SpatialSTEM Has Deep Mathematical Roots

Issue Date: January - 2012, Posted On: 2/6/2012 Joseph Berry

Beyond Mapping By Joseph Berry Joseph Berry is a principal in Berry & Associates, consultants in GIS technology. He can be reached via e-mail at jkberry@du.edu. Recently my interest has been captured by a new arena and expression for the contention that "maps are data," spatialSTEM (sSTEM for short), as a means for redirecting education in general and GIS education in particular. I suspect GeoWorld readers have heard of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and the educational crisis that puts U.S. students well behind many other nations in these quantitatively based disciplines. Although Googling around the globe makes for great homework in cultural geography, it doesn’t advance quantitative proficiency, nor does it stimulate the spatial-reasoning skills needed for problem solving. A lot of folks, ranging from Fareed Zakaria of Time and CNN to Bill Gates to U.S. President Barack Obama, are looking for ways that the United States can recapture its leadership in the quantitative fields. That’s the premise of spatialSTEM: "maps are numbers first, pictures later," and we do mathematical things to mapped data for insight and better understanding of spatial patterns and relationships within decision-making contexts.

Military Satellites: Unlocking the potential

Publish Date: 22 February 2012

Rahul Bhonsle
Director, Sasia Security-Risks.Com
rkbhonsle@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

<< Satellites used for military purposes can also play a crucial role in surveillance, early warning, intelligence and communications, especially in a country with varied topography like India. The article digs deep into the role of satellites in the Indian environment and the way ahead in this direction >> India’s operational environment is extremely complex. The terrain panorama spreads from the scabrous super-high altitude pinnacles of Siachen to the hot deserts of Rajasthan, and humid tropical jungles of Andaman to the Himalayas in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The Tibetan plateau and Karakoram mountains, too, hold a lot of significance for the country. Therefore, the variation in topography poses an intricate military challenge for men and machines alike. Moreover, tactics and operational art required to be applied in these varied areas necessitates considerable flexibility, particularly to exploit force multipliers as satellites in varied scenarios. Of particular importance is the advantage that satellites can provide in dissuasion and deterrence against the backdrop of India’s defensive – offensive strategy. India’s military vista in the near future will extend to the Tibetan plateau and the Indian Ocean on the North South, and the Gulf of Hormuz and the Western Pacific on the East West axis. Continuous satellite coverage within this area would be necessary and may have to be provided for in the years ahead. Satellites can also play a major role in counter insurgency operations spread over the mountainous and hilly patches of ground in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. Besides, they will also prove invaluable in mapping the uncharted jungles infested by left wing extremists, commonly known as Naxals. Operational exploitation of satellites would necessitate deliberation on three Ts of terrain, tactics and technical parameters; else these will end up as merely “toys for boys” in space. Some issues which can facilitate optimal operational employment are covered herein within the larger facet of military exploitation of space.

Earth Observation Satellite Technology Trends: An eye in the sky

Publish Date: 22 February 2012 Prof. Arup Dasgupta Managing Editor Geospatial World arup@geospatialmedia.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it << Satellite industry is witnessing changes like never before. The advancement in technology is creating ample opportunities for this industry, and in the process, setting new trends... >> The technology of earth observation has seen many changes over the past few years with four major trends emerging. The first is the government-funded missions for earth observation, using a variety of sensors on large satellites which address mapping as well as scientific studies. The news, however, is dominated by the second trend consisting of commercial imaging satellites with sub-metre spatial resolution for land applications. The third is a shift away from big multi-sensor satellites towards small singlefunction satellites. The fourth trend is to use small satellites in constellations and swarms. Furthermore, these trends tend to overlap with each other. RapidEye is a commercial constellation of small satellites while Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) is government owned but operated by DMCii.

NASA Map Sees Earth's Trees In A New Light

Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 22, 2012

In general, estimates in the new map show forest heights were taller than in a previous ICESat-based map, particularly in the tropics and in boreal forests, and were shorter in mountainous regions.
A NASA-led science team has created an accurate, high-resolution map of the height of Earth's forests. The map will help scientists better understand the role forests play in climate change and how their heights influence wildlife habitats within them, while also helping them quantify the carbon stored in Earth's vegetation.

Scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; the University of Maryland, College Park; and Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, Mass., created the map using 2.5 million carefully screened, globally distributed laser pulse measurements from space.

The light detection and ranging (lidar) data were collected in 2005 by the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System instrument on NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat).

"Knowing the height of Earth's forests is critical to estimating their biomass, or the amount of carbon they contain," said lead researcher Marc Simard of JPL.

"Our map can be used to improve global efforts to monitor carbon. In addition, forest height is an integral characteristic of Earth's habitats, yet is poorly measured globally, so our results will also benefit studies of the varieties of life that are found in particular parts of the forest or habitats."

The map, available here, depicts the highest points in the forest canopy. Its spatial resolution is 0.6 miles (1 kilometer). The map was validated against data from a network of nearly 70 ground sites around the world.

Swarm constellation heads north

Paris (ESA) Feb 21, 2012

The Swarm mission will study the complexities of Earth's protective magnetic field. The magnetic field acts as a shield, protecting the planet from charged particles that stream towards Earth in solar winds. Without this shield, life on Earth would be impossible. The field is mainly generated deep inside Earth by an ocean of swirling iron that makes up the liquid outer core. How the magnetic field is generated and how it changes over time is complex and not fully understood. But with a new generation of magnetometers, Swarm will provide greater insight into these natural processes and the 'weather' in space. Credits: ESA/AOES Medialab.

The three satellites that make up ESA's Swarm magnetic field mission were unvieled last week to the media. Following a demanding testing programme, the satellites were displayed in the cleanroom before they are shipped to Russia for their July launch.

Swarm is ESA's first constellation of Earth observation satellites designed to measure the magnetic signals from Earth's core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere, providing data that will allow scientists to study the complexities of our protective magnetic field.

UBC researchers use Google Earth to verify Mediterranean fish farming data

Kelowna, Canada (SPX) Feb 14, 2012

The Great Wall of China is not the only thing you can see from space. Fish farming cages are clearly visible through Google Earth's satellite images and University of British Columbia researchers have used them to estimate the amount of fish being cultivated in the Mediterranean.

The study, published in the online journal PLoS ONE, is the first to estimate seafood production using satellite imagery.

"Our colleagues have repeatedly shown that accurate reporting of wild-caught fish has been a problem, and we wondered whether there might be similar issues for fish farming," says lead author Pablo Trujillo, an Oceans Science Advisor for Greenpeace International, who conducted the study while a research assistant at the UBC Fisheries Centre.

"We chose the Mediterranean because it had excellent satellite coverage and because it was of personal interest," says Chiara Piroddi, co-author and an ecosystem modeler at the UBC Fisheries Centre.

"We hand counted 20,976 finfish cages and 248 tuna cages, which you can differentiate due to their extremely large size - each tuna cage measured at more than 40 metres across."

Almost half the cages were located off the coast of Greece and nearly one-third off of Turkey - and both countries appear to underreport their farmed fish production.


The researchers note that not all areas had full satellite coverage - for instance, images were missing for large portions of the coasts of France and Israel, for reasons the authors do not fully understand.

The EU boosts its support to earth observation applications in Africa

The European Union boosts its support to earth observation applications in Africa with a new 37 million EUR program 'Monitoring of Environment and Security in Africa (MESA)', formally approved1 in December 2011.  The program will run from 2013 until 2018, with the objective to address the need for improved management of natural resources and environmental security towards sustainable development in Africa, at continental, regional and national levels, including all Sub-Saharan African countries.
Monitoring of soil and water conditions for agriculture, tracking forest degradation and desertification, providing information to policy and decision makers in order to lessen and/or adapt to effects of climate change and reducing the risks of natural and human made disasters, for example, are all areas where MESA will bring added value.
MESA builds on over 10 years of EU support to earth observation applications in Africa and brings the EU financial contribution through the European Development Fund  to a total of nearly 70 million EUR since 20012.
The Meteorological Transition in Africa/ Preparation for the Use of Meteosat second generation in Africa (MTAP/PUMA) was the first pan-African initiative in support of earth observation technologies for meteorological purposes, from 2001 until 2005.  The Africa Monitoring of Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) program, running from 2007 until 2013, has taken PUMA a step forward by extending the use of earth observation technologies and data to environment and climate monitoring applications.
MESA builds on the results of AMESD and offers additional information services (especially continent-wide monitoring of a range of parameters related to climate change) and training, not only in support of public needs, but also contributing concretely to policy-making and planning efforts for improved management of natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa.
The program is implemented under the coordination of the African Union Commission, which has been delegated by 5 regional economic communities (CEMAC, ECOWAS, IGAD, IOC & SADC) and by the African Caribbean and Pacific Secretariat to act on their behalf as Delegated Regional Authorising Officer. The EU Delegation to the African Union is the lead delegation for the management of the program.
1 By the European Development Fund Committee 
2 This amount does not include other support provided through research and development grants.


source: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/african_union/index_en.htm

Satellite Industry Growth To Continue Despite Challenging Environment

Commercial markets to post modest growth while government space activities languish

Paris and Montreal, February 6, 2012 – Euroconsult, the leading international consulting and analyst firm specializing in the satellite and space sectors, announced today that it expects prospects for the satellite industry to remain favorable over the decade in a variety of areas. The next ten years should see continued growth for commercial markets, while at the same time stagnating growth for government spending should be expected at least through mid-decade.
Euroconsult’s "Satellites to be Built & Launched" estimates that 1,145 satellites will be built for launch from 2011 to 2020, 51% more satellites than the previous decade. Revenues from the manufacture and launch of these 1,145 satellites will be worth $196 billion worldwide, of which 70% can be attributed to government demand.
Euroconsult forecasts 203 commercial communications satellites with a market value of $50 billion will be launched into the GEO arc over the next ten years. Some of these satellites were recorded in satellite manufacturers' order books during the flurry of ordering activity over the past five years. Commercial satellite services outside the geostationary orbit will get a boost over the next decade with a total of 165 satellites to be built and launched into medium and low Earth orbits (MEO and LEO).
"Governments continue to dominate the space market, as satellite systems are critical infrastructure for communications and geo-information solutions for civilian and military users," said Rachel Villain, Director for Space for Euroconsult and editor of the report. "The government market is worth more than double the commercial market, but is largely closed to non-domestic manufacturers. Export opportunities for manufacturers exist with governments in countries with no space industry."
However, government space activities are entering a stagnation phase following years of continuous expansion during the last decade. Following a peak funding level of $71.5 billion in 2010, government budgets for space programs are anticipated to begin a slow decline at a minimum of -1% per year on average by 2015 according to Euroconsult’s "Government Space Markets, World Prospects to 2020." In the most optimistic scenario, this would result in a stabilization of approximately $70 billion for the next five years.
"Government investments in satellite systems are cyclical, driven by the procurement of operational systems in large space countries," said Steve Bochinger, President of Euroconsult North America. "Following stimulus funding allocated to space projects to support national economies and innovation, most governments have returned to more stringent budget spending. This has already resulted in cutting non-priority budget items including space programs." Government stakeholders will increasingly look for cooperation opportunities with their counterparts and with the private sector to maximize their investment and share risks on key programs.
Earth observation remains a driving factor for the space industry with $8 billion spent by government civil and defense agencies worldwide in 2011. According to Euroconsult’s "Satellite-Based Earth Observation" report, EO commercial data sales are due to grow by 12% on average per year over the decade, reaching nearly $4 billion by 2020 with very high resolution datasets dominant. Although commercial data sales may be affected in the short term by tightening budgets, long term prospects for data sales remain positive; key drivers include commercial data sales to defense agencies globally to support their IMINT requirements and a developing private sector, particularly for LBS. Realizing this, "operators are developing mechanisms to provide data to a global client base - through providing direct access to their proprietary satellites, developing online services and expanding distribution networks," said Adam Keith, Director of Earth Observation at Euroconsult.
source: http://www.euroconsult-ec.com
read the full report here: http://www.euroconsult-ec.com/news_press_release/download?name=53-satellite-industry-growth-to-continue.pdf

New web tool to improve accuracy of global land cover maps

Laxenburg, Austria (SPX) Feb 16, 2012

An interactive web tool has been developed to improve the accuracy and extent of global land use and forest cover information. The new 'Geo-Wiki' uses Google Earth and information provided by a global network of volunteers to fill in 'data gaps' and to verify existing land cover information. Developers this week have launched a Geo-Wiki competition to raise awareness of the tool and to encourage community involvement in environmental monitoring.

Access to accurate land cover data is increasingly important as nations strive to balance issues such as agricultural production for food security with, for example, their objectives regarding climate change or biodiversity conservation. While much land cover information exists it is often conflicting, partially due to the scale at which it is collected, the uneven coverage of the data, or the different definitions of the land cover classes used.

"Global land cover information available to policymakers and the researchcommunity today is derived from remote sensing," says Dr Steffen Fritz, leader of the Geo-Wiki development team and research leader from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).

"While there are several excellent regional and national land cover datasets already available that capture some basic information, there are still many regions where the information derived from satellite sources is conflicting, or inconsistent, across the datasets."

"This means we cannot be certain of the spatial distribution of deforestation, how much land is being used for cropping or, for example, the extent of urbanization. This has implications for how regions assess such things as their carbon storage potential, how much land could be available for food production or biofuel expansion, decisions that are becoming increasingly important as climate change and food security concerns escalate," says Dr Fritz.

The new competition aims to encourage volunteers to log on to the site, identify where they are in the world, view the information already available via the Google map and, to the best of their ability, provide their interpretation of the land cover in the area. To participate in the competition visit here.

Space-tracking ship Yuanwang VI concludes trip

Nanjing, China (XNA) Feb 10, 2012

File image: Yuanwang VI

China's space-tracking ship Yuanwang VI concluded its 154-day trip on Thursday after covering more than 30,000 sea miles.

The ship returned to the port of China Satellite Maritime Tracking and Controlling Department in east Jiangsu province.

Since September 2011, Yuanwang III, Yuanwang V and Yuanwang VI had sailed out in succession to maritime areas in the Pacific to carry out 12 tacking missions, including China's first space rendezvous and docking test of spaceship Shenzhou-8 and space lab module Tiangong-1.

Yuanwang III and Yuanwang V came back home at the end of January.

Construction of Yuanwang VI was completed in 2008.

It represents a new generation of space-tracking ships designed and manufactured in China, manipulating and coordinating the space position of satellites and spaceships.

On its maiden voyage in September 2008, Yuanwang VI was engaged in maritime tracking of the Shenzhou-7 manned space mission.

source: http://www.spacedaily.com

Rockot to launch two Sentinel satellites

Paris, France (ESA) Feb 10, 2012

Sentinel-2 and -3 are two of five Sentinel missions that ESA is developing for Europe's Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme.

ESA and Eurockot have signed contracts for launching two ESA satellites: Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-3A will fly in 2013 on Rockot vehicles from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia for Europe's GMES programme.

The contract signing by Matthias Oehm, Chief Executive Officer of Eurockot Launch Services GmbH, and Volker Liebig, Director of ESA's Earth Observation Programmes, took place at the historic Chamber of Commerce of Bremen, Germany.

The Senator for Economics, Labour and Ports of the Free and Hanseatic City of Bremen, Martin Gunthner, and the Chief Executive Officer of Astrium Space Transportation, Alain Charmeau, were also in attendance.

Eurockot is based in Bremen, Germany and is a joint venture between Astrium and Khrunichev Space Centre. The company provides low-orbit launches for observation and communication satellites from its dedicated facilities in northern Russia.

"With the launch of the first suite of Sentinels, a new era of Earth observation will start in Europe with the first worldwide operational monitoring system of environment and security," noted Prof. Liebig.

Pleiades captures its first images using e2v sensors

Paris, France (SPX) Feb 10, 2012

San Francisco, taken by Pleiades in December 2011. Courtesy of CNES.

Pleiades, the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) Earth observation satellite, has captured its first images using e2v high performance imaging sensors. Two types of e2v sensors (for panchromatic and multispectral imaging) equip the satellite's high-resolution optical imaging instrument.

These were selected by Thales Alenia Space, who provided the High Resolution (HR) instrument to Astrium, which was developed under CNES contract.

The Pleiades satellites are French dual-use observation satellites which will meet the needs of both civil and military users in Europe for a wide range of applications, including mapping, urban development, hydrology, geophysics and vulcanology.

Furthermore, a French Italian agreement will allow users to have access to data provided by the four Italian COSMO-SkyMed radar observation satellites, developed by Thales Alenia Space Italy and launched from 2007 to 2010.

The first Pleiades satellite was successfully launched into space on the 17th December 2011 with the second due to launch at the end of 2012/beginning of 2013. They will orbit the Earth, capturing very high resolution images from an altitude of 694km, for a period of at least five years.

The 200kg, high-resolution optical imaging instrument onboard Pleiades is equipped with a panchromatic and multispectral focal plane. Five e2v CCD98-50 imaging sensors equip the panchromatic focal plane; the sensors have 6,000 pixels each (giving 30,000 pixels per line), are back-thinned to improve sensitivity and have Time Delay Integration (TDI) functionality to enable them to capture high resolution images (70cm on ground resolution).

The multispectral focal plane is made up of five e2v AT71554 imaging sensors. These imaging sensors cover four spectral bands, made up of 1,500 pixels each, with each spectral band providing 7,500 pixels onceinstalled in the focal plane.

Bertrand De Monte, marketing manager of high performance imaging at e2v said "These first images from Pleiades are the result of a close, successful working relationship between e2v, Thales Alenia Space and CNES to develop and produce these two types of imaging sensor.

"e2v is very proud to have contributed to this mission and to have made these very high resolution Earth observation images possible".

source: http://www.spacedaily.com

Spying on Europe’s farms with satellites and drones

BB

Continue reading the main story

Farmers who claim more EU subsidies than they should, or who break Common Agricultural Policy rules, are now more likely to be caught out by a camera in the sky than an inspector calling with a clipboard. How do they feel about being watched from above?

Imagine a perfect walk in the country, a few years from now - tranquillity, clean air, birdsong in the trees and hedgerows, growing crops swaying in the breeze.

Suddenly a model plane swoops overhead.

But there is no-one around manipulating radio controls. This is not a toy, but a drone on a photographic mission.

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometres up in space, the same patch of land is being photographed by a satellite, which clearly pinpoints individual trees and animals.

What is there to spy on here? No secret military installations, just farmland.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

They thought we had an additional building without permission - but it was actually a haystack”

Roland RandallFarmer and environmental researcher

But Europe's farms cost taxpayers billions of euros in subsidies each year, and EU agricultural inspectors are turning to technology to improve their patchy record on preventing fraud and waste.

Satellites have already been in use for several years, and drones are currently undergoing trials.

Scanning a farm with a satellite costs about one third as much as sending an inspector on a field visit - £115 ($180; 150 euros) rather than £310 ($490; 400 euros), says the UK's Rural Payments Agency (RPA), which is responsible for disbursing the subsidies in the UK and checking for irregularities.

ORS-1, ground system gain final ops acceptance

by Scott PraterSchriever AFB CO (SPX) Feb 07, 2012

The Operationally Responsive Space-1 satellite took approximately three years to develop from concept to launch and orbit, compared to traditional satellite systems, which typically take seven years or longer to develop. (Graphic courtesy of the Operationally Responsive Space office).

When Gen. William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, declared the Operationally Responsive Space-1 satellite had achieved final operational capability in early January, the announcement marked a significant milestone for the 1st and 7th Space Operations Squadrons as well as their mission partners.

"What's most amazing about this milestone is it represents a culmination of three interrelated systems - the ORS-1 satellite; the ground system architecture, known as the Multi-Mission Satellite Operations Center; and our mission planning system," said Maj. Laura Kohake, 7 SOPS flight commander and lead ORS-1 engineer for 1 SOPS.

Most of the time, when space operations squadrons launch and operate satellites they use a ground system which is already embedded and has launched and operated previous satellites. But, these three systems were all developed concurrently and they all came together at the same time.

"Trying to get all these pieces to come out correctly at the same time so we could start performing operations has been challenging," Kohake said.

"While we were developing the ground system, the mission planning software and the satellite, 1 and 7 SOPS were conducting training and compiling procedures. So when something changed with any of those components we had to go back and relook at everything we did prior. All of that happened at the same time just so we could get to a point where we could launch and begin operations. It represents quite a feat for the program office, for the Operationally Responsive Space Office and for Team 8-Ball."

The geometry of shadows

by Dwayne A. Day
Monday, January 30, 2012

Soviet N-1 lunar rocket (designated the “J-vehicle” by the CIA) photographed by an American KH-8 GAMBIT reconnaissance satellite on September 19, 1968. In July 1969, American satellites photographed immense devastation at this site after an N-1 rocket blew up only a few hundred meters above the launch pad. [larger version of image] (credit: NRO) On September 19, 1968, GAMBIT mission 4316 sailed high over the arid Kazakh steppes. The GAMBIT 3—known as the KH-8 to the community that used its products—was a long, thin spacecraft, looking something like a pencil. Inside, the finest in American optics, manufactured by Kodak, stared down at the ground below. Those optics focused on a marvel of modern chemistry, a film, also manufactured by Kodak, that had an incredibly fine grain so that it could capture as much of the image that shown on it as possible as the film moved past a thin slit on the focal plane. That film could be enlarged many times on print, although the hard analysis was done on film positives spread over a light table in a windowless building at the edge of the Washington, DC, Navy Yard, where photo-interpreters stared at panchromatic images and measured shadows and applied basic geometry to determine the heights of objects. This was not the first time that an American satellite had spotted the N-1, but it was the best look that American intelligence analysts had ever gotten, enabling them to make measurements and evaluate the rocket’s stages and dimensions. On this September day the Americans got lucky. The skies over the primary Soviet rocket and missile test facility were clear. And down at Tyura-Tam, as it was then known, the Soviets were doing something very interesting. They had rolled out their Moon rocket, a giant vehicle as tall as a Saturn V. It occupied one of their two triad-shaped launch pads.