Earth observation activities, collecting...
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Aeolus satellite: Tracking the world's winds from space Mon Apr 22 2013The European Space Agency (ESA) has developed a satellite to probe Earth's atmosphere to profile winds. This is crucial data for improved weather and storm forecasting or climate change monitoring. The Aeolus satellite carries a pioneering instrument, Aladin, which uses laser light scattering and the Doppler effect to collect wind data. On their website, ESA explains how Aladin works: "The laser...
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Post-2015 disaster risk reduction: The role of outer space Fri Apr 19 2013In a recent article on their website, UNISDR, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, highlights the discussions revolving around the role of space-based information for the post-2015 disaster risk reduction framework. The discussions had taken place during an interactive forum on 14 March 2013 in Geneva. "We need to make these technologies more accessible and educate people on the...
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Kazakhstan: Launch of Remote Sensing Satellite End of 2013 Thu Apr 18 2013Kazakhstan National Space Agency, Kazkosmos, has announced the launch of its first domestic Earth observation satellite for the fourth quarter of 2013 from the Yasni launch site in Russian Federation. According to Talgat Musabayev, chairman of Kazkosmos, the medium resolution satellite will be the vital importance for Kazakhstan with its vast territory, various types of relief, and...
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East Africa: Regional conference on satellite communication Wed Apr 17 2013This week, more than 250 delegates from East African countries are gathering for a regional conference on broadband and satellite communication for East Africa. The five-day meeting from 15 to 19 April 2013 is taking place in Kampala, Uganda and has the theme "Strategy for Broadband Access to All in East Africa". It is organised by the Ministry of ICT, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC),...
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Satellite Images for Emergencies: DLR to chair International Charter Tue Apr 16 2013Bureaucracy-free assistance in the event of an emergency – this is the aim of the 15 space agencies united within the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters'. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) has been a member of this network since October 2010, and, on 16 April 2013, will take over as chair of the Charter for six months. "With...
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Solomon Islands: Coastal Management with Tidal Predictions Mon Apr 15 2013The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is implementing a project to forecast tide and sea-levels in Kosrae, Solomon Islands. Forecasts are based on the data from a new water level sensor funded by the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project. SPREP specifiies on their website: "The instrument records the sea level every ten minutes and sends it via satellite to...
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MODIS: Detecting managed bush fires in Australia Fri Apr 12 2013NASA's Aqua satellite with its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) has acquired an image in Kimberly region on 10 April 2013, Australia showing dozens of managed fires. All of the fires were south and west of the Isdell River; some were burning in and near Windjana Gorge National Park, a popular tourist destination. MODIS detected the fires by thermal infrared energy radiating...
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Mali: SPOT-6 data for first national mosaic Fri Apr 12 2013Mali's national survey and mapping agency (IGM) will be receiving the most recent detailed data at a resolution of 1.5 metres from SPOT-6, which has covered the country's entire 1.241.000 km² in less than 5 months. IGN France International (IGN FI) - a subsidiary of France’s national survey and mapping agency - had chose SPOT-6 data to update basemaps of Mali after IGN FI had won a bid...
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12 April: International Day of Human Space Flight Fri Apr 12 201312 April is the International Day of Human Space Flight, declared by the General Assembly to commemorate one of the greatest triumphs of human progress, the first space flight by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin that in 1961 paved the way for worldwide human space flight endeavour and exploration. To pay tribute to the extraordinary journey of the men and women who have flown into space, the United Nations...
