-
UNOOSA and NASA sign landmark Memorandum of Understanding to advance peaceful uses of outer space
Lun Jan 11 2021
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States Government (NASA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 17 December 2020 pledging cooperation in areas of science and technology to support the peaceful uses of outer space.
The MoU brings together NASA's wealth of open-source spacecraft data,...
-
EUMETSAT releases new pilot data services
Ven Jan 8 2021
Having access to precise geographical data and the ability to analyze them easily is essential for effective disaster and risk management. EUMETSAT delivers meteorological, climate and ocean data as well as analytical tools to all registered users worldwide. Recently they released three new data pilot services, which are highly valuable throughout the full disaster management cycle: EUMETSAT DATA...
-
Copernicus releases 30m Digital Elevation Model
Mer Jan 6 2021
Three-dimensional (3D) representations of the Earth’s surface are essential for mapping and assessing disaster risks as well as for preparing, responding to, and preventing disasters. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is a pixel-based modeled representation of the Earth’s surface, where each pixel represents an elevation value. Computers or algorithms can use a DEM as input to model or analyze 3D...
-
UN-SPIDER contributes to virtual training on the use of Google Earth Engine for forest fire management
Lun Jan 4 2021
In recent years, various regions of the world have been experiencing severe forest fires which, in some cases, are triggering major losses. The Mario Gulich Institute on High Level Studies on Outer Space, the Latin American Network on Remote Sensing of Forest Fires (RedLaTIF), the National Space Research Institute of Brazil (INPE), Mexico's National Biodiversity Commission (CONABIO), Argentina's...
-
Mexico and Argentina align satellite networks to resolve regional challenges
Dim Déc 20 2020
In collaboration with the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE) of Argentina, the Mexican Space Agency (AEM) recently launched a digital platform to improve the integration of satellite data for environmental monitoring in Latin America. The Comprehensive Regional Satellite Information System (SIRIS) provides access to satellite information in order to enhance decision-making and...
-
ESA and Thales Alenia Space sign contract for a new addition to Europe's Copernicus programme: ROSE-L mission
Ven Déc 18 2020
The European Commission plans to rapidly expand its environmental monitoring programme Copernicus. For this purpose, the European Space Agency (ESA) recently pledged 2.55 billion Euros towards contracts to advance the production of six new Copernicus satellite missions. The final of the six contracts was signed last Thursday between ESA and Thales Alenia Space for a mission that will provide new...
-
New NICFI programme provides high-resolution imagery to help combat climate change effects
Mar Déc 8 2020
A new programme aims to prevent and countermand the loss of tropical forests by facilitating the global availability of high-resolution satellite imagery. Launched by Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment in partnership with satellite imagery providers Kongsberg Satellite Services, Planetand Airbus, the Imagery Programme makes use of space-based information to combat the devastating...
-
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite ensures continuity of sea-surface height measurements
Lun Nov 30 2020
A new satellite that allows the most accurate measurements of sea level yet was successfully launched on 21 November. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will map up to 95 per cent of the world’s oceans every 10 days, taking continuous measurements of sea surface and wave height as well as of wind speed. It thus will provide crucial data for disaster and emergency management, helping to...
-
UNOOSA and UNDRR conduct conference on space-based technologies for disaster risk reduction
Jeu Nov 26 2020
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), through its United Nation Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), organized the United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction - "Lessons learned during the unprecedented pandemic situation" on 24-25 November 2020. The Conference was...
-
NASA integrates soil moisture data into Disasters Mapping Portal
Mer Nov 25 2020
Officially launched in 2015 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the SMAP mission is an orbiting satellite that measures the amount of wetness in the top layer of soil incrementally every 2-3 days. These Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) measurements rely on radiation frequencies that point to different levels of moisture on the surface of earth’s soil and are useful...
-
Global web-based systems support flood early warning
Ven Nov 20 2020
When disaster looms, early warning about potentially affected areas and the extent of the event are critical for disaster management efforts. Using in situ and satellite-based observations, two web-based systems provide critical information to support flood early warning efforts worldwide, for instance in the context of the current record-setting Atlantic hurricane season, which has brought...
-
World Disasters Report 2020 highlights role of smart financing and space-based information in humanitarian response
Jeu Nov 19 2020
A new report by the world’s largest humanitarian aid network highlights global disasters, populations most vulnerable to them and the efforts of local institutions in preventing, preparing for and responding to them. The 2020 edition of the World Disasters Report, “Come Heat or High Water”, was launched virtually from the offices of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent...
-
UN-SPIDER supports disaster response efforts to Hurricane Eta in Central America
Lun Nov 16 2020
The hurricane season in Central America normally quiets down at the end of October, but this year is one of those rare years when tropical storms and hurricanes in the region have occured beyond the typical season. With 30 events thus far, the 2020 tropical storm season in the Caribbean continues to take its toll in developing countries in Central America. Hurricane Eta entered the west coast of...
-
GMES & Africa launches online learning platform
Mer Nov 11 2020
The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa programme, a joint initiative by the European Commission and the African Union Commission, has launched an online training platform to strengthen capacities in the use of Earth observation data and services for information decision-making. The new system follows the publication of the "GMES and Africa Training Strategy" in 2019...
-
EO4GEO project releases Body of Knowledge for Earth observation and geographic information
Dim Oct 25 2020
The EO4GEO project, an alliance of 26 partners from 13 European Union countries, has publicly released a Body of Knowledge (BoK) for the Earth Observation (EO) and Geographic Information (GI) domain. The BoK is a formal description of the EO/GI sector represented by a complete set of interrelated concepts. It consists of 907 concepts, 1129 relationships between them, and 1875 skills to which the...
-
UN-SPIDER online training strengthens flood mapping capacity in Nigeria
Sam Oct 24 2020
UN-SPIDER and its Regional Support Office in Nigeria, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), conducted an online training on the UN-SPIDER Recommended Practice on Flood Mapping and Damage Assessment Using Sentinel-1 SAR Data in Google Earth Engine. Staff from NASRDA as well as from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of Nigeria participated in the training, which...
-
International Charter Space and Major Disasters marks 20th anniversary
Mer Oct 21 2020
The International Charter Space and Major Disasters, a worldwide collaboration among space agencies through which satellite-derived information and products are made available to support disaster response efforts, is marking its 20th anniversary this year. Since starting operations on 1 November 2000, the Charter has been activated 680 times (as of 19 October 2020) to support disasters in 126...
-
UNOOSA and Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Asia and the Pacific launch online course on Geospatial Applications for Disaster Risk Management
Mar Oct 13 2020
Marking International Day for Disaster Reduction today, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP) affiliated to the United Nations have launched a new online learning course on how to use space applications for disaster management.
The training is through a Massive Open Online Course (...
-
UNOOSA and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev agree to establish UN-SPIDER RSO in Israel
Lun Oct 12 2020
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a Regional Support Office (RSO) of UNOOSA's programme 'United Nations Platform for Space-Based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER)'.
UN-SPIDER RSOs are regional or national centres of expertise that...
-
Registrations open for virtual United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction
Ven Oct 2 2020
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is pleased to announce the “United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction – ‘Lessons learned during the unprecedented pandemic situation”, to be held online from 24-25 November 2020. This conference is organised by the Beijing office of the United Nations Platform for Space-based...
-
New free map product shows settlement structure with 10m resolution
Mer Sép 30 2020
A new world map developed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) reveals settlement structures on Earth in 2015 with a resolution of 10 metres. The World Settlement Footprint 2015 (WSF2015), which is publicly and freely available, combines optical and radar satellite imagery acquired by the Landsat-8 and Sentinel 1 missions in 2014 and 2015 to outline the extent of settlements at a high accuracy....
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States Government (NASA) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 17 December 2020 pledging cooperation in areas of science and technology to support the peaceful uses of outer space. The MoU brings together NASA's wealth of open-source spacecraft data,...
Having access to precise geographical data and the ability to analyze them easily is essential for effective disaster and risk management. EUMETSAT delivers meteorological, climate and ocean data as well as analytical tools to all registered users worldwide. Recently they released three new data pilot services, which are highly valuable throughout the full disaster management cycle: EUMETSAT DATA...
Three-dimensional (3D) representations of the Earth’s surface are essential for mapping and assessing disaster risks as well as for preparing, responding to, and preventing disasters. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is a pixel-based modeled representation of the Earth’s surface, where each pixel represents an elevation value. Computers or algorithms can use a DEM as input to model or analyze 3D...
In recent years, various regions of the world have been experiencing severe forest fires which, in some cases, are triggering major losses. The Mario Gulich Institute on High Level Studies on Outer Space, the Latin American Network on Remote Sensing of Forest Fires (RedLaTIF), the National Space Research Institute of Brazil (INPE), Mexico's National Biodiversity Commission (CONABIO), Argentina's...
In collaboration with the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE) of Argentina, the Mexican Space Agency (AEM) recently launched a digital platform to improve the integration of satellite data for environmental monitoring in Latin America. The Comprehensive Regional Satellite Information System (SIRIS) provides access to satellite information in order to enhance decision-making and...
The European Commission plans to rapidly expand its environmental monitoring programme Copernicus. For this purpose, the European Space Agency (ESA) recently pledged 2.55 billion Euros towards contracts to advance the production of six new Copernicus satellite missions. The final of the six contracts was signed last Thursday between ESA and Thales Alenia Space for a mission that will provide new...
A new programme aims to prevent and countermand the loss of tropical forests by facilitating the global availability of high-resolution satellite imagery. Launched by Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment in partnership with satellite imagery providers Kongsberg Satellite Services, Planetand Airbus, the Imagery Programme makes use of space-based information to combat the devastating...
A new satellite that allows the most accurate measurements of sea level yet was successfully launched on 21 November. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will map up to 95 per cent of the world’s oceans every 10 days, taking continuous measurements of sea surface and wave height as well as of wind speed. It thus will provide crucial data for disaster and emergency management, helping to...
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), through its United Nation Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), organized the United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction - "Lessons learned during the unprecedented pandemic situation" on 24-25 November 2020. The Conference was...
Officially launched in 2015 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the SMAP mission is an orbiting satellite that measures the amount of wetness in the top layer of soil incrementally every 2-3 days. These Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) measurements rely on radiation frequencies that point to different levels of moisture on the surface of earth’s soil and are useful...
When disaster looms, early warning about potentially affected areas and the extent of the event are critical for disaster management efforts. Using in situ and satellite-based observations, two web-based systems provide critical information to support flood early warning efforts worldwide, for instance in the context of the current record-setting Atlantic hurricane season, which has brought...
A new report by the world’s largest humanitarian aid network highlights global disasters, populations most vulnerable to them and the efforts of local institutions in preventing, preparing for and responding to them. The 2020 edition of the World Disasters Report, “Come Heat or High Water”, was launched virtually from the offices of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent...
The hurricane season in Central America normally quiets down at the end of October, but this year is one of those rare years when tropical storms and hurricanes in the region have occured beyond the typical season. With 30 events thus far, the 2020 tropical storm season in the Caribbean continues to take its toll in developing countries in Central America. Hurricane Eta entered the west coast of...
The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa programme, a joint initiative by the European Commission and the African Union Commission, has launched an online training platform to strengthen capacities in the use of Earth observation data and services for information decision-making. The new system follows the publication of the "GMES and Africa Training Strategy" in 2019...
The EO4GEO project, an alliance of 26 partners from 13 European Union countries, has publicly released a Body of Knowledge (BoK) for the Earth Observation (EO) and Geographic Information (GI) domain. The BoK is a formal description of the EO/GI sector represented by a complete set of interrelated concepts. It consists of 907 concepts, 1129 relationships between them, and 1875 skills to which the...
UN-SPIDER and its Regional Support Office in Nigeria, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), conducted an online training on the UN-SPIDER Recommended Practice on Flood Mapping and Damage Assessment Using Sentinel-1 SAR Data in Google Earth Engine. Staff from NASRDA as well as from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of Nigeria participated in the training, which...
The International Charter Space and Major Disasters, a worldwide collaboration among space agencies through which satellite-derived information and products are made available to support disaster response efforts, is marking its 20th anniversary this year. Since starting operations on 1 November 2000, the Charter has been activated 680 times (as of 19 October 2020) to support disasters in 126...
Marking International Day for Disaster Reduction today, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP) affiliated to the United Nations have launched a new online learning course on how to use space applications for disaster management. The training is through a Massive Open Online Course (...
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a Regional Support Office (RSO) of UNOOSA's programme 'United Nations Platform for Space-Based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER)'. UN-SPIDER RSOs are regional or national centres of expertise that...
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is pleased to announce the “United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction – ‘Lessons learned during the unprecedented pandemic situation”, to be held online from 24-25 November 2020. This conference is organised by the Beijing office of the United Nations Platform for Space-based...
A new world map developed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) reveals settlement structures on Earth in 2015 with a resolution of 10 metres. The World Settlement Footprint 2015 (WSF2015), which is publicly and freely available, combines optical and radar satellite imagery acquired by the Landsat-8 and Sentinel 1 missions in 2014 and 2015 to outline the extent of settlements at a high accuracy....
Twitter
