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 for scientists because it allows them to construct maps indicating the level of soil moisture globally.
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 effects of climate change, mitigate disasters and facilitate disaster management efforts worldwide.
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 Disasters programme unit at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently joined a newly launched online platform aimed at placing anticipatory action on the humanitarian agenda.
A knowledge platform for adaptation action on climate change recently updated the information, layout and logo of their website. With this step, adaptationcommunity.net aims to improve the user experience of the online platform and consequently facilitate the access to a wide variety of resources on climate change adaptation action, including tools working with Earth observation data.
A new report outlines the economic potential of Earth observation (EO) data for the African continent. The report "Unlocking the potential of Earth observation to address Africa’s critical challenges”, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in collaboration with Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa) on January 15, explores the prospective financial impact of DE Africa on the African economy.
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Recent advances in satellite technology in terms of higher spatial resolution, multi-spectral bands and open data access, have enhanced the ability for the monitoring and management of coastal areas. Satellite images are to be one of the most potential alternatives to water depth estimation due to the wide area coverage, repeatability, and low cost.
A variety of environmental and man-made factors can have a detrimental effect on the yield of farmers worldwide. A programme launched in Kenya, funded by SERVIR in collaboration with NASA Harvest and the Swiss Re Foundation, uses Earth observation (EO) data to assess crop damage and prioritise the mobilisation of financial aid to farmers.
The European Space Agency (ESA) wants to further develop the understanding of our planet. For this purpose, ESA chose three concepts in 2018 to compete for the next Earth Explorer mission. The decision was made last week to move on to the next development stage with Harmony, one of the three concepts.
