GEOINT 3.0

transformation within NGA promises new opportunities for the GEOINT community 

By Matt Alderton • 2013 issue 3

At approximately 1 a.m. local time on May 2, 2011, two Black Hawk helicopters containing Navy SEALs descended upon a sleepy compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Their target: Osama bin Laden, the jihadist architect behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Thanks in large part to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) — whose analysts waded through a complex tangle of maps and satellite imagery in order to locate the compound, then helped U.S. Special Forces contextualize, simulate, and navigate it — bin Laden was found and killed in a matter of minutes.

"Every guy out in the field knows that without geospatial mapping products he’d be blind. To get people [to embrace GEOINT 3.0] you have to show them what it means to the users whose lives depend on it."
—former NRO Director Martin C. Faga

Operation Neptune Spear illustrates perfectly NGA’s burgeoning role in national security, intelligence, and defense. Armed with dynamic and detailed location data, NGA customers have an unprecedented ability to plan and execute place-based missions. The successful mission spoke not only to the training and talent of those who carried it out, but also to the integrity of the data upon which it relied. An outdated image, an imprecise coordinate, or an unavailable insight easily could have cost SEAL Team Six its target, not to mention the lives of team members or innocent bystanders.
Unfortunately, outdated imagery, imprecise coordinates, and unavailable insights aren’t just risks — they’re realities. A reality that grows more common when the distance increases between those who collect location data and those who use it.

Africa's ups and downs

Paris (ESA) Aug 09, 2013

Envisat found that the dormant Mount Longonot in Kenya rose by 9 cm from 2004 to 2006.

The East African Rift is an area where two tectonic plates are moving apart, making it a region of high geological activity, home to a number of volcanoes.
This animation shows how satellite radars - like the one flown on Envisat - can detect surface displacement with centimetre accuracy from an altitude of about 800 km.
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar - or InSAR - is a remote sensing technique where two or more radar images over the same area are combined to detect slight surface changes between them.

New Report Highlights Concerns Regarding Landsat

Friday, August 9th 2013

By Adena Schutzberg

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The report, titled Landsat and Beyond: Sustaining and Enhancing the Nation's Land Imaging Program, was authored by Committee on Implementation of a Sustained Land Imaging Program; Space Studies Board; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Research Council.

In 1972 NASA launched the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ETRS), now known as Landsat 1, and on February 11, 2013 launched Landsat 8. Currently the United States has collected 40 continuous years of satellite records of land remote sensing data from satellites similar to these. Even though this data is valuable to improving many different aspects of the country such as agriculture, homeland security, and disaster mitigation; the availability of this data for planning our nation's future is at risk.
Thus, the Department of the Interior's (DOI's) U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) requested that the National Research Council's (NRC's) Committee on Implementation of a Sustained Land Imaging Program review the needs and opportunities necessary for the development of a national space-based operational land imaging capability. The committee was specifically tasked with several objectives including identifying stakeholders and their data needs and providing recommendations to facilitate the transition from NASA's research-based series of satellites to a sustained USGS land imaging program.
Landsat and Beyond: Sustaining and Enhancing the Nation's Land Imaging Program is the result of the committee's investigation. This investigation included meetings with stakeholders such as the DOI, NASA, NOAA, and commercial data providers. The report includes the committee's recommendations, information about different aspects of the program, and a section dedicated to future opportunities.

1987 GRASS GIS -Retro

Wednesday, August 7th 2013 

1987 GRASS GIS Video with William Shatner - Army Natural Resources Management Program

Wired writes about the video:
Shatner takes this promotional video for an open-source digital mapping software suite, rescues it from being another dull info-pitch for something you didn’t think you cared about, and turns it into an exciting voyage to explore a strange new world. Of maps.

source:  http://www.directionsmag.com

Citizen scientists rival experts in analyzing land-cover data

Vienna, Austria (SPX) Aug 08, 2013

This map shows all the locations of all data collected. Credit: Linda See, IIASA.

Over the past 5 years, IIASA researchers on the Geo-Wiki project have been leading a team of citizen scientists who examine satellite data to categorize land cover or identify places where people live and farm. These data have led to several publications published in peer-reviewed journals.
"One question we always get is whether the analysis from laypeople is as good as that from experts. Can we rely on non-experts to provide accurate data analysis?" says IIASA researcher Linda See, who led the study published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The researchers compared 53,000 data points analyzed by more than 60 individuals, including experts and non-experts in remote sensing and geospatial sciences. The new study shows that non-experts were as good as experts at identifying human impact, a concept that has emerged from ecological sciences, in satellite land cover data.
However, the study showed, experts were better at identifying the specific land-cover types such as forest, farmland, grassland, or desert.

EADS, Mitsubishi announce restructurings

Leiden, Netherlands (UPI) Jul 31, 2013

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Corporate restructurings and a corporate name change are in the works in Europe and Asia, involving EADS and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
From the Netherlands, EADS, the pan European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. -- better known as EADS -- is integrating its Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian businesses into a single Defense and Space Division and will enhance their integration and cohesion by renaming the group and its divisions.
The group name will be Airbus, capitalizing on the globally recognized brand name of the EADS subsidiary.
EADS, meanwhile, said the new Airbus Group will consist of three divisions: Airbus, responsible for commercial aircraft activities; Airbus Defense & Space; and Airbus Helicopters.
"Pooling the space and defense entities Airbus Military, Astrium and Cassidian is the (EADS) group's response to the changing market environment with flat or even shrinking defense and space budgets in the Western Hemisphere," the company said. "This structural change will provide optimized market access, cost and market synergies and improved competitiveness overall. It will also provide better visibility on the European leader in space and defense."
EADS' phased transformation begins Jan. 1. Regulatory milestones, works council consultations and other approval procedures are needed, however, before planned changes can take effect.

EU's response to NSA? Drones, spy satellites could fly over Europe

Moscow (Voice of Russia) Jul 31, 2013

A man is at work during the set up of the "UAV Show Europe", an International Drone fair. Photo courtesy AFP.

The European Union is pondering an EU Commission proposal to acquire a fleet of surveillance drones, satellites, and planes as part of an "ambitious action" to boost the European defense industry. It follows revelations of the NSA's spying programs.
The European Commission has issued a 17-page report, proposing some concrete steps that would encourage pan-European defense cooperation.
"Maintaining and developing defense capabilities to meet current and future challenges in spite of severe budget constraints will only be possible if far-reaching political and structural reforms are made. The time has come to take ambitious action," the Commission's report said.
One of the actions suggested in the report is funding a pre-commercial procurement scheme to acquire prototypes of some technologies - including drones.
The full list of technology candidates includes equipment to detect chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives threats (CBRNE), "communication equipment based on software defined radio technology," and remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), otherwise known as drones.
According to Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the report, the European Commission has for long been eyeing the possibility of using drones over Europe.
"The European Commission has long identified the potential of this emerging technology and supported the market by investing in research and innovation relevant for RPAS through the Framework Programme for Research. A broad stakeholders' consultation has demonstrated the necessity for action at EU level, setting as priorities the further development of RPAS civil applications and the integration of the systems into the European air space as soon as possible," the document said.

The Earth breathes, and it is beautiful

Robert T. Gonzalez 7/30/13

NASA has just released this mind-blowing photograph Earth, which was captured earlier this month by the Agency's most recently launched… Read…

Using NASA's latest high-resolution satellite imagery of Earth, datavisualization expert John Nelson has created a pair of captivating animations that track seasonal transformations on the blue marble we call home.

"I downloaded the 12 cloud-free satellite imagery mosaics of Earth at each month of the year," he explains, "wrapped them into some fun projections, then stitched them together into a couple animated gifs." The end result is a pulsing visualization he calls "A Breathing Earth":

NASA | Seeing Photosynthesis from Space

Monday, July 29th 2013

NASA scientists have discovered a new way to use satellites to measure what's occurring inside Earth's land plants at a cellular level. 

During photosynthesis, plants emit what is called fluorescence -- a form of light invisible to the naked eye but detectable by satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth. NASA scientists established a method to turn this satellite data into global maps of the subtle phenomenon in more detail than ever before.

The new maps -- produced by Joanna Joiner of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and colleagues -- provide a 16-fold increase in spatial resolution and a 3-fold increase in temporal resolution over the first proof-of-concept maps released in 2011. Improved global measurements could have implications for farmers interested in early indications of crop stress, and ecologists looking to better understand global vegetation and carbon cycle processes. 

"For the first time, we are able to globally map changes in fluorescence over the course of a single month," Joiner said. "This lets us use fluorescence to observe, for example, variation in the length of the growing season."

source: http://www.directionsmag.com 

Street Factory Awarded as Most Valuable Geo-information Product

Monday, July 29th 2013

Astrium Geo (formerly Spot Imaging) | Toulouse, France

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Street Factory^TM, Astrium Services’ advanced 3D urban mapping solution, has been awarded «most valuable product in geo-information field 2012» during the World Geospatial Developers Conference hold in May, in Beijing, China.
Toulouse, France – 29 July 2013– Astrium Services is pleased to announce that its advanced 3D urban mapping solution, Street Factory^TM, has received the prize of the most valuable product in geo-information field 2012, delivered during the World Geospatial Developers Conference (WGDC), hold in Beijing last May. The WGDC is the largest and the most practical developer conference in China and leads the latest technology and products development trends in the geo-information fields.
Launched in July 2012, Street Factory^TM is a fully integrated solution enabling fast and fully automatic processing of images from any aerial or street camera for the generation of a 3D Textured Database.
Realistic and precise 3D data is essential for all professionals working with 3D modeling and visualization in areas such as urban planning, risk management, defense and telecommunications.

Taking a Cue from U.S. Landsat and GPS Programs, Europe Permits Free Access to Sentinel Earth Observation Data

By Peter B. de Selding | Jul. 30, 2013

The first satellite in Europe's Copernicus system, Sentinel 1A, is scheduled for launch in February. Credit: ESA artist's concept by P. Carril

PARIS — The European Commission has agreed to permit free access to data from its Sentinel series of Earth observation satellites, concluding that any harm to private-sector satellite operators will be outweighed by the expected growth in value-added services derived from the data.
After a long process of evaluation that included input from the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC), an association of private-sector providers of Earth observation data, the commission has agreed to align itself with a policy already adopted by the 20-nation European Space Agency (ESA).
ESA and the commission, which is the executive arm of the 28-nation European Union, together already have spent some 3.2 billion euros ($4.2 billion) on an elaborate space-based Earth observation network including the fleet of Sentinel optical and radar spacecraft.
The system used to be called Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, or GMES. It is now called Copernicus and its ownership is gradually transferring from ESA to the European Commission.
The commission, after initially seeking to expel Copernicus from its next seven-year budget, has bowed to demands from the European Parliament, ESA and individual European governments and agreed to spend a further 3.8 billion euros on Copernicus between 2014 and 2020.
The funding will complete the development of the Sentinel satellites, finance their options and also stimulate the growth of a user community that commission officials hope one day may be strong enough to take part ownership of the system.
ESA decided several years ago to follow the U.S. government’s Landsat example and eliminate charges for access to ESA-owned Earth observation satellites. It was a victory for those who believe the U.S. GPS example will work for Earth observation as well: The government provides access to the raw data free of charge, and the private sector thrives by developing services based on the data.
There is no private-sector GPS satellite operator. But in Europe, where commercial Earth observation was invented in the mid-1980s, several companies have raised private capital to build and launch their own satellites. Data sales are part of the business model, even if services are where the growth is.

Military Space Quarterly | Long-anticipated UAE Spy Sat Contract Goes to Astrium, Thales Alenia

By Peter B. de Selding | Jul. 22, 2013

PARIS — The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces on July 22 contracted with Astrium Satellites and Thales Alenia Space of France to provide the two-satellite Falcon Eye high-resolution optical reconnaissance system.
The contract, which has been in negotiation in one form or another for well over a decade, is valued at 800 million euros, or nearly $1.1 billion at current exchange rates. The figure includes the construction of two satellites weighing less than 1,500 kilograms each; their separate launches in late 2017 and early 2018, likely aboard European Vega rockets; two ground facilities for satellite control and image reception; and training of UAE personnel in France.
Industry officials did not detail the precise characteristics of the two satellites beyond saying they would use the same satellite platform as the French government’s two Pleiades satellites, which operate in 700-kilometer polar low Earth orbits. The Pleiades satellites are capable of detecting objects as small as 70 centimeters in diameter, and 50 centimeters after the images are enhanced in a process called resampling.

The Falcon Eye satellites will use the same satellite platform as the French government’s Pleiades satellites. Credit: EADS Astrium photo/CNES artist concept by Pierre Carril

Thales Alenia Space will be providing the Falcon Eye imaging payload, with Astrium Satellites building the platform. Both companies said their hardware would be upgraded versions of what they built for Pleiades, which is used by the French Defense Ministry and by Astrium Services Geo-Information division for commercial sales.
The contract was signed in Abu Dhabi during a ceremony presided over by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE crown prince, who is also head of the UAE armed forces; and by Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French defense minister.

INSAT-3D and India’s new emphasis on meteorology

by Ajey Lele

Monday, August 5, 2013

On July 26, 2013, India’s dedicated meteorological satellite INSAT-3D was successfully launched into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) by an Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana. India already has two operational meteorological satellites in space: the KALPANA and INSAT-3A satellites of India have been in service in geostationary orbit for the past decade. The article puts in context India’s overall investments in the field of metrological satellites at the backdrop of successful launch of INSAT-3D.

INSAT-3D prior to its launch last month. The satellite is the latest series of spacecraft developed by India to augment its weather forecasting and climate science capabilities. (credit: ISRO)

India, being an agricultural economy, depends significantly on weather conditions. The entire country keenly waits for the monsoon season (June to September), which contributes about 80 percent of India’s yearly rainfall. Doing advance prediction about the monsoon rains, and tracking and forecasting its progress for four months after its arrival, has always been a tricky job for the meteorologists. Monsoon weather pattern always have their own vagaries. India, with widely varying terrain, is even found witnessing floods and droughts simultaneously in different areas of the country.