February 2012 Updates

UN-SPIDER News

• Fifth International UN-SPIDER Bonn Workshop
• 3rd Annual RSO Meeting conducted in Vienna
• UN-SPIDER to carry out a Technical Advisory Mission to Tonga (20 – 26 March 2012)
• Karoly Robert University of Hungary joins UN-SPIDER as an RSO
• UN-SPIDER supports the Third Workshop on Space Technology Applications in Disaster-Risk Reduction and Emergency Response
• VALID project update: Substantial scientific support.
• European Seminar on Disaster Risk Management in Berlin.
• UN-SPIDER participation in “Expert Group Meeting on Geo-reference Disaster Risk Management System in Asia-Pacific Region”, Bangkok, Thailand.

RSO   News

•  Algeria inaugurated the Centre of Satellite Development (CDS)
• ADRC conducted Training for Government Officials in Charge of DRM in Indonesia
• RCMRD conducted “Workshop on Disaster Rapid mapping and International Charter Operations”
• Iranian Space Agency, successfully launched the Navid-e-Elm and San'at (promise of Science and Technology) Satellite on February 3, 2012 

Community News

•  Secure World Foundation organizes a Round Table on “the Future of GMES”
• A new generation of meteorological satellites
• Advanced Tool for Weather Forecasting Turned On Aboard NPP
• SMOS water mission turns hurricane hunter
• GMES: e-GEOS wins contracts from the European Commission to provide satellite data and maps for emergency management
• Princeton system tracks drought to aid disaster relief
• Esri and GeoEye Developing Global Crisis Response Service
• Timely Upgrade of Weather Information Systems
• Earth Observation and Tsunami Warning System Seen as Critical to Revitalizing Japan
• Romantis Provides Turnkey Satellite Telemedicine Network to All-Russian Center for Disaster Medicine
• ISRO sets ball rolling for Indian ‘GPS' / navigation system
• SAFER is activated for Bulgaria and Algeria
• The International Charter is activated for Algeria and Peru
• Sentinel Asia is Activated for Philippines 

Upcoming UN-SPIDER Outreach Activities

•   UN-SPIDER supports disaster management officials from member states to attend one month training programme on “Application of space technology for disaster risk reduction’